It Feels Like Home to Me

This is my childhood home. It has been many, many years since I lived here and much has changed. The home that Mom and Dad built at 1011 Fairview Drive will always be a special place. We arrived last Sunday to visit with my family and friends.
This house is such a reflection of my mother and who she is. All of the little details and things she has brought to it.
Dad and my brother Dave built this gazebo for my Mother many years ago. It is so lovely and welcoming. From the light blue ceiling to the chandelier hanging over head you just want to sit here and linger for awhile.
We all met as a family that Sunday when we arrived. Here are the guys. From left to right, my baby brother, Dave, my older brother, Donnie, my husband, Don, our good friend Bob and my Dad, Don. Yes, lots of Don's in the family!
I brought my large pot and burner and cooked a low country boil for everyone. We tried to bring a little bit of south home.
Shelby enjoyed her older cousins, Josh and Emma in Mom's pool.
The one thing I wanted to do most when I went back home was to go to the beach. So much of my childhood and teenage years were spent at the beach. It brought back so many memories. Here is Shelby and Mom. They are inseparable when they are together.
Keeping my Dad on the beach for half a day was a challenge. He loves the ocean, but can't sit still. He was a real trooper for us.
Here is Sissy, soaking up some sun!
I let hubby take my picture and as you can see I cropped the bottom half off! So the head shot will have to do!
The castle builder.
My brother Dave treated all of the kids and us adults to a day at the Seaside Boardwalk. It is full of amusements, food and rides. Everyone had a fun time.
Who doesn't love the carousel?
Our last day we spent at an old beach town called Ocean Grove. This town somehow got stuck in time and stayed a slow, quaint breezy place to visit.
There is a lot of history about this place, but the really cool thing about Ocean Grove is the community of summer tents. These tents are setup every Spring and they are rented out for the summer.
They have a wooden floor and are separated out into 2 rooms. There is a small kitchen and bathroom in the back and the front portion of the tent is the living space. As you can see, some people make a lovely place to stay for the summer. There is a really long waiting list to rent and some have passed down their spot from generation to generation.
I lived about 45 minutes away all of those years and never knew it existed. What a great experience to see this town.
My little trooper. She is such a good traveller and was so good about us dragging her from place to place.
After 10 days it was time to head home. We headed back down I-95 and stopped at South of the Border for Lunch before we turned west onto I-20. Shelby got a kick out of the hotdog. We also made a short stop in Virginia to see a wonderful friend. I will post about that soon.
It was a wonderful trip to see our family and the next time I am in Toms River will probably be to help Mom and Dad pack up. The house is up for sale. I hope that it goes soon so they can move down here to GA to be with us. Until then, we will call Mimi and Pa everyday and look forward to more good times ahead.