The Jersey Shore (no, not like the show)

This past weekend I visited Andy & Tim at the Jersey Shore. Long Beach, to be precise.

I had reservations about going, the greatest being that I hadn't been in a bathing suit since my senior year of high school. So, what's a girl to do, but buy a new one. $10 total at H&M, which is having a totally rad sale right now. It was a little different shopping for bathing suits now, because of the weight loss. IBS will do that.

People think I'm crazy for not having gone swimming in four years. The beach has sand and the pool has chlorine and both places have people that are a good bit more attractive than I am. In the shower, however, I can sing with no one watching or (hopefully) hearing. So, why would I ever need the beach?

I did go though, figuring the Vitamin D would be good for my body. In case you didn't know, I'm practically a ghost. My brother makes it a point to remind me of my albino-like qualities every chance his tanned, buff, football player body gets. *Insert a Megan Hall sigh here.* But, with Neutrogena 100+ Waterproof by my side, I'm all good.

Not to mention the fact that I got to see my boyfriend. Have you heard me say that word yet? It still feels a little strange. Manfriend? Boyfriend? Manscout? But I digress...

Tim picked me up in Philly and we arrived late at night to the Shore. I met Brian (Andy's brother, not Tim's brother. They both have a brother named Brian. And both Brians are lovely for their own reasons.) I was almost as excited to see Brian as I was Andy & Tim. We had Skyped via Andy and he reminds me so much of Jack. I feel like he is this killer underdog who could just save the world someday. Maybe not the world, but someday he'll change peoples lives. He doesn't know I think that. In fact, he would probably be totally creeped out if he did. So don't tell him.

On Saturday, we went to Atlantic City, where my friend from school, Anastasia is working. I love this girl. She is in my 'soulmate' category. With all due respect, I say screw the word 'soulmate' as related to significant others. My girls are my soulmates. Anastasia is definitely one of them.

We caught up over salads via the Ruby Tuesday salad bar, and were so chatty that the boys were making fun of us throughout dinner. The whole I'm-going-to-say-something-embarrassing-about-them-to-catch-their-attention game. We pretended like we had no idea that they were making fun of us. Nice try A&T, but we were just to interested in each other to pay attention to your games. :P

Anastasia looked beautiful, as always. She's so tan and fit and... Greek. I don't know how else to describe her. Unique. Cosmopolitan. Real. Soulmate. That's all I have at the moment.

The next day and a half are kind of like a big blur of beach, naps, paddle ball, frisbee, waves, Mahi Mahi, and trying to keep my tits from falling out of my bathing suit. *Ladies can I get an "Amen"*

It was excruciatingly hot. In fact, NJ hit a record high of 108 that weekend. That wasn't the index either, but the real-deal-no-shit temperature. Needless to say, the chilly water and ocean breezes were a lifesaver.

I am going to try and explain paddle ball. There are paddles. Like Hagrid-size ping-pong paddle paddles. There is a ball. A little blue bouncy ball that is like the inside layer of a tennis ball and the size of a golf ball. You hit it back and forth and try and get to the highest number you can without dropping it. Kind of like what Jack and I always used to do with balloons. Keep in mind. We were in the sand, which equates to diving and jumping. I don't typically dive or jump. Definitely not jumping. I got no ups.

But, do you know who has got mad downs? Tim Sugrue. He had me on my ass laughing. If there was any chance he was going to get that ball, he went for it. It was amazing. And then sometimes there were just trips in a sand pit. But the best blunder was when he was in the water looking at the beach... didn't see a wave... first went the knees... then the rest of his body. And I saw his face the entire time. Priceless.

We also made Mahi Mahi. I forgot how lovely it was to cook with Tim. He is so handy to have around. Kerry O, you are a lucky lady.

We made the Mahi with a lovely Nectarine-Blueberry Salsa over top, and it certainly expanded Andy Huber's palette, or at least I would like to think so. Tim and I are on a mission to expand his tastebuds to more peculiar foods, as is he.

Perhaps the highlight was seeing the sunrise. It was then I realized why I needed the beach.

listening to: http://8tracks.com/courter08/songs-to-relax-the-mind