Jason and I made
a Sunday drive to Eatontown, New Jersey to show our love and support to one of
my best friends from college who is leaving to serve an 18-month mission for
our church in the Philippines. It had been such a long time, almost two years, since
we’d seen each other for the last time at BYU – Idaho. She gave a fantastic
farewell talk and it was so much fun to catch up and talk about what’s to come
and her fears and what she’s looking forward to in the Philippines. I’m really
glad we were able to take the time to see Brooke before she left. I know she
will be a great missionary and will be able to touch the hearts of those she
teaches in the Philippines.
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| Love this girl |
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| So proud of Brooke |
While we were in New Jersey, Jason and I were both so lucky to have the following day off because of Columbus Day. So naturally, we found something to do to keep us entertained. We drove another hour or so to Atlantic City, which we now refer to as mini-Vegas because of all the lights and huge casinos.
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| Caesars Atlantic City |
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| Taking a late night stroll on the boardwalk |
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| James' Salt Water Taffy |
We definitely
went at an odd time of the year because there was seriously no one in the
streets, in the casinos, on the boardwalk, and of course, in the ocean. It
seemed like there were only old folks and homeless people. It felt strange
being there because we couldn’t do the two biggest things people normally do: (1)
swim because it was way too cold, and (2) gamble because we don’t do that
anyway, but we still had an awesome time.
The next morning,
we walked the boardwalk and ate a delicious breakfast at Johnny Buffet’s Margaritaville.
Despite the cold weather, the sun came out and made it pleasant to walk on the
boardwalk to visit shops. Jason loved the view of the ocean underneath the 1,000
foot Steel Pier, which looked like a long tunnel with a light at the end. I had
fun watching him race from one side of the pier to the other, trying to dodge
the crashing waves and not get soaked. He’s such a California boy that is
unwilling to let the summer go.
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| Best breakfast ever |
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| Decisions, decisions |
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| Of course, Jason went for the pancakes |
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| Collecting seashells next to the great and spacious buildings |
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| Underneath Steel Pier |
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| Running around like a little boy |
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| Underneath Steel Pier |
The rest of the time we pet stray cats, watched The Pier Shops at Caesar’s Water Show, enjoyed soft served ice cream on the boardwalk, and pointing out all the Monopoly streets we crossed, including the coveted Park Place. That’s right; the streets in the board game Monopoly are based on the actual streets in Atlantic City.
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| Walking along the boardwalk |
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| Look at the new friend I made at Long Beach |
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| Goodbye, for now, New Jersey |
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