She’s back, and this time with kids! - October 31, 2007 -
When I first started sailing with Bill many many moons ago, I read a book that absolutley captivated me. It was Maiden Voyage, by Tania Aebi.
I have since read her second book and was thinking “Man, after sailing solo around the globe, how could she return to everyday life and not want to….you know….. be out there experiencing life like that again? WHERE ARE YOU TANIA? I need my armchair fix!”
Well, she is back at the helm for a long cruise, and this time she is bringing her 2 sons.
I devoured her logs this weekend and am anxiously awaiting her post tomorrrow.
If you have not read her first book, you really need to.
Bill and I sat outside talking about it this weekend, and I brought up the fact that her speaking engagements are sponsored by the same group that sponsors Lance Armstrong. I told him how much she charges, and that unlike Lance, she asks to fly coach. Lance asks for first class for 4 or a private jet. My husband reponded “Well, she is no Lance Armstrong. What he did no one else has ever done before”. I got a bit really pissy and said, “Right, she didn’t have cancer. She didn’t ride her bicycle through the French country side. She also didn’t piss on everyone as she went up the ladder of success. She only single handed a sailboat around the globe at the age of 18, Bill. So what if Lance won a kazillion Tour de France bike races. Maybe he should get his butt out on the Atlantic BY HIMSELF and see if he can manage not to piss himself when the first quall with 30 foot waves comes his way. I know I would. What she did was incredible, and she was just a teenager. What I want to know is why humble Lance needs a private jet or first class airfare for himself and 4 other people when he flies????? I mean, the arrogance!! Do you know how many people endure the hell that is cancer, and go on to do wonderful things with their lives with NO recognition? Or how about the people who endure the pain and hell that incurable cancer brings upon them in their final days. The agony. Those people are my heroes. Sheesh.”
Having said that, I will say that I do find what Lance is doing for cancer research incredible. The millions he is raising for the cure? That is what humbles me about him. But you know what, it really irks me that he requires a private jet or first class for 4 to fly to speaking engagements to talk about his cancer and motivate other cancer survivors to Livestrong. There is some hypocrisy in that, you know, and that is all I have to say about it.
Whoops, where was I?
Oh yes, Shangra-La……go get hooked on Tania’s travel log. I think whe will be posting twice each month, on the 1st and 15th.
She is doing what I hope to do one day with our kids.
**edit to add another link…written by a 9yo Olivia Collins who cruised with her parents for 2 years. I quote her:
“When I was four and five, my mother had breast cancer. I was so scared for her, but she survived. That left my family with an important morale: Live while you can, and make the best of it, because you never know what will happen next. So we made a decision; we would get a sailboat and go cruising for a while.”
Exactly why we are where we are today.
Boo cruise - October 29, 2007 -
What should you do after buying everyone their halloween costumes?
Why, go sailing, of course.
Bill was in his happy place.
There were Pelicans fishing and gliding.
And the only thing missing were some dwarves.
One must always remember to wear full length evening gloves on deck, right?
Snow white completely melted down after this photo and went below deck for some shut eye.
And we enjoyed the quiet that descended upon the boat.
Cruising with kids is such a trip.
Bill, the minimalist - October 27, 2007 -
If it were up to my husband, all of the countertops and furniture in this house would have nothing on them. Nothing, nada, zilch.
Our bedside tables have been bare since the furniture arrived, and I had added an old lamp to mine for the purpose of illumination while I read.
Bill did not want a lamp. His philosophy is that the bed is for sleeping, one other thing, and nothing else, so why should he need a bedside lamp?
Well, alrighty then.
In come the coral lamps.
I ordered them a week ago, and they arrived today. I set them up, and called Bill in to see them.
He was like, “Um, I don’t want a lamp.”
And I am like, “Um, well, you have one now.”
He said “Oh…..well, take it back”.
And I am all, “Whoops, they were special order and cannot be returned”.
So, my husband has his first ever bedside lamp, and he is less than excited.
Myself? I am not sure how I feel about my non-returnable, coral lamps. I like them, but then again………
What do you think, oh worthy internets?
13 - October 24, 2007 -
I have a teenager. It does not seem possible.
It can’t be. After all, just yesterday I cried with your father because you came out of my belly so healthy and beautiful.
That was not 13 years ago.
Or was it.
Because suddenly you are not a little boy anymore.
You are this young man, who still loves to hug and hold hands with his mother and father and is not embarrased by it.
This young man who is so self assured.
You make good choices.
You are kind.
The other day I complained to you that you had spent your school lunch money too quickly! What were you buying? You replied that you had bought a girl lunch because she didn’t have any money and was hungry. I asked what her name was, and you replied “I don’t know. She just needed help”.
You humble me.
I watch you with your little sister and it brings me to tears to see how tender you are with her. Most of the time she pushes you away because she is 3 and trying to be independant. It breaks my heart to see how sad that makes you. But the other day when we came to your school to watch a presentation, she saw you and went to you. She crawled in your lap and you wrapped your arms around her. The joy on your face made my chest hurt. It was so priceless.
You are your fathers son.
I see him in you more and more each day.
How lucky you are to have inherited your fathers kind spirit, his quiet and gentle ways.
Yesterday while watching you play football, I marveled to your father about how still you stood on the sidelines when you were not playing. You were watching the game with such intensitiy….studying everthing.
You have always been like that. Since you were a baby, you would study something forever before trying it yourself. Your father said you didn’t want to try anything until you were sure you could do it. You master things in your mind first. It is this cautiousness that makes me know you will continue to make good choices. You inherited this from your father as well.
What did you inherit from me? What imprint have I left on your life?
We look nothing alike. Like I said, you are your fathers son.
The way I see myself in you happens in an instant and then it is gone. It is mysterious and ghostly and I have to wonder if it is really there at all. The flash of your eye. The way you brush the hair out of your sisters face. It is in your expressions and your mannerisms.
If I were to die, would your father look at you and see me in the furrow of your brow?
Or would he see me in the way you love animals.
The thing is, you don’t have to have my eyes, or my mouth, or my hands for me to know you are my son. You have my heart, child. I gave it to you on the day you were born.
I love you with all of my heart and soul.
Happy Birthday my first born.
When the coast is clear - October 23, 2007 -
They’re closin’ down the hangout
The air is turnin’ cool
They’re shuttin’ off the superslide”
The kids are back in school
The tourist traps are empty
Vacancy abounds
Almost like it used to be
Before the circus came to town
That’s when it always happens
Same time every year
I come down to talk to me
When the coast is clear
Jimmy Buffett
Decorating at the beach - October 20, 2007 -
When we moved last month, we purged ourselves of alot of stuff.
After living in the trailer, I got used to the minimal, so when we started packing up the old house, I had a new perspective of how much crap we owned. 1/2 of which we probably had not used since before we decided to shack up and start a family.
I have always had an issue with getting rid of stuff. Everything seemed to have a memory attached to it. I saved cards, letters, Christmas pictures of other peoples kids, my first set of scrubs, toys my kids got in their stockings. It was bad.
Can I tell you how many garbage bags of stuffed animals we had. 5! 5 big, black garbage bags full of stuffed creatures. When I was 4 my father told me that the stuffed animals come alive on Christmas Eve, dancing and talking. He playfully told me that the ones in boxes would call out “Let me out, let me out.” From that moment on, I could not get rid of one to save my life. I tried. Oh how I tried, but I would always stare at it and associate human feelings to it. Bill would try and sneak them off to Goodwill, and I would always catch him, pull the poor creatures from the bag and put them safely back on my childrens beds.
I can tell you with great pride that I was relentless with the stuffed animals. They screamed and pleaded, but I stuffed them into their garbage bag homes and carted them off to various charities. I told them I was sorry as I dropped them off.
Seriously, we unloaded big time.
When they delivered all of the stuff that managed to make it by my cruel eye, I realized that much of the furniture we had needed a new home. The delivery guy rose to the occasion and carted off chairs, tables etc etc. to the local Catholic womens shelter.
Which left me with the opportunity to decorate this home in Bill and Jody fashion.
We were given an amazing gift from my in-laws…our first ever new bedroom set. We have always had old sets handed down from someone, so this was really wonderful for us.
I found the bedspread locally, and worked the rest of the room around the bed.
I pulled the red coral theme out and used it in the bathroom as well.
In the den I wanted to have a very island feel, so we found this wonderful chair and worked around it.
I found signs
This was a gift from my in-laws as well. My MIL helped packed my house up, and in the middle of it, right around 4:45 we would look at each other and I would say “Is it too early for a drink” and she would reply, “I think I heard a canon go off, so it must be 5 o’clock somewhere!”
And added little odds and ends like this olive boat filled with shells.
We even threw a surf board into the mix
Mia decided she wanted a room that looked like the ocean….complete with mermaids. I found a store here that had the most adorable, glitter sea creatures and pink coral.
We also have little things like a basket by the door for flip flops, signs that say “Shoes optional” and “Just another day in paradise”, a shadow box with our sand dollar collection and many little touches here and there.
I love the openness and the lack of clutter.
We are still doing thing here and there….I ordered some really cool red coral lamps for our night stands…but all in all things are pretty much done with the house.
What do you think?
Digging in - October 19, 2007 -
We bought most of everything from Sonlight, but I had also found loads of books at our local book warehouse. Bill is wondering where everything is going to fit, as we already had 15,000 books and all the bookshelves are full. You can NEVER have too many books.
We also started Astronomy. Too much fun!
Off to dive in and decide where we will start.
Choices - October 18, 2007 -
I stood staring at the broken glass and the explosion of red, Valentino hot sauce all over my pantry floor. The jar had fallen off the shelf, and was now dripping off the walls and soaking into the tile grout. It was 6:15 a.m. and I was still in my nightgown.
I wanted to take numbers. I wanted to make someone pay for this. Who put the sauce away like that? As I stood there, to my horror, three more jars slipped off the rack and crashed to the floor. A bottle of oil, some jam and some more salsa. I turned and met Bill’s eyes, and just stared at him. I mean, can you believe this???? He waited to see what I would do.
I had a choice. I could loose my mind, start yelling and bitching, or I could simply shut my mouth and clean up the mess.
Choices. I had been making some bad ones for the last few years. My attitude and joy for life had been in need of a good jump start. The rut that I had been in for the last few years had dragged me down into a bitching, whining, helpless, negative jerk. To sum it up, I had gotten myself into a very bad habit, and habits are hard to break.
Tuesday night I found myself yelling at the AT&T switch board operator. I think I said something to the effect that if she put me on hold, I would time her and have the minutes charged on my cell phone taken from her paycheck.
Yup, what an ass.
After I had hung up the phone, Bill, having heard everything, walked by, spread his hands out gesturing to our home and such and said, “Wow. Look at all we have and all the great things that have come our way, and we are upset about the telephone.”
I went to bed thinking about my behavior. I thought about my sour attitude. My impatience. All the times back home when I had participated in gossip and ill will.
My impatience.
My anger.
My frustration.
My hurtfulness.
My hurt.
MY…bad….behavior.
With that one sentence that Bill uttered, he peeled the scales back from my eyes. Literally.
So, yesterday morning I awoke, and immediately called AT&T. I spoke with a repair specialist and he made an appointment to come fix my phone. I also asked him if he could tell me the name of the woman I had reamed. He told me and I explained to him how badly I felt. He told me that he could e-mail her a message if I would like, so I told her that there was no excuse for my bad behavior and that I was very sorry for speaking ill towards her.
I decided that morning that I had a choice. I could chose to be positive in EVERYTHING I do, or I could carry on making myself and everyone around me miserable.
So your husband throws his dirty socks on the floor? Big deal people. At least he is alive to throw them there. Think of the alternative. I have.
So your school board does something that you don’t like, and you go on bitching and moaning about it for over A YEAR. At least you have children to be concerned about.
So your yard has fungus. A least you have a yard.
So your new car has a dent in it. At least you don’t have to walk everywhere you go pushing a grocery cart with all of your belongings in it.
So your food comes to the table at the restaurant and it is not that great. At least you don’t have to pick your food out of a dumpster to feed your children.
So your child threw up on the floor. At least it is due to a virus and not from chemotherapy.
So your home phone doesn’t work…….at least you have the luxury of having a cell phone, you spoiled rotten brat.
After talking to the At&T repair dude, I loaded Mia up into the car and drove to the ocean. I needed some salt water and sand. We wandered up and down the beach looking for shells. We found a gorgeously perfect sand dollar.
God’s promises Jody….don’t ever forget.
An old lady wandered down the beach toward us and handed Mia a lovely shell, saying “Here is a beautiful shell for a beautiful little girl”.
I have a beautiful little girl to love.
I gave the lady the sand dollar.
I text messaged Bill a picture of the beach with this message “Dude, we live here! We are so blessed. I love you. Love, Jojo”
We came home sun kissed, happy, and I had a clean slate. I could do anything with it. It was my choice.
So, there I stood this morning looking at the red, oily, sticky mess on the floor. My kids were frozen. Bill had his eyes locked on mine, pleading. I wanted to explode. Instead, I smiled and cleaned it up. My kids jumped in and helped and in no time it was gone and my floors were cleaned ta boot!
I can’t live with negativity stirring me up all the time. I realized this before we even moved here. It was one of the reasons I needed to leave. I needed to make a change for the good of myself and my family.
I now need to break some bad habits.
Yesterday I made a choice.
What will you choose today?
Next week, something other than photos - October 12, 2007 -
I am sorry, and I hesitate to say it, but…we are so busy here. I just don’t have much time to really sit down and make a post that has something substantial to it.
My business has been related to obsessing about ordering a homeschool curriculum for the kids. Yes, I know. The kids are in school and what is the point. Well, let me explain.
My kids came from a very excellent private school. A school in which the graduating class of my oldest would be 23. You heard me right. 23 kids. It was fantastic. My kids had attentive teachers that taught them not only academics, but moral issues as well. They sat at lunch and prayed over their meals, and prayed several times each day. I miss that very much for my kids.
Academically, my kids also got a fantastic foundation. All of the boys are placing about 2 years ahead of the class they are in. 2 years. As an example, Quinn (1st grade) is able to do the homework that Cody (4th grade) is doing. Cory’s classes at his school are all AP, so he is academically challenged. The others not so much.
So, I ordered a literature based homeschool program. It involves much reading and we will do this together in the evenings and such. We already started and are enjoying it very much.
That in a nutshell, is where I have been hiding. Other than that, I have been enjoying my home, the beach, boat, and spending uninterrupted time with my kids. That has been so important.
We all really miss our little town and friends very much, but are also embracing our new home. It is a catch 22. I speak with my friends on the phone weekly, and that helps so much. Also, a family that we know are coming to see us this weekend, and my boys are out of their minds with excitement.
Okay, so more next week…and I promise not to put you to sleep.
Replaced, but not forgotten - October 4, 2007 -
The stolen camera was never recovered. Some crack addict probably shot up the whole wad of cash he got when he pawned it. Degenerate.
My mourning period ended and due to the fact that backorders do not in any way amuse me, I jumped in the car and drove to the nearest Best Buy to replace my D80. I am impatient like that. Bill was all “You need to wait” and I was all “Wait for what????? The second coming? Bill, I know that Jesus wants me to have this camera. NOW! I need it”. I got the want -vs- need talk from him….”Gorilla, guerrilla. Big difference.” It did little good. Want won.
I also called our insurance agent and got a rider on our home owners policy for the dang thing. It cost a whopping $17 a year to insure with a $50 deductible. It makes me sick to think that for such a small cost, I could have had a replacement purchased by the insurance agency. One hell of alot cheaper than forking out the money for the cost of a new D80. If you own a nice camera, do yourself a big favor and drop whatever you are doing and get it insured. I can testify that if it happened to me in a sleepy little town, it can happen to you. Also, buy a good backpack camera bag that does not say “Canon”, “Nikon” etc on it. A camera carry case is advertising its contents. A backpack is less conspicuous and doesn’t scream “I am an expensive camera…please steal me”.
Did I need this camera? No. I didn’t. I need food, shelter, and the clothes on my back. Not a camera. Yes, there are many things that I don’t need. Regardless, I have found something that really interests me, and have enjoyed very much taking nice pictures of my family.
Even the dog.
Now, I promised house photos, so here is one of the most important area of our home….the coffee station. It even trumps the bathroom that is MINE, ALL MINE!
Stay tuned for another sunrise shot tomorrow.
Oh, and a redesign of my blog in the next week or so.
Chanson Pour Les Petits Enfants - October 3, 2007 -
Now young Mr. Moon flew away in the night
With his best friend Magnus right by his side
They soared through the Milky Way counting the stars
Once around Venus, twice around Mars
Then they spied an island rise out of the sea
They fell back to Earth just as free as you please
The children all gathered the church bells did ring
Suddenly everyone started to sing
Chanson pour les petits enfants
Chason pour toute le monde
Chanson pour les petits enfants
Chanson pour toute le monde
Our new moto here is “Just another day in paradise!”. We say it when things are going smooth. We say it when great blue herons fly through our backyard. We say it when the mail takes 3 weeks to get to us. We say it when the landscaper and Bill get in a shouting match. We say it when dolphins are so curious about our children that they flock around the boat in numbers up to 20. We say it when we go for an evening walk with the kids and have owls swooping down around us and perching in our trees.
Paradise is as paradise does, and the beauty of this place can only be matched by the people who have chosen to call it home. We are so pleased to find such open, gentle, accomodating and friendly people. Not only do owls come to see us on our walks, but our neighbors do as well. It is not uncommon to go for a short walk and not return for an hour because we have stopped to visit with someone. I have fallen in love with our neighborhood and home.
Queen of the island she welcomed them in
Asking them questions of where they have been
She offered them chocolate she offered them tea
They all took their seats in the top of a tree
And racoons brought wine and the mice they brought cheese
Beautiful birds floated by on the breeze
From out of the oceans the dolphins began
Humming a tune that soon covered the land
Going shopping here is unreal. If you see something that you like and are not sure if it will match in the house? Well, the shop owner tells you to just take it on loan and bring it back if you don’t like it and pay for it if you do. Not just at one store, but at all of them. It doesn’t matter if it is a $40 picture or a $1000 piece of furniture. I have had more fun decorating this house than any I have ever owned. We are going with a tropical/beach theme, and I will post some pics soon.
I want to try and write a post about each of our kids in the next week or two. Several of you who read this blog know us personally….. but many of you who don’t, have followed our family for years on this blog, feel close to us and want to know how the kids are. The number one question I have received via e-mail is “How are the kids adjusting to their new life?” If I have not been able to answer your e-mail, I will try and do it here in a post….we have been very busy nesting, and I had over 130 personal e-mails to answer and have not responded to them all, so bear with me.
The kids have acclimated to life here with very few snags. Most amazing to me is watching my oldest son adjust to his new environment. Cory has just blossomed as a person. He loves his new school, and has made some really wonderful friends.
We are beyond pleased with his school. Many famliy members and friends poo-pooed our choice to send the kids to public school, but I have to tell you, Cory’s middle school rocks. He is in all pre-AP classes, and is prepping for college courses already. He will take his ACT and SAT this December as part of the Duke University Talent ID Program. Cory is a really bright kid, and boredom sets in easily for him. When he is bored, he shuts down. He does not give 100%, and his attitude stinks. We have had none of that since the move. Of all the kids, he was the one we were worried about the most in regards to moving. We worried about him making friends, as he is a quiet and shy kid who takes a very long time to warm up to people.
At “Meet the Teacher” night several weeks ago, I met Cory’s Texas History teacher. I had heard some really wonderful things about this man and his methods of teaching. I told him that Cory was upset about the move and that we were worried about him. This man took my hand and said “What period do I have Cory?” I told him and he then said “Please don’t worry about him. I will make this okay for him”. I left his room with tears in my eyes, shaking my head, thinking “there is something special about that teacher”.
I was right, and so was he. He did make it okay for Cory. Not only did this man captivate my son in the classroom, making him come home every night full of stories about Texas history, but he also kept an eye on my son throughout the day. He told me that he has been watching Cory, and he is proud of the friends he is making. He said that they are wonderful kids and were all becoming best friends.
Cory is up every morning at 5:50 for football practice. He is one of 2 quarterbacks for his team and also a running back. He is on cloud nine. He has been in the paper twice as one of 2 leading the offense. Watching him play football is so much fun. I find myself screaming and clapping at each play. Yes, I am becoming one of “those” mothers. I never felt this way about baseball and soccer. Those sports bored me to tears. Football, on the other hand, is so exciting and a blast to watch. Especially when your kid gets to play.
I have mentioned sailing a couple of times in recent months, no? I think I have even mentioned that Cory took to it like a fish to water. There was no learning curve for him. That old saying “See one, do one, teach one” applies to Cory in regards to anything on a boat. He is just like his father. When the hurricane was bearing down on us last month, Bill was at work in the ER, so Cory and I had to secure the boat by ourselves. We climbed aboard, and that kid started belting out orders to me left and right and I was just stunned. “No, not like that….tie it down like this”….. “That is the wrong knot for that, Mom”….”Secure the bimminy by wrapping the line around it like this and clipping it here”. It used to be that we had to tell him 3 times before he would listen to anything. On the boat, we don’t even have to ask once.
It appears to us that Cory has discovered himself….he has learned self confidence. He will turn 13 in just a few weeks, and he has arrived.
So have I. On the phone the other night, I was talking with my sister and telling her about how we were decorating the house. She said to me “Oh! You are decorating it with the sea. You have arrived. Welcome home, Jody.”
So young Mr. Moon flew away in the night
With his best friend Magnus right by his side
The sun was just rising, they’d be home by noon
Humming the words to this magical tune
Chanson pour les petits enfants
Chason pour toute le monde
Chanson pour les petits enfants
Chanson pour toute le monde
Song for the children
Song for the world
