Guided to safe shore by our sons

We now officially have two sons with driver's licences: they can drive without supervision. Steve and I are taking full advantage of this new miracle of our sons being able to do us favors for a change.

For example: the other day, Steve and I put our kayaks in the bay just before sunset. We started paddling and were so blissed out that we decided to kayak all the way to Teddybear Cove near Bellingham. After a short phone call to our sons, we coordinated with them to pick up the truck and get us at the cove, which required that the two of them drive.

By the time we got near shore, it was pitch black with only a tiny sliver of moon. Our sons blinked their flashlights at us so we could see where we needed to go. As I sunk my paddles into the inky water, I fought back tears because this felt so momentous: our sons guiding us safely to shore, picking us up, keeping us safe.

 

Ever since moving away from our beloved Marblemount wilderness and down into the Skagit Flats, we've spent as much time on the salt water as we can. It's magical here. It's a whole different wilderness, one I'm not as familiar or comfortable with, but I vow to change that by exposing myself to it as much as I can.

I burnt the heck out of my thighs a few days ago, which left me with blistering, second degree burns and an inability to walk much. But I can sit in a kayak and use my arms, and so I do, even in the pitch black if need be.
 

 We try to incorporate our kids into these adventures as much as they let us. For the boys, of course, it's not particularly cool to hang out with their parents and paddle around in little boats that don't involve speed. We tell them that it's a great upper body workout, so they consent to come with us, especially when there are lavish picnics involved.

And Eva doesn't quite have the muscles yet to brave large stretches and distances of water. But she gets to sit in the canoe (I traded that canoe for coaching sessions years ago), and one of her brothers and Dad paddle for her, while she sits in the middle like a Queen, chatting and singing the whole way.

I love these times on the water with my family. I know the days for this are numbered, with them surely flying the nest one by one.

 

And you? How are you doing? What are your favorite activities to connect with family?

Quality time with my man - and it's all free!

My husband Steve is unlike any human I've ever met.  Most people who have come in contact with him say the same.  He's completely non-judgemental and won't say a bad word about anyone. (Well, actually, he sometimes lets disdain flow when certain politicians are acting extra stupid).

He's incredibly kind, generous and filled with integrity.  He is balanced and stable like a solid mountain (except every now and then when he deals with computer problems, and then he swears like a sailor, to the utter delight of our children).

He gets interviewed by relationship experts on how to be a good man for a woman.  I'm not kidding.  I'll send you a link when it gets released.

He has learned, over our 16 years together, how to deal with my high and low tides of emotions... that I want him to listen and validate instead of fixing things for me.  

In other words: Steve is the complete opposite of me, and we make a great team.

The thing we've learned in our relationship of raising three kids, running businesses together, and homesteading the way we do, is that we need to make time for each other - time that doesn't involve planning a project or mucking out the goat barn or doing dishes together. 

So for Valentine's Day, Steve took the day off, and we went to Anacortes to play in (or rather on) Puget Sound in our kayaks.  But first, we tanked up with coffee and books.

We love Anacortes and Washington Park.  Although the weather was cloudy on Valentine's Day, the water was pretty calm.  I get scared of waves, because I don't have much experience in a kayak.  In fact, I'm kind of a wuss when it comes to large bodies of water.  You know, with all the monsters in it and stuff.

Talking of monsters: we saw a HUGE sea lion when we paddled around a bend.  Steve thinks he must have been over a thousand pounds.  He definitely checked us out, and I had visions of him diving underneath my little boat and messing with me.  And I never even watched "Jaws".  But that's my mind for you.

Do you see that pump sticking out of the water, in the upper right corner of the picture? That's our friend, the sea lion.

We also saw herons, bald eagles, and porpoises who jumped alongside our boats --- another reason for my heart rate to accelerate, because what if...

And then there's the long, errie snakes of seaweed and kelp bumping the kayak when you glide over them. 

On our way back, the sun came out for appropriately seven and a half minutes.  Steve and I sat in our little boats, gently swaying, with sea gulls crying above us, the smell of salt in our nostrils, and all I could think of was: "I am so completely and utterly happy right now."  

Okay, let's switch gears.  

Lemme show you another adventure I had with my man.  Snow!  Cross country skiiing!

As I write this blog post (Saturday morning), snow has been falling for many hours.  We currently have 18 inches of snow on the ground, and it won't stop anytime soon.

Steve and I cobbled together some skiiing gear from assorted second-hand shops, and we have enough stuff to make this happen.  So we headed out two days in a row to explore the hill above our little town.  

It was stunning, great exercise, and some of the best icicle viewing of my life.

There's a place called Marble Creek that's a campground in the summer.  There are huge trees and magical spots at the river.  And best of all - completely deserted.

I love this solitude.  It does the soul good.

What kinds of things do you do to nurture your relationship with your better half?