Family and Blessings.....

   It's crabbing season again, and we're ready to go.  The boat is launched and waiting out in the bay until Thursday, when Steve will drop the crab pots.  We really love this space and enjoy everything it has to offer.  As it turns out, our family members love this space too.  Our niece and her little family are here until Wednesday, and Steve's brother just left yesterday after enjoying the weekend with us.  Summers here are filled with never-ending beauty and abundant outdoor activities.  I've also visited several parks in the area that I never really noticed, and it's lots of fun to explore each unique space so that I can show visitors a great time in beautiful spaces without a huge expense.  We.re looking forward to our son's visit as well.  He and Harald arrive this evening and will stay until Sunday.  Our son Stevie cannot join us this summer because of a dangerous cardiac event.  Apparently, he was in A-Fib for a long time without realizing it, and by the time he noticed something was wrong, he was in heart failure.  He went to the emergency room and landed in their ICU until they stabilized him.  Then they transferred him to a specialty hospital where he will undergo an ablation this afternoon.  Steve headed to Austin as soon as we heard and stayed there until Stevie stabilized.  While there, he helped get the paperwork completed and sent to Stevie's work so that he's covered while he's out.  We're praying that his heart begins a healthy rhythm.  This was a massive reminder of how very fragile life is and that we must enjoy every moment to the best of our ability.  Our family and friends are priceless.  Every moment we share is irreplaceable.  We're very disappointed that Stevie can't join us this year for crabbing, but we're so grateful that he survived this ordeal and will emerge healthier than he's been in a long time.  We'll try to get together in November instead.  In the meantime, there'll be no shortage of visitors and activity around the bay.  As an aside, I've gained weight.  Ugh!  The green chili came in, and so did my colossal appetite for delicious green chili edibles.  So, yet again, I must reign myself in before I get too far into incremental weight gain.  I must reduce my portions and not get tempted to overdo those things I love.  I think I can manage to do that.  I will give it a try and check back next week, hopefully with a good report.