Saturday May 26, 2012

Ben's Birthday. Today was just the BEST day EVER! We saw a great ball game, Ben got an awesome surprise and I got a little drunk..... it just couldn't get any better.  Crystal, Ben's daughter, got him Mariners tickets fro his birthday. What Ben didn't know is that Crystal had contacted Uncle Mike and Aunt Karey, Ben's sister and brother-in-law, and they conspired to get 4 seats together at the game. The idea was that Mike and Karey would come over and get a hotel for the weekend then surprise Ben by showing up on the ferrie or at the game and see how long it took him to notice his sister was sitting beside him. LOL. WE had quite a plan. But as they say the best laid plans ..... that morning Karey and I were texting back and forth like mad. First they were gonna meet us when we walked off the Seattle side of the ferrie... then they were gonna walk on the 3:00 ferrie with us on the Bremerton side, then they texted and said they would make the 1:20 ferrie, then they said NO they wouldn't make the ferrie! In the mean time I am telling Ben lets take the later ferrie, don't wanna get there to early... No, lets leave early so we can walk around the stadium, no let's stop on our WAY TO the ferrie.. He is looking at me like he wishes I would make up my FRIKKIN mind.

As we are driving up to the terminal Mike and Karey pull up in their car beside us... Ben glances over, does a double take.... "Is that Karen?" "What are they doing here? Are they going to the game?" I told him Happy Birthday and that this was his present. Once he figured out they had seats next to ours he was so surprised! We all MISSED the ferrie, we just walked across to Seattle and Quest stadium,  which was cool because it gave us a chance to hug and laugh and cry and down about a dozen beers. AWESOME. Seafair is gong on Memorial weekend in Port Orchard and Bremerton and we had time to have a few cocktails with the Seafair Pirates in Bremerton... Ben got a free beer AND a kiss from the Pirate wench. The boys REALLY liked that Wench..... The weather was great, as a matter of fact about half way through the game we all bailed outta our seats which were in the sun and headed to the shady side of the stadium. The Mariners lost but we had so much fun. Karey and I spent more time running around the stadium than watching the game.

It was still warm and the sun was still up when we walked back to the ferrie. We had all had enough beer and sunshine,   and STAIRS.... that we were ready to head home and to bed. LOL. It was an awesome birthday for Ben. He teared up when he first hugged his sister, he couldn't believe that Crystal had gone to the trouble of setting it all up and that Mike and Karey had driven all the way to spend time with us. Thanks guys... Best Birthday ever!

Thursday May 24, 2012

Good Lord will this boat project EVER be done???? The more we scrape and sand the more places we find that have to be replaced due to rot and water damage. The arthritis in my hips is killing me, and my hands and arms just ACHE! Looks like this is gonna be a bigger job than we thought. Oh well... with each repair we are one step closer to getting the boat done and on the market. While Ben tore apart the back deck I finished the hand sanding around the windows and deck rails.

Once every thing is sanded down we will start on varnishing the wood and putting down the new non-skid deck coating..... IF we ever get to that point. It feels overwhelming because there is so much to do. I think once I actually start to see the finished product it will feel like we are accomplishing something. I am sooooo looking forward to this weekend. I can hardly hold it in... not telling Ben his sister and brother-in-law will be joining us for the Mariners game. Is it Saturday yet????

Guess I better get started on today's chores..... I keep hoping I will wake up one morning and all the work will be done......  *sigh*

Monday May 21, 2012

Rain, Rain, Rain........ We have had such a run of great weather I had almost forgotten we lived in the rainy northwest! Oh well, can't have blue Sky's everyday.... We had a great weekend. aka.. no working on the boat. LOL. My big brother Bob and his wife Lee drove up Saturday afternoon and spent the night on the boat with us. We enjoyed a great BBQ on the deck, a few beers and great company. I don't think Lee knew what she was getting into when she agreed to spend the night on the boat. We have two double beds in the aft cabin, both are partially under the outer walkway so you kinda have to sleep under a shelf, poor Lee is like me, a little claustrophobic.... so Bob had to sleep under the 'ledge'. Then there is the wonderful smell of the diesel.... and the oder of the toilet.... I LOVE having company but I am embarrassed by the shape/smell of our boat. Lee and Bob were troopers. They survived the night and after a breakfast of biscuits and gravy (of course), they headed back home. Thanks for visiting, I love you both and admire your courage!
Saturday is Ben's birthday, daughter Crystal sent him Mariners tickets for the Saturday game. He doesn't know it but his sister Karey and brother-in-law Mike are driving over from Idaho to go to the game with us. I am so excited! I can't wait to see them. I know nothing about baseball but I'm so excited about going to the game. Thanks Crystal, what a great gift! And thanks Mike and Karey for spending your Memorial Day with us, it will be a wonderful surprise for Ben and I am so excited to see you both!
Today we begin AGAIN working on the boat, all the scraping is done on the wood, we just have to do the finish sanding and then the varnish. I think today we are going to start working on the decks, remove the old cracked paint and get it ready for a new coat of non-skid. Ben wants to wait until the weather turns again before we start tearing apart the bedroom and remove that DAMN diesel tank and replacing the floor. I just keep thinking that with every day of work we are getting closer to putting the boat on the market and selling it. At the very least.... even if it doesn't sell right away I will have a CLEAN, boat to live in... one that I can actually go BOATING IN!