So in 24 hours I had one of the worst feelings I ever get as well as one of the best.  Might as well get the bad over with first.  It’s not that terrible, so don’t worry.

Last night, after what feels like 3 months of constant motion, I stayed up late.  Again.  Trying to catch up on emails  Writing out teacher thank you notes.  Testing the SPOT application for our website. (haven’t checked it out yet?  click the link that says Patronus Location.  So cool and will be cooler once we go farther than Croton.)  Etc, etc.

When I finally laid my head on my pillow, I had that feeling.  I was SO SO HAPPY because my bed felt so good and my body was so tired.  And right as I was relishing how yummy and happy I was to be in bed, it occurred to me that I COULD HAVE BEEN ENJOYING THIS DELICIOUS FEELING 3 HOURS AGO!  Argh!  Does anyone else get that?  It’s just awful.  Well, awful for someone almost as sleep-deprived as those lovely three months after having a baby…

But then my children got home from school today and we got to open a surprise gift from the Batt family.  Chris is always doing something special for the school, for her friends, for her family, and for worthy causes.  She is an amazing and beautiful woman.  When she heard about our trip, she gave journals to each of our children.  And today, we opened a gift that was so special that it erased the exhaustion that has been accumulating over the last few weeks:

That’s right.  Chris and her family gave us empty bottles with scrolls for us to write our messages on and send out to the world.  Six bottles with which to reach out across the sea to a stranger on a distant shore.  A stranger who will hear our story and send their own message back to the sea.   I was happy to see that Bryson, Reese and Porter are just as excited as I am to send out our messages.  As an old salt who should have been born a few centuries ago, this gift brought out the part of me that just simply can’t wait to truly call the sea my home…

(This gift was one of MANY wonderful gestures that have helped to make our departure full of love.  We love the journals, note cards, and special gifts with our boat name on them, like the beautiful canvas bag, cocktail napkins and glasses.  The phone calls, Bon Voyage cards, and donations to our school fund have touched us more than you’ll ever know.  Thank you all for your love and support.)