10 Years Retired…a Look Back

/ Sue and Frank D'Elia / Leave a comment

So, 10 years ago yesterday was the last day I was last gainfully employed! 10 years ago today, I officially started retired life. What exactly have I been doing during these 10 years of retired life you may ask. Well, whenever somebody asked me what I was going to do when I retired, my answer was “whatever I want,” and honestly, that’s pretty much been the case!

First of all, your time is your own. Back before I was last employed 10 years ago today, every work day, I’d set the alarm for 5:45 AM, get up, shower, shave, get dressed, have something to eat, and be out of the house in time to make the 7:24 Long Island Rail Road train from Mineola to Penn Station! One of my greatest retired pleasures is waking up most days without the benefit of an alarm! I say most days, because some times there are just reasons you have to be up, and I need to set an alarm, but as Susie can tell you, I complain about it every time it happens! I also try my best to not get out of bed until the 7:24 train has left the station, and my success rate has been damn good, if I do say so myself! Goals are important, even when you’re retired! I’m also happy to report that since my trip home to Mineola on January 29th, 2016, I have been on the Long Island Rail Road only once, and that was to go back to the city for a good friend’s retirement party! PS…the train was late!

Of course, the absolute best part of joining Susie in retirement on January 29th, 2016 is that my wonderful wife and I have gotten to spend every day of the last 10 years together! I know that may sound kind of strange, but Susie and I are not only husband and wife, but best friends and the single person the other one would rather be with! I guess that’s why we’ve been married for 46 years and I truly Love her Just the Way She is!!!

Without a work schedule, you also have the ability to travel whenever you want, and in early March of 2016 we took our first of almost yearly winter trips to Florida, and I combined the lack of a schedule with my Disney Retiree Benefit and went to Walt Disney World and I wrote a blog about it!
https://rnewadventures.com/2016/03/10/5-days-in-walt-disney-world/

Extended travel was always something on our radar. For a number of years, we’ve been putting ideas together for a “Bucket List” trip, and after I retired, all those ideas merged into what became known as Our Big Adventure! On the morning of August 22nd, Susie and I packed up our 2013 Hyundai Sonata, and headed west. For the next 63 days, and 9,773. miles, we visited attractions like Yellowstone, saw “the guys” at Mount Rushmore, drove on Route 66 (and got our kicks), experienced the incredible sights of the Monument Valley, and towards the end of the 9 weeks, went on a 2 week cruise out of Galveston on Royal Caribbean’s Liberty of the Seas and got to watch youngest son Kenny perform! Every day of the trip, I wrote a blog post and was happy to have our readers along in the back seat!
https://rnewadventures.com/2016/08/22/our-big-adventure-day-one/

Without having to worry about work, we were also free to spend as much time at the Ocean City house, and we did spend all but the month of August in the Summer of 2016 there! Once we returned from Our Big Adventure, we spent more time in Ocean City than we did in Mineola, and never traveled back and forth on the weekend! The one time we had to head back to Long Island for a retirement party on a weekend, we couldn’t believe the traffic and vowed to NEVER do it again!

Saying Goodbye to New York! After working on emptying it for several years, in November of 2017 we sold our house of 31 years on Fairfield Avenue in Mineola, NY, and officially moved to our house in Ocean City, NJ. It was not easy to leave a place that our 3 kids had grown up in. A house that was filled with memories of our parents, and great friends, holidays, and just daily life. It was also not easy to clean out 31 years worth of stuff, but we did! Before long our cars had NJ License Plates, Susie and I had NJ Driver’s Licenses, and. we were registered to vote in Ocean City! We were officially residents of the Garden State.

Moving to New Jersey in November of 2017 also entailed getting new Doctors, which is kind of a daunting task. There was some urgency to this as I was soon going to have a knee replacement. Our Doctor on Long Island was a wonderful lady who had taken care of our whole family, and someone Susie had known since Barbara was a resident. Not easy to say goodbye to a Doctor you’ve been going to for close to 30 years, and who was more like a friend than a Doctor, but she agreed that we needed a local Doctor and not one 150 miles away. Happy to report that we’ve got a full complement of Doctors down at the shore and are prepared for almost anything. Speaking of our medical preparedness, I can also report that during these past 10 years I’ve gotten both knees replaced, and Susie has a new hip.

In 2018, we decided it was time to replace our 2013 Hyundai Sonata Limited, that had faithfully served us for almost 6 years, and 80,000+ miles, including traveling across America on Our Big Adventure. Late that summer, we traded it in, and leased a 2018 Honda CRV. We liked the CRV so much that when the lease was over 3 years later, we replaced it with a 2021 CRV, and last year, we replaced that CRV with a leased 2025 CRV. Of course, the 2000 red Mustang Convertible that we picked up from the Ford dealer on March 31, 2000 and I used to call my “Mid Life Crisis” car is still with us, but now it’s called my “Retirement” car!

One of the very nice aspects of both of us being retired for the past 10 years, is the freedom it gives you to come and go as you please. During these past 10 years, Kenny has worked several contracts with Royal Caribbean as a lead entertainer on their ships, and we have been able to enjoy cruises and seeing our youngest perform! We’ve enjoyed various ports, and meeting many of Kenny’s work families along the way. Here’s a blog I wrote about a trip we took on Royal’s Liberty of the Seas where we were joined by my cousin’s Jeanne and Walt! https://rnewadventures.com/2019/09/29/week-1/

One thing we’ve all endured during the past 10 years was Covid 19! To say it cramped our style would be putting it mildly! When it really hit, we were in the middle of an extended stay down in Florida. One day we were in the middle of a 3 week stay at my cousin Jeanne and Walt’s place in Barefoot Bay (they were off for an extended visit to Hawaii and we were “house sitting” at their winter home), and the next day things were closing right and left (like Disney World, MLB, Cape Canaveral). One day after Jeanne and Walt headed to Hawaii, Susie and I were watching the news of what was happening in our country and we started wondering if we wanted to be in a place where we knew virtually nobody, or did we want to be back in our little South Jersey Beach Town. The Beach Town won out, and the next morning we aimed the car north on I-95 and made it back to Ocean City in record time!

But life in Ocean City and Somers Point was getting very strange too! Favorite restaurants closed, activities were curtailed, shopping was scary, and even going to the beach was banned! It was a scary time, with conflicting stories and suggestions, but we were happy we lived in a small beach town and not a big city! But eventually a vaccine was developed, and as kids of the Polio Era, we had zero fear of getting vaccinated and starting to live again! Finding a place to get the shots (2 at first) was not easy either, but eventually I got an appointment in southern Cape May County and Susie got an appointment about 20 miles away, down the Atlantic City Expressway! After our two shots, we breathed a little easier and started to live life again!

Here’s a blog I wrote in March of 2020, shortly after we got home!
https://rnewadventures.com/2020/03/21/a-strange-time/

OUR KIDS – Lots of changes in the lives of our 3 kids too over the past 10 years! First, our oldest son Billy quit his job at Fox News, and along with his wife and our two Grandkids moved to North Carolina.

In October of 2018, youngest kid Kenny got married in a wonderful wedding in Lake Tahoe, California! After traveling across the country via train (something Susie always wanted to do) we were joined by all our kids, and some of our Ocean City Family for a fabulous wedding! https://rnewadventures.com/2018/10/17/the-wedding-weekend/

Kenny’s twin sister Krissi, was always very secretive of her dating life, never really sharing information with us, so on one of our Wednesday Nail Nights, Susie and I were very surprised when Krissi told us she was bringing somebody with her for us to meet! Even worse, she was dumping him with me at the bar of the St. James Restaurant, while she and her Mom got their nails done next door! Well, we were thrilled to meet Mike that night, and at one point when he went to the Men’s Room, I told Krissi we loved him and that if they broke up, we might keep him! They met on June 15th, he asked her to marry him on June 15th, and on June 15th, 2019 they tied the knot! It was a lovely ceremony on the roof of their Astoria, NY apartment building with the NYC skyline in the background. We were surrounded by all our kids, and Dad got to walk his little girl “down the aisle!” It was a great family weekend! https://rnewadventures.com/2019/06/17/there-goes-the-bride/

BTW, between Kenny and Krissi’s wedding, on April 17th, 2019 our incredible youngest Grandkid Anna was born, completing Billy’s Family! https://rnewadventures.com/2019/04/26/meeting-our-new-granddaughter/

I’d love to be able to tell you that like in the fairy tale world, they all lived happily ever after, but sadly our two sons’ marriages ended, but they are both getting on with their lives, and ready for new adventures! Meanwhile, their sister and Mike moved out of their rented apartment in Queens, and bought a condo in New Rochelle.

Anyone who knows us, knows that we are not folks to try every new restaurant that opens, but are loyal to our favorites, and our visits happen like clockwork! Just like on Long Island when Wednesday Nail Nights we were at the St. James, and many of the Fridays we were at home, TR’s was the place you could find us for dinners and drinks, we have our 
favorites down the shore too!

Charlie’s Bar and Restaurant in Somers Point was one of the first places we went shortly after we bought the OC House in 2005. Most Friday nights when we got here from NY, you could find us at our favorite table in the bar area with our favorite waitress Sue. Sue also bartended at Charlie’s back bar on Tuesday night, and we always visited when we were in town on a Tuesday. Once we retired we were regular members of the second shift at Sue’s Tuesday Back Bar. Over the years, Sue became more than a server, turning into a great friend! When Covid closed Charlie’s, we all missed the gathering and for many months, Sue came to our house to recreate our Back Bar gatherings. First Charlie’s opened for take out, then a parking lot version and we were there, and eventually the restaurant opened and life got back to normal, especially at the back bar! Then Sue decided to retire after 30+ years at Charlie’s. That was a great but sad night for all of us who were members of her Tuesday Night Back Bar crew! Now our night for Charlie’s is Wednesday where we sit at the front bar where Sue’s son Chris is the bartender, so we’re keeping it in the family. BTW…most Friday nights, Sue, who is more like family than a friend, is at our house and Susie makes dinner and I make HER drinks. Here’s a blog I wrote about Charlie’s a couple of years ago. Charlie’s – https://rnewadventures.com/2019/07/10/at-the-shore-since-44/

Another place Susie and I started to go was Angelo’s Fairmount Tavern in Atlantic City. We went occasionally while we were still working, but it was after I retired and Ocean City became a more regular part of our life that we became Thursday Night regulars at Angelo’s! https://rnewadventures.com/2019/06/10/angelos/

Another consistent in our life the past 10 years is that if we’re in Ocean City on a Saturday night, we are out to dinner with friends. Unfortunately, over the past 10 years, our friend group in OC has changed. Sadly, some forks have died, and several others have moved away. However, our Saturdays with our Ocean City friends continue, even if the group is smaller and has some new members, but the one thing consistent in life is change, and Saturdays in Ocean City are no different!
https://rnewadventures.com/2018/12/01/another-saturday-night-in-oc/

Of course, when you live at the beach full time, you experience all that the beach has to offer. Ocean City is really two different places. All winter, it’s a small coastal town, with quiet streets and friendly neighbors. Then, for the couple of months of the summer, the population of Ocean City swells as thousands of summer visitors join the population. It’s busy, but it also makes for a vibrant town, with lots of stuff happening! Also, when you own a house 500 feet down the street from the Atlantic Ocean, you never have a shortage of visitors! Here’s what the summer of 2025 looked like to us!
https://rnewadventures.com/2025/09/17/the-summer-of-2025/

So there you have it, a brief look back at the 10 years of my retirement. Of course 10 years is a long time, and there is no way that we could capture all that has happened to us and our family in just a few pages, but I hope you get a sense of the kind of life we’ve lived since the day I last worked for a living. I guess you could answer the question, what exactly have you done the past 10 years of retirement by saying exactly what I said when I started this blog…whatever we wanted! As Susie and I enter the second decade of both of us being retired, all I can say is, as it has since the afternoon on Saturday, September 29, 1979 when we became husband and wife, Our Adventure Continues!! Thanks for coming along for the ride….

WABC By The Numbers

/ Sue and Frank D'Elia / Leave a comment

January 29th, 2026 will mark the 10 year anniversary of my last day working at WABC. During the month of January, 2016, I wrote a series of blogs looking back at my time working in New York radio. As I’ve been doing since the beginning of January, 2026, I thought on the occasion of the 10th Anniversary of my retirement, It might be fun to revisit some of those blogs. Here are links to two blogs I wrote, where I broke down my 40 years at WABC by the numbers.

WABC By The Numbers
WABC by the Numbers – Part 2

My Life on the Radio

/ Sue and Frank D'Elia / Leave a comment

As we get closer to the January 29th 10 Year Anniversary of my last day of work at WABC Radio, I’m taking a look back at some blogs I wrote 10 years as my retirement neared. This one contains audio clips collected during my time as an Engineer in several NY Radio Stations, between my first day at 1050 WHN on April 16, 1972 and my last day at WABC, January 29, 2016!

My Life on the Radio

Seven Jobs

/ Sue and Frank D'Elia / Leave a comment

January 29th, 2026 will mark the 10 year anniversary of my last day working at WABC. During the month of January 2016, I wrote a series of blogs looking back at my time working in New York radio. I thought on the occasion of the 10th Anniversary of my retirement, It might be fun to revisit some of those blogs. Here’s one of them where I look back at the 7 jobs I’ve had in my life.

Seven Jobs

The Palace That Was the ABC Building

/ Sue and Frank D'Elia / Leave a comment

January 29th, 2026 will mark the 10 year anniversary of my last day working at WABC. During the month of January, 2016, I wrote a series of blogs looking back at my time working in New York radio. I thought on the occasion of the 10th Anniversary of my retirement, It might be fun to revisit some of those blogs. Here’s one of them….

About a week after I submitted my request to retire from WABC on January 29th, 2016, I wrote a blog post about the original ABC Building, corporate headquarters of the American Broadcasting Company. Located on Manhattan’s Avenue of the Americas between 53rd Street and 54th Street, the 8th Floor housed the studios of WABC and WPLJ until the building was sold and we were forced to move to 2 Penn Plaza,17 floors above Penn Station.I was proud to work in that building from 1976 till the 1989 move, and after that move, life was never the same again!

The Palace that was the ABC Building

Retirement

/ Sue and Frank D'Elia / 3 Comments

Ten years ago, on the Monday after my 66th birthday on January 2, 2016, and the first Monday after my Christmas/New Year vacation, I sent the following email to my WABC Family:

“Good Morning Folks,

Please excuse this group email, but I wanted to make sure that all my WABC Family heard this news directly from me. I just gave notice of my intention to retire from WABC and if they accept what I proposed, my last day here will be Friday, January 29, 2016.

Well over half my life has passed since that day in 1976 when I walked onto the 8th floor of the ABC Building at 1330 Avenue of the Americas. I started here as a 26 year old single guy, and over the past 40 years, I met and married my best friend, became a Dad 3 times, sent 3 kids off to college, saw my first son get married, became a Grandfather twice, and recently celebrated a 36th Wedding Anniversary with the same girl I met back in 1977 in the middle of a 5 month long NABET strike against ABC. Over the course of 40 years I have managed to work for 5 different companies without ever changing jobs! Along the way, I’ve worked with some of the best radio has to offer. From the Musicradio days, legends like Dan Ingram, George Michael, Rick Skylar, and Johnny Donovan. On the WPLJ side there were great folks like Tony Pigg, Pat St. John, Jim Kerr, Jimmy Fink, and a late night guy named Bob Marone. When WABC went talk in 1982, I was fortunate to work with great folks like Rush Limbaugh, Bob Grant, John Gambling, and again Johnny Donovan, plus some characters like Ed Koch, and Joy Behar. I’ve also worked with more Account Executives and Sales Management folks than I can count, some of them were the best in the business…and then there were the rest! I’ve appreciated every day that they do what they do so our checks don’t bounce, because if I had to do their job, they probably would!  

When I started at Musicrado 77, WABC in 1976, it was the most listened to station in the nation. It was the pinnacle of radio’s number one market, the place where everyone wanted to work, and the only radio station I wanted to work at. I grew up and now have grown old in this radio station and the members of the WABC Family were, and are my family, and I feel that WABC is my radio station. Over the years I’ve been to countless weddings, even Rush Limbaugh’s very secretive and lavish one in Palm Beach, seen so many folks become parents, helped friends bury their parents as my WABC Family helped me do twice 30 years apart, and been fortunate to meet, work with, and become friends with so many great people. How could I not think of this place as my radio station?

40 years of working at WABC has given me so much, taken me to so many places, and let me have experiences very few can look back on in their lives. It has provided a very good life for my wife Susie and me, and for our kids Billy, Krissi, and Kenny. It’s given me memories I will treasure for the rest of my life, and stories that I’ll probably be telling for years to come. I know that I’ve shared many of those memories and stories with you folks, be them from the Musicradio or Talkradio days. In a way, that keeps the WABC of old alive and well, even if it’s only in our minds. I’m sad that our fate in the ratings’ war has not been as kind recently (I’m being generous…this station’s rating stink!s), but I still love and am proud of those four letters. I only wish Cumulus would change them and stop dragging W A B C through the mud, turning what was a legendary radio station into a Mecca of paid programing for anyone who wants a radio show! It makes me sad that today, the radio industry is in the shape it is, and that the future of the young kids I work with today is not as bright as mine was in 1976, but for me, it’s time for Susie and I to move on to our next chapter. 

I may be retiring from Cumulus, New York, but in my heart I’m saying good-bye to the WABC/WPLJ Engineering Department and the American Broadcasting Company that a 26 year old me started working at so very long ago. When I look back, all I can say is, “Thanks for the ride…it was better than anyone could expect!” 

During the next month that I continued working, I wrote several blogs about my 44 years working in New York Radio, since my start in 1972 at WHN. Over the next month I’m going to share some of those looks back at may radio life that are now 10 years old! Hard to believe. Back in the day, I thought Working in Radio was “Better Than Working for a Living”, but little did I know, the BEST was yet to come!

The Summer of 2025

/ Sue and Frank D'Elia / 1 Comment

Is it just us, or did the Summer of 2025 pass in a flash? Here we are in the middle of September already, with the Labor Day weekend practically a dim memory in our rear view mirror, and kids in school already! It seems like we were just getting ready for summer, and experiencing the first of the summer visitors to Ocean City, and now they’re gone, and our street is empty of cars with Pennsylvania, New York, and Maryland license plates. Time really has a way of playing tricks with your mind, and the passing of the summer of 2025 was a big one!

It was a strange summer weatherize too, here at the shore. There were weeks when all it did was rain, and we felt sorry for the renters. There were weeks when the temperature was in the 90s from sunup till late at night. There were also days that the temperature was more spring or fall like than what one would expect from the summer. I guess it was a summer of, “if you don’t like the weather, just wait and it will change”…but you may not have liked that either!

Our Summer of 2025 started with the traditional start of summer, Memorial Day Weekend, but in our family it has an alternate meaning…Susie’s Birthday on May 28th! The festivities started on Tuesday May 27th when Kenny (representing his sister, brother, and brother-in-law) and I took Susie to Tomatoes for a great dinner with a great waitress that really made the night! Then, since her actual birthday was on Wednesday, the celebration continued at Charlie’s where the three of us were joined by our good friend Sue and her husband! Jim

Thursday, June 19th turned out to be International Martini Day, and Susie and I decided to dress appropriately for our visit that night to Angelo’s Fairmount Tavern.

June 29th was the date for Susie’s 2025 Free Table! All through the year, as we’re cleaning out things in the house that we no longer need, they are deposited in one of Susie’s Free Table boxes. Then on a day of her choice, she’s out early in the morning setting up tables in the driveway telling folks that Everything (except the tables) Are Free for their taking! Better than trashing the items and much easier than a Garage Sale!

July was our month for family visits, starting off early in the month with Kenny, Krissi and her husband Mike joining us for a long 4th of July weekend! They were with us for almost a week with Krissi and Mike working from Ocean City, but there was still time for some great family time, and the three siblings had time to enjoy things on the boardwalk they remember from being little kids in OC!

Then, about 10 days after Krissi, Mike, and Kenny left us, we had a wonderful visit from our oldest son Bill and our three Grandkids…Layla 11, Henry 9, and our baby, Annabelle 6! If you think we were busy with the 3 older kids, that ain’t nothing compared to the activity that our 3 Grandkids brought to our house! They arrived on Thursday afternoon and soon we were off to the Boardwalk for a night of food and fun! #1 on the list was dinner at Manco and Manco pizza on 9th Street, or as our family calls it, Hose Pizza! That name was coined in one of Bill’s earliest visits to Ocean City. His first summer here, he was 7 months old, and for the next 16 or 17 years, Ocean City was a part of each of his summers. Because they put the sauce on the pizza via a hose, it’s always been Hose Pizza since a very young Billy christened it with that name. Pizza done, it was time to head to Playland and some amusements, but first spend some quarters in their newly rebuilt arcade area! Stupid Grandpa, remembering what we did when our 3 were the age of our Grandkids, put a $20 bill into a coin changer and changed it into quarters. Have any idea how hard it is to grab $20 in quarters, and how heavy they are in your pockets??? Only after getting the change (and with Grandma following me and doing the same thing), did we realize that we could have put the $20 on a swipe card that could be used at all the games! After that, it was time to head out to the rides and into the crowds of people! Grandma and I found a place to sit, and doled out tickets, and a good time was had by all! Every one was tired by the time we got home that night!

The next day after breakfast, it was beach time! Chairs, toys and our Cool Cabana were packed into the beach wagon, and the D’Elia Family headed to Pennlyn Beach! After a great day at the beach, it was time for an early dinner at Charlie’s, and then some front porch games and relaxation.

Saturday dawned a bit crummy with some scattered showers, but as soon as the rain stopped, Billy, Layla, and Henry decided to walk the boardwalk. Annabelle voted to stay with Grandma and me at home, and Grandma dug out one of her old stand by rainy day at the beach activities, Painting Shells! Annabelle and Grandma had a great time and later in the day we joined the rest of the group on the boardwalk! This was the day that the kids had to get some Ocean City Merch (as they called it), and then they all wanted to play Mini Golf! No matter how many shots she took, when asked what she got on a hole, 6 year old Annabelle always said “One,” which didn’t go over great with the 9 and 11 year olds. As we approached the 15th hole, I told Billy, “Now I remember why I hated playing mini golf with you and your sister and brother when you three were little!” After golf, it was a required visit to the Surf Mall and some more Merch purchases, before Grandma and I called it quits and headed home! That night, some Chinese take-out that the kids wanted for dinner, then Billy and the kids headed to Playland for their last night in town!

They left early on Sunday as they headed back to North Carolina and Grandma and I went into rehab mode!

To Be Continued…..

Our Weekend in North Carolina

/ Sue and Frank D'Elia / 3 Comments

Having Grandkids is a wonderful thing, and we dearly love spending time with our 3. The problem is that when our 3 kids were little, their Grandparents lived minutes away on Long Island, and were in their lives multiple times a month. Things are different today, and our three Grandkids live in North Carolina, while we live in New Jersey, so the time we get to spend with them is precious to us! The good thing is that no matter how long between visits, as soon as we are with Layla (10 going on 16), Henry (9), and Annabelle (5), we all immediately fall into a comfortable Grandparent/Grandkid vibe.

The plan this time was to get to their place at 4:00 after they got home from school. We were going to hang out with them for a bit, stay with Henry and Annabelle while our son took oldest Granddaughter Layla to Drama, and then take off for dinner. That was the plan at least, but the plan didn’t take into consideration that it was about 6:00 on a Friday night, and lots of people had the same idea. Our first stop was a favorite Italian place of the kids, but the wait there was at least 30 minutes, and probably more. Next we were off to a Mexican place, but we couldn’t even find a parking place there. Billy had to pick up Layla at 8:30, and we’d used up a lot of that time driving around trying other places. We tried an Applebees near her Drama class, and although there were lots of empty tables, they had no staff to wait on these tables, so it was at least 45 minutes to wait! The last resort was a Chili’s near our hotel, and after a short wait to clean a table, they sat us down! Adults were getting hungry, kids were getting hangry, and it was almost time to get Layla, but all worked out and the evening was saved!

The plan for the start on Saturday was to attend one of Henry’s hockey practices. This 9 year old kid is a wonder on ice skates, and eats, sleeps, and breaths ice hockey. This year he’s transitioned to the goalie position, and is a stand-out! Our son Bill is a coach and they have some really great shared Dad/Son times with hockey! Our youngest Annabelle decided she’d join Grandma and Grandpa at the hockey rink, and we made sure to bundle her up. Susie and I have learned, and now have a designated hockey bag that comes with us to NC full of all manner of warming things!

After the practice, we had some time and the two of us headed to Aldi to buy some Aldi wine that we like to bring home, then it was off to a local Brewery with the kids and some neighbors and hockey friends that we really like! Adam and Courtney are two great people, and along with their kids Violet and Crosby, we were so glad to get to spend some time with them. Adam’s folks were there too. and it was great to meet them! Billy and Adam coached a team last year, and they are on an adult team that plays weekly. Crosby and Henry are fast friends, and Violet and Layla have played soccer together. We met some new friends too and it was great couple of hours!

Saturday night it was family time and time to finally celebrate Christmas with our kids! The kids had Billy leave the tree up, and there were lots of presents surrounding it. The kids always get money in their College Funds from us, but when you’re a kid, nobody cares about college money, so there are always presents too! We’d brought a bucket of Wings from Charlie’s in Somers Point, Billy ordered pizza and a great time was had by all! The hit of the night was this floating ball that Susie picked up for Henry at Sam’s Club. We went home happy that we’d finally had Christmas with the kids and ready for sleep because Sunday was starting early!

And by early, I mean the alarm going off at 5:30 AM in our room because at 6:30 Henry had a hockey game! We dragged ourselves out of bed, and by 6:30 we were sitting the in bleachers ready to cheer on Henry’s team. They needed a few extra players, so Crosby was playing with Henry and Adam was there to cheer the boys on. No other grandchildren attended with us!

Henry’s team won the game by a 3-2 score and Henry got a lot of great saves. After waiting to see Bill and Henry after the game, we headed back to our hotel to “relax!” After several hours of watching some TV and taking a long shower, we were ready to head to another ice rink, and another practice to watch Henry and Bill in action! This time the girls were along, because after the practice, it was time for us to have some alone time with the girls!

(pics)

Both Layla and Annabelle had gotten Target gift cards for Christmas, and were anxious to do some shopping, so that was our first stop. I got Annabelle to pronounce it “Targeé” and she got a kick out of that. Layla is quite a good shopper and she got a lot for her money, while Annabelle is a 5 year old and had some trouble making a decision, but she was happy ultimately with her purchases! Then it was off to the hotel for some fun! Dinner was at McDonald’s and it was successful with Annabelle eating everything she ordered!

Sunday was a school night, so after Mickey D’s, it was home and time to get into PJs and wait for Dad and Henry to get home! A lot of activity in a jam packed weekend with our North Carolina Family! Till next time.