The Jersey Shore

Hi friends!

We just got back from our first vacation with Nehem and it was an absolute blast. I have been contemplating whether to post pictures on Social Media (which I still might do), but I thought a blog post would be more fun!

Since Shane and I started dating in 2009, most of our summer vacations have been spent in New Jersey. It must seem strange for us to drive 14-16 hours when we could easily be at the beach in 6 hours or less. But we are Perrys. We go big or go home! 

Here's a picture of our first trip together to Cape May! This was from September 2009 for Shane's cousin's wedding. We had only been dating a few months. On this trip, Shane (and his dad) discovered that I don't do well without sleep. It was a real turning point in our relationship. Kidding..kinda.

Actually, Shane was born in New Jersey, as were both of his parents. His dad still has a good bit of family, including his Mom, in Cape May. Which happens to conveniently be right on the beach. So when we traveled to Cape May we were able to hit two birds with one stone—see family AND lay on the beach! It's a win win, if you ask me!

This year it was especially important for us to get up to Jersey. Shane is fortunate to have still have two living grandparents-his maternal grandfather and his paternal grandmother. His grandfather lives in Chattanooga so we are able to see him a good bit, but Shane's grandma had not met Nehem yet. Luckily, she is still in great health. She is still as sharp as a tack and walks 3 miles a day. She’s amazing. Needless to say, it was a priority for us to get Nehem up there this summer so Grandma Fran and Nehem could meet. I’d say it was love at first sight!

In addition to Shane’s grandmother, his Aunt, Uncles and several cousins live in the Cape May area. Nehem has a 2nd Cousin or maybe 3rd? I need a flow chart) Ella, who is just a few months older than him. It was fun to see them play because Nehem doesn’t have a ton of interaction with babies his own age. Ella has two older sisters, Kylie and Haley who are so sweet and just loved Nehem. They were so good with him and such sweet little helpers. I’d say they all hit it off pretty well!

Nehem loves to swim, which we already knew. As soon as he gets in the water he starts to giggle. The hotel pool was a hot spot for us over the week. We spent plenty of afternoons and evenings in the pool.

If I had it my way, I’d spend all day every day on the beach. I love the ocean breeze, the sound of the waves, and best of all, people watching. We ventured to the beach one day, but babies require so much stuff! We had a small tent that Nehem could sit in, but because he can’t sit up independently for extended periods of time, he doesn’t just sit and play. The day was spent putting him back in the tent, keeping him from eating sand, and trying to keep him entertained. He DESPISED the ocean at first, but it was so hot that I finally had to force him into the water and he eventually liked it. I think it was really just because he was hot. Honestly, the beach wasn’t my favorite with Nehem. I’m sure next year when he can actually sit and play will be more fun. Even though we didn't spend much time there, we managed to get a few cute pictures.

Shane and I got engaged on vacation in Jersey exactly 6 years ago. We planned to ride the Ferris wheel that we got engaged on, but we opted to save money and just get a picture in front of the Ferris Wheel instead. It was hot and we were all ready to get back to air conditioning! 

One of the best things about taking vacation with family is that we were able to get not one, but two date nights! Shane and I went out to nice seafood dinner at a restaurant that Shane’s aunt recommended to us. Shane got the crab cakes and I got stuffed flounder. My mouth is watering just looking at this picture! Shane and I love being parents and would prefer to spend all the time with Nehem, but we know the value in spending intentional time together. We want to protect our marriage and our relationship first and foremost, so it was a sweet night of just being together. Shane’s entire family got together and hung out with Nehem. I’m the worst and didn’t get a picture of everybody with him, but he had a great time and was spoiled rotten by everyone! 

The next night, after Nehem went to bed, Shane and I went to see Jurassic World! Going to movies at the drop of a hat is probably what we (especially Shane) miss most about life pre-Nehem. He is totally worth it, obviously, but it was still nice to be able to enjoy a movie together! 

We celebrated 4th of July with Shane’s Family and had a feast that Shane’s Uncle Todd made—burgers, hotdogs, shrimp, sausage and pepper sandwiches, macaroni and cheese, baked beans, salad, and more! It was quite the spread and so delicious! Todd and Kathy always goes all out! Nehem’s sweet Aunt Kathy got all the littles a treat bag, which included this adorable hat! Nehem kept it on much longer than I expected.

We planned to go see some fireworks, but Nehem got tired and cranky. 

so did Mama. 

The rest of our time was spent swimming in the hotel pool, doing some shopping, eating plenty of Kohr Brother’s ice cream, cheese steaks, pizza, and lots of Wawa! I am hoping for the day that we Southeners get to experience Wawa on a regular basis. Shane, being the incredible husband and father that he is, even gave me time to lay out at the pool all by myself. He totally knows my love language-sunbathing. 

I could keep on writing, but I’ll just share a few more pictures instead. Pictures are worth a thousand words, right? We just had an incredible week. Last year, my summer was spent on the road back and forth to doctor’s appointments and, then of course having Nehem, so we didn’t get a vacation. It was much needed and much enjoyed. Nehem was a perfect angel on the car ride, and was such a joy the entire time.

We are so incredibly thankful for the time we had with family, and just time to get away and enjoy each other's company!