Heading for Shore.....

Whoa maties.....up and down and up and down and.....what are you thinking???

Of course....I'm back on the ship after a very sentimental day in Ensenda...a place I knew a zillion years ago when we lived in San Bernardino for a year while hub was in training.

Have pictures....have stories......have art.....

but have only a few Internet minutes left......

so...it's off the boat tomorrow morning.....a drive through the desert ......and arriving in hunka hunka burning love land (aka Las Vegas) for a glittery night before we head back home.

See ya then.....

Texture.......

I put this photo on my desk.....to remind myself why we're going to Long Island and NYC this June. This is a picture of my kids about 10 years ago in Florida. My littlest one....who is now 6'3" and a senior in high school is the sand Merman.

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I imagine this will be one of our last family vacations for a while.......my daughter is working with autistic children in Ohio and hopes to get into a behavioral psychology grad school program this year. My oldest son now has a job and little by little is becoming more independent. Mr. Merman....is going off to college....to Iowa this fall.

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It's cliche to say you are startled to discover your kids are growing up....but I feel both startled and proud of them....a few years ago I found myself walking on a beach on Long Island....and I was so taken by the crashing waves, the slant of the sun and the wonder of the place.......that I wanted to share this with the kids.....and create an adventure they would remember ....something they would talk about...at future family gatherings ...."Do you remember the time we went to New York and......."

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As I surf the web till my rump is numb..... trying to figure things out....and gasping at the cost of rental cars and hotels.......I remind myself.....that one of the things I do best....(besides being stubborn) ....is planning....and organizing....(you want to get from A to B....call me)....and this is my opportunity to shine.

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I'm a lousy domestic diva....a stern and sometimes pushy Mom.....and a tireless soap box orator on facing fears....getting out there.....and experiencing people and adventures in your life....so you end up textured.

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It would be easy to go back to Florida....easy to arrange this some place else.....but I wanted all my kids to learn that challenges are okay.....that taking a risk with strange hopes and dreams in your heart is an okay habit to get into...

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I stumbled onto Long Island and found wonder.....

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Now let's see if I can stumble and find a way to get #1 son and #2 son and #2 son's girlfriend out of two different airports on the same day......lol

( I know....mega sentimental idealist....bend me over and spank me.)

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Upcoming Family Reunions....or...We're All Gonna Have Fun ...Right

Last night I was up to 2Am...stalking the halls....talking to the dogs.....spinning my wheels. I thought this would be easy.....it sounded good several months ago.....rent a couple of houses on the beaches of Long Island the first couple weeks in June.....get family and friends together.......enjoy wine....enjoy each other.....laugh lots.

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Hmmmm. The easy part was finding the houses.....a couple days ago I started plotting moving bodies to New York with all kinds of new constraints on them....I can only get these days off....I can come here but not there.....and of course....thank you Southwest Airlines for cancelling Laguardia as a destination since flying out of there was central to the plans.

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On top of all these complications....my sister-in-law sends me an email asking me to send the deposit money for the cruise.....the cruise?

I'm an only child with a tiny family but my hub has 4 siblings scattered throughout the Northwest and Arizona. His energetic sisters plan a reunion every couple of years. Bad joss on my part (I was teaching or traveling) kept me out of the reunion twice. A few emails flew by about going on a Carnival Cruise. I thought they were feelers....this weekend I found out they were reality.

I swooned. Independent Gina trapped on a Carnival Cruise!?!?......Yikes..... I read the reviews...tons of mediocre food, Karaoke bars, slot machines....the obligatory girls-in-skimpy outfits- reviews. ....and of course the infamous towel animals.

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I started mentally suffering. Imagining myself trapped for two full days at sea ......watching drunken people in a conga line...(it's a 5 day trip and there's a couple of sea days).

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Between family complications and the thought of bobbing up and down the coast from San Diego to the tip of Baja, Mexico....I tossed and turned all night.

Then this morning...my son asked me a simple question....could he fly up to Ohio and hookup with his sister??.........why yes that would be brilliant and would get 2 out of 3 kids there in one swoop... I rechecked my frequent flyer miles.....hmmmm...forcing me to fly into New York a few days ahead of the family could be blessing....I could solo around the island and find some excellent wine....a big multi-colored beach umbrella......figure out train system ....Maybe this could work....maybe....lol

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As far as the cruise....I emailed hub and asked him if we could spend a few days in Death Valley ( a place I've always wanted to visit)....before we go a-cruising....we could stock up on wondrous desert vibes....solitude....certainly enough good energy to survive a conga line and forced-happy talking cruise directors.....and the cruise isn't till October plenty of time to forget about it before I have to remember it.

Finally .....I sat down to blog....and realized.......if I can drink champagne and restreak on the Ides of March....maybe...just maybe....I could drink enough martinis.....to Karaoke?????? Isn't there some rule which states you have to Karoke at least one time in your life?? (Best to do it at sea where no one knows you ...right?)

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What we do for love is amazing....lol

"What you want baby I got it....what you need....you know I got it....."

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