New Jersey Vacation

I am well overdue for a blog about the second half of our East Coast trip in NJ! I've already forgotten what we did when, but fortunately I have lots of pictures to remind me of the fun we had....

Sisters

Dinner at my sister-in-law's...

Like when we spent the day in Ocean City, NJ with my Mother-In-Law Peggy, Sister-In-Law Sandy, Niece Michal, and good friend Jimmy. We had a great time on the beach....

Ocean City Boardwalk

Loving Grandma...

Aunt Sandy and Girls....

Dale and I

Jimmy and Michal

and headed to Atlantic City for a memorable dinner at the Rainforest Cafe. The entire restaurant is transformed into a Rainforest complete with thunderstorms every half hour...

Rainforest Canopy

Friendly Gorilla

Aquariums filled with all kinds of beautiful fish...

We spent a day in MD. Richard and I were able to visit my good friend Christie and her boys. I met her baby Aaron,

Aaron

and my Richard and her oldest Jacob played wonderfully together.

After the park, we took a quick trip to Dunkin' Donuts for a snack and got freaked out by some weird guy that wanted us to give him a ride. I've never strapped Richard in so quickly. Christie brought me to where Dale was, at his oldest brother John's house, and our family was able to spend the rest of the evening with their family.

Belle and Jules play with cousins Luke and Levi

Juliette, Our Niece Amber, Belle

It was good to see our nieces and nephews again...and meet our newest niece Samantha for the first time.

Samantha

 We spent a day in Cape May with our friends. We began our day with a few hours at the beautiful Cape May Zoo...

     Pretty In Pink

Daddy's Girl

Three turtle pile-up

Marla and David

  

Mommy and her "Big" Boy

Richard and Chloe

Chloe, Belle, Juliette, Ashley

and finished the day shopping in all the cute boutiques. And, of course, there was some great beach time in between...

Marla and I

Ashley and Belle

Benjamin and Richard

Jules and her Daddy

Jumping over waves

Catch that wave!

Beach Babe

Ben makes a sand castle.

David's first trip to the beach.

Finding crustaceans.

I have been to many beaches in my lifetime, and I can honestly say Cape May is one of my favorites. It's clean, family friendly, charming and quaint. It has so much rich history and beauty within it. Every street is adorned with huge, well-kept modern or Victorian houses, many of which have been converted to elegant Bed and Breakfasts.

And I'm always a sucker for towns with brick or cobblestone roads, cute shops, and horse drawn carriage rides...

It was so hard to say goodbye to our friends knowing we most likely won't see them again for awhile. But it feels good to know the bond we share is strong and our friendship will last a lifetime. 

I was also able to spend a few short hours with my dear friend, Jenn. I finally met her little baby boy; Gabrielle.

Gabrielle

Juliette and Bobby played like they had never been apart.

Buddies; Bobby and Juliette

That afternoon, my neice Madison and I went to the Cherry Hill Mall for a little shopping and catching up. Maddi is one of the most fashionable girls I know, so I had so much fun picking out cute clothes with her and getting an update on the world's latest trends. That evening, Dale and I celebrated our 11 year anniversary at PF Chang's.

I ordered my usual Spicy Orange Chicken, Dale had General Tso's and we ended it with the Great Wall of Chocolate; a six-layered chocolate cake in a pool of raspberry puree with a side of fresh berries. Bliss. That's the only word I can use to describe it.

 We spent the last day before the trek home lounging around my sister's pool...

"U" Shaped Pool

This was one of the things Belle and Juliette looked forward to most; swimming in Aunt Sandy's pool.

Sidewalk Chalk Creations

Cookies and Grandma-does life get any better?

Dale managed to throw most of the family in the pool and even tossed in their family dog for good measure. The man cannot help himself but to torture everyone around him!! That evening, we sat down for a wonderful meal together before we settled in for the night and prepared for a  l o o o o o n g  ride home.

Rest Stop Fun