The Happiest Place on Earth

No, I am not talking about Disney Land/World.  My favorite place on the planet is Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.

My uncles Steve and Jeff gave me the best 21st birthday present ever-- a week's vacation in Rehoboth Beach.  Jeff's sister and brother-in-law, Maureen and Mike, had a gorgeous beach house in Rehoboth Beach.  In the ultimate display of generosity and hospitality, they welcomed me into their home four summers in a row.  The first time Steve and Jeff invited me to RB, they told me I could invite whoever I wanted.  My cousin Molly, who didn't know Steve and Jeff very well at the time, agreed to join us on the adventure.  I hate heat and hide from the sun, so I found out later that Molly was hoping the trip wouldn't be a disaster.  It turned out to be the opposite.  The beach house was beautiful, the beach itself was perfection (so much better than the icy water at New England beaches), and Steve and Jeff are two of the most fun people I have ever met.  Even the car rides between Massachusetts and Delaware were enjoyable.  We played games, made up songs, ate delicious food (including Nic-O-Bolis), and laughed a lot.  We usually walked over to the beach around lunch time-- our hands full with beach chairs, umbrellas, coolers packed with refreshments, and canvas bags filled with towels, sunscreen, books, and games-- and stayed until the sun set.  While at the beach, we swam, read, listened to music, napped, and got crushed by Jeff at Boggle.  He played the rest of us as a team and still dominated.  It would have been demoralizing if we weren't having such a good time.  Then as it was starting to get dark, we walked back to the house, took turns in the glorious outdoor shower, and enjoyed a feast prepared by Jeff and Steve.  We spent our nights playing more games, putting together puzzles, walking or riding around town (sometimes on a fabulous tandem bicycle), and selecting the annual perfect tee shirt from It's a Breeze.  One night each summer we went "night swimming"-- which was really just all of us running into the water together in the dark and hustling right back out.

2001*

2003

2004

During the third summer at the beach, Molly and I were determined to get tattoos.  We spent the better part of a week scoping out strangers' tattoos and visiting tattoo parlors until we found the perfect place and each got a butterfly tattoo.  (Thanks, Drew Winner!)  Every time I see the little teal butterfly on my ankle, I think about the fun the four of us had together at Rehoboth Beach.  And with a dozen years between me and the event, I am including the stink-fest that was Pony Penning Day in those good times too.

Tattoo Buds

This is one of the busiest times of year at work and it is nice to take a moment from the commotion and reminisce about fabulously relaxing and joyful vacations.  It is not a coincidence that I decorated my bedroom to remind me of the happiest place on earth.  I am eternally grateful to Steve and Jeff for their thoughtfulness and generosity.  I will never forget the blast I had with them at Rehoboth Beach.

Awesome print from USteve

*I went to RB with Steve and Jeff in 2002, but Molly couldn't make it that year and I am not sure if we took a group shot at the beach that summer.