Beach Trips from Childhood

This is a look back.

My cousins traveled from Ohio to New Jersey in order to attend my mom's surprise birthday party this summer, and while they were here, we took advantage of the time to take a trip to the beach.

Growing up, we'd spend a week at Ocean City, NJ every other year with my Dad's side of the family. These cousins were the closest to my age, and we always looked forward to Christmases and holidays we shared with them. However, this beach tradition ended a few years ago But, we have been able to make a few occasional visits since then.

Digging a hole in the sand is a tradition. When we were little, the dads would help. But now, we can make them pretty elaborate by ourselves. Except now, the lifeguards are more picky, and we've been told to stop a couple times. It's crazy to think how many memories are tied up with a simple hole in the ground and all the smiles that came with it.

Boogie boarding is a competition. Us kids developed the art of dropping on top of another person and knocking them off their board. There has been blood in the past, but there was always fun. I didn't get in the water this past trip because the water was super cold, but I did watch some of my family enjoy the waves.

When it comes time for dinner, my family is amazing at changing out of swimsuits into regular clothes in our twelve passenger van. We get a good parking spot and lots of towels. This trip, like many others, we got changed and enjoyed pizza off the boardwalk and then got dessert on the boardwalk. Dairy Queen for the win.

As we were taking pictures of everyone and saying our goodbyes, I had a few thoughts.

              1. This might be one of the last beach days like when we were little. As it was, my older sister wasn't there. All the Ohio cousins are in college or grad school. I'm getting married. Life is changing.

              2. My own siblings are growing up so much. There were very few rough moments once we got out of the house. When they were younger, day-long trips were very hard because it didn't take much for them to loose it and ruin the rest of the day. But now, we could sit and enjoy dinner without tears or something being broken. It was nice.

              3. As much as sand isn't my favorite thing in the world, beach days will definitely be something I make sure my future kids experience. I have made so many fun memories there, and I want to make sure my children get to do the same.

As I look back at these fond memories, I'm reminded of all God-given summers that I can still smile about today.

//Alyson Jennie