I am so excited!  My Captain just received a transfer to his shift who I absolutely LOVE.

His name is Mike, and he is one of the most interesting characters in this whole entire world, and I’m not prone to exaggeration.

Except on days that end with “y.”

Mike is My Captain’s shift’s newest Firefighter Paramedic, who My Captain most aptly describes as “a true Renaissance Man.”

Mike and I first met years ago in Medic Class, (re: this picture is extremely old and resembles me NOT AT ALL, anymore.)

and we instantly fell into immediate competition.  Over Grades.  Over Cooking ability.  Over Best Hair.   (Well….maybe it was one-sided.  In all honesty I don’t think he ever gave a rat’s ass about competing with me.  But we are talking about the reality in my own little head, and that is INFINITELY more interesting than the truth, now, isn’t it?)

He won the grades challenge.

He won the cooking ability (He’s a trained chef.)

But I won the hair challenge.  HA.  And I wasn’t even trying!

And though he remains better looking in general, I flatter myself to think that I will always be more photogenic than he is.

But at the end of the day, if I were bleeding, or on fire, he is the one I’d want helping me out.   And frankly, I wouldn’t give a damn about his hair.

But I’d still pick on him.

Because I’m bitter about the whole grades and cooking thing.

Welcome to 31, Mike!

We celebrated early this year.  Critter and Varmint will be with their father on Thanksgiving Day, so we gave our thanks with each other today at The Old South Mountain Inn.

It was a buffet worthy of any gorging.

And all was going swimmingly, until…

…Varmint started mimicking My Captain, and his constant use of his cell phone.  It wouldn’t have been so funny if she didn’t look so much like him.  It was uncanny, I tell you!

And Critter really wanted to be a part of the scintillating conversation.

…not.

Look, kid, you have a choice.  You can put down the Kindle and engage with the family, or I’ll kiss you right here in front of God and everyone.

No, Really.  I would.  And you KNOW I would.  Don’t push me.

Love.  Sometimes it’s painful in our family.

***SIGH***

Oh well.  At least we were together physically!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!

Love,
Mama Boe

We had not seen my Captain for the better part of two weeks, and his home-coming was sweet, indeed.  We celebrated with home-made Chicken Pot Pie, and a hearty dose of story-telling at the table, and then we started our bedtime routine, which usually consists of baths, jammies, books or drawing, and then snuggles/cuddletime in bed.

This night, however, Critter pulled out and dusted off the box of Tiddly Winks.  He started playing quietly on the floor by himself, as My Captain watched him from the comfort of his lazy-boy wing-back chair.

At least, he did until he felt compelled to test his own luck with the ‘ol game of his childhood memories.  There is an unwritten challenge in Tiddly Winks, that defies age or logic.  No one likes to be beaten by that damn plastic disc.

And that is how I found them:

Completely absorbed in trying to get the little colored plastic discs into the winning circle.

They’d still be there to this day if it weren’t for the Buzz-Kill that is Mama.