Elena and Matt again venture south, while Nastia and Sean head to the great northern territories of Orange County

It’s summertime and the living is easy. Oh to live in summer ten months a year, with a week of Fall, a week of Winter and two weeks of Spring. Short of that we’ll just have to take what we get. Everyone is going to some place because it is high summer, you know, reread the first sentence.

Elena decided to go to the beach with Matt. They wanted to go to the beach today, Thursday July 13th, but the weather said it was going to be cloudy and overcast with a chance of thunderstorms. THe weather people got it wrong, it's great out. Yesterday was good too, so they didn’t sacrifice anything going yesterday. Elena stayed up a little later on Tuesday getting everything together for the trip. She had a cooler bag and whatever else together for the trip. Oh, yes her tent (see previous beach day for how great the tent is.) She’d planned to leave at 7:30 and get to the beach early. Plans didn’t go as planned. They kind of Muller timed on her, you know. She wanted to get there at 9:30 and ended up leaving about then, yeah, Muller time.

She was driving. Teri and I had asked her to be careful driving down there the night before and she gave a sarcastic reply. I then said to her, “Even if you don’t mean it, please say it like you do.” surprisingly she did. We both know she will be careful driving down there. We just need to hear her say it so we can feel we've done our parenting best to keep her safe. Even though at this point in life we are just influencers. You know those annoying people usually online with opinions that for some reason people listen to. She left, just a little late, picked up Matt (got to speak to that boy about being a man a little more and doing things like driving more. You know, he needs to be a twentieth century man, like me. Yes, it’s a joke, but only halfly(Spell check says ‘halfly’ isn’t a word. It should be. It means there is some truth to it, but I’m hiding it in humor. Or according to my family, I’m just writing a lot of words because it’s not funny or subtle)) Again new paragraph, back to the subject at hand. She picks Matt up, they stop at an ATM and then and only then get on the road. They hit traffic, yes, in the Oranges, don’t we all. And they are down there at about 11. The weather is nice. I assume they set up her tent, go in the water, and eat some lunch. I don’t know because the book of Elena doesn’t open to those pages. It will open up with a text about 4:54 when Teri will text asking what time they will be home. A positive ‘not sure, just packing the car.’ is texted back. Elena’s mother falls for her trap when she asks, “should I feed the dog?” If you’re not a big fan, she blows hot and cold toward the dogs, what would you say to that? Ah, you’d say , no. So, YES, like in a New York minute she does.

Relieved of the thought (hey, she didn’t even give it that.) of having to feed the dogs, she is free to eat out dinner (I’m sure she was going to do it anyway.). They eat dinner at Jumbo’s Bar and Grill on the Boardwalk at the beach. She sends a picture of her sushi nachos. Her mother, envious, askes, “ohhhhh where???” Elena, On the Boardwalk. Very good. The clams were aaammaazzzinng, mmm”. She is being evil as we are eating leftovers trying to get to a town concert with the Amish Outlaws. And yes, some of them are Amish. Teri tells her to save any leftovers. Elena, well satiated (to completely satisfy yourself or a need, especially with food or pleasure, so that you could not have any more) tells her, “No leftovers. I swallowed everything down.” We go off to the concert and on our way home around 9:30, she texts she is home. A big surprise.

Nastia on the other hand gets out of work early, meets up with Sean at the house and takes his car to a relative’s house for a BBQ or maybe just dinner. Nastia is getting a little like Elena. I have to ask if I want information. When I get home and before I change for the concert, I spend time calling her and Sean’s phone. I know they are probably alright, but just like Elena saying she’ll be careful driving, I need to hear it from Nastia. After a while Teri says to give it up. Shortly afterwards Nastia calls. I remained calm and explained to her it would have been nice to receive a text from her letting us know that she got out of work early and she and Sean headed up to Orange County. She says she’s sorry, what else can she say or I do except tell her to be safe and have fun. She arrives home later in the evening then us saying she had fun and everyone there was asking her where she was putting all the food she ate. Nastia went into detail about what she ate. I don’t remember what it was, except it was a long list. At Thursday’s dinner she will talk some about her evening. Elena, she’ll be out with Matt again and come home just before 11. Again, ah, to be young, in love and think you have money, I’m so jealous.