Saturday, August 13, 2011

Sun and fun and chocolatey goodness.

Why does the actual vacation never last as long as the planning? Seems unfair.

We had a great time and thanks to all of you for your good vacation wishes.


We left NY on Friday and headed to the beach in NJ. My wonderful sister (in-law) invited us to her parent's place just three houses away from the sand.

This picture was taken on Monday morning before we left. It was a little overcast but cleared up within the hour. 

The surf, however, was very rough while we were there. My brother said it was TS/Hurricane Emily coming up the coast that caused the giant waves. It kept us from taking the 5 year old too far into the water but it was spectacular to watch.


If you have ever taken a hard look at NJ you will see a small strip of land running parallel to the right of the state. This is where we were staying. You have the ocean on the one side and the bay on the other.


My brother decides to take us crabbing on the bay. This was a hoot and a lot easier than it sounds. With just two traps and some raw chicken we caught over a dozen blue crabs in less than a thirty minutes.

It was recommended that we don't eat the crabs since the bay water is not the most pristine but the 5 year old loved the catch and release program.


With wonderful memories, and sand in unmentionable places, we left the beach and headed to Harrisburg, PA on Monday and stayed until Thursday.






Here is a short list of all the awesomely cool things we did in Harrisburg/Hershey.


No pictures but the food was really good. My husband enjoyed the beer and we bought some of their very delicious root beer and birch beer.


This was an interesting tour with lots of great memorabilia. To keep the kids entertained they had an I Spy game and the Maya Chocolate Adventure.


What can I say? This place was awesome. Chocolate everywhere. Cool shows. Chocolate everywhere. Make your own candy bar. Chocolate everywhere. I didn't want to leave.


We don't go anywhere without checking out the local firehouses. These guys were great and had the coolest T-Shirts to buy. You can get them off their website.

So much to do here now I know why they want you to come for two days. The water park section alone could have been an entire day. 
I don't think my son stopped smiling the whole time we were there. There were so many rides all over the park for just his size.

The shows are pretty cheesy but still make you laugh. Lots of spontaneous entertainment all over the park. It was the longest and most fun 10 hour day I have had in...forever.


Even if you are not interested in Civil War history (which was very cool) the museum sits at the top of this tall hill and has the most beautiful view. Worth the drive just to see it.

This quote was not credited to anyone but I found it inspiring.

All in all...amazing. It was great and relaxing and fun. Most importantly my son and husband, who don't get to spend long days together except on the weekends, had the best time.


15 comments:

  1. Fun! I'll bet your son will always remember the trip. :)

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  2. It all sounds really fun! Glad you got to Hersheypark. And that you released the crabs. I could never catch and kill anything to save my life.

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  3. Oh, I LOVE this. Great pics!! So glad you're having family fun. And, that chocolate factory?! Heaven!

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  4. wonderful pics. i need to get my crew over to hershey. so glad you enjoyed your time away! now you can relax from your vacation, right?

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  5. Sounds and looks like a great trip. I had no idea there we so much to do in Hershey, but I did know there was chocolate there. Thanks for sharing your photos with us.

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  6. ...haven't seen pictures of Hershey Park in years! My recent release, "South of Charm," hosts several scenes from the park and surrounding areas. Memories galore!

    EL

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  7. Glad to have you back...

    Those are amazing pics, thx for sharing them and your story with us.

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  8. Wow! Sounds like my kind of vacation. Will visit Hershey sometime soon.

    I love the part of chocolate everywhere.

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  9. Hi, great to meet you and thanks for following my kangaroo blog. Came over to follow you back and found chocolate! I'm in heaven!

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  10. Hello everyone! Thanks so much! We did have a great time and I'm glad you guys liked the photos. I will be putting more on Facebook. There is a link on this page somewhere if you want to come visit!

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  11. Cheryl - WELCOME! You are my 200th follower! Hope you don't mind that I will be mentioning you in my next blog post.
    Thanks for coming by and be sure to stick around...we love chocolate here!

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  12. Looks like you had a great time! My hubby took me to the Hershey Gardens for Mother's Day one year it was great.

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  13. kmckendry - We thought the gardens would bore the 5 year old but I would love to see them one day. We also skipped ZooAmerica because we had just taken hi to the Bronx Zoo a few times. Thanks for stopping in!

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  14. Yeah sometimes the kids don't appreciate that kind of stuff.

    There is an award waiting for you over at my blog. Stop by and pick it up.
    http://imagine-today1.blogspot.com/

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  15. H - forgot to mention the Strasburg Railroad to you...we visited there during our Hershey trip a few years ago. The kids enjoyed it. Look it up and maybe make a trip out there again some day. :-)

    K.

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