Summer Memories

This weekend marks the weekend we would normally start our two week family vacation in LBI and oh how I miss those weeks.  We had so many great memories down there with friends and family.  It seemed to always be a big party with the Wenthen clan...from the Karls to the Russos to the Seebers and the occasional visit from the Squitieris and Gormleys.


Saturdays would start with my mom, sister and I leaving for the island around 6 am so we could beat the traffic.  Since check in wasn't until 2, we would go down there, walk around, grab some lunch and then head off to our home for two weeks. After that we made a big food shopping trip, unpacked and set everything up.  After that it was nothing beaching and relaxing.  My dad would usually get there late...once he didn't get there until about 10pm and it was the first and last year we made the mistake of having him bring the sheets in his car.


The first week we were down there, my parents would allow my sister and I to bring friends down.  One year they were particularly crazy and allowed me to have 3 friends and my sister 2.  That was the last year they did that.  Too many issues with all those teenage girls in one house.  I think my dad had had enough that year.


Other than that we had great times hanging out with our family.  It was those vacations that I really got to spend time with the cousins.  I can remember one night when the triplets were young and we were at their house on Connecticut Ave and Nana and Poppi were babysitting all of us.  Our parents had stayed out late and Nana and Poppi were sitting on the deck outside anxiously awaiting their return.  I don't know if they had had enough of us kids or if it was just that late, but either way, they were none too pleased.


Then there was the times we went to the Showplace and we had to sing for our ice cream.  Or the times we went to Fantasy Island and Molly was so small it seemed like she was going to fall out of the Pirate Ship.


LBI is definitely my happy place and I wish we could go back to those days.  Maybe when we are all older and with our own families we can all rent places down there and give our children the same experiences we were able to have!