I have two homes, one I’m emotionally tied to and the other physically. I lived in New Jersey for over half my life, now I live in Florida, and have for almost 4 years. We were supposed to be going to New Jersey for a family reunion last summer, but that just seemed too cliché. My mother and I wanted to make it special. This was my birthplace and more special to me than any other inanimate place. So, we made it a memory trip, in which we would reel back to the parts of my past I wish to never forget.
The Atlantic City Airport is much smaller than most would think. It was easy to find my Grandmother standing at the bottom of the escalator when we landed. I had the list of what I wanted to re-experience in the next 5 days in my back pocket. It was a list one could probably not complete in such a short amount of time, but it was worth trying. We were staying with my aunt, so the first night we just unpacked and got settled in. The real fun would begin the next day.
When we woke up, we got in the rental car and went to the diner. We walked in to the diner and I got a huge whiff of wonderful air filled with the smell of breakfast. We ordered the pork roll sandwiches that I longed for since the day I left this state. I bit in and the flavor burst into my mouth, I am a huge food lover! After this, we made a pit stop at Wawa to get the only coffee I like. For the majority of the rest of the trip, this was our plan for breakfast. That day we planned to go to Historic Smithville, a little old village with tiny shops. I got a pair of earrings from a little Irish store, very beautiful, they were a Celtic pattern. We had Roy Rogers for dinner, a fast food place we don’t have in Florida.
On Friday night, I went to the mall with Kelsi, my old best friend, and Connor. It was like I was living there again, hanging out with friends like any normal teenager. I spent the night at Kelsi’s, and we stayed up all night talking. Sunday morning we were up and ready by 5:30, it was still dark out. We were going to Seaside to spread my grandfather’s ashes in the ocean, he died earlier that year, and he loved the ocean. To this day, thinking about that morning brings tears to my eyes. It was so powerful and emotional to see my mom and her sisters stand in the waves and throw the roses and ashes into the endless abyss of the ocean. That day was also my family reunion. It was so amazing to see everyone that I haven’t seen in over 2 years. It was the best day a girl could ask for, the combination of the remembrance of Grandpa and seeing all the people I infinitely missed all in one day was all I could ever wish for.
My last day, I went to the beach with Melissa, a girl I grew up with, and my mom. We ended up running into another old family friend and spent the day with her, eating pizza and enduring the freezing water together. The water was so cold it turned my lips blue. This trip was so amazing, nothing could ever surpass it. The impact it had on me was awesomely remarkable.
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1 Reply to “Walk Down Memory Lane”
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Their were many more memories from this trip that impacted me as much as the ones that were included, but I just didnt have enough room. So, I shortened it and tried to write the best description of the trip without exceeding the word limit. But the trip was, indeed, as remarkable as I said it was.