Infant Confirmation and Comment on a Milestone

On someone else's blog, I mentioned that our youngest daughter had been confirmed as an infant. The question was raised as to why we did that. I quote the Catechism of the Catholic Church, copied off the Vatican website :

1307 For centuries, Latin custom has indicated "the age of discretion" as the reference point for receiving Confirmation. But in danger of death children should be confirmed even if they have not yet attained the age of discretion.125

We really thought our little girl was in danger of death, with the potential for recurrence of this type of infection. I care for sick infants every day, and I was shocked at how fast she got sick. We also figured that if she died we wanted her to go with all the graces her precious little body could carry.

Once again, I quote the Catechism:

1303 From this fact, Confirmation brings an increase and deepening of baptismal grace:

- it roots us more deeply in the divine filiation which makes us cry, "Abba! Father!";117

- it unites us more firmly to Christ;

- it increases the gifts of the Holy Spirit in us;

- it renders our bond with the Church more perfect;118

- it gives us a special strength of the Holy Spirit to spread and defend the faith by word and action as true witnesses of Christ, to confess the name of Christ boldly, and never to be ashamed of the Cross:119

"Recall then that you have received the spiritual seal, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of right judgment and courage, the spirit of knowledge and reverence, the spirit of holy fear in God's presence. Guard what you have received. God the Father has marked you with his sign; Christ the Lord has confirmed you and has placed his pledge, the Spirit, in your hearts."

- St. Ambrose

I would also argue that having these graces as she goes through childhood will be graces that she can use as she matures.


Depending on where one is in the USA, confirmation can be anywhere from the age of reason to 18 years of age.


I liken the graces we receive as 'money in the bank' in the sense that graces we receive can be built on, and over time make us stronger. In the example above, we now have a child who has been strengthened in her faith at a very early age, and all that we do to foster her Faith will be set on the Sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation.


Of course, when she is older, we will explain how she already received this indelible mark on her soul..

But not so seriously....

In other news, January marks the first month with over 1,000 visits for Scorpion Stalking Duck. That is especially noteworthy when you realize that my total hits are now just over 4,000. That strikes me as a bit odd, when I started out January with the idea of doing more 'quality' blogs than 'quantity' blogs. Granted, I did not plan on spending two weeks on the road(with the nightly appearance of Mr. Moose and friends), and it was hard getting any meaningful blogs together and sent off via my cell phone PDA.





So I shall resolve once again to produce fewer blogs, but hopefully higher quality blogs....











....tomorrow.

LANDSHARK HO!

Never noticed before. Sighted in bathtub, 12:20 a.m.

Random Patron Saint for 2007 Generator

Check out this site.

Mac over at Mulier Fortis had a link to it.

I have requested a patron saint for my blog.

This random selection of patron saints for the year was something St Faustina kind of did before there were blogs. We love St. Faustina.

Maybe I should start an adopt-a-seminarian thing. I think St Therese of Liseaux did that....

We have already adopted one seminarian, praying for him daily, and now we will add 'Moneybags' to the list. We can take some more....

Wifeofdadwithnoisykids' Selected Vacation Pictures

Here are the Noisykids in Hanceville, Alabama at Our Lady of the Angels Monastery. Note the heavy coats.

NOW see some of us at the beach in St. Petersburg, Florida!



Here Dadwithnoisykids and his 5th son/6th child feed the seagulls.



Dadwithnoisykids and Oldest Daughter compare seashell finds.

Houses of the Holies

Yes, a bad play on words reminiscent of a Led Zeppelin song.

Sorry.

But let us consider the environmental impact of the Noisykids on our house.





It is obvious where this hole came from. The bumper at the base of the door disappeared at some point. I did not do it.

There are many small holes surrounding this Christmas 2006 gift. Note the shrine to baseball and to Our Lord and Our Lady.

This was the former site for the shrine....



This happened somehow....maybe a meteorite.

This allegedly is the result of a Noisykid head striking the wall.



This pig had nothing to do with any of these holes.

Pilgrimage 2007 #2

January 17, 2007

7 a.m. Mass:
Homily - priest spoke about St. Anthony of the Desert, how he searched for holiness in many saints' writings, and how he benefitted from the wisdom and experience of those who preceded him. Remarked on how his(St. Anthony's) holiness shone through him to those whom he met. Unfortunately, I was a bit distracted during the homily.

Afterwards, we met with some of the cloistered nuns in the monastery parlor. We had requested a visit, and gave one of the externs(nuns who are outside the cloister, who assist the ones inside) a copy of our family photograph for them to keep. It was so kind of the sisters to give their time to us so that we could meet with them and let our children see those in the religious life 'up close.'

In the afternoon, one of the Knights of the Holy Eucharist stopped by to visit with us. The Knights are a group of men who serve the monastery by providing security in the chapel by taking time in front of the Blessed Sacrament, making sure that pilgrims are respectful of Our Lord. They also serve as a labor pool for various jobs that need to be done around the monastery. Most importantly, they assist as altar boys at the Mass. They take vows for one year at a time.

Later we visited Fr. Robert J. Fox, whom I met in college back in 1986. I recall several of his books; in particular Charity, Morality, Sex, and Young People. He now lives by the monastery and says daily Mass at noon.

But wait, there's more! We had noticed that there is a Benedictine Abbey in Cullman, Alabama, so off we went to find it. With all of our other visits, and getting lost going from Hanceville to Cullman, we showed up right at the end of Mass, around six o'clock. Through a crack in the church door, we saw the monks processing after Holy Communion. We came in to the church after the final blessing, and saw some of the congregation following the monks. A monk approached us, and we noticed the monks taking their places in small booths which lined the walls of one of the arms of the cross-shaped church. I asked the monk if they were about to pray vespers, and he not only said yes but also invited us to join him.

I told him we would be honored.

We chanted Vespers in English along with the monks and some lay people. We were arranged in three rows on each side, facing each other, and books were provided for us at each little booth. It was spiritually uplifting. As we left the church, my 9-year old girl Noisykid hugged me and told me how she loved to see the sisters and the monks and priests.

In one day, my children had spoken to cloistered nuns, a lay brother, a diocesan priest, and a Benedictine monk. I hope and pray that the seeds planted on this day will one day flower into vocations to the priesthood or religious life.

Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament

I will have to add some links here for pictures of the inside. The cold weather followed us from Texas.

Pilgrimage 2007 Thought #1

January 16, 2007

Homily discussed hope as mentioned in the first reading. Also mentioned the Anchor, Heart, and Cross as symbols of HOPE, CHARITY, AND FAITH.

Christ is the Anchor.

Story re. St. Jean-Marie Baptiste Vianney talking to another parish priest, complaining about his flock. The Curé of Ars asked if he was praying and sacrificing enough for them.

It struck me that I am not praying and sacrificing enough for my children. Now, before I reach for a hairshirt, it occurred to me that there is an easy, built-in, quick fix for this problem: pray for my children on the ride home. It makes sense, since I pray for my patients on the way to work. I could pray for patience on the way home. It would be a start.

The [Redacted] Newsletter

Here is an abridged/redacted version of the newsletter. 'NK' is short for Noisykid. The number after 'NK' refers to the order of the child in the family. Color indicates gender.

The dadwithnoisykids Family Newsletter

It starts here with a poem I blogged here.

Some people say I have the potential to be the next Dr. Seuss.

Greetings from Texas! As I am writing this, NK-12, our youngest, is busy straightening out my desk. She believes that a cluttered desk is a sign of a weakness in character.

“If you are breathing you have to do school!” - Wifeofdadwithnoisykids

“I'm not breathing this day.” - NK-10

Christmas is a time for us to look back at all the blessings we have received, and to look forward to the year to come. Time for children to put up the decorations that laziness precludes me from doing. Time to organize records for the 2006 tax returns. Time to change the oil on the cars and renew subscriptions to magazines that I never read. A time to be born, a time to…but I digress. It is the Christmas season, and we wish you a Blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year. If that is all you want out of this newsletter, stop now and shred this paper.

“Go ahead and shred it. But then you will have your conscience eating away at you for the rest of your life, wondering if you might have been in our newsletter.” – NK-2

Wifeofdadwithnoisykids has been busy taking wonderful care of our children, and leading them in their home schooling. This past year she took her annual silent retreat and realized just how wonderful her husband is. Her greatest desire, after her prayer to see all of her family in Heaven, is to have another baby. This sentiment is reflected in a conversation that she had, after telling a saleswoman she had twelve children:

Saleswoman: “Are you done? Are you going to have any more?”
Wifeofdadwithnoisykids: “We hope. We want more. We are praying for more.”
Saleswoman: “Oh, so you are going for a large family?”
Wifeofdadwithnoisykids: “YES!”

I am one year older and working at a hospital. I would write more, but Wifeofdadwithnoisykids already thinks I’m boasting enough. When I am not at the hospital, I am working my full time job as husband and father to our children. Wifeofdadwithnoisykids and I truly are blessed with the children that God has given to us. On my annual silent retreat this last year I also realized just how wonderful a husband I am.

NEWS FROM THE NATIVE TEXANS:

“I love you.” NK-12 said this to NK-2

Yes, NK-12 (1) can talk, sing, and dance. We don’t understand much of what she says, but she talks a lot. She continues to have fun as the little princess, playing with her older brothers and sisters. She had a full-blown case of the chicken pox before her first birthday, and loves to climb anything.

“If you make a hole in my head, and look in, grasshoppers will jump out at you. And if you touch them, you will turn into one.” – NK-11

NK-11(3): I like vacuuming. I play with thingy ma-bobbies which are Legos. I want a step stool that’s as big as our house, way up there, so I can climb on our house and every house. I want to turn ‘Spiderman’ and climb up there (pointing to the ceiling in the great room), that would be fun. And swinging on the fan, that would be fun. I want to get cars for my friends that UPS’s will bring on the back of their truck. Once there was two UPS’s but there are a whole bunch of one PS’s.

“Mom, why did you give me such a funny name?” – NK-10
“Which name?” - Mom
“John! – NK-10

NK-10 (5): I like St. Nicholas, he is nice. I like him to get lots of candy for me and NK-8 and NK-11 and my godparents. I like taking the garbage down to the gate. I want a john Deere tractor that is not broken and has a trailer on it. He had surgery in November for a lazy eye. Good results, so far….

“She was so cute, and then she broke!” NK-9’s comment on the broken outdoor statue of Mary

NK-9 (6): Have a good Christmas. I like playing with real dogs and Legos. I want Jesus to have a good birthday. I want us to have good cookies for people who we know can come and play with me. I want to have a good day on Christmas and everybody else. I want to be sandman. He cannot die. I am hoping to get some of those choking hazard Legos for Christmas this year!

“What song was that?” NK-8, after listening to the piano teacher play a beautiful rendition of ‘Jingle Bells.’

NK-8 (8): Really I was 11 and now I’m twelve. A monster came and ate me. He had big arms and he played the hand-slapping game with me. I made my 1st confession on my Feast Day, St. Elizabeth of the Hungry. I like playing in my room with my paper dolls and kitchen set with NK-7 and NK-12. My favorite food is chocolate. I like putting up decorations in my house and outside and enjoying Christmas when Jesus was born. NK-8 had her appendix removed in February, making hers the second case of appendicitis in three months. So far, everyone else has retained his/her appendices.

“And I don’t want that to appear in the newsletter!” – NK-7, after saying something funny (in May).

NK-7 (9): I wish y’all a Happy Christmas and a Blessed New Year. I would like mom to have a little sister for NK-12 this year. I got cleats in June. [Editor: for those not educated in orthodontics, a cleat is a small metal piece attached to the back of her 8 front teeth. They are used to keep her tongue back and allow the open bite to close.]. I like to play with my toys with my sisters NK-12 and NK-8. I went to a nice Mexican restaurant on my birthday and my sister NK-8’s birthday as well. I got a bathtub and food set for my Bitty Babies.

NEWS FROM THE TRANSPLANTED TEXANS:

“I wonder why everyone thinks our newsletter is funny” – NK-6

NK-6 (10): I like Christmas. Christmas is FUN! I like playing baseball. My favorite team is the Rangers. I like jumping on our new trampoline. I want us to get new dogs because one of our dogs went away and the other decided to live at the neighbor’s house because she feeds her. I want dogs that can breed and have lots and lots of puppies, so I can breed and breed and breed. Merry Christmas from NK-6!

“I’m going to be the greatest twelve year old there ever was” – NK-5

NK-5 (11): My hobbies are playing football and baseball. I want to join the Marines when I grow up. I went to home school field day and I got to play a lot of football. I am planning on joining the Youth Group in 2007. I got to spend time with friends in Houston and watched them play baseball.

When am I supposed to do my math, during the school day? – NK-4

NK-4 (13): I enjoy playing the violin, which I started in August. And I still play the piano. I enjoy playing basketball and baseball. I do not play those sports on a team. I want to be an engineer, single, and help the poor. My nickname is Zephyr.

“Nope. Never mind!” - NK-3’s response to: “We are going to call Dad.”

NK-3 (14): Spends his time reminding us of all his Christmas and birthday wishes. He continues to amaze us with his artistic ability, with his drawings and Lego creations.

“I can’t think of anything to write because I was not born with all that nonsense in my head like Dad and NK-1 were” – NK-2

NK-2 (15 and counting down the days till she is 16): I am blessed to have such wonderful parents, especially my father, who is a beacon of stability and calm in my tumultuous adolescent world. Oh, if every child could only have a father like my dear Daddy! Wait, she did come up with something on her own: I play the piano and started violin this year. I got braces in June and hope to have them off before next Christmas. I am an officer (yearbook editor) in the Youth Group. For my 15th birthday, I got “Drivers Ed in a Box,” (a home school driver education course) and I am working on getting my drivers permit. I enjoy taking care of my little sister NK-12 and am praying for God to send little sisters for her so that she has a sister around her age - unlike me whose closest sister in age is six years younger.

“WHAT?!? It’s 12:40, and this is the first I am hearing that I should be doing school today?” – NK-4

NK-1(Histor the Wise) is merely 16, yet already he is in his second infancy. We hope against hope for a second maturity. He is in his Junior Year of homeschooling, working hard to get through it. (Dad told him he couldn’t have a harem until he moved out.) In March, his team won in the highly competitive Faith and History Contest (thanks J., M., and L.!) Three months later he completed the required worship of the Goddess of Prudence and received a learner’s permit. His mouth evolved a set of braces in June, but his contacts required intelligent design. He intends to become either a political analyst or a freelance writer when he, ahem, grows up. Merry Christmas (especially to those who can kindly part with their sniper rifles!) This year he ate a grasshopper - this is advancement in the animal kingdom, considering that last year he ate a worm!

NEWS FROM THE FUTURE TEXANS:


“Sometimes it is exhausting raising a husband.” – Wifeofdadwithnoisykids

This section of the newsletter has yet to be written, for our prayers for more children have yet to be answered. While I love to fill these pages with humorous comments from our children, we would rather the space be filled with the doings of even more little Noisykids, ones with names like Jim-Bob, Clive, Rudyard, Arlo, and Bobbie Ray(we’d call that one ‘Junior’), or, by request, Linus-Cletus-Clement. For now, God appears to be asking for patience; perhaps until we come up with more uncommon names….

“Brace Yourself!” - Our orthodontist

This year we celebrate three children starting on the long and wonderful path of wearing braces. NK-1, NK-2, and NK-7 enthusiastically look forward to the day when all the metal will fall out of their mouths and they have straight teeth and captivating smiles. On the other hand, they already have the smile part….maybe I could use the money for something else – like a car payment!

“I never know what to believe in dadwithnoisykids’ newsletters. The children’s quotes….I believe, but the rest?” - Anonymous

Once again, another year has passed by, and we have all survived another Newsletter. There are many things in this letter which make no sense at all, even to me. I welcome your attempt to understand what it all means, and when you understand it, contact me via my profile.

Messages attached to, or inserted into, packages from Honey Baked Ham, Omaha Steaks, or Sourdough bread from Boudin Bakery in San Francisco will receive priority. Shiny objects will also please us, for we like bright shiny objects.

“You’re not listening to me, are you?” – Wifeofdadwithnoisykids
“A little.” - dadwithnoisykids

Love Mother Earth, dudes! Recycle! You know this belongs at the bottom of a pile of decomposing leaves or whatever.

“We’re lying on brooms, pretending we’re big Jesus!” - NK-10 and NK-11, with their arms outstretched

May God bless and keep you in the year 2007. May the Good Lord shine His face upon you, and may your own newsletter be filled with the peace and joy that surpasses all human understanding. Our newsletter reflects a life overflowing with blessings from God, and children who say things that sometimes surpass our understanding.

NK-10: “Mom, what’s that on your lips?”
Mom: “Lip gloss.”
NK-10: “Nope. It’s your slobber.”

“My shoe size? I fit tens, but really my foot is a nine” – NK-5

“I don’t laugh at our newsletter. I’m much too serious for such matters.” - NK-2

Still working on humility

Humility of Heart: by Fr. Cajetan de Bergamo

This is the book that I really have fallen asleep reading all this week.

I have some preliminary thoughts about this book. One is that I have to resist the urge to quit blogging, since my blog really is nothing more than a public display of self-love which does nothing to help me become humble of heart.

The other is the realization that this book, written in the 1600's, translated by an archbishop in the waning days of his life in the 1800's, and given to me for Christmas by Saint Nicholas - all of these events, spanning over centuries, have fallen into place for Divine Providence to work in a special way:

It is obvious that God wants me to blog on this book for YOUR edification.

Now re-read my first thought on this book again!

Seriously, the book is full of literally humbling meditations, and I will share with you the first one, one which hit me squarely between the eyes like a baseball bat:

In Paradise there are many saints who never gave alms on earth: their poverty justified them. There are many saints who never mortified their bodies by fasting or wearing hair shirts: their bodily infirmities excused them. There are many saints too who were not virgins: their vocation was otherwise. But in Paradise there is no saint who is not humble. (#1)

Ouch. Now you could see why this book makes me think of discontinuing the blog.

Strange but true:

Take a look at this article. In case you can't access it, here it is, from Reuters Health. I have snipped some of the article:


Uterus Retrieval From Organ Donors Seems Practical

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Jan 08 - Current organ donor networks appear able to supply human uteruses for transplantation, as a possible approach to treating infertility, researchers report in the January issue of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Gory doctor stuff omitted here....

The researchers note that non-vital organ transplantation raises ethical issues, and "the only uterine transplant carried out in the human was controversial and unsuccessful."

Nevertheless, they point out that surgical techniques have improved and the successful retrieval of a usable human uterus brings the possibility of such transplants closer.

"Our hope," the team concludes, "is to eventually restore reproductive function through transplantation of a human uterus."
Obstet Gynecol 2007;109:101-104.

Adoption would be a lot easier.

One thing I always say about transplantation, is that you just trade one disease for another. I don't think infertility is a disease(some consider it a blessing!); certainly it is not worth undergoing a transplant with all the subsequent immunosuppressive drugs needed. Consider the incidence of cancers such as PTLD(post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease) years after transplant.

Then there is the whole idea of abortion, with the number of children slaughtered every year, contrasted with this procedure which may or may not result in birthing children. I think it would be easier and cheaper to convince a woman to keep a child to put him or her up for adoption.

Before the flight to Egypt

second attempt sending via mobile blogger

After the Epiphany....

Epiphany and House Blessing

+20 CMB 07+
Christus Benedicat Mansionem!

Foucauld's Confession

This is the second in a series of commentaries on the biography of Charles de Foucauld: Charles de Foucauld, by Jean-Jacques Antier.

Foremost in the story of Charles de Foucauld's life is the conversion story, the very moment which seemed to be the turnaround of Foucauld's life.

Like St. Augustine, Foucauld's conversion was not a sudden cataclysmic event, such as the conversion of Saul on the road to Damascus. Instead, Foucauld had been struggling for years with his Faith. Recall that his cousin's piety and influence on him (and certainly her prayers) had been working on his soul for quite some time. So much of the groundwork had been done to prepare Foucauld for a return to the Church.

Ultimately, all the prayers, intercessions, even God Himself, must wait for the man to make that wrenching, horrific commitment(too weak a word) to change, to convert. In this way Foucauld's conversion story was similar to that of S. Augustine's - the last straw that broke the camel's back was not some child's sing-song 'pick up and read,' but rather one holy priest's command to go to confession(p. 100):

On October 30, 1886 Foucauld decided to meet anonymously with Fr. Huvelin, a parish priest recommende to Foucauld by his cousin. He decided to meet him anonymously in ths confessional before his first Mass, early in the morning.

Foucauld said to the priest that he had questions about the Faith. Huvelin asked if he had ever had the Faith, and Foucauld started making excuses.

There goes the pitch, right across the plate, and Huvelin hits it out of the park:

"You are mistaken, my son. What is missing now, in order for you to believe, is a pure heart. Go down on your knees, make your confession to God, and you will believe."

He did just that. He made his confession, summarizing his whole life and dumping into the lap of his 'Alter Christus.' He received absolution, and then was ordered by Father Huvelin to receive Holy Communion.

He "would never be hungry or thirsty again." (p. 101)

Commentary:

Where are the Fr. Huvelin's of the world? Where are the priests, waiting in the confessional for the Foucauld's or dadwithnoisykids' of the world? Where are the St. Jean-Marie Baptiste Vianney's of the world, sitting in the confessional, waiting for the 'big fish' that will come that day - knowing this will happen because of the sufferings the devil inflicted on them last night? A priest once told me that he is in the confessional because he WANTS to hear confessions, he wants to give absolution to the sinners. It is a source of joy to serve as a means for sharing God's mercy.

It certainly helps me in my spiritual combat....

The issue of confession did get me thinking on the way that confession should produce great spiritual growth in a parish. I call it the 'Closed Loop of Confession.

The closed loop is a term I heard about in high school computer class, back in 1979 or 1980 - back when we had to print out every line of FORTRAN on a computer punch card! We would hand a stack of these cards to someone at the computer center(at the University of Michigan) and wait for them to run through the card reader. Occasionally, the program would take along time before printing out an error message that indicated that the program had a 'closed loop' in it that would make the program continuously repeat a process.

The sacrament of confession can be the start of a 'closed loop' if the priest uses what he hears in confession(respecting anonymity, of course) to address the spiritual needs of the parishioners. Let's use an example:

1. The priest increases the time for confession from two to four hours per week, encouraging people to come anonymously, spontaneously, rather than having to make an 'appointment' to see him. He advertises this in the bulletin and mentions it in the homily.

2. More people take advantage of the Sacrament of Penance. Graces flow.

3. The priest notes that a lot of parishioners are confessing, for example, looking at bad things on the internet. One might say it appears to be an epidemic.

4. The priest notes this common occasion of sin, and preaches about it on SUNDAY. While he is at it, he throws in movies, TV, and books. He makes this a recurrent theme each SUNDAY, and encourages his parishioners to use the Sacrament of Divine Mercy to cleanse their souls.

5. Confessions increase in number each week. The priest uses the time in confession to encourage family prayer, daily Mass, etc. Graces keep building in the parish and within individuals.
6. Spiritual growth prompts more people to pray and sacrifice more, and take greater advantage of the Sacraments during the week.

This continues until all involved die, or the priest transfers to another parish.

These comments are typical 'armchair quarterbacking,' but I think they are still valid. A lot of the impetus for this 'closed loop' requires the initiative of the priest; all of this ultimately comes from the working of the Holy Spirit.

Pray not only for more vocations to the priesthood, but also for more courage and initiative from those priests who are in our parishes.

Epiphany Part 2

Group photograph of the on-site photography team with the actors portraying the Epiphany.

TAKE THE MOSH PIT QUIZ!

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Click on the Mosh Pit Label below to review all the videos. Add a comment if you think your favorite was left off the list. I could only put 10 on the list. Sorry.

Visit from Old Friends

Over the weekend, we had some friends from Houston come and visit us. We had a wonderful time, and went to Mass and Holy Hour and Confession on New Year's Eve at St. William the Confessor Catholic Church in Greenville, Texas.

On New Year's Day, we returned for Mass and a Rosary Procession. I kept the baby inside because we both had sniffles and coughs, so I have no pictures of the beautiful procession. Perhaps Semper Fi will.




I did get some snapshots of an old friend of ours. Yankee Hotel Joliet, better known as the Great White, was present in the parking lot at St. William's.



Here is a picture of it:

Here is one with Sixty-One Papa, the Big Blue Miracle, in the foreground. Note the markings for the various animal/Sacristan strikes on the front fender of the Big Blue Miracle:

Mr. Moose wondered whatever happened to the little Dogbert doll that used to live in the Great White:

"I plan on retiring to a monastery, and spend my life in prayer and penance for Dadwithnoisykids, when the Big Blue Miracle eventually retires or is destroyed," he said.

"I hope that won't be for several years. Also, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from all of us who ride with the Dadwithnoisykids Family!"

If some of this is confusing, check the Labels to explain some things, maybe....

Christmas Cruise Update

From the Christmas Cruise, via text messaging:



Our trip has become a bit more complicated. After taking a left out of Port Aransas, we figured it would be a day or two before we run into Florida. From there, we planned on taking a right turn and easing down the Gulf Coast to Havana.



Instead we have seen nothing but water. Well, the Coast Guard was shadowing us for a while....



We are slowly getting to know about our lone passenger. Our guest explained that he is hoping to take advantage of the political instability in Cuba after Castro steps down. It took a while, but we explained that Castro is still in charge.



Last night, we saw a giant squid, three times longer than the Water Strider. It glowed with a kind of phosphorescence as it swam under and beyond the ship.



"Looks like a glow-in-the-dark squid," was our guest's comment.



"Looks like calamari to me," was Tortoise Tuus, the chef's, only thought.



More later....



Captain Merrill Stewbean