Dear Reader:

It is B&B day! Brooke and Boo are flying out today a little before 11:a.m. and arriving a little before 1:00. I am so glad it is today and not yesterday. I about killed myself cleaning and for what I don’t know…except we are “our mother’s daughters.”

… I could hear mother’s voice from long ago echoing in my mind….“Now we aren’t going any where on vacation this year until each of you clean your rooms, change your sheets, put everything where it belongs and sweep your room. You will thank me when we get back and you have a clean room to return to…”

I don’t remember ever being thankful for a clean room…clean rooms don’t mean much to a child….especially children who are ready to get to the beach for a week of fun!

Mother was also into the mindset of “What if?” What if something happened and we didn’t return….other members of the family would have to go through the house and clean up….mother was determined that everyone would comment (after her imaginary demise) on how clean her house was.

Ben, David, and I just shook our heads in frustration…the beach was calling and mother was beaming… dreaming of the compliments (even though she would never hear it if she was dead) she would be receiving.

C R A Z Y stuff…Yet yesterday I found myself cleaning out the refrigerator (a job I remember doing before every trip while growing up) ….getting rid of all the items that were past their expiration date. And what else did I do  yesterday… change the sheets on my bed, sweep each room, throw out the trash, wash the dishes, scrub the kitchen and bathroom down…  water the plants and Christmas tree. Whew!

I hope this time I will be happy to return to a clean house…at this point in my life…I think I actually will. But boy is it nice to be on an airplane flying to one of the most exciting cities in the world…at Christmas!

I remember when we did finally get to the beach when we were quite small….mother would make us wait until the afternoon tide pools formed as the ocean receded. Until we got into grade school…we were stuck playing in the tide pools. Mother was too scared we might get too far out in the ocean and (with one hand) she wouldn’t be able to help us.

Just a few years ago…I remember taking Tigger (when he was the only baby before Eva Cate arrived) to the beach and letting him play in the tide pools also….(Tigger has never been real keen on swimming or getting wet, in general, as you can see from the pictures.)

Eva Cate was jumping into the neighborhood pool, without any fear, when she was just starting to walk….but Mandy, like mother, waited for the tide pools to emerge each afternoon, also, before taking her to the beach….and even then she had her “swimmies” on. The day I saw her leave the tide pool, holding Mandy’s hand and head towards the ocean, I knew that a whole new world was about to  open up to her.

Today I feel like Eva Cate…heading into the big ocean and leaving the “baby’ tide pool behind….New York City here we come!

So until tomorrow….let the misadventures begin….stories for the ages.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

*Jo…I came this across this photo when I was going back in time looking for some beach shots of Eva Cate when she was little….how quickly time flies….little Colby is almost grown up now. But some things never change…you two always come bearing gifts…my “Two Wise Women!”

*Happy Birthday Poppy! We miss you and love you! (This picture was taken on Poppy’s birthday…I believe it was his last birthday at home before he went to the  Veterans Victory House.) It’s hard to believe, still, that he is gone…but yet still alive in our hearts.

*I remembered late yesterday afternoon that I forgot to stop by the ATM to pull some cash for NYC….during the trip over Honey called and I stopped by her house where we had a glass of wine to celebrate my Bon Voyage! Honey’s house looked so pretty and she showed me some her Angel tree, ice skating rink that Winnie (Mike’s mom) gave her and a beautiful old manger….I told Honey that I felt like Christmas had come.

When I got home I thought the mystery “elf” had struck again…there was a bag with wine and nutrition bars in it…but thankfully…there was also a message and name: Anne.…but she is not the pink camellia elf…so that mystery continues.

*Brooke and I signed up for the Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer membership….we figured we would rather have him drive our “sleigh” today….let’s go Rudolph! Off and away!