No matter which holiday is coming up at any time of year, I am always excited for a three-day weekend. This Labor Day weekend we were lucky enough to close early on Friday, giving us time to get ready for the weekend’s festivities.

On Saturday afternoon my girlfriend and I took a ride toward the shore to camp at her trailer, set up at a campground for the season. We didn’t actually manage to make it to the beach, but the days were filled with fun, regardless.

After arriving and setting up, including putting the air conditioner on and unpacking the car, we took a ride to get dinner. Afterward, we had a campfire for a few hours.

The next day we took our time getting ready. We sat by the pool with our books for a few hours before the sun got too hot. I made a bunch of progress in Brandon Sanderson’s Oathbringer, while my girlfriend worked on Stephen King’s Pet Semetary. After enough time at the pool, we showered and headed into Atlantic City for the afternoon, the first time I have ever been to the seaside city.

The campground’s location is an easy rideshare from the boardwalk, so we spent some time walking up and down, playing games before grabbing dinner.

The Monday of a long weekend always plays with my head. I spent most of Monday thinking it was Sunday; and although we needed to come back home for work on Tuesday, we decided to spend a few hours in historic Smithville. We did some walking and shopping before grabbing lunch.

— Erich Martin, assistant editor