In January, Bill went on his annual trip to Costa Rica with his friend Ted. Everyone calls it Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure.  They get sun, good surf, banana pancakes and lots of hammock time. In their 60’s now, after a long day of surfing, they have a beer or 2 and then its off to bed at 8.  Partay! It is a very well earned time for my husband, who rarely takes any time for himself. For me, it is January, cold, and filled with muddy, wet dogs, (ignore our Hurricane Harvey baseboards….um, ya, we still have not finished all the storm repairs) lots of mopping and no fireplace…. and usually something breaks.  I sent Bill this pic. It was also my birthday while Bill was living Pura Vida. Cory, Mia nd I went over to a friends on the island.  She made dinner for me, stoked a fire in her fireplace and it was pretty much a perfect evening. When we returned home, it was not quite midnight, so I stopped at the store and got a cake.  Mia and I had birthday cake with candles in bed. They were sparkler candles, and may or may not have gotten ashes all over the bed.  Buuut, cake with buttercream frosting in bed?  It doesn’t get much better than that! Well, picking up Bill from the airport a few days later was better.  And then within 24 hours he got sick and was down for 4 days.  Blah!! I am thinking next January it is time for a mom and dad trip to the land of Pura Vida.   This whole “kids growing up” thing is such a weird transition for us.  It has been so busy with grown kid stuff that Bill and I have not had a whole heck of a lot of time for just us.  It is weird because I don’t think it was this hard when we had little kids.  A friend put it perfect….”little kids, little problems.  Big kids, big problems.”  It was way easier when I could buckle them in a car seat to protect them.  Now, they have to cruise through it on their own with emotional support from Bill and I.  It’s hard because I just can’t make it better like when they were little.  Everyone is doing okay, but lots of decisions for the older kids about schools, jobs, life and relationships.  Everyone has their health and a bright future, so it’s all good.  But damned if I am not ready for some simple shit like diapers leaking, spilled juice or being too small to cross a stream. Parting shot….Miss Mimi got 2nd place in Open Womens in California.  Damn straight!!!  And her best buddy got 3rd.  Way to surf girls!