Tony Breaks Down Leaving Ocean City

Enzo

The Vassallo clan spent Memorial Day weekend 2015 in Ocean City, cleaning the house, organizing the garage and getting the house ready for another summer season.

Tony and Enzo had a blast, with Enzo enjoying the breeze as he sit and lay in his Pack N’ Play near the open front deck door. Tony played with toys he hadn’t seen in a year and talked to all of the neighbors. Tony even got to help Miss Charlotte and Mr. Glen, our neighbors, walk their golden retrievers, Ruby and Murphy.

The boys made their rounds up and down the alley seeing all of their friends and neighbors after a long winter, while daddy and mommy helped Nonna get the house ready for the summer.

The weather was stellar all weekend for the first time in years and we took advantage of it on Monday with a couple of hours on the beach.

Enzo loved the sand, crawling all over and even walking while holding mommy’s hands. Tony built sandcastles and played with buckets of water.

Enzo loved the sand so much, and thought it was so comfy, that he face-planted into it a couple of times and just laid there. Tony had asked all weekend when we could go to the beach, so Monday was definitely a fun day for him.

Even though we did not get up to the boardwalk, Tony still had a blast all weekend. He got to hang out with Uncle CJ and Alli most of the weekend and even Uncle Matt (Deeney) for a little bit. 

We were in no rush to leave Monday, which is par for the course, and really took our time because the weather was so nice. Although, we would stay there even if the temperatures were in the teens and rain fell for days on end. It is just a different vibe at the shore.

As we began to pack to go home on Monday, Tony started to get upset. He sulked around the house saying that he wanted to stay at Nonna’s shorehouse. He didn’t want to go home to his regular house.

We changed the boys into their pajamas, filled a cup for Tony and a bottle for Enzo, packed the car and pulled out of the driveway. This is when Tony really got upset.

While driving over the 9th St. Bridge to leave the island, Tony broke down into tears and yelled at us to turn around and go back. He didn’t want to leave Ocean City. 

Mommy made Tony a promise that they would return in a couple of weeks and she would get to spend the entire summer with the boys on the beach and on the boardwalk. This kind of calmed Tony down, but he still looked visibly upset that we were not turning around the car. 

Tony eventually stopped talking about returning to Ocean City, but it reminded both of us how much we would get upset upon leaving the island as children. Hell, we still hate to leave as adults. 

Jim is the creator and editor of Life with Tony and Enzo, Cinn City News, At the Dish and owner of Vassallo Marketing. He coached baseball for five years; three at his former high school (Holy Cross in Delran, NJ) and two at prominent Division III program Rowan University in Glassboro, NJ as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. He has worked for the Courier-Post in Cherry Hill, NJ; Metro Networks in Bala Cynwyd, PA; and was the play-by-play announcer for the Camden Riversharks of the Independent Atlantic League of Professional Baseball for two seasons (2007-2008) on Rowan Radio 89.7 WGLS-FM, the student-run radio station at Rowan University. Jim earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications and minor in Journalism from Rowan University in 2008. While in school he was the Assistant Sports Director at WGLS for two years and the Sports Director for one year. He also covered the football, baseball, softball and both basketball teams for the school newspaper, 'The Whit.' Jim lives in Cinnaminson, New Jersey, with his wife Nicole, sons Tony and Enzo and dog Thelma. He can be reached at jim@vassallomarketing.com.

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