talk about a small small world ...

I almost don't know where to start with this story ... but the bottom line is that we all really are only separated by just a few degrees - it's just amazing how small the world can be at times ...

(image courtesy of miki travel, uk)

I've said before that I live in a very small town - a beautiful postcard-perfect coastal New England town. For some, like my husband who grew up here, this small town is his Mayberry - for him, there is a wonderful comfort to living in a town where his roots are deep and everyone knows everyone. But when I say that I live in a small town, I don't always mean it in that same endearing way - I have to admit that I have a love/hate relationship with this town. Maybe it's because I don't have the same lifelong history as my husband, or maybe I'm just bored by the small town cliques and politics, or maybe it's because I'm still a Florida girl at heart and will never fully embrace New England life. Either way, I'm not inherently comfortable in a place where everyone knows everyone - the gossip and the chitty-chat can get pretty ridiculous here. Comparatively speaking, I'd say I live a fairly private life and stay away from the drama that so many others thrive on.

This preference for privacy is probably a big part of why I like it here in blogland - blogging is a relatively anonymous forum where I can drop that small-town self-consciousness - that guardedness that I carry with me each day. Since no one in my 'real' life knows I'm here, I'm free to share, vent, compare, ask questions, and connect with all sorts of different bloggers from all over the place ... risk free. Here, I could potentially bitch and moan about whoever and whatever I want because it would never cross paths with my 'real' life - or so I thought.

Back in the late winter, as I was just starting to find my way as a blogger, I introduced myself to Kim at What am I going to be when I grow up? ... I just love her blog and we have very similar stories - both former teachers and moms of 2 girls, both lost a father to cancer, and her theme of 'what am I going to be' really speaks to me. While following Kim's blog, another reader's name popped up a lot in the comments, someone whose personality stood out to me ... her screen name was serial swooper, which linked back to her blog Confessions of a Serial Swooper. So of course I checked out swooper's blog and loved it - her writing style had me laughing out loud, I just loved the way she could retell a good mommy story with so much sharp wit and humor. So as I began to read swooper's whole blog from start to finish (7 months worth at that time), I realized that she too was in coastal New England ... what a coincidence. Then a few entries later, I realized, wait a minute, she's near Boston?! And then ... wait for it ... the light bulb moment ... swooper is ... in my same small town?!?!? What the???

So what am I supposed to do with this info? I wanted to comment, but I could see that swooper has a strong local following, people I actually know ... and even if I were to comment without linking back to my blog, the name Sloan isn't exactly anonymous (damn, why did I use my real name?!)! Either way, commenting would instantly broadcast me to swooper and her readers alike - a total exposure of my covert operations as a mommy blogger! So what did I do? I did what any deer caught in the headlights would do - I froze. I thought, maybe if I freeze she won't see me standing here, right? Wrong.

Swooper found me a couple of weeks ago, via crossover readers, just as I had found her 2 months earlier. Given the personality that shines through in her writing, it's no surprise that she was just as warm and funny as she could be when she had the same light bulb moment as she discovered we're both right here ... I laughed out loud when I saw those first comments and knew the jig was up - I'd finally been outed. I reached out to swooper via private email and we hit it off in a flurry of emails back and forth, so much to say to one another that I could barely type fast enough.

Today we met face to face at a local coffee joint and let me tell you guys ... this girl is the real deal. She is not at all a part of that small town drivel that scratches at the inside of my head like nails on a chalkboard ... she is real and funny and layered and an all-around gem of a gal. Here we are together:

Ok, no, just kidding ... it was really more like this:

So that's how small the world is, folks ... within a few months of entering the 'anonymous' world wide web of blogging, my great escape from small town nonsense, I discovered a neighbor right in my own backyard. An amazing neighbor ... someone I can now call my friend. Isn't that a small world?!

the big weekend ...

This past Thursday through Sunday was all about Senior Race Week - 177 sailboats raced in 10 different fleets, with my husband's fleet being the largest group at 33 boats - how did he do? The photos say it all ...

This ..

Plus this ...

Equals this ...

Congratulations to my amazingly talented husband and his incredible sailing partner-in-crime for bringing home the #1 spot in their fleet for the second year in a row ... 32 other boats left in their wake ... amazing!!

Junior Race Week ...

So the big ladybug - the one who just had a birthday on Sunday - decided to take her new-found middle school britches and sign up for her first Junior Race Week ... a huge deal in this sailing-centric town! Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday belong to the junior racers and Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday belong to the grown ups - people travel in from all over the country to compete. All week long, the streets around the 3 local yacht clubs are literally clogged with boats on trailers and dollys, waiting to be plunked in for a day of racing - hundreds and hundreds of boats and without a doubt our busiest time of the year.

My big ladybug's fleet was the "opti" fleet, named for the Optimist sailing dinghy she captains:

It's like a 7-foot bathtub with a single sail, a rudder, and a centerboard. A total of 61 boats competed in the "opti green" fleet of first-timers just like herself, they had to divide the group into two halves just to stay on top of them all - 3 days of racing, 9 races in all, filled with everything from wind delays to crashes on the start line and everything in between. Here she is in action:

And here's what it looks like from further away:

68 more optis raced in the championship fleet (the more seasoned kids) located further offshore. Also offshore were older kids who raced in either a 2-person boat called a 420 or a very fast single sailor boat called a Laser. The 420 fleet was the next biggest, 25 in the green fleet and 60 in the championship fleet, you can see them all beyond the rock:

Here are a few 420's coming in from a day of races past the opti greens:

So this is what the entire week will look like around here - it's all about the wind! Junior Race Week ended last night - our big bug was thrilled with her 17th place finish, you can bet that lots of high-fives were had after such a big accomplishment ... fast forward 30 years and she might be just like her dad, who today begins his Race Week (yes, this is actually him) ...

(photo courtesy of Leighton O'Connor)

seriously? a blog award?!

Last week, just before I went 'offline' for a few days with our house guests, Kerri over at The Pleasures of my Life! passed along this blog award to me as well as to a handful of other new blogs ... thanks so much, Kerri!

Like Kerri's own response, I find it a little crazy that I'm actually part of a little 'community' of bloggers at this point ... making blog friends has been a very unexpected part of this process! I started this blog to act as a journal of sorts, just a place to document the daily musings of my life ... and I can't believe that I actually have 'followers' after 6 months - it's nuts! I do love it, though ... thank you not just to Kerri but to all of my new blog friends, it's been a really fun!

So now onto the 'rules' of this award, cut right from Kerri's post ...

1. Thank the person who gave you the award (check...)

2. Share 7 things about yourself. (difficult, but I'll try ...)

3. Nominate 15 newly discovered blogs. (I don't even read 15 blogs, so I'll do what I can here ...)

4. Let your nominees know about their award. (will do ...)

Ok, so seven thing about myself ... let's see ...

1. I love to travel and have been to 40 states, most of which were visited in a single cross-country road trip I took when I was 24 years old.

2. I was a LOST-a-holic and now that the series is over I'm ready to resume my other all-out tv addiction: Mad Men ... honorable mentions go to Modern Family and 30 Rock.

3. I majored in French and lived in the South of France for a year in college.

4. As part of some sort of wacky early-70’s philosophy, I skipped Kindergarten and went straight to 1st grade after pre-school ... add to that the fact the I have an August birthday and it means I graduated from high school at 16 and started college just after my 17th birthday (and thus, college graduation at 20) ... that one goes under the category of "but it seemed like a good decision at the time" ... oy!

5. I have a really hard time with explosive noises … thunder, fireworks, guns, etc. … all too loud for me.

6. I have one of the most complicated family trees of any person I’ve ever met: marriage/kids, divorce, remarriage/more kids have been constant for 2 generations above me. Add to that the fact that my (briefly married) mother and father had a 24-year age difference and then even the generations become blurred. Double oy!

7. I have been at the front of every Madonna concert in Boston since 2001 – 8 shows in all and an unspeakable expense, but with my best friend (who flies up from North Carolina) as my accomplice I wouldn’t trade a single one.

Now for the nominations ... this will be tough not to duplicate anyone since Kerri and I travel in the same blog circle, but I'll try ...

five girls, the army, and me

Lists in my Pocket

... Loving Life's Little Things ...

Our Life on the Hill

What am I going to be when I grow up?

Yep, they are all mine

Thanks again, Kerri, this has been a fun one ...

another birthday!

Happy Birthday to my sweet first-born ladybug ... the beautiful baby who changed my life when she made me a mother twelve years ago today. How we doted and fussed over those 8+ pounds of perfection!

Just look at that angelic face! Kind and compassionate, sensitive and emotional, this girl would cry her own tears for anyone she sees wronged. When she was 6, she cut 10 inches of hair for Locks of Love and felt so great about it that she did it all over again 2+ years later. Ever the idealist, her heart will break over anything from watching a fisherman haul in his daily catch (those poor fish!) to seeing a stranger injured at the playground. A true daydreamer ... so pure of heart ... our first-born ladybug ... the sugar to her little sister's spice ...

It's still hard to believe she'll be a middle schooler when she starts 6th grade in the Fall, but she has all the right tools to take it on, and we're so proud of the young lady she is becoming! So ... Happy Birthday to you, my sweet ladybug - thank you for all that you give me - you can't even begin to imagine how much your mom loves you!

Slow Down ....

(image courtesy of designersblock.uk)

The way I was first pulled into the blog world was through one single blog - my friend Erin Gates' beautiful design blog, Elements of Style. Through Erin, I found a couple of other exceptional design blogs (Simply Seleta and Urban Grace) which as it turns out were my gateway into the world of narrative 'life' blogs, 'mom' blogs, whatever you'd like to call this little circle we're all in. I have commented many times at these 3 design blogs and follow them regularly ... as we all know when you follow a blog, you get to know the community of regular readers through the comments we all share. Another person who was a regular at all 3 of these design blogs was Marija Stephens, who was herself a new designer, a beautiful young mother to two kids ages 9 and 4, an adoring wife, and an all around funny participant at these blogs. I've "known" Marija for about 6 months, commented alongside her as recently as last week, and been to her own blog, Holding Court, several times too.

I can't tell you how heartbroken I was to learn that Marija was killed in a car accident as she was returning home from an antiquing trip on Saturday (link to her blog if you'd like to read her husband's emotional post or any of the 500+ comments). So young, so much life still ahead of her, those beautiful children of hers, so much love in her beautiful home ... it's really too much to process that it was all shattered in an instant. She was someone just like all of us, it's a reminder of how random fate can be - this could have been any one of us. So today I spent extra time with my girls, took them out for a pizza dinner, played a board game with them, took time to really listen to what they were saying, ignored phone calls and emails, and just plain SLOWED DOWN. Tomorrow, my best best friend is coming up from North Carolina with her kids - they'll stay with us for the next 5 days. I think the timing couldn't be better - her visit will force me to slow down and relax and I'm certain that I will cherish our time together a little more, knowing how fragile the balance really is. Life is such a gift, isn't it?

crazy spontaneity ...

So we went away for the weekend - and went kind of far away ... to Acadia National Park, nearly 5 hours to the north ... and it wasn't even planned until Thursday night! The kids looked at me Friday morning like I had 10 heads and exclaimed "isn't this kinda sudden?!" To which I replied "yes, but think how much fun it will be!" as I stuffed them into the car. Fortunately, there was truth in those words and the girls and I had a wonderful 48 hours waaay up in Maine. Here's how it all unfolded ...

First, there's the drive - 3 hours of highway, followed by 2 hours of this:

... with about 2-3 towns along the way that look like this:

And plenty of roadside interest like this:

Once we reach Mt. Desert Island, we roll down all the windows, play crazy music, and scream as loud as we can that it's good to be back! From there, we begin the final leg of the drive, which looks like this:

That's Somes Sound to the left and the road to the right - the homestretch! And here's what was waiting for us after nearly 5 hours in the car ...

This 120+ year old farmhouse was purchased by older generations of my very large and complicated paternal family about 50 years ago and has been the site of family reunions, weddings, and funerals ever since. Thanks to this long history, it's a very special spot and one that we try to get to for one weekend each summer - lucky us that we could do it this year, because this is what a typical weekend holds for us each summer in Bar Harbor ...

First there's the garden at the house:

Then there's the fun trail in the woods behind the house:

And if you keep your eyes peeled, you might find a few imported 'forest friends' along the way:

And, of course, since we're steps away from Acadia National Park, we always fit in a hike or two:

... followed by popovers at Jordan Pond House:

Then it's back to the house to pick raspberries before the rain starts:

... LOTS of raspberries:

And even the occasional cherry:

Once the rain starts to sprinkle, it's on to an indoor activity and some downtime:

Followed by a fresh Maine lobster for dinner:

And nothing beats a good soak in an old fashioned clawfoot tub before bedtime:

The next morning we clean up our things and hit the road, screaming again out the open windows as we drive off the island, hoping we'll get the chance to do it all over again next summer. Not bad, huh? Lucky as a couple of of ladybugs, I'd say ...

is it the Florida in me?

Boston hit 102 degrees yesterday and is already stewing in the 90's today ... everyone around me is complaining, but I couldn't feel more at home - must be the Florida in me. I have already written about how I'm a native Floridian ... I was born and raised in South Florida back in "the day". As in, a time when Florida was truly a world apart ... there was no highway, no development, and no urban sprawl. I literally grew up in a tropical wonderland, dotted with tiny bungalow style homes ... we kept an aviary of tropical birds as our pets and had a dune buggy out in the driveway to explore the miles and miles of empty coastline. Hard to imagine that I'm writing about South Florida, which today is so overdeveloped it could be considered urban by any standards.

And although I haven't lived full-time in Florida for 20 years, the 'Florida' in me is definitely still alive and well ... like today with this heat wave and every March when I've had just about enough of this silly annual New England event called winter. And then there's also evidence of it when I see something like this and my heart skips a beat:

These jeeps were introduced exclusively for Lilly Pulitzer about 2 years ago to commemorate the company's 50th anniversary. When I go back to visit my family in Florida, I get to see one of these beauties daily as it's parked outside of the Lilly store in my hometown. The company owns several of them, but they have also sold a few to private owners as well (it's basically a $6,000 option to have the Lilly 'wrap' put onto the car, you order it thru a Jeep dealership located in Atlanta) ... if money were no object, I'd drive this festive car every day! I fully realize that many people see this and get turned off by all those bright colors and patterns in one place, but I can't help but smile when I see this colorful whimsical jeep - must be the Florida in me?

Happy 4th of July!

Being in an old New England coastal town that is rich with naval Revolutionary War history, you could probably guess that the 4th of July is an especially big one around here ...

(image courtesy of j&j graphics)

The big day really is as picturesque as it appears in this idyllic image of our town - no wonder we attract such a crowd at this time of year! Every year, the 4th of July turns into a 3-day celebration put on by the Chamber of Commerce with family-oriented activities all day long throughout town and parties and fireworks all night long. This weekend in particular is definitely our little town's shining moment ...

(courtesy of Martha Stewart Living)

So far this weekend we've seen a local parade, flown kites at our beach, bought raffle tickets to win 20 lbs of lobster (!), gone swimming, eaten ice cream, grilled out, lit sparklers, and enjoyed a distant view of the fireworks in neighboring coastal towns. Thus far it's been wonderful, and yet the best is still to come - today we'll boat up to a beautiful beach just up the coast and raft up with friends in their own boats ... the kids will all jump overboard and swim, we'll have a picnic and listen to music under the summer sun and as if that isn't enough, tonight we'll gather with 10 other family members for another grill-out and head down to the harbor for a front row seat to the fireworks. How lucky is that?! Lucky as a ladybug, of course ... I'm hoping that everyone out there is having a wonderful holiday, too ... Happy 4th!!

plan B ...

It's already been established here that my littlest ladybug is known for being a clever and determined soul. Well, yesterday she tried to catch a beautiful butterfly that stopped to say hello in the yard. She carefully tried with all her heart to approach it with her special butterfly net ... but unfortunately my girl had all the stealth of the eager child that she is. Naturally, the butterfly knew what was up and flew away before meeting that net face to face. After a few tears of disappointment, little ladybug rushed inside and quickly came up with her Plan B:

I just love her resolve! I assumed she had switched gears when she went inside, but instead she made this, with no advice or help from anyone. It's a flower decoy, custom designed to lure butterflies in for a sip of the sweet 'nectar' inside. She took a plastic cup, then colored, cut, and taped red petals to the edge to make the 'flower'. The final touch was the 'nectar' inside the cup, made from cotton balls soaked with sugar water. It's a classic example of the way her mind works ... if you don't succeed one way, try another. And it's a good lesson from the mouth of a babe - always have a Plan B!