We had an awesome anniversary.  I dropped off the girls at Grandma's, took care of some paperwork for Lily's school and then went to join Mark, who had been working on getting the boat ready to sail.  We had planned to sail across the bay to get lunch but by the time we got over to the island it was getting late.  So we stopped by a friends restaurant and grabbed a bite to eat, chatting her up about all the fantastic changes they've made since taking over the joint. 

We got back on the road to the boat launch and I caught some great (but long) video of us hoisting the mast and then dropping the boat in the water.  After a couple hours on the out I was starting to feel a bit queasy and needed to head back in.  Once we got out of the channel and started concentrating on tacking, the flow of work, the rhythm of shifting from side to side, me on the jib and Mark on the main sail and tiller, I felt better and enjoyed the last bit of sailing quite a bit.

We finished up the day with a lovely dinner out where I got a wee bit drunk and we ate brilliantly tasty farm-to-table food.  Picked up the girls from Grandma's and headed home.  Not a bad way to celebrate, if you ask me.

Click on the photo above for more images from our day out. 

As of today I have been married to that wannabe hippie dude for eight years.

He bought me a Gorillapod to celebrate. 

And now he's going to take me sailing out on the bay, across to a fancy restaurant where we will share a meal (literally, the place is pricy so we'll split a plate).

My gift to you?  See below: 

Me: Wow, your bed making skills are crap.
Mark: No they're not.
Me: (Looking pointedly at our bed, then back to him with eyebrows raised.)
Mark: It's not that my skills are crap.
Me: No?
Mark: No, it's that I didn't use all of them.

Mark took the girls to playgroup today while I was working. Lily had herself a rather large crash with a skinned knee and toe and the drama?  Well let's just say that I heard about it from several moms.  Not only was there an amazing display of acting skillz (I'm thinking our background in theatre has screwed us with our offspring) but she got sand on her hand and in all the distraction of her performance she reflexively LICKED her hand in order to clean the sand off.

You see how that might notch up the drama a wee bit?  Yeah, I thought you might.

At knitting tonight when the moms were all discussing this event, Lorien reminded me that when Lily was upset the other day she randomly licked her hand.   I'm thinking she's got a wee bit of a quirk here.  OK, here's where all you goggle divas diagnose her with something freaky and then try to break it to me gently that she only has a couple months to live.  Thanks for that!

Also reported was how awesome Mark was with her when she went down.  Everyone commented on how calm he was, how connected they were to each other, how very great Mark was as a dad.  Good to hear, even though I already know. 

My blog is being bitchy. Bitchy blog refuses to load the "Create Journal Entry" page and makes me curse at the screen.  Then I reload and it's all, "What?  I'm here for you, baby!  Come and give me some sugar!" and I'm all, "I'm confused?  Why is this so difficult? Can't we just work together?" and it's all, "Dude. Relax."

You all know "relax" is like telling a woman that yes, you DO look fat in those jeans, right?  Don't ever tell a woman to "relax".  Male and Lesbian readers, you're welcome.

Anyway, just a few updates to share:

1. I am busy. So busy.  Good times.

2. Mark got the (as of yet unphotographed) boat in the water today and it only took on about 1/2 an inch of water in the three hours after it splashed down.  This is a good thing, especially since Mark's pretty sure where it was coming in.

3.  I went to a tea tasting party today and got all hopped up on caffeine and sugar.  That was nice.

4. Yesterday we had a little May Day party at the park in a faerie theme.  It was awesome.  If you're one of my friends of family contacts on Flickr, go check out the photos (click on the one of Lily above for the full set).    

5. Lily and Anya have been exposed to the Chicken Pox.  I'm hoping they actually get it now as it's actually a fairly good time for us to go through this, despite the fact that we're going into birthday season 'round these parts. But if I drop off the face of the earth it's because I've got one kid clinging to me with her thumb attached to her face and the other working her drama queen gene.  Also? Building my arsenal of alternative medicine CP tricks to treat.  I'm gonna be an expert, yo.

6. I don't think there's a six.  I think I'm done.  

What's new with you? 

Much to my surprise, I came home tonight to discover that we have yet another sailboat.  Unlike the last one Mark brought home, this one is actually sea worthy and comes with some extras (like an anchor, working sails and, um, NO HOLES in the keel). It's a 1972 twenty-two foot, South Coast Seacraft and isn't current named, so nobody needs to get all crazy about the curse of "renaming" it. I've only seen her in the dark so will try to get a couple shots of her tomorrow to post.  Mark and Nate are taking her for her maiden (as maiden as one can get at 36-years-old) voyage on Saturday to make sure she really is safe.

Funny side note.  We bought our amazing home from a gentleman who, as a teen, fled the boarders of Yugoslavia while under gunfire to make a new life in the US.  Guess how the dude Mark bought the boat from got here?  Not on this boat, if that's what you're thinking.  But it is a classic tale of a Cuban and a raft and a whole lot of luck.  Mark says it's a good omen.  

I can only hope he's right.

A while back I was contacted regarding an amazing soul named Jeni Ballantyne, a single mom whose time on this Earth is being dramatically limited by stage four colon cancer.  She's nearing the end and trying to make arrangements for her beautiful son Jack.  Bella, Meg and Jen Lemen are trying to help her find some funding to make that a wee less of a burden and so have put together and action on eBay for her benefit. I found four of my favorite photographs to add to the auction and they are offered up with free shipping.  Go bid on a few things, would you?  There are some beautiful things in that collection and from what I understand, all the artists involved are donating 100% to Jeni, including taking care of the shipping cost.

Jeni writes:

Hello my friends, I haven't been well enough to post in quite a while but I just wanted to check in with you, I have just received an email from Bella to say that the EBay Auction to raise money for me is up at the following link http://stores.ebay.com/bloggers-for-Jeni
thank you so much Bella, Meg and Jen Lemen and also to everyone else who so kindly donated goods for this. Words fail me in trying to express your kindness and generosity, my heart is full and no matter what happens the fact that this was even attempted means so very much to me. I love you and I most humbly thank you. I believe there are some most lovely things to be purchased so hopefully, as well as helping me, you will also get yourselves something wonderful.

You can go right to my photos by clicking on any of the thumbnails below:

Or just visit the eBay store where you can find items in the following categories:

photography, art, gift certificates, jewelry, home goods, services, scarves, one of a kind, music, books and movies, baby and child, Stationary * Gift Cards, Bath & Body, Other Items.

If nothing else, just look and read and put some energy into this auction doing well enough that she comes away with enough cash to help things feel a little more secure.  Thank you for looking! 

In all the craziness that is my job and life and kids and husband (who I wanted to beat with a stick repeatedly last week, might I add) I've finally reached that wall.  You know, that wall everyone gets to once in a while.  That wall that makes people seriously consider a break from blogging.  Even looking at my bloglines makes me want to throw up a little rather than the delight I used to have at seeing what all my "imaginary friends" were up to.  I find myself picking through my updated lists and only reading a handful, meanwhile allowing myself to get overwhelmed as the little numbers grow next to everyone else's names.  It's freaky, I tell you.

Despite all of that, I don't think quitting this here blog is really the answer.  Instead, I need to remind myself that this is something I do for pleasure, not as a deadline.  I'm absolutely loving the 30 tiny moments thing, but at the same time, I'm perfectly happy to set it down for a few days, something I never felt allowed to do with the whole National Blog Posting Month thing.  Don't get me wrong, I love a good challenge.  I think I'm just surrounded by too many of them at the moment.  Even my "To Do" list has me slightly blind with terror.   And my kids?  Well, lets just say that Anya grabbed my face the other night, smashed her nose into mine and said, "I don't want you to go to work!"  Then she switched over to begging to come with me.  So yeah, I've found that wall.  And it has some awesome graffiti on it from past bloggers, some of whom have gone the way of the dinosaur.

Ultimately though, blogging gives me something deeply meaningful to my soul... there's an outlet here I know I need.  I think I just need to accept that it's not the FIRST thing I need.  Make sense?  And I think I need to give myself permission to ignore it now and again.  Sadly, that means I also must ignore some of you sometimes and simply strip through my favorite reads for the bare essentials.  That's, quite honestly, the part I hate the most.  I can't even stomach the thought of dropping any of you.  But yet, I just might have to. 

What do you do when there is simply too much on your plate?  How do you distill your life down to the essentials and learn to let go of all the rest?

PS The show opening was brilliant.  I am so in love with this production and our artists, I can't even begin to tell you how proud I am of this work.

Too busy working on a big moment with the opening of my the first production I have hand my hands in from start to finish.  And stressed and excited and full of jitters.  It's a beautiful play and I am so proud of it and I know it'll do well.  But I still need to be focusing there and not here.

Thirty tiny moments will resume shortly.  I have photos to share, pinky swear!

For now, just say "Break a leg" and I'll try not to take it literally. 

One of the main benefits of working two blocks from the Pacific Ocean is the ability to sink your toes in the sand on your lunch break.  Happy Love Thursday.