Saying Good-Bye

Slipknot is in new hands and Mr. Right is feeling the end of an era. After 11 years of god knows what really happened on that boat, Slipknot is off to a new home in Delaware - to three new owners that know they've struck gold. There are so many good memories for me ... and a few not so good memories. As for the adult boys that had Memorial Day Weekend excursions for years - I hope the footage has been destroyed, but know the legends will live on.

A few memories that are permanently in my brain ...

* I should have known better ... when Mr. Right and I were dating and he had me at the marina on weekends doing boat maintenance in February and March. His reasoning was that he wanted the boat ready and in the water for my birthday - which I thought was sweet. April 16th on that year was a balmy 57 degrees with high winds and drizzle. Of course we went out - Mr. Right in thermals and rain gear, and me in my sassiest jeans, fashionable boots and spring sweater. Soaked, freezing and clinging to the life lines I was baptised by fire to the life of a Captain's significant other. My ultra sensitive partner did his best to dump me into the Bay all day long - grinning from ear to ear as I asked for the 100th time, "will this boat tip over?" 100 times he responded, "I'm not sure, let's try."

* Lots of friends and family for day sails and weekend trips - or sailing while hurricanes are working their way up the East Coast. Hurricane Floyd was a good one. The outer most bands were in the area as we anchored one night outside of St. Michael's. Many beers later, Mr. Right slept like a baby while I planned my escape from the sinking boat (in my mind) as I listened to the wind whip across the hatch and the lines clang into the mast ALL NIGHT LONG.

* Speaking of hurricanes - the morning after Hurricane Isabel blew through town - wading through waist deep water in the marina parking lot, watching groups of men push 40' and 50' yachts back into brackets. These boats that were out of the water for the season or maintenance looked like a bad version of bumper boats. Then continuing to wade down the dock to see that Slipknot was still tied in our slip but floating well above me instead of below. The marina was pretty beaten up, lots of docks were washed out, but only 1 boat sank ... and ours was remarkably perfect.

* 4th of July fireworks from the water

* Many trips to St. Michael's - a nice weekend getaway for the best summer dinner ever - huge piles of Blue Crabs dumped onto the table at The Crab Claw. My absolute favorite St. Michael's trips were the ones we took the first weekend of December for a few years in a row. It was the last sail of the year before the boat came out of the water. The weather was lovely - crisp, but crystal clear. There were never many boats out, so it was very peaceful. We would dock at a marina instead of anchoring out since the water taxis didn't run that late in the year and opted for dinner at a local restaurant next to a roaring fireplace instead of our normal summer ritual. Really good "us" time.

* Seeing a submarine in the water in front of Annapolis harbor.

* Being terrified during sudden and not so sudden but, "dammit-we're-sailing-today", thunderstorms on the bay.

* Fully understanding where The Princess and the Pea fairy tale comes from. Some poor, VERY pregnant, woman trying to sleep on a sailboat.

* Taking #1 on the boat for the first time. Mr. Right was so proud. It was a "daddy and his boy" afternoon and although #1 had moments of love and hate - daddy was all love. I definitely didn't belong on that trip ... but there were more "just boys" trips in the future.

I'm sure Mr. Right's memories go on for pages ... and are likely not suitable for this audience ... or any audience. Boys ...

Slipknot is gone, but I'm sure there will be another boat in the future. The minis need to grow up a little and be patient enough to sit longer than 10 minutes. Mr. Right is already researching the next perfect vessel to rebuild from the bottom up. I hope #1 and #2 share the same love for tools and cleaning caulk out of screw threads with a needle. He's also planning the next bare boat charter in the Caribbean. Who's in?

p.s. Happy Birthday Uncle Mark! Hope you're in a pub celebrating as I write this ... or taking a well deserved nap since your mini likes to party all night ... JUST LIKE YOU!

April = Springtime!

Happy Birthday Grandma!

Today is 90 degrees ... it was 48 degrees a week ago ... I think we went straight from winter to summer. Regardless, we've been out and about everywhere - exploring around our house, celebrating Easter, to the Summit Point Speedway, out to the boat and around Annapolis, to the Aquarium and lots of local parks in search of the best "CHOO-CHOO" and carousel. Yea for warmer ... OK - downright HOT - weather!

A Picture Worth a Thousand Words

Yum! The cupcake and the mini.

Party for a "Princess"

Today is my birthday and it is somewhat significant. It isn't THE one, but is the one that earns you a "WARNING" sticker at the OB. Now that I am 150% tuned into my ovaries I can't hear anything but the screaming of old ... Old ... OLD!!! Thank goodness for little boys!

#1: Happy Birthday Mommy! Tonight we will have princess cake at your birthday party. Girls have princess cakes.

Me: OK buddy, sounds like a good idea. Will there be presents?

#1: I think so, I have to ask Daddy. I would like a Transformer in my goody bag.

Mr. Right worked some magic for me. He flew in early from this week's work in Boston, ordered up a deliciously yummy cake (fit for a princess but minus the Disney characters for those of us older than 10) from a local bakery that was similar to our wedding cake ... who knew? In addition, I heard from everyone today and it was wonderful! My parents were the first to wake me up with their iPhone texts this morning and my in-laws to say goodnight tonight ... my siblings on all corners of the earth, and my friends that keep life full and me sane - everyone made time today. I love you all! Thank you for making my "WARNING" birthday spectacularly special.

Rainy Day Racing

In celebration of my newest nephew's arrival - this one is for you, little brother. You should start tying things down, now! This is how we spend our rainy Saturdays ... notice #2 taking out the cameraman - totally on purpose. Even with the bruises, there is something heavenly about watching these boys just be brothers.

Multitasking

There is this advertisement for Accenture that I haven't seen in print for a long time. I have a copy of it at my desk - to remind me to smile when I get to work. The copy is fabulous ... and I'll go ahead and say accurate, but the image is totally unrealistic to my life.

A few comments about this "working mother" and her daughter... How sweet are they walking hand in hand down the sidewalk? The daughter is dressed in adorable clothes and a perfectly packed backpack. Hey - look at that ... she's actually carrying her own backpack! And her mom ... I'll start with the fact that she is showered. Not to mention wearing a perfectly tailored suit, likely freshly laundered, and has no runs in her pantyhose nor mud clumps on her heels from running through the playground earlier that morning. And look at that laptop bag -- I know no one at Accenture that carries a laptop that skinny. I think I was also in a training class once where I was encouraged to carry 2 umbrellas at a time - with my laptop - just in case I was with a client and it was raining (surely I would give my client my umbrella if I only had one ... and who wants to be wet). She's clearly not carrying 2 umbrellas in that laptop bag.

I can imagine if this were me and either one of the minis - or a true page from my book, with both of the boys - the image would be more like this ...

1. Boys dressed, but wearing most of their breakfast cereal over the top of the outfit. Their hair is a mess - 100% bedhead - "only girls brush their hair so they can wear ponytails."

2. Mom dressed in some sort of professional outfit. Likely pants since she has not had a shower alone in the last 4 years and thus no time to shave her legs. If she were crazy enough to wear a skirt and hose, the hose would absolutely have a run. Her shoes would be fabulous - draw all attention to the shoes and not a.) the crusty remnants of a nose wiped across her shoulder ... b.) a power-puke from those just back from maternity leave mornings ... or c.) the bags under her eyes.

3. I've discussed the size of the laptop bag. Mom would also be carrying her handbag - a fabulous looking bag since it is the only piece of "girl" she can hold onto ... but is inexpensive since it will likely double for a barf bag at some point in its lifespan. It is a big bag ... big enough to hold crayons, wipes, a spare diaper, hand cleaner, a small first aid kit, 2 matchbox cars, 2 dum-dum suckers, sunglasses for all three and the blessed iPhone full of music never listened to and many well watched versions of Super Why. In addition to "her" bags, she carries "their" bags ... 2 lunchboxes, 2 small backpacks and if it is a Monday morning - clean bedrolls for nap.

4. There would be no blissful walking hand-in-hand down the sidewalk. There would be a full-fledged version of "chase" or "tag" - extra points for dodging in and out of the passing cars on the street. After #1 came too close to a car, he would be summoned to the super-tight bicep hold with Mom's right hand. This would cause him to try and sit down on the sidewalk while walking ... so there is that Gopher popping out of a hole effect with each step Mom takes. After #2 toddler-ran too fast and busted face on the sidewalk, he'd be up in Mom's left arm ... with the entire list above under #3.

5. The Mom is sweating ... a lot ... hoping her deodorant is as high performance as Accenture.