Best Life

Word of the day - Eureka!  That is how I felt when Brianna came running to greet us tonight with hugs and kisses and smiles and "I missed you!".  Super glad we came home to celebrate her turning 8 years old!  Seriously, this kid is so cute and lovable!   A year ago we were struggling with engine issues and two years ago, a water leak on the boat.  This is way better.  Being with family (thank you TJ for dinner) and watching Brianna's antics - priceless.   A great 3+ mile walk this morning with Lisa - invigorating.  A perfect way to spend the first day of spring. The remainder of the day - super lazy.  I do miss being lazy on the boat and being in the warm sun but this is okay too.  And we should find some kind of rhythm before too long!

 Today there was a little bit of everything.     Plumbing - Paul located and fixed the leak in Scott's shower.  (Scott will have to mend the hole in the drywall.)     Birthday preparations - I had made a memory board for Brianna prior to our leaving in January.  Today we hung it in her bedroom as a surprise when she arrives home tomorrow.  And I wrapped her gift.     Cleaning - some dusting, vacuuming and sweeping while I waited for Paul at Megan and TJs.  Some vacuuming at Kevin and Isis' after repositioning the living room rug (at Kevin's request to have it aligned better).     Shopping - yup, we wound up at Walmart again for birthday cake supplies.     Napping - we tried.  And by "we" I mean Maddie included!     Cooking - burritos, then burrito bake with leftover filling and then homemade sloppy joe with leftover ground hamburger.  We are good for a few days now! On this day 2014 - one of m...

 Word of the day - jejune - uninteresting, boring.  Yup that is what unpacking the car felt like.  Sorting through bags and having to decide: A:  stay here in Lincoln B: repack and bring to Maine C: donate Then because we only have so much room here, everything we decided to keep here we had to find something to donate or move along to someone else. Maddie loved having us home and remained under foot all morning.                                              Exhausted from "helping" us tear down cardboard boxes! And since it is Global Recycling Day - we did our part by helping Kevin and Isis break down boxes.  And then because Kevin missed the recycling man (Why does Lincoln only collect every 2 weeks?!?) we dragged some of it to Megan's who thankfully had room in her bins.  Cumberland picks hers up every Friday! A stop ...

  After 650 miles and another 11 hours in the car we were happy to see this sign! When we set out this morning from Virginia, Paul had to dig out my sweatpants and a jacket to put over my sweatshirt.  The temperature - 33 degrees!  Thankfully we had heated seats and hot coffee from the hotel.   And then Siri sent us around Washington, DC - way around.  Through Western Pennsylvania - Gettysburg, Harrisburg and Allentown.  Beautiful country.  Lots of mountains and farmland and no traffic jams. Having never traveled this way it proved to be very entertaining.  (An extended longer stay is likely in our future to truly check out this beautiful area.)                                                  Would you take anyone seriously if this was on their resume?           ...

 After more than 800 miles and 12+ hours in the car, we were more than ready to stop for the night.  We just crossed over into Virginia and after a quick check in - off to dinner . While I had Louisiana shrimp... Paul had a breakfast burger. The ride north was uneventful.  The only kink - Siri sent us through Lumberton (a town?  Village?  Should it even be on the map?).  The only reason I can think of for getting off I95 in North Carolina would be an accident or major traffic jam.  But we have ignored Siri in the past and regretted it (3 hour delay on George Washington Bridge in New York!).  So we meandered through a spit of a town because she said so.                                                       This morning's GPS map - a bit daunting. We have 63 degrees here and severe thundersto...

And just like that - the week is over and we head north early tomorrow morning.  Goodbye South Florida - we will be back soon!  Goodbye Marc and Molly - great company, beach trips, BBQ, dinners and card games.  Goodbye Karen and Alan - safe travels and we'll see you back in RI.                                                                 Goodbye pirates!                                                  Goodbye alligator waters! Goodbye airBNB camper - except for the non-functioning oven - it has worked well for us! The car is packed as full as Paul could fill it.  Our back seat has a bit of room left for our cooler and my laptop. The t...

 Thank you Marc and Molly for inviting us to the community BBQ!  Cornhole, live music, a petting zoo and yummy BBQ including brisket, coleslaw, corn bread, ribs, corn on the cob and so much more.  An impressive event. Though the weather threatened (thunder and rain in North Palm), the night remained dry with a nice breeze in West Palm.                                                                   Walking Bella with storms threatening. This morning Paul and I walked the Green Market in West Palm.  With 146 vendors there was plenty to look at and the people watching - epic.  Parking was easy (not free) and the bathrooms were clean (long line though).  And Lennie - I bought you a duck!   Unfortunately the waterfront was blocked due to the upcoming bo...