So the question I posed to myself while staring at this blank piece of paper...er...screen was where do I start. Isn't that a funny question to ask one's self? Don't we always start in the beginning?
So here we are....welcome everyone to the beginning of our sure to be exciting and adventurous lives. My name is Denice and I am joined in life by my husband and our children....two of which are mine. Girls, ages 16 and 11. Four of which are his. Two boys ages 19 and 16 and two girls ages 17 and 15. My girls live with us full time and his children visit as often as possible. This is a story of how our lives started with my husband being 38 and I being 33. I should explain further...
We have spent our lives together trying to keep up with the Jones'. Then we asked ourselves.....why? What good does it do us or our children? Yes one should be happy with the lives that they build as a family I do agree but why would you burden yourself so to never be able to enjoy it? My life was stressed out as much as I could handle. Between full time accountant and full time mom and wife I just was at my wits end with life in general. We had the American dream. The two story house, swimming pool, 2 gas guzzling SUV's and the dog and cat but yet nothing was making us happy. Life was going downhill on the inside while everyone on the outside though we were hunky dory! Then one day my husband said...."Hunny, I'm buying a boat....what do you think of that?" I cringed. The thoughts of one more thing to clean....one more thing to make sure everyone is doing what they are supposed to be doing. Well needless to say I went into this venture kicking and screaming. Well mostly screaming....LOL. This boat was a 30' Bayliner Contessa 2850. I couldn't believe the room in her. She had a kitchen, small head and enough sleeping areas for 8 people as we later found out. All my life I had grown up at the lake during the summers with my family. They are the most previlant memories I have. I think of all the fun times even when dad was yelling! Those were the good ole days! So I am now thinking this boat will be good for the family. As time wore on I found myself sinking more into a depression. There was always something to do. On the weekends I stopped going out with my husband to the boat and started making every excuse to stay home and do laundry and dishes and more laundry....our relationship was now sinking as well. Then one day my husband told me that he was selling the boat and buying a different boat. My thoughts well...they weren't good. This was now "the other woman to me". How could he....another boat??? How selfish could he be? He then asked, as if in a last ditch attempt to have me join him for a change, to go see the boat with him while he signed the papers.
We showed up at the marina that evening and as we walked down the dock I saw the excitement of a young boy in my husbands face. That's when it all hit me. He would stand behind me in any of my ventures why wasn't I willing to do the same? I love him so the answer was clear at that moment. No matter my thoughts on this new boat I was going to love it because it was what he wanted. The closer we got I realized that there weren't anymore little boats. All that stood before us were large "yachts". When we walked up to her it was amazing. This is a 40' Trojan MY. Wow what a difference 10 feet makes in a boat. We boarded her and headed downstairs for my first tour. The minute I sat on her sofa I was hooked. It was like all the cares in the world drifted from my weary body and I sat in a place that finally felt like home. After the tour was over my husband and I stepped onto the bow of this amazing boat and stood together in the moonlight. He asked if I truly loved it or if I was just stomaching his "toys"? I, for once in my life, was able to tell him I LOVED it! As we held each other in silence he leaned down and whispered the words that made me weak in the knees....."Isn't is ironic that we fell in love on a boat (we were married on a cruise ship) and that we fell back in love on another boat?"
