A Weekend of Independence

Such a cheesy title, I know. This week(end) I went down to the Jersey shore with some friends for a few days of fun and relaxation, free of parents and free of work. It felt so good just to get away for a little while and chill out under the sun and in the cool, seaweedy waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Obviously, my shiny white skin got a little burnt (and a little tan too?) but hanging out was well worth it. Here's a BRIEF overview of the weekend, no need to go into such detail:

Wednesday evening, Lizzy picked me up and drove to the shore, getting there around 7:30. We drove around Ventnor/Margate, then returned to the condo and walked to Sack O' Subs for dinner. My pizza steak hit the spot...until I realized just how much I ate and quickly sunk into a food coma. We went back to the condo, turned on the TV and watched Pirates of the Caribbean. A tradition was quickly born: Rummy 500 Card Night for Lizzy and me, and the inaugural event was won by yours truly.

Thursday morning we watched Serena Williams' semifinal match at Wimbledon and strolled down to the beach. Usually I can't sit still for more than 5 minutes at the beach between the hot sun (and my pale skin) and the refreshing ocean waters, but the entire weekend I managed to just relax, apply some sunscreen, and actually read. And I hate reading. But between Rant, by Chuck Palahniuk (my absolute favorite author) and re-reading Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, I was set. We laid out most of the day, went to Jalapenos (a fantasticcc salad place), and came back to the beach to find our belongings nearly swallowed by high tide. We romantically walked the beach to Atlantic City (Lizzy and I have a strange habit of doing very couple-y things even though we're not dating. We went to a Coldplay concert together surrounded by couples of all ages, go to Phillies games together, went to one of those high school/middle school carnivals together and rode the gravitron by ourselves, and now our walks on the beach) and back and gathered out stuff from the beach. Returning to the condo, we took a dip in the uncomfortably warm pool, showered, and snacked while watching the Phillies game. Rummy score: Marshall 1, Lizzy 1. Lizzy's friends Eileen and Liz joined us Thursday night, and we hung out in the condo before embarking on a LATE night walk to Atlantic City. And by late, I mean we foolishly didn't leave til about midnight. I spoiled my virgin eyes by going into some casinos to use the bathroom, Lizzy almost got picked up by a super-senior citizen who thought she was a prostitute, and we didn't get back til 4am. All in all, a great day. (PS the picture is of Lizzy and her...old friend at 2am outside the casinos in AC. HAHAHA.)

Friday, we went back to the beach. Gorgeous weather, perfect beach (and pool) day. We were way too tired to go out again Friday night, so Lizzy's dad (who drove down to the shore in the morning) took us all out to dinner at Lamberti's, which was excellent Italian food, and an even nicer setting as we were outside on the bay to watch the sun set. And sadly, Lizzy claimed victory in our best-of-three Rummy night, 2-1.

Saturday was more of the same. First watched Serena beat Venus, then headed to the beach. Went in the ocean, read some more (which, again, is really weird of me), and got some color. Even though it was July 4th, the beach wasn't swarming with shore-goers, or at least not in Ventnor. We sat out for a few hours, then packed up our stuff and cleaned off at the condo. We headed home, but not after an absolutely perfectly beautiful weekend down the Jersey shore. Free of parents and free of responsibility. Happy July 4th weekend to all!