Best Life

 What a blessed and beautiful day!  A wonderful morning where everyone came together for brunch and an egg hunt.  The food was yummy (thank you everyone for pitching in!).  The eggs were plentiful  (thank you Megan/Easter bunny)and well placed (thank you Paul).  Except for a little mud (Sorry Rebecca) the hunt went well.   Brianna patiently waited for everyone to finish eating and then led the hunt.  She then wandered away with her back turned.  (Could she be eating candy?) Looks like it to me!  Too funny! Trying to get 18 people to look at the camera at the same time is impossible.  But it was fun trying!   The afternoon flew by while we enjoyed sitting outside with family and enjoying the antics of Layla.   Two going on three and trying to explain this using her fingers.  Calling me Uncle Paul's "friend" and calling Scotty "Kitty".  It is a joy watching her and listening as she talks and sings. H...

 An ordinary day that is not so ordinary anymore.  A Hurkle-durkle morning.  We had no where to be and it wasn't so easy to throw off warm blankets in a chilly morning.  A quick trip to Walmart,  Auto zone and a second Walmart.  (Can you believe the first Walmart didn't have everything we needed?)  Paul changed the battery in the truck which meant a quick trip to Megan's.  Always a pleasure seeing the kids.  And the daffodils I had to transplant last fall have come through the soil.  We had a quick late lunch before prepping for tomorrow's brunch by making the quiche.  A trip to the liquor store and then enjoying yummy stuffed peppers with spinach and artichoke.  (Thank you TJ!)  Cards with the kids and then Yahtzee.  So many Yahtzees!! And entertainment by Brianna.  She has a full repertoire of songs that seamlessly blend into one another.  And we taught her the chicken dance!  Even the traffic in RI i...

 The days go by so fast.  Today we did more of the same kinds of things but better!  I got my hair cut short and I love it!  It will quick dry after swimming and showering.  The wind blows and there is no hair in my eyes!   Thank you Kayla!  It is perfect! Then an annual physical with the requisite lab work.  Not so bad.  Good for another year. Then back to the house to decorate for Easter brunch.  Brianna was done with her riding lesson and breakfast with Grandpa Paul.  She proved to be a decorating champion.  Nothing broken and every bunny and egg examined carefully before she could position each item in a very specific location. We did some painting and managed to keep it on the paper not the table or clothing!   Turning 6 she has become a little person with greater attention to detail.  (Although in her self portrait she forgot to give herself legs!) We had to stop at the bank but even that was fun with ...

 Mix the mundane with the fun.  First deal with 10 weeks worth of mail.  Even though every Sunday Paul reviewed the mail with Scott, the pile was slightly intimidating.  There was one FINAL NOTICE and one past overdue.  I tackled one and Paul the other.  All is good. Then lunch at my favorite Bandidos with two of my favorite people.    Then a visit to the dentist.  Didn't seem as bad as usual. (Maybe the margarita?) A home cooked dinner before we met with our tax preparer.  A few hands of cards with the kids and best of all - Brianna spending the night with us!  The day was near perfect despite the persistent rain and the much cooler weather.

 Another first for us.  We closed the boat so we could head to RI for a long weekend.  Extra dock lines, turn off the water pump, secure all hatches, dispose of all trash and recycles.  Leave keys in  case the dockmaster, Bob, needs to move our boat.  Say goodbye to our neighbors, Chuck and Linda, who are headed to the Great Loop! (They were super helpful when we were docking in strong winds.)  We start our drive to the airport but need to turn around for Paul's phone.  We start again for the airport and I realize I don't have my wallet!  Abd when we return we realize we left the front locker wide open.  Another quick look around and another farewell to Bob and Chuck and we were on our way! We enjoyed lunch at a Mexican cantina at the airport.   Funny limes, good beer, large, fresh tortillas and the best chandelier I have ever come across! And then the storm.  We made in onto the plane and had to sit on the runway for almo...

 Sunny, warm and windy.  We headed out from the marina to the ICW to practice sailing with the main sail.  Unlike the jib that we practiced with yesterday, the main sail is huge.  With sustained winds close to 20 knots I was uncertain how much sail I was comfortable with letting out.  Based on the boat manual we should be at 2 reefs with the main in those winds.  Our captain was comfortable at 1 reef and we tacked back and forth across the ICW between speed boats, pilings and anchored boats.  With the main we picked up speed to 6-7 knots.  Pretty cool but stressful.  Once we are out in the ocean with no obstacles, the main seems more practical.   There were also technical issues since the lines haven't been used in a long time.  Paul had to use WD40 to free up some of the shackles and some of the lines needed coaxing to move.  We certainly learned a great deal!  We also had to dock with strong winds but our neighbors ...

 We awakened to another beautiful sunrise with the promise of a beautiful day. Our captain showed up at 10 am and made us practice and lassoing.  We learned quick knots and releases.  And we learned which lines raised and lowered our jib.  The smaller sail in the bow of the boat.  We practiced for hours doing tacks and jibes both in and out of the ICW channel.    Paul pulled back into the marina dock without incident despite multiple boats on the dock.  The sun came back out and we were off to the beach to stretch our legs.  Daytona Beach has suffered from storms and erosion.   It was nice to walk along the beach in the warm sun after a few days of cooler weather. In our wanderings we came across super sketchy dock.  Check out the wiring job.  Not sure if these boats have been moved in the recent past. A lot of positives in a very full day!

Cold, rainy and windy.  Paul spent the day working on the stereo that decided to stop working and the NAS (our movie and music storage system).   Our day included a couple trips to town to find a Dongle.  Who names these things? On beach street is the memorial for Brownie.  A stray dog in the 1940s who had his own bank account and ate steak and ice cream!  A heart warming story.  I love learning about local folklore.   https://www.browniethetowndog.org/ The sunrise and sunset are deceiving.  I wore jeans and a coat all day.  Still barefoot though! One of the best parts of my day was church.  The take away I got from the sermon - Blessed not stressed (check) and anointed not disappointed (check).  It is exactly how I have been feeling!

  Today I just want to share some of the crazy beautiful and varying plants, trees and clouds that Daytona presents in a short time frame.  It was damp this morning, followed by scorching heat and sun and ended with thunderstorms,  We had breakfast with friends and dinner with family and new friends.  I am feeling very blessed.  

 Rainy, blustery day perfect for the indoor flea market.  Strange odors, strange people and very strange items up for sale!  If you see something you want me to buy for you, let me know! And then there are the sights around town.  Truth in advertising? We took advantage of the break in the rain and took a quick (and short) walk on the beach. And a quick game of adventure golf.  We found our map for the trip north! Paul kicked my butt! (He also finally won foos ball earlier!)