The Venice holiday boat parade

This Saturday we are entering our sailboat in the Venice holiday boat parade. We will be boat #30 of approximately 42 boats participating in the parade.

Last year we watched our first Venice holiday boat parade from the sidelines. I remember that G and I put the kids in the wagon, walked them down to the inter coastal and found a spot near the bridge to spread out a blanket and watch the pretty power and sailboats go by.

Hard to believe that this year we'll be one of those boats!

We're members of the Venice Sailing Squadron and they've graciously offered to lend us tons of lights and a generator to light all those lights for our sailboat. Thank goodness we don't have to spend a lot of money during the holiday season just to enter the boat parade.

Thank you Venice Sailing Squadron!

So, tomorrow and Friday G and I will be stringing up the lights. I'll be hoisted to the top of the mast, I'm sure. It'll be scary but fun too.

We'll do our best to take some pictures of our sailboat after she's all decked out, but I'm not guaranteeing they'll be all that great, since we'll be on the boat.

I just love everything about the Christmas season!

A friendly dolphin, up close and personal

Today we decided to go out on the sailboat right after picking the kids up from school. It was overcast and a bit windy, so perfect weather for sailing.

We got an amazing surprise while we were out on the Gulf intercoastal with only our jib sail up. A friendly dolphin popped out of the water, right next to our sailboat! She stayed playing under our boat for quite a while, surfacing frequently as if to say, "Hi!" She really seemed to be trying to keep our attention.

She was so close we could've reached out and touched her, but we were afraid to do so. Instead, we took a video of her and snapped a lot of pictures.

So, here she is in all her glory. The kids dubbed her Flipper.

A backward glance at summer fun.

School started back up this week and J and C were eager to return and see their friends!

Yes, they enjoyed their leisurely summer of swimming at the Y, playing at the beach, hanging out at the library and partaking in all of those scheduled activities, reading more, sleeping in late, staying up later, sailing, fishing, visits from family and friends, and all that.

For me, this summer was precious because it was the first time ever that I was able to stay home with my children for any good length of time. (Thank you, Hubby, for your lovely support.)

I've been a working mom since the day that we brought J home from the hospital at 3 days old. In fact, because I had started a new job just one month prior to his birth, I only got two weeks of unpaid time off for uninterrupted bonding. Heading back to work that soon was a miserable experience for me. I got no time off with C's arrival.

These past 3-months I have relished the extra time with the kids. Despite being nervous about how I would do as a "stay-at-home mom", things went well. We got into a groove, it was relaxing and fun and I feel like I've gotten to know them a little better; their likes and dislikes and what makes them tick. What fun 4 and 6-year-olds can be! I'm certainly thankful for this quality time we've had together.

Now, it's back to the task of trying to eke out a living to help support our family finances. At least I'm currently able to do that within the confines of the kids' school schedule. Thank goodness for that.