This Full House Archive

Tag: the jersey shore

  • Our Stay, Play and Eat Weekend at Morey’s Piers

    #moreyspierscollageMy family and I were very honored to have been invited, as special guests of  Morey’s Piers, to spend the weekend in Wildwood, NJ and meet the famous Morey brothers, in person.  

    Okay, so I was THRILLED!!!  

    I got to revisit some of my favorite childhood memories of summertime(s) past:  when my twin brother and I would spend our days playing on the beach, as my parents sunned themselves while listening to my dad’s favorite doo-wop radio station (WCBS FM 101.1), and then follow the parade of flip flops, begging our parents for “Please, just one more quarter?!?” to play any one of the dozens of carnival games (it was a long time ago, shuddup!) along the 2 miles of boardwalk, at night.

    Okay, great, but what really made this family getaway even MORE fabulous:

    (more…)

  • Hurricane Sandy: Getting Back To The New Normal, Here at the Gateway to the Jersey Shore

    WITH A GREAT BIG SHOUT-OUT TO MY DEAR FRIEND MELISA:  THANKS SO MUCH FOR YOUR AWESOME GUEST POST WHILE WE WERE HURRICANE-ING!

    A week ago, at this very moment, I posted a semi-lighthearted Facebook status — something about my husband Garth (not his real name) going out and hunting down donuts before we all go Amish for the next few days — having lived in the Bayshore area of New Jersey all our lives, we are no strangers to storms. 

    Hurricane sandy dad on the roof

    It's a bird, a plane, HOLY CRAP dad is on the roof!

    Truth be told, considering Hurricane Irene ripped us a new one a little over a year ago, my husband and I were more than just a little concerned about our roof riding out the projected monster of a storm known as Hurricane Sandy (a.k.a. #Frankenstorm, #Blizzicane and/or #Snor'eaterscane). 

    Hurricane Sandy Dad is on the Roof for Real

    Reinforcing trouble spots, courtesy of Hurricane Irene.

    Our house loses power whenever the town burps or hiccups (see also:  FUBAR) so, stocking up on can goods, batteries, candles, lots of ice and Ibuprofen (okay, that last one was for me) is pretty much the norm.


    Hurricane Sandy Prep

    At our house, everyone gets their own flashlight!

    I continued posting snarky stuff on Twitter too, like:  whoever came up with #Frakenstorm is most likely NOT from Jersey, better known as #Frigginstorm.

    Or, contrary to what some folks believe about NJ, how I did NOT plan on being very warm and/or welcoming…sorry, Sandy.

    Then the lights went out, we lost ALL contact with the outside world and stuff in our town started blowing up.

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  • Nearly Wordless Wednesday: The Jersey Shore (No, not THAT one!)

    A few of my favorite photos taken (yes, BY ME!) on our spur of the moment, sure, we'd love to come and stay with you guys at the beach, New Year's weekend family getaway to Cape May, NJ:

    (Feel free to click on any of the photos for a closer look!)

    BeachcombersHigbees Beach Jetty

     Fishing Rod Chasing Waves

    Footsteps in the SandSandy Boots

    Making WavesSisters Connect

    Children of the Sand Dunes

    Enough said.  With many thanks to our very dear friends, Cheryl and John, for putting us up (yes, ALL OF US) and helping us to create such wonderful memories, because they roll like that!

    © 2003 – 2012 This Full House

  • Wordless Wednesday:
    Aaaand So It Begins
    To Look a LOT Like Christmas!

    Heather Sporting Christmas Ornament Earrings
    The countdown (27 days until Heather's 15th birthday) officially begins…NOW!!!

    Taken with my cell phone.  Imagine what I could do with a REAL camera?  Yeah, I'm looking at you, Garth (not his real name!)

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    © 2003 – 2010 This Full House Blog / This Full House Gone Shopping

  • Nearly Wordless Wednesday:
    The Dance

    Theresa 1964
    My mother's baby sister, Aunt Theresa (holding me) her friend (holding my brother) my dad, my mom and Nagy Mama late spring, 1964.

    Theresa Sassy'nit Up on the Dance Floor! 04/30/52 – 11/02/10

    My Aunt Theresa sass'nit up on the dance floor (with me) on my wedding day (August 25, 1990) whose last wish was to be buried in the same awesomely sassy dress, tomorrow. 

    Until we meet again…save me a dance, my sweet and awesomely sassy Keresztmama (Godmother, in Hungarian) you will be missed, never forgotten and forever loved for ALL your sassyness and more!!! 

    Forever yours, Sziszike.

    Friggin' Diabetes.

    Stopdiabetes

    © 2010 This Full House Blog / This Full House Gone Shopping

  • Wordless Wednesday:
    A-Maize-ing

    Hopey Corn Maze 2010 No, you are most certainly NOT almost as tall as the corn…DAMMIT?!?

    Taken with my cell phone.  Imagine what I could do with a REAL camera?  Yeah, I'm looking at you, Garth (not his real name!)

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    © 2010 This Full House Blog / This Full House Gone Shopping

  • If You Give a 14 Year-Old PlayDoh

    Playdoh

    Nope, you are NEVER too old for PlayDoh! 

    BONUS points if you can, uh, guess which 14 yo is, you know, mine?

    LINKY LOVE BYTES:

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    Wordless Wednesday on 5 Minutes for Mom

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    you're it:  

    © 2010 This
    Full House Blog     / This Full House Gone Shopping

  • Children of the REAL Jersey Shore
    (Now with MORE zeppoles!)

    Septemberrrr Wake me up when Septemberrrrrr ends!

    I love the beach this time of year.  The fresh, salty air is a bit chillier, which makes the water seem much, much warmer and, well, most of the Bennies (i.e., the cast of the Jersey Shore, mostly, ironically enough) have ALL gone home.

    "When was the last time we were at this beach, again?!?"

    I get it.  I was young, once (shuddup!) and could NOT wait for Friday nights, in the summer, when we'd head down the Parkway to Seaside Heights and/or Wildwood Crest and sneak into bars study the bible, ALL weekend long!

    "I remember, Momma, it was when we showed Dana the ocean!"

    I'd forgotten.  Yeah, it really was the day we introduced my bloggy friend Dana to the ocean — she's from Wisconsin!

    "Has it been THAT long?!?"

    Sadly, my kids have outgrown Jenkinson's Boardwalk.

    Jenkinson's 1999 Glen's 1st trip to the boardwalk — Jenkinson's 1999

    It really is just the right size for little ones; ALL tuckered out by nap time (me, too) and we'd be loooong gone by the time the Jersey Shore night life, you know, woke up. 

    "I thought that ride was SO MUCH bigger!"


    Holly and Heather Jenkinson's 1999
    Then, before you know it, YOUR kids meet the maximum 48 inches to ride and, well, you know, you can't go back.

    "Can we get zeppoles?!?"

    Yesterday, however, was a GREAT day to get out (considering, September also translates to, "school holiday," in Jersey!) and housewife is such an oxymoron, dontchathink?

    Zeppoles
    Mmmmm….the view inside a big bag of zeppoles (pronounced as zep-poh-leez) or, fried dough, drowning in powdered sugar, if you're NOT from Jersey.

    "Noooo, I want funnel cake!!!"

    Funnel Cake
    Mmmmm…of course…(or, auf-cawse, if you're from Jersey) there's ALWAYS room for funnel cake!!!

    "Wanna eat it on the beach?!?"

    Pt. Pleasant Beach
    Bet you did NOT know we had palm trees, or blue skies, here in Jersey, right?  Are they real?  You know, I really don't know.

    "This was really an AWESOME day, Momma!"

    What we DO know is that there's SO MUCH more to Jersey than what some reality t.v. shows would care to admit, sort of.

    "Too bad you ran outta money for the rides!"

    Of course, it most likely will not be the one that my kids remember but, let's NOT go there…just yet…m'kay!?!?

    © 2010 This
    Full House Blog     / This Full House Gone Shopping

  • Wordless Wednesday:
    Not Listening!

    Not Listening!

    Taken with my cell phone.  Imagine what I could do with a REAL camera?  Yeah, I'm looking at you, Garth (not his real name!)

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    © 2010 This
    Full House Blog     / This Full House Gone Shopping

  • Marrying the Man of My Dreams…NOT!

    Apu, Any, Mamama The Pocono Mountains, August 1963

    Next week, my husband Garth (not his real name) and I will be celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary.

    Married.  20 years.  To each other.

    Inconceivable, considering I've only just turned 29, again (ahem!) but, how did we get here?

    "Look, we found a box of old photos!"

    Because, I've never been really very good at finishing what I start (cough!) and 2 out of 4 of their baby books are actually, you know, finished.

    "Who's that?"

    My dad.  My mom.  My grandmother.  They ALL looked so young.  I managed to hold onto it (barely) but, couldn't stop my hands from shaking when I remembered who must have taken the picture. 

    "Why does Papa look so sad?"

    My grandmother was married to a very (and I mean VERY) abusive man (in the worse sense of the word, really) so, I can IMAGINE what my father was thinking at that very moment.

    "I think he was maybe just nervous."

    With good reason.  My father had a tumultuous relationship with HIS father-in-law (which, happened to be on a good day) and, well, the decision to move in with his in-laws must NOT have been an easy one, either.

    "Was she married?"

    Growing up, in that house, however, was MUCH worse.

    "Who?"

    Still, ALL parents fight…right?

    "Your grandmother."

    Especially, with their in-laws…no?

    "She was married, but then she got divorced."

    Granted, I don't remember my friends ever talking about the police being called out to their grandparents' houses.

    "For how long?"

    Not as often as they visited mine, I mean.

    "How long, what?"

    Then, there was silence.

    "How long was she married?"

    Days and days without talking to each other.

    "40 years, I think."

    Doesn't matter.  After a while, it all becomes a BIG blur anyway and, well, I just never dreamed it could be, or would be…any different…for me.

    "She was married twice as long as you and daddy!?!?"

    20 years.  Married.  To each other.

    "Are you going to do something special for your anniversary?"

    Inconceivable, indeed.

    "Yeah, we're gonna stay married!"

    Frankly, the man of MY dreams was WAY different.

    "That's NOT funny, mom!"

    Thank you, Garth (not his real name) for NOT being that man!!!

    "Bet daddy would think it was funny."

    I mean, he IS married to me, you know?

    © 2010 This
    Full House Blog     – All Rights Reserved.