Santa was extra generous this year.

Not too many parents can document the night of their child's conception.  Apparently, I can. 

As of today, I am going into my 16th week.  Calculating it back, Jeff and I were able to figure out when the magic happened.  Suffice it to say, we will no longer be attending his office Christmas parties.

Baby boy Trimarchi is expected to arrive on or about August 31, 2014. 



Surprise!

As a seasoned veteran of the mommy brigade, I pretty much knew about three weeks into it that something was off.  I tried to tell myself that my new found massive cleavage and all day nausea were just signs of aging.. pre-menopause.  Yeah, that's it. 

Even as my chest got bigger, and denial grew stronger, we still managed to head off on our Christmas break to NYC, during which time I happily splurged on a Christmas gift to myself - two pairs of Rag+Bone skinny jeans which are now gathering dust on the top shelf of my closet. Oh the irony.  To have been diligently working out for months and months to fit comfortably into those jeans...

It's also come to my attention that other moms on this island have found themselves in this situation,  as a direct result of said Christmas party.  I don't know what to say to this, other than I'm thinking class action for child support. 

Just kidding!!  I'm kidding, said company!!!

Jordan and Mina are very excited about the whole thing.

 

Anyway, I'm hanging in there, even in the face of a rapidly diminishing wardrobe.  Yoga pants and baggy hoodies are my new best friends.  It's also a little surprising how much earlier you pop out with the third one - a fact the kids never fail to point out.

On to greener pastures.

After three breakins, (car, smashed car window, home)we decided it was time to move.

Welcome to my life!



All boxed up!

And this is only a fraction of it!

Yes, you may be slightly surprised by the amount of aluminum foil and saran wrap I own. This represents the remainder of the BIG COSTO PURCHASE we made before we moved to Bermuda a year and a half ago. Knowing how expensive everything here was, we took the advice of others and went crazy at our BIG COSTO PURCHASE day. I'm so glad we invested in this much food protection. It really makes me want to just jump up and prepare enough food to feed an army, because guess what? If they don't finish, I can WRAP IT ALL UP!!!

Or did you not even notice the aluminum foil and saran wrap because you were so awed by the number of boxes I managed to pack last week?



In the course of packing, I also discovered I never met a beauty product I didn't like. This represents yet another small fraction of my possessions. These came from the first drawer. That means there are two other drawers also full of equally useless junk. But because I deemed them less important (i.e, I used them "less") they got relegated to the 2nd and 3rd drawer. I organize by frequency of use, you know. Yes, you should have seen my kitchen ... before I packed it all up!!!

Judging by the amount contained in my first drawer, you'd think I never walked out of the house looking anything less than a fully spackled Kim Kardashian. That is decidedly not the case. When I walk out of the house, I'm lucky I'm wearing deodorant. I don't know why I bother buying makeup.



Moving is not really that much fun. However, moving with kids means you stumble across some of their stuff that often makes you pause and smile. Above is Jordan's year one writing journal. He describes the day he went swimming without his "flotes" (a/k/a armband floaties.) As you can see, it was a very exciting moment for him (and me) too. Judging from the picture, he also went swimming sans clothing.

That was not how I recall it.



Even as we packed, the kids continued to lead active social lives. Jordan returns from a birthday party with goofy glasses. I like to keep the kids entertained during this process.



That is, when I'm not putting them to work. Back to work!! Those window aren't going to clean themselves missy!



Every successful move needs a good taskmaster/slave driver. Without me and my lists of things to do, I shudder to think what this one would be doing.

A Glimpse of Life on the Rock.

St. Peter's Church, flag of Bermuda


View from the hotel, Tucker's Point








Flags at the Lighthouse



It's time to finally announce our big news to the blogosphere. With accompanying pictures.

In the next few months, the Trimarchi clan will be packing up stakes and heading off on our latest adventure. We're relocating to Bermuda. Yep, I said that right.

B-E-R-M-U-D-A.



Land of the self-styled shorts, the triangle, pink sand, and the rum swizzle. That last one I just threw in. I don't even know what that is. But I intend to find out.

FAQ:

What the !!^#*??!?

Yes. That was my initial reaction too when Jeff mentioned that he got a job offer with a company there. I think it's abbreviated now as WTF, formally.

Are you kidding??

No. Seriously. I posted about the move on Facebook and I'm still shocked that people thought I was joking about it. Really? Darn. Here I've spent my whole life thinking I had a sense of humor. Apparently not.

When?

It depends on when the immigration forms for the family are approved.

What about your house?

We're going to keep it and rent it. If you know anyone who might like to try out Bergen County, NJ while they decide whether to buy, or need a place close to the city for a family of four or more... email me!

What about the children?! (insert Homer Simpson character voice)

Indeed. What about the children. Well, I think they'll like it. They like the beach, they like the water, they love being outdoors. And they're both young and not yet entrenched in the school system here. We're hoping this disruption won't be devastating. It is Bermuda..right? How can you complain about that? Plus, Jordan likes the flag. What more can you ask for.

What about your job?

I'm going to miss it. A lot. It was pretty awesome going back to work this year. The timing worked out well, I loved the work, I loved the people I work with. The commute was kind of a drag, but I got a lot of sleeping and reading done on the bus and train. Sometimes in that order.

I'm going to miss the law, miss the little juvenile quasi-criminals on their way to becoming bigger and better adult criminals. I'm going to miss the trials and the writing. I'm going to miss thinking about an issue and reasoning out a legal conclusion. I'm going to miss the occasional success story who got himself rehabilitated. It happens!

I won't miss waking up at 5:00 am though. Given restrictions imposed on spouses applying with work permit residents, I won't be able to work in the immediate future. But, I think they relax that rule a bit after you've been there awhile. Who knows, maybe I can open up a cute little boutique/cafe catering to the tourists from the cruise ships? Or I could just take care of the kids. Or work on my tan, backhand and golf game. We shall see. The only reason I'll be waking up at 5:00 am though will be to squeeze in an early morning run before the humidity gets up there.

Is it far?

From New York, it's about a 2 hour flight. What's interesting is that its geographic location actually puts it closer to the Outer Banks. Maybe an hour.

How long will you be there?

Not entirely sure. We're thinking at least 5 years. But having committed to doing this, we're going to try and make it work for as long as the company needs Jeff there. You don't make a move like this and just decide to come back. I think.

Why???

First, because I think it would be an amazing opportunity for the family. After speaking with many people who have lived there, we came to the conclusion that the island is a wonderful place. It's a "whole other world" as the unofficial anthem goes. It's also a great place to grow up. I think it will be pretty exciting for the kids to live somewhere as diverse as this - surrounded by a pretty global set of individuals, going to a English style school, spending time outdoors in the sunshine and clean air. It certainly ain't Jersey.

I also think it's one of those opportunities you get once in a lifetime. Maybe I'm too influenced by the "Eat,Pray, Love" marketing going on these days, but seriously.. how often do you get a chance to go on an adventure like this? Ever?!? I've always loved travelling; and I've especially loved living in an entirely different culture and absorbing what it feels like to live somewhere with a brand new perspective. Some of my best memories are when I lived in the Netherlands. When you put yourself outside of the US for awhile, and actually have a chance to live as a resident of another culture - it gives you such an appreciation both for what we have here, as well as for the wonderful opportunities that exist elsewhere. It also is ultimately a lesson in learning what values we all share as human beings. And that can be thought provoking as well.

It's also not forever. We intend to visit a lot to reduce the "island fever" that inevitably will follow. Our friends and family are here in the states and we don't want them to completely forget about us! Of course, we're hoping many of them will use this opportunity as a chance to visit Bermuda! Jeff might even break out the shorts to welcome you.

So what do you think? Are we crazy or what?

Don't answer that.

Let's make a Deal.

I tend to avoid discussions of news events on this blog mainly because I save my remaining brain cells for political debate in private with Monkey, Sr. and a few select individuals. Plus, I work out intensely at the gym to achieve an endorphin high that I hate to lose with thoughts of the state of the world.

Once in awhile though, certain things shatter the pink bubblegum world I live in ... terrorist plots to blow up JFK airport, the death toll in Iraq, human rights abuses in Islamic countries ... and stories involving organ donation. I pay attention to those for obvious reasons.

For any newcomers to this blog, I wouldn't be posting the happy pictures I do but for the fact that someone came through for my son when he needed a heart transplant. Hi Nikki.

So, a story came to my attention about a game show in the Netherlands whose premise involved a dying woman willing to give her kidney to one of three contestants vying for the "prize." Each of the contestants was in need of a transplant, and the woman would decide, with audience participation, who was the most worthy of her gift of life. Here's a link.

The show caused a sensation in the Netherlands with charges of tastelessness and questionable ethics. The Dutch Parliament debated whether to allow it to air.

It turns out, the show was a big hoax. The woman was not dying. She was just an actress. The contestants, although in need of a kidney, knew this was all a hoax; and they were in on it. The show's producers say they concocted this elaborate farce to raise awareness of the need for organ donation in the Netherlands. Unlike much of the rest of Europe, Dutch laws on organ donation make it harder for recipients to find organs in time.

Honestly, the whole thing makes me really sad. It takes actions like this to get people talking about the issue? How did it make actual people who needed a kidney transplant feel watching this show and see people compete to win a kidney? What does it say about audience members willing to watch this show and vote on who has the best sob story most deserving of the prize?

But what if all the media attention resulted in just one person deciding to register to be an organ donor? What if one day that person's decision saves another human being's life? Is that alone worth the momentary discomfort of seeing human tragedy exploited for entertainment and shock value?

Obviously, our family has some experience with media efforts at organ donor awareness. For the most part, we had a very positive series of encounters with kind individuals who gave us a chance to talk about Jordan's story and what organ donation was about. We had no idea what we were getting into, and no idea that the story would explode the way it did.

We also had some bitter experiences with the media and certain individuals who questioned our morality at making our appeal a public one. Some people went on the air to suggest that our actions were inappropriate because other, less educated people, with less access to media resources, would not be able to launch the same degree of effort in their cases.

Those charges hurt me to this day. I will never forget how I felt when I sat there in the hospital waiting room and watched a woman appear on a television interview to say that what we were doing was wrong. I will also never forget the countless individuals - friends and strangers, who wrote to me to tell me that because of Jordan's story, they registered to be organ and bone marrow donors. There were many of them. I wonder how many lives they will be saving in the future.

Maybe this stunt in the Netherlands was a good thing. Maybe it was tasteless. Who am I to judge?