Highs and Lows: Beach Edition

What a week!  There truly were not many lows.  I spent it at the Jersey Shore and it was just wonderful.

Highs:
1. My kids are absolutely precious. They had a great time, and we had fun together - away from all the usual stuff at home.  I forget that THEY need a break from the routine, too.  I heard my little guy tell his sister (after we'd gotten home) that he wishes we could be back at the beach house.  That made me so happy.

2. The Crabby Platter at Mike's Seafood.  I will probably never be happy eating crab legs again, because they're never going to be as good as the ones we had at Mike's.  Oh my goodness.  Plus, it was "kids eat free" night.  Score!

 3. Sunrises: I got to see two of them.  the first one was breathtaking.  The second one was, uh, a little too cloudy to really count as a "sunrise."  But it was special because I was out there with my 7yo daughter, who actually wanted to get up with me and see it.  We had a nice time sitting up on the lifeguard stand together.


4. What's not to love about a week where I didn't have to cook?  I may never cook again, I enjoyed it so much. 

Lows:
1. We pretty much spent our life savings at that dang rip-off grocery store down there.  It was my own fault.  I didn't go shopping beforehand or bring a lot of food from home. That was a mistake of epic proportions.  Next time I'll do better about preparing. Live and learn and go broke doing it.

2. DH & the stepson went fishing one day.  The fishing gods were apparently cranky about something, because not only did the guys catch hardly anything, but they ended up at the auto parts store having to buy a new battery for the car.

3. Awkward situation today! (We're back, btw.)  Every year, our neighbors (of approx. 10 years) have a huge 4th of July picnic.  Here's the awkward part: some years they invite us, some years they don't.  Is that weird?  (Yes.) This year they didn't.  I know it's dumb, but I feel weird going outside in my backyard with them all partying next door.  Now please understand: we're friendly neighbors, but not "friends" exactly, if that makes sense.  They're sort of a "half-generation" older than us...their kids are about 10 years younger than me...well, anyway.  It's really not that I have hurt feelings, or wish I could be over there or anything like that.  But I find it really strange that they invite us sometimes, and don't other times.  And I may have forgotten a lot of things my parents taught me (heh, just kidding mom, I have it all written down...), but one thing I do not do, is show up at a party uninvited, whether the non-invite was intentional or not.  I just don't do it.  But like, if the shoe was on the other foot, and even if we didn't even really like our neighbors, I'd totally invite them.  So...that's just weird and awkward today.  I do not like feeling weird and awkward.

Linking up to the only party who cares about my whining about the neighbors: