Category Archives: Commercial Fishing Mom
Relying on Grace.
We knew December was going to be a tough month around here; getting ready for the Dungeness crab season, celebrating Eva’s sixth birthday, preparing for Christmas, entering the final weeks of pregnancy, and doing a major bedroom overhaul here at home was never going to be smooth or easy.
Unfortunately, we had no choice but to do everything in four short weeks and it has been as overwhelming and tiring as we anticipated. There have been some highlights; our friend and neighbor’s help with the room switch, Eva’s birthday party turning out better than I’d hoped, and receiving Christmas cards from friends and family have all been little spurts of joy throughout.
I’m probably a little more burned out than usual because I’m on new medication for the last four weeks of this pregnancy that makes me nauseous and tired. Of course, I’ve felt that way from the very beginning so it’s not a real change for me…just that I’d hoped for some relief before the birth.
At one of my three-times-a-week doctor appointments, I finally asked one of the nurses why this pregnancy has been so much more difficult than the others.
Is it my age? Is it the being watched like a hawk by medical staff that’s a spirit-dampener? Is it the mental challenge for someone who doesn’t deal well with surprise or change? Is it from exhaustion having two energetic children already at home? The physical strain of a third pregnancy?
Most likely, it’s all of it. There is really nothing to do but see the rest of these few weeks out with as much grace as possible and hope for the best when it’s time to deliver.
Speaking of which; we still don’t know whether George will be here for the event. As you know, the baby is due on January 25. We finally received word that the official start date for the Dungeness crab season is January 24. For those of you that don’t know, that means they’ll set gear (dump 500 crab pots) about three days before, which is January 21. In order to get to the boat and out to the middle of the ocean, George will leave home on January 19.
My best hope is that the baby up and decides to make her way out by herself on January 15.
We do have an alternate captain scheduled to take the wheel and relieve George for a couple of weeks during the crab season, but George absolutely has to be there for the first setting of 500 crab pots. There are hundreds of thousands of dollars at stake, the safety of crew, and several families with children all depending upon getting the season off to the best financial and safest start possible.
If the crab season had begun when it usually does, around the first of January, George could have set the first critical round of pots, got the season started, and then handed it off to the relief captain and come home for the baby.
However, the season starting so late in the month put a big wrench in that plan. As I said, all I can do is stay calm, have a plan in place, and try to see these last few weeks through with as much grace as I can muster.
I want to take a minute and pay a small blog tribute to my old Southeast Alaska fishing friend, Monte, who passed away suddenly and tragically this week of a heart attack at the age of thirty-two. Upon learning this news, I literally doubled over and sobbed, unable to believe or comprehend what happened. I was sure my eyes were tricking me, that it was some terrible joke or hoax.
Of course, it wasn’t.
Monte, who leaves behind a wife and six-month-old baby, was the sweetest, toughest, kindest, most original character you’d be lucky to know. At his funeral yesterday, I think everyone felt comfort that the music, stories, pictures, and video perfectly captured Monte’s authentic spirit and person. His love of fishing, the outdoors, creativity, wife, baby, friends, and helpful nature were all represented at his final departure from shore.
Rest in peace, dear Monte. You will never be forgotten.
The Launching of Dungeness Crab Pots AND a New Baby. All at the Same Time. Literally.
George told me today that the Washington Dungeness Crab Fishermen’s Association has a new Facebook page, so I immediately went over and “liked” it. I did some looking around while I was there and could see right away what a great page it is. Updates on the season and the fleet are regular, and Washington Dungeness crab fishermen are also encouraged to post boat and crew pictures.
I love a positive and informative commercial fishing-themed Facebook page (if you do too, check out Commercial Fishing Families & Friends, the Facebook group I started with a couple other commercial fishing wives), so it’s great that the WDCFA has joined the fun.
Speaking of Washington Dungeness crab fishing, George went to a meeting this morning for an update on the season’s start date. We’ve known for a while that the season is going to begin either (roughly) January 15 or January 25. I eagerly awaited word all day as to the firm date, but the only new thing I learned was that we’d all know in 48 hours what the final and official start date will be.
Now, I normally do not get too hung up on the start date of crab season. I know it’s always sometime between December and January, and I just hope each year that G will be around for Christmas. I was a little nervous six years ago when I was expecting Eva, but George was able to be here for her birth on December 12 before leaving shortly after.
A crab season start date of either January 15 or January 25 does not do me any personal good, as that is the exact date range that our third baby is due. Seriously—I’m not kidding. Her due date is January 25 and she will likely be encouraged out slightly before then, hence, the January 15-25 range.
So, I will be waiting impatiently for the next two days until we found out exactly what we’re looking at. I do have plans in case there is no way G can be here; my parents are on board to help with my two children and dog, and I have three friends lined up to keep me company at the hospital and some more who have offered to help following the birth, but it’s still a messed-up situation.
If a five-to-seven-day coastal storm blows through around the due date, making it impossible to crab, that would help. If not, I’ll cross my fingers for a different kind of miracle. Hey, my dad rushed in from salmon fishing in Puget Sound just in time to make it for my birth, and I know someone else who managed to take a sea plane off of his boat in Alaska, fly to shore, get to the airport, fly two hours to his home state, rent a car, drive two more hours home, and made it in time for the delivery of his daughter.
I overheard George talking with Brett today about all of this.
“I’m in a bit of a pickle,” George said.
Um, yes. That’s one way of putting it.
Fingers crossed!
Just a few short weeks left to go! I also received a 3D video today of the baby moving around and looking cute.
Love Kingergarten, Hate the Kindergarten Rat Race.
This has been the most peaceful day I’ve had since school started…and oddly, it’s been an awesome day in part because there was no school today. I went to bed last night looking so forward to this morning because I knew we wouldn’t have to rush, rush, rush everyone to “get dressed” and “eat breakfast” and “gather backpacks” and “remember lunches” and hustle everyone out the door, down the stairs, and into the car.
Just like the good ole days, the kids and I got up early but we took the morning slow and easy. No rushing, no panic, no last-minute remembering, no racing. We went to Jazzercise all together, saw our friends, went out for breakfast, and then came home. Later this afternoon we made popcorn, put in a movie, and listened to hail pound against the windows and watched the tree limbs going nuts outside during a perfect fall storm.
I tell you, I just can’t stand all-day, every day kindergarten. I really wish that it was a full day but just three days a week, leaving a mother two week days to spend with her little ones exactly as she (and they) wish. I knew that adjusting to a daily 9-5 school grind was going to be a challenge for this commercial fishing mom and family, and it is.
Getting up early is not a problem, but I find hustling and strict schedules really annoying. Be at school by 8:20 each and every morning of the week…or else. Be at the bus stop by this time in the afternoon…or else. Yesterday, I saw that we were going to be late to school and instead of rushing and ordering my kids around, I chose instead to call Eva’s school.
“Eva will be at school at 9 this morning,” I announced. I know that being late is not a good precedent to set for your children, but I weighed the odds and decided to make the call. Hey, these are my kids, not the school’s. They are still little, I’m seven months pregnant, and darn it, I just did not feel like hurrying everyone.
I cannot wait for the holiday season to get into full swing. I am looking forward to a few days off at Thanksgiving and a couple weeks at Christmas with the children so we can have more time to play and relax and not make every day about being on time, dropping off, picking up, eating dinner, and going to bed. They are only four and five years old! And soon, we will have an infant in tow. How did we become part of the workday grind along with working adults?
The school district and most parents absolutely love all-day, every day kindergarten and I’m well aware that my view on the matter is in the minority. I understand the reasoning for the school district implementing all-day, every day kindergarten and I’ve listened to and read all of the arguments on both sides. But this is my blog and I can spout my opinion here…so here it is. I am one mom who does not like it. At all.
I’m glad that today, for one day during the week, we got a break from the elementary school rat race and I had both of my children home to spend time with and enjoy.
Speaking of the holiday season (and moving on from the topic of school—it is Friday, after all!)…it’s not only the holiday season, but it’s pre-Dungeness crab season, too! G and the crew are on the boat working hard each day getting it all ready to go. George has been working on the boat by himself for the last two months, so I love it when the crew rolls into town with their help.
Here are a few pictures of the last couple weeks…
First things first, get the boat back in the water.
Quick time out to celebrate Halloween and go trick or treating…
Back on the boat to keep getting ready for the crab season…
Foster a precious pitbull named Ryder….
Dream of next spring’s Florida or Hawaiian beach vacation, as Eva and her iPhone sketches seem to be doing as well.
Jen’s Friday Favorites
I haven’t done a Jen’s Friday Favorites list in a while. It’s been another long and exhausting week (TGIF!) so I thought I’d head into the weekend leaving the annoying parts of the week behind and focusing on the good. So, in random order…
Jen’s Friday Favorites
1. Dropping Eva off at kindergarten earlier this week. We were a few minutes late (again)and missed the bell to line up, so I walked Eva upstairs to her classroom. My heart melted when, as I watched Eva get settled, her classmates began smiling and waving at me, calling “Hi, Eva’s mom! Hi, Eva’s mom!”
2. Laughing with my friend Stacie as we watch our children at gymnastics every Thursday night. Stacie and I are former competitive gymnasts ourselves (we were also wrestling cheerleaders together in high school…and come to think of it, we both currently teach aerobics…weird!). Anyway, we love to watch the advanced gymnasts and say things like, “Wow, if only we’d had fancy equipment and training like they do now, we could have gone so much further…”
We also crack up over any and everything from our week as we sit on the bleachers. No matter how tough my day or week might be, I continue to chuckle all the way home after gymnastics night and feel so much better. (Holla!)
3. Seeing my friend Kim and Vincent’s teachers when I drop Vincent off at preschool. I love hearing reports from the teachers about Vincent’s progress and I always share a laugh or two with Kim about the kids, our husbands, my poor baby girl on the way who still has no name, and otherwise.
Kim is currently writing some articles for her line of work (education) and I can’t resist calling out annoying things to her when I arrive at preschool and see her sitting in her SUV doing some quick editing on her work.
“Change word,” I say as she rolls down her window. “Add apostrophe. Spell out word contraction. New line. Add paragraph. Check thesaurus.” Of course, I only tease because I spend most of my time in between pick ups and drop offs doing the exact same thing!
3. My new pitbull foster dog, Ryder. When the call came out describing Ryder’s need for care and shelter, something about him caught my attention. It’s not the most ideal time to foster a new dog, with me being seven months pregnant and George totally consumed with pre-season crab gear work and the boat, but I volunteered anyway.
Ryder reminds me a bit of our beloved Toby, who passed away last spring, and the kids adore him. Although I don’t especially need one more thing to take care of, Ryder is a good boy and it’s sort of nice having a sweet pitbull in the house again. 
4. The new Toby Keith CD, Clancy’s Tavern. I absolutely love Toby Keith; his creative writing, lyrics, humor, melody, musical talent and ability to put out one amazing CD after the next without a dud in between keep me first in line whenever he releases something new. I’ve been to three of his concerts and although I’ve missed a few lately, I am going to the next one when he comes back by my neck of the woods.
5. Last but never least, my precious pumpkin of a niece, Autumn, who turns one on Saturday and who came by our house on Halloween for some trick or treating. She is the cutest thing ever and a true original.
Blog Tips from Bloggy Boot Camp 2011
Last June, I attended Bloggy Boot Camp in Seattle. I meant to recap my experience at the one-day event shortly after I returned, but I was newly pregnant and not feeling well, and then the months slipped by. I’m almost seven months pregnant now and still not feeling well, but I need to clean off my desk, so I’m finally sharing some of my notes.
One of the many things I loved about Bloggy Boot Camp was the assigned seating. Every couple of hours or so we’d get up and move to a new table, which allowed participants to exchange business cards and meet new people. Of course, I failed to bring even one of my several hundred business cards to hand out, but I collected some great ones.
Among the standouts were cards from moms who host live chats, family historians, PartyLite reps, a gal whose business is to give you her two cents “when an honest opinion matters,” a celebration planner, a Stampin’ Up rep, an electronics blogger, beauty consultant, herbal philosophy expert, ceramics maker, social media consultant, retail therapy coach, and a handful of good old-fashioned “mommy blogs.”
One card that made everyone laugh was from “The Worst Mother in the World” with a tag that read “Breaking Promises, Shattering Dreams…It’s What I Do.”
There were some cool prizes given away at the event, including miniature video recorders by Sony (Sony also sponsored the lunch we had in the hotel ballroom). Mirassou Winery sponsored the wine tasting party that evening (which, to my regret, I had to miss due to my surprising developing fetus!).
Each participant also received a generous bag filled with items to take home like ice cream scoops, measuring cups, bags of chips, and several other products which now I can’t remember!
Bloggy Boot Camp presented workshops on various aspects of blogging, including:
- Growing a Lifestyle Blog by Jenny Ingram
- Six Essential Things Every Blogger Must Know About Monetizing a Blog, Or How to Write Pitches That Work by Carol Schiller
- The Writer’s Voice by DeNae Handy
- Business of Blogging
- Writer’s Workshop by DeNae Handy and Kathy Bouska
- Taming Time: Creating Calm from Chaos by Marilynn Schotland
Learning about a variety of topics related to the exciting subject of blogging was interesting, even the topics that didn’t apply to me, like finding sponsors and monetizing your blog. There was such a wide array of bloggers at the event that getting a feel for everyone’s process and goals was intriguing.
The following is a recap from some of the seminars I attended (copied directly from my handwritten notes). As always, if something isn’t clear, leave me a comment and I’ll find the answer.
Growing a Lifestyle Blog by “Jenny on the Spot” Jenny Ingram
Don’t clutter your blog with badge after badge, flashing this and that.
Keep an eye on your blog statistics: What posts get the most traffic? Which get the most comments? Evaluate feed back. What are the search words people use to find you?
Use Google analytics.
Don’t obsess over your stats.
You have thirty seconds to grab someone.
No fuzzy iPhone pictures.
Create a “Like” page for your blog on Facebook.
Use Linked In.
Interact with and engage people on Twitter and Facebook.
Look at your badges and socials every three to six months.
Refresh your bio.
Remember your first love. Your creativity and your voice are most important.
Remember why you started your blog in the first place…sharing, passion.
Jenny’s Blog Peeves:
Auto play music.
Centered text.
Large paragraphs.
Busy sidebars.
Over-posting pictures of your own children.
Text everywhere.
Hard to find social media buttons and info.
Video Blogging (Vlogging) Tips:
Lighting.
Sound (are there kids, birds, dump trucks making noise?).
Background (no portable potties behind you!).
Short clips.
Be you.
Tips from Tiffany Romero
Don’t change your voice monthly.
Be who you are, be it every day.
Be kind.
Put your best foot forward.
Fake it ’til you make it.
Don’t make Twitter all about your own self promotion and your own blog posts.
The Writer’s Voice by DeNae Handy
What is voice?
A family blog is the most enduring (Jen’s note: the word was either enduring or endearing, I wasn’t sure which one.)
Your story is worth telling and worth being heard.
Writer’s voice is evident in the choices of language, tone, mood, cadence, rhythm, range, and structure. It’s what makes your writing uniquely “you.”
Big difference between critique and criticism.
Make sure there are no stumbling blocks between you and your reader.
If it sounds like “writing” then rewrite it.
Make sure your writer’s bio matches your content.
Everyone has a voice.
Everyone has something to say.
Everyone deserves the chance to say it.
No one can do it alone.
Find your voice and let your writing sing.
There are tens of millions of blogs, but only thousands are well written.
You have seven seconds to grab someone’s attention and keep it.
What story are you really telling?
What am I really trying to talk about?
What’s my end game?
No pressure.
Don’t compare yourself.
Be mindful of what people are searching for and what hot topics are.
If you can’t tell your story in 750 words, break it up into multiple posts.
Readers will give eight minutes of their attention to your blog posts. You only have seven seconds to capture their attention to begin with.
Give them a reason to go deeper into the site.
Don’t let your blog become obligatory or arduous.
Like this:
I’m Pretty Sure the Crew Doesn’t Cry Over Broccoli.
I don’t think anyone is more excited than me for the iPhone 4S to make its début on Friday. I’ve been eligible for an upgrade for at least two years, but I’ve put it off because I kept waiting for iPhone 5 to come out. Well, the heck with more waiting; the 4S is going to be amazing and I’m clearing my schedule for Friday so I can go get the phone and then play with it all day and night.
George has continued work on the boat every day to get a jump on it before the Dungeness crab crew shows up. In fact, he just warned me today that he’s working this weekend as well. I’ve tried to get him to stick around the house and hang out with me a bit now and again when it’s nice and quiet and the kids are at school, but no dice. The boat’s still hauled out, paint has arrived, the welder is coming….
I have already consulted with my parents, though, and they are going to have the kids over one weekend before crab season starts and the baby arrives. In fact, my mom put it on my kitchen calendar herself. I’ll be sure and give G plenty of advance warning. If he still can’t make it, I’ll just pack my little bag and head to the nearest fancy hotel for a spa day and a night of fine dining and rest. :)
It occurred to me the other day that having your firstborn in kindergarten is a lot like when your firstborn was a newborn. Like a brand new mom in awe over her baby, I’m so proud of everything Eva is doing. Look, Eva is the line leader for the field trip! Awe; look how cute she is in her jeans and cowgirl boots! Look how she gets off the bus! Oh, that’s cute! She’s checking out library books! She’s leaving little notes with practice writing all over the house! What a sweet, smart girl!
Remember how the hospital photographer comes around before you leave with your newborn and you study the portrait packages, agonizing over which one to choose? That’s how it went yesterday with Eva’s first official school pictures. As I did when she was born, I went a bit overboard on the package and the extras. If you are on my Christmas card list, be prepared to receive a wallet-sized picture of Eva. Or a mini-wallet-sized picture of Eva. In fact, I have so many pictures of Eva coming I could send one to all my Facebook friends.
Or…I can provide you with a refrigerator magnet of Eva. How about a bookmark of Eva? Door hanger? Sticker? Better yet, if you receive Christmas gifts from me, you may well have an Eva gift tag attached to your present this year.
Not to be left out, of course, is my sweet buddy, Vincent. I’m constantly amazed at the growth he’s shown in his first month of preschool. For the first time, he’s showing interest in art and receiving compliments on his work. He’s recognizing his name and attempting to write it. He’s memorizing and singing all the songs he learns. And just yesterday, while bike riding with Grandpa, he mastered pedaling and balance without training wheels or assists.
He even accompanied Eva’s kindergarten class on their field trip to the fire station and I was so proud of the way he listened so well to the firemen, raised his hand to ask questions, and walked with the group in an orderly fashion.
Vincent is determined to work on the boat and be “as big and strong as Daddy” when he grows up. We used this to our advantage at the dinner table this week when Vincent refused to eat a nice dinner (prepared by G, of course).
“I don’t like potatoes,” he announced. “I don’t eat steak. Don’t want broccoli. I want bread.”
“Wow,” I said. “You know that you won’t grow up to be big and strong enough to work on the boat with Bryan and Brett if you don’t eat your healthy food, right?
“Do you think Bryan sits at the galley table and says ‘I don’t like potatoes!’ And I’m pretty sure Brett doesn’t sit next to him and cry over broccoli. If you want to be strong like they are, you’d better have another bite of steak.”
George chimed in with a couple of words about sending people who complain about dinner into the hatch to finish it up, but that only made us laugh. Eventually, Vincent did eat his entire dinner.
Will be back tomorrow with a report on the new iPhone 4S! Can’t wait!
Like this:
Fishing Mommy Down (But Not Out!)
It’s a day on the couch for me. Here’s a bit of advice; if you have a cough that lingers for a week and is not suppressed or helped in any way by cough medicine or Musinex, you might want to go to the doctor. Especially if you are in the middle of a pregnancy.
Don’t give your strange cough seven days, then ten, and then fourteen, thinking it’s got to get better at some point! By the time you enter your third week of gagging, throwing up, and coughing, you might find out what you really had to begin with was viral bronchitis. And when viral bronchitis doesn’t get treated, it becomes bacterial bronchitis. And when that goes untreated, it becomes walking pneumonia….which is what I have now and why I’m on the couch with doctor’s (and husband’s) orders to REST!
I “should have” gone in to the doctor a long time ago, but I’m not an alarmist and I figured it was a simple back-to-school cough that would go away soon. It will go away soon now that I’m on antibiotics and prescription cough syrup.
When you’re a mom of active children, though, what can you do? You keep going. We had school and preschool to get to, open houses, ballet, gymnastics, Jazzercise, and church. We aren’t super busy but we do enjoy these activities and I certainly can’t sit around when we have things to do.
I’m accustomed to keeping going without a lot of help no matter how I’m feeling because that’s what a fishing mom does. Nobody is going to come over to get Eva dressed for ballet, or convince Vincent to eat his breakfast, and there’s no way I’m missing the open house and potluck at school.
G is a huge help when he’s here, but he’s back to work at the harbor and the boat. He had the boat hauled out for bottom painting and is also working on an overhaul of the refrigeration in preparation for the Dungeness crab season.
I did suddenly start to feel bad for the new baby, though, like I wasn’t taking good care of her. My tummy started to pull and hurt when I coughed, and I worried that if it was bacterial, that would definitely not good for a baby. To help ease my guilt I finally went and bought a pink baby book for her and a frame for one of her ultrasound pictures. Then, when G told me to call the doctor, I agreed it was probably time!
Onward and upward. Let the antibiotics and cough medicine do the trick and Mommy will be up and running again in no time.
"Dad, I think the leak is right here. If we could just tighten up this socket a bit..."
"Aw, let's just forget it and go have a popsicle instead."
Adding the first picture of the third child to the family collection.
First Week of Kindergarten: So Far, So Good.
Well, here Mommy sits. Alone. In a quiet house. About to nod off for the lack of little voices, activity, and general family energy. Thank goodness for my dog, Mandy, and the baby twirling in my tummy, or I’d really feel lonely! If it wasn’t for this harsh fall cough I’ve developed, I’d be at Jazzercise with the rest of the moms!
Dad’s down at the boat, fixing crane leaks and getting ready to haul the boat out before the Dungeness crab season festivities begin. I’m not sure why he’s hauling out the boat this time; it seems like he just did it not too long ago, and our boat isn’t the kind you just haul out of the water at random. I was surprised when G emerged in Carhartts this morning, even though he insisted he told me he was resuming boat work today!
Vincent, of course, ran immediately back to his room to put on his work clothes as well, and I took him to preschool dressed in brand new Carhartt overalls just like Daddy.
Eva started kindergarten last week and so far everything has been fine. I was pretty sad the first morning and just couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that my first-born baby was sitting in a classroom and would be there all day long. Without me. Eva has been involved in preschool, gymnastics, ballet, and Jazzercise since she was born, but these are things I’ve been involved with right alongside her, and they were controlled environments with parents and children I knew and approved of.
It was strange not recognizing any parent or any child at school. I did see my neighbor, though, which helped. And I am so glad that I know Eva’s kindergarten teacher personally and have full confidence in her professional, family, personal, and educational ethics. Other high points included the fact that the school is tiny and there is just one small kindergarten classroom and one kindergarten/first grade split.
I returned several afternoons last week to have lunch with Eva, I joined the PTA, and filled out classroom volunteer paperwork. You better believe that Momma will be at school with her eagle eye out, sharp and focused, as often as I can. It’s important for me to see who Eva is sitting with at lunch, how the other kids behave, and get a feel for the parents. In fact, I was there so often last week that some of the kids on the playground thought I was on official duty and came over to show me things like the lady bug they’d collected and saved in a jar.
We don’t live far from the school and there’s no real reason for Eva to ride the one bus that services the school and the neighborhood. I was not planning for her to ride it this year at all and was only half-considering it for next year. Eva, though, had other plans.
“Ke’ala rides the bus! Danielle rides the bus! Isaac and Zane ride the bus!” she insisted.
I agreed to “think” about it. Then, I met with the bus driver one day after school. I met with the driver again the next day and accepted the bus paperwork. I asked questions about exactly who rides the bus, what the rules were, and how they ensured safety.
“We haven’t lost a child yet,” she said, smiling.
On the third day, I boarded the bus with Eva and sat her down in the front seat closest to the driver. I explained that this was the only seat I would allow her to sit in and she had to follow Mommy’s rules. I observed every child that boarded the bus before I left Eva.
I stood and waved as the bus pulled out, then drove promptly to the bus stop where I picked Eva up. George and Vincent were there too, along with our dog, Mandy. Vincent wouldn’t look at us, though, because he was mad he couldn’t ride the bus with Eva. When the bus arrived and Eva climbed down the stairs, Vincent ran to to her and wrapped her up in a big bear hug.
It looks like we’ve got a school Open House this week and a school-and-church sponsored Southside Community Meal that we’ve been invited to. I have Eva’s daily class schedule here with me, so I know exactly what she’s learning and what she’s doing every hour of the day.
Quick stop at Lowe's before heading to a princess tea party.
First day of preschool. Dirt rocks!
My little scholar.
No Place Like the Beach House
I am not one of those people who winds down easily and naturally after a vacation, looking forward to home and my own bed; on the contrary, I feel sad when our trips draw to a close and we must pack up our things and head back to the real world.
I love being away from e-mail, appointments, running around, and my desk of bill piles, computers, and calendars.
In particular, I enjoy spending time here at my parent’s beach house where the living is slow, quiet, and simple. We are a short walk through the dunes to the Pacific ocean where we can play on a huge, isolated, wondrous stretch of beach. (Yesterday, someone’s commercial crab buoy washed ashore as the kids built sand castles!) At night, we bunker in and fall peacefully asleep without worry or anxiety. Cell coverage is blissfully sporadic and Internet access dicey.
I tease George all the time and tell him we should move here to the coast. In fact, there’s a house for sale right in front of us. He can easily homeport our boat at one of the commercial harbors, I can open a little Jazzercise studio, and the kids can go to school.
What’s not to like about that plan?
Plenty, according to G. So, I’m spending our last couple of days here not thinking about the obligations, stacks of e-mails, the start of the school year and impending start of crab season that await us at home. I’m going to finish reading my book (my second since we arrived!) and enjoy each second we have left together in our little family hideaway.
Thanks, Mom and Dad, for providing such a place for us all to truly get away all these years!
Slow Down, World. You’re Moving Too Fast For Mommy.
I have not slept well at all for the last month and I’ve been more jittery than usual during the day. (No, it isn’t from alcohol withdrawal due to my being pregnant! LOL.) It’s because I don’t deal very well with change and everything is changing at a pace I’m not comfortable with.
First, the end of summer vacation. It hasn’t been much of a vacation as our weather did not cooperate this year, but still. In about two weeks, my first-born baby is headed to kindergarten and my second-born baby will be in preschool each day. This means that for the first time since I actually held a “real” job (eleven years ago), I will be getting up at 6 a.m. each day to get us all ready for the long day ahead. Five days a week, every week, for the next nine months.
It’s not that I can’t get up early; it’s more that I like the freedom of taking our mornings nice and easy, choosing our pace and deciding how to spend the day. We’ve always had some obligation (Jazzercise, Eva’s preschool) but nothing we were absolutely compelled to do or for which we required permission to miss.
A few months ago, when our school district went to all-day, every day kindergarten, we balked. We started looking into private kindergartens and did a lot of research. In the end, we opted for public school as Eva was set to attend a very small, reputable, nearby, historic 1920s elementary kindergarten in our neighborhood. In addition, her best friend was attending the same school which thrilled Eva. We toured the school, met the kindergarten teachers, saw the cafeteria, met the librarian, and turned in all her paperwork.
Last week, I got a call notifying me that there had been a mistake and in fact, after all that, Eva was not actually attending that school!
As it turns out, our house is literally on the border between two schools and we are supposed to go to the other one. (If we lived in our neighbor’s house, we’d be at the first school.)
I started tossing and turning all night, wondering whether to transfer Eva to the school we thought we were going to or simply have her attend the school she’s supposed to. I made calls to each school and the district and decided it would not be worth the hassle to have her transfer. I’d have to renew the transfer every year in March and wait months to see if it was approved, so we’d never know until August each year where she was going to school. There would also be no guarantee she’d stay at the school throughout her elementary years or that Vincent would go with her to the same school next year or in years to come.
Way too much of a pain.
So, Eva’s going to the school she’s supposed to attend. What I like about the “new” school is that it is even smaller than the original one! It’s a tiny, even more historic (1904) old schoolhouse atop a hill just four streets over from the first school. Her kindergarten teacher is a gal I even know who is just a few years older than me. She was actually a teaching assistant in one of my college classes while she was getting her Master’s and I was getting my Bachelor’s.
In addition, her husband is a commercial fisherman and they have three daughters, making them a fishing family like us. I was even on the same salmon seine crew with her husband years ago on my dad’s boat up in Southeast Alaska!
I feel comfortable knowing Eva will be in the hands of someone I know personally and who understands our lifestyle and Daddy’s comings and goings. Between G’s rigorous fishing schedule and the impending arrival of a new baby in January, Eva has a big year ahead and I like that I won’t have to keep explaining to someone exactly the way we operate.
So, I’m filling out Eva’s kindergarten paperwork and assessment information, Vincent’s preschool paperwork, getting the kids to the doctor for appointments and vaccinations, and trying not to feel anxious about Wednesday September 7, when we find out if this new baby is a girl or a boy.
Oh, and did I mention I’m also trying to get used to the idea of selling my fun little Infiniti G 35x? That’s right. Eva, Vincent and I currently cruise all over town in my sporty car, but it will be too tight with three kids/carseats and a momma.
Bye bye, little car.
George and I have researched several seven-passenger SUVs, crossovers, and mini vans for the kids and me. We’ve looked at, test driven, and considered the Toyota Sequoia, Highlander, and Sienna, the Honda Odyssey and Pilot, the Acura MDX, the three-row Volvo, and the Ford Flex.
The good news right now is we are escaping town and my Mom’s Plan-It desk calendar for a week before the madness begins. We’re going to bunker in at the coast where we don’t have Internet or cell coverage. Hello to my parent’s beach house, my books, bacon and sourdough toast for breakfast, and wearing jammies all day. Can’t wait! :)
Here are a few pictures from the last month or two; as usual, the picture quality isn’t very good because my iPhone is a couple years old. The iPhone 5 is supposedly coming out in October so I’m still holding out for that version, as it comes with an 8 mega pixel camera and flash.
Eva with the map of Puget Sound she created at art camp.
Eva's map featured the Strait of Georgia, which we told her helped Daddy find his way home from Alaska! :)
My little pirates at our friend Danielle's pirate birthday party in July.
The scariest face painting I've seen in a while, courtesy of the farmer's market at the Village Green.
Bike helmets and jammies on a summer morning. What could be more fun?
Vincent's little John Deere 4th birthday party in July.
