Today I’m at the beach in Stone Harbor, NJ, enjoying the finale of a four-day weekend. Depending on when you’re reading this, I’m likely doing one of the following:
1. Taking an early morning beach walk down to the Bread & Cheese Cupboard on 96th St. (where the scent of sticky buns and crumb cake is bending my will).
2. Drinking Wawa coffee and trying to get myself excited about the bowl of yogurt and blueberries that awaits me back in the room.
3. Stealing small of forkfuls of breakfast pastry heaven off my husband’s plate while he’s not looking.
4. Lugging beach chairs, umbrellas, coolers and armfuls of other stuff down to the beach.
5. Sweating.
6. Searching for the best place to line up 20 beach chairs and umbrellas.
7. Moving all of our chairs and umbrellas because someone didn’t like our choice.
8. Laying out and trying to reclaim my tan.
9. Sweating.
10. People watching. (A great character development exercise. Especially at the Jersey shore).
11. Scoping out what everyone else is reading. (Me? Bitter is the New Black by Jen Lancaster, Tell No One by Harlan Coben, and Eat Right 4 Your Blood Type by Peter D’Adamo. I know, I know, but I can’t pick just one!)
12. Defending my lunch from hoards of aggressive seagulls. (Think Untamed & Uncut: Jersey Shore Edition).
13. Body surfing. (And trying not to scream every time a piece of seaweed brushes up against my leg).
14. Pretending that I see a dorsel fin just behind my husband. (Serves him right for ditching me for Shark Week every August).
15. Napping.
16. Enjoying some late afternoon cocktails.
17. Swatting at horseflies.
18. Driving home. (Don’t worry, this is well after cocktail hour).
19. Unpacking our suitcases. (And looking longingly at the tiny handful of sand in the bottom of my bag).
20. Counting down the days until our next beach trip. (Okay, 19 isn’t so bad).
