Love at first sandwich and loquats in between

Well what a week!  The community center (sandys 360) where I work part time had their major fundraiser on Friday (a 12 hr swimathon).  I was exhausted after a week of Mark working late after returning from his trip and was hoping for a quiet weekend.  My plans of date night and sleeping in late came to a screeching end with Saturday errands and then the time change.  How did that sneak up on me?!

Jacob's March swim 

Today was a great day though despite having to get up early so Mark could do a job east at 9 (really 8 by my clock!)  We took the kids to Spittle Pond after and had a great lunch snack on Portuguese Rock.  I then drove Marley to one of my ace girls houses who is getting married in 7 short weeks.  Marley is her flower girl and we got to try on the dress today. Adorable... there is nothing Marley loves more than being a princess.  Even though I was sure she was going to pass out on the way home as she seems to be coming down with something and was extremely tired, she got her second wind and we ended up meeting Mark and baby Jacob at Hog Bay (another nature reserve/ park) and took a great walk around "looking for loquats".  We didn't find many loquats but had lots of laughs with the low tide and Marley running into the water while Jacob fed his face with sand.  We also let daddy climb the loquat tree and pick off a branch of loquats for us.  After we all tried one Jacob wouldn't let go of the branch, boy he has a grip! So I took it from him but somehow as he turned his head in what we all took as defeat he actually took a loquat off the branch and was mashing into it behind daddys shoulder.  Mark quickly caught him and we all had a big laugh at his sneaky trick.
Once we got home we had plenty of time to unwind from the day and get ready for the week ahead.  Field trips, meetings, training and painting are all in store next week.  I love getting home early on Sundays, the time we have together is golden.
While I was cooking supper (chili) Mark took the kids up on deck to enjoy the sunshine.  Bob Marley playing through the hatch, a nice cold drink in hand I looked through the window in the hull to see my girl in her ballerina outfit (two leotards, tights, a skirt and head band) dancing on deck eating a sandwich I had just made her while a little boy not much older than her shuffled his feet while propping up his bike on the dock eating his own sandwich.  The two of them seemed to communicate through dance as they stared each-other down.  He disappeared and down she came below, time for bath.  I looked at Mark and smiled and said "Is this the beginning? was that love at first sandwich?" Love them... what a great day.

No better way to end the day <3

Time Away

Time has gotten away from me. But now i'm back on track.  I was feeling very unmotivated.  After my week on the Spirit it was hard to get back into the regular routine (if you can call it that!) I spent the next week in a bit of a slump and the subsequent week after that pulling myself out of the slump.
In that time I have lost 5lbs! Woohoo :), send Mark on a vacation to remember, and (oh no don't read the next bit) smashed my car again. Oh yes I did!!
I quickly motivated myself back into my fitness regime of the ferry ride and morning walk/ run after a quick check on jeans that were begining to feel loose and bridesmaids dresses looming ever so near.  I started back and added a combination of strength training to my mix and got some extra motivation from another 'mommie friend' who is getting married in May and from my mom who has found a new interest in walking.  I was so proud of her this passed weekend; she did the 4 mile Lindos to Lindos walk with me and did awesome!!! GO MOM! :)  I also did a 5K with Mark and the kids and will be zomming Around the Sound a week from Saturday (about 7miles).
Mark's 30th Birthday is April 9th.  This is a tough time of year to have a birthday first in his buisness and secondly because its always around Easter which tends to be a lot of family time.  His partner Kareem was going on a ski trip and we all decided that Mark needed a break too so we sent him along.  It was kind of a surprise in that even though we told Mark for about a month that he was going on vacation.  Because of our financial contraints and because he expressed his constant disaproval of going on a trip he didn't think we would actually do it.  The night before we broke the news to him.  Thankfully he didn't create a scene while checking in at the airport about who packed his bags etc. and on Thursday he was off to Montreal via Philly to go skiing for 4 days.  As Murpheys Law would have it their connecting flight to Monreal was canceled which caused them to loose their bags before even getting to the resort much less the country! They got in and were promised their bags which never showed.  Mark stuck firmly to his minimalist lifestyle and refused to buy any extra gear apart from socks, underwear and a hat.  He skied all 4 days with regular pants, a t-shirt, croc shoes with a hole in the bottom and a jacket that I made him take with him on the plane! STUBBORN!!! He had a good time though, and I think secretly he is happy we sent him.
Finally my poor car, a telephone pole jumped out into the road one day when I drove Marley to school.  Luckily the damage is minimal (only a cracked side mirror) and I will not be fixing it until my time off is over, and that goes for any other car mishaps.  I am still convincing myself that statistically this is bound to happen as I am driving more than average being off and living in Dockyard when everything I do is in the East end of the island.
We are back on track.... will report about manning the boat on my own for 5 days with the kids next post :) Welcome back!

Needing a little motivation

I know I have been slacking.  Overall I am exhausted.  I feel like everything is happening so fast and before I know it I will be back at school teaching.  I get overwhelmed just thinking about it.  Even though I love my job, how am I ever going to manage on this boat with two babies?!
Yesterday was really fun with a visit from Auntie Lizzie and Uncle Richie.  We went loquat picking and had a ball! I am going to try and muster up the courage to make a Loquat pie this season. I taught Adam how to make them and he made the best... I haven't done one without him yet.  I already told Marley I was going to teach her to make pies like Uncle Adam so shes all excited... me too!!! Time to peel and pit :( :(
We did the Argus 5K Walk the Walk today and pledged our money to the Bermuda Sloop Foundation.  Later we had yet another princess birthday party... I had to leave early because the swim team I coach at Sandys 360 was hosting a swim meet.
Back to the work week already... where did the weekend go?

Exhausted!

With recovering from my week on the Spirit, dealing with sick babies and Mark, plus all the running around I do weekly its too much to think of something witty and fun to say about living on the boat right now.  The winds made up again blew 60 last night and all today.  We STILL haven't been out and the weekends are passing us by.  Hopefully something more exciting to write about by next week.

We've been hit!

After a great weekend with the kids.  Our little floating home has been hit with the Norovirus.  It is sweeping around  Bermuda plaguing people of all ages with vomiting and diariah.  Poor Marley came into our bed Monday night and promptly woke up by vomiting on my pillow at 5am.  She threw up 12 more times while I kept her home that Tuesday. Poor thing. She couldn't keep anything down.  Not to mention it was Valentines Day and she missed her party at school.  She told me all day "mummy see, I ate those crackers, I feel fine... can I go to school now?" By 12:30 she had done what we thought was her last deed and took a late nap.  We had made reservations at Salt Rock Grill a nice local sushi place nearby.  She was so pumped to go to a resturant with "her family" for Valentines Day.  Just as we were about to head out the door all dolled up; it hit again.  After the course she said, wiping her face, "I feel fine, we can still go to the resturant!". 
Mark and I felt so horrible for her, we didn't want her to think it was her fault we couldn't go so we set up a new plan.  We packed both kids into strollers and swaddled them with many many blankets.  (Marley had an extra bib just in case) We walked round to Bone Fish a Dockyard resturant and ordered takeout before a little walk.  Early on in our walk Marley continued to tell us she was fine and we shold go back to the resturant.  Since it was cold and started to sprinkle we turned back around and had a drink there while our takeout was prepared.  Marley got a rose from the bar tender and cherries in her water.  Not quite the romantic Valentines dinner expected but actually maybe a little more fun!
Today I kept her home just in case and although she didn't eat all day she didn't vomit either.  Finally at 5:00pm she filled her empty belly with a P&J sandwich and was back to her old self.  Unfortunatly after dropping off the laundry and going for a long walk around Dockyard for fresh air we came home and found Daddy laid up with all the symptoms.
Jacob and I have quarantined ourselves off in the galley/ living room on seperate couches.  Hes finally getting into a routine (slept though on Sat, Sun, and Tues nights) so I don't want to get him sick now.  Hopefully it doesn't pass to us!!


"Nothing says I love you more than being thrown up on!"



Backtracking

Time for a little history.
Bermuda Sloop Foundation Home Page
also check them out on facebook for a more up to date look at their porgrams and even voyages coming up; Spirit of Bermuda facebook page


Adam and I in Maine



Arrival of Spirit 2006



We first became involved with the Bermuda Sloop Foundation in 2005 when they had a meeting for people interested in the construction of a Tall Ship for Bermuda. Mark and I both attended and although we were the youngest people there with the least amount of money our hearts were connected to it from the begining.  The Spirit of Bermuda is a an 86ft cedar fitted schooner with carbon fibre masts.  Historically she is a replical of traditional sailing vesseles built in Bermuda.  This purpose built sail training vessle has full classroom amentities including a projector, whiteboard, electronic capabilities like laptops, dvd etc. and is the most beautiful charter vessle anywhere near our waters. In 2006 I had the opportunity to go to Maine just after the launching of Spirit to assist with the development of the school curriculum for voyages.  Unfortunatly the maiden voyage was delayed and I had to return for my second year of teaching middle school.  Mark was able to fly to Maine where he met Adam who had been there since the launch and finished final preparations for sail and then sailed home to Bermuda together.  It was such an amazing expereince seeing Spirit coming in.  I remember driving along South Shore the afternoon the arrived in Bermuda waters and calling school for them to announce over the intercom she had arrived.  It still gives me chills because all I could think of was how that was what Bermuda's coast would have looked like 400 years ago.  A truly amazing expereince!!!



First middle school trip



At Risk Voyage 2007

 The next day I had arranged for my school to take a charter boat out to be part of the official arrival of The Spirit of Bermuda with the entire flotilla.  It was a charter never to forget, the kids all made signs and our choir even took part in the welcoming presentation at Albouys Point.  A short month later my middle school boys were the first middle school voyage to ever sail on Spirit.  Another unforgettable voyage.  Adam was my watch leader then and then again on following voyages.  One of the voyages I will never forget is the "at risk voyage" I helped organize the summer of 2007.  We asked for the most 'challenged/ behavioral problems' at each of the 5 middle schools on the island and took them out for 5 days the summer before they would all end up at one of the two only public high schools in Bermuda.  It was one of the longest and roughest voyages I have ever been on.  I cried every day o f that voyage, I know Adam felt the same struggle too but there was no one else better to lead those kids even though he was only a few years older than them.  All my years of teacher training could not compare to the way he was able to relate and get through to the kids.  When I wanted to beat my head against a wall or thrown one of them onto the deck he would be calmly teaching them knots or explaining flags.  In 2007 I also sailed on Europa on a 2 week voyage from France to Portugal in the Tall Ships race.  It made sail training stick with me and made me even more excited about Spirit. Then in 2008 I spoke at the STA Tall Ships conference in Liverpool on behalf of the Bermuda Sloop Foundation on linking sailing to the school curriculum.  It was a great networking expereince that solidifed my work with the ship.
It was only fitting that Adam be burried at sea by way of the Spirit.  That was not unlike the arrival of her 4 years prior.  After his death Mark and I and his family along with the Sloop Foundation (the foundation that is the charity that runs the Spirit) organized a scholarship in Adam's name.  Mark works on the Spirit as engineer on charter voyages when he can and is overall still very invested in the program.  He finds kids and sometimes apprentices to take part in the overseas voyages and everyone he has recommended has really benifited from the program. 



Adam's funeral flotilla

 This is why this last week was so important to me.  This is why I will continue to sail on my middle school voyages even when it is a double edged sorwd because missing my kids aches but sailing with the future fills my ache for all the children. 

Voyage Day 4

Boys are exhausting! We sailed all day pretty much and it was great.  We did a bunch of tacks and jibes out my Murry's Anchorage near the Oil Docks and got the boys really moving with the sails.  We had a lady who will be the educator on one of the overseas voyages this summer come and shadow me as the educator.  That was a little weird since this isn't really what I normally do when I come aboard and i'm not even sure i'm doing the educator position correctly.  I just gave her my pointers and let her do I trial lesson with the boys.  The received it well and it was nice to think from a "teaching the teacher" perspective...that always provides insight to your own practice.
Last night I began to really miss Mark and the kids and had a hard time sleeping because of it.  It didn't get any better today and I can't wait for tomorrow to be back with them.  It was also difficult today doing so much sailing without Adam.  There were landmarks that we passed that really reminded me of him and many quiet moments on the ship where I could imagine him double checking lines or talking to one of the kids.  I wish so much that he could be here.  In order to counter balance that sadness I was determined to teach all the kids that didn't have it down yet the bow line knot.  This is one I always struggle with but somehow but the end of each voyage have it mastered.  For some reason though by a few weeks later it has left my head.  It felt good to be able to sit with a few of them and really master something.
Night watch tonight and then hopefully tomorrow races by so I can be with my babies again.