There are great universal truths.
You always run your stockings when it’s your last pair, you have no time to get another pair, and you haven’t shaved your legs.
Your kids will tell you that they’re supposed to take cookies to school 10 minutes before bedtime.
Fishermen lie.
They may not lie on a day to day basis, but something about the sound of their line hitting the water just drains away all ability to tell the truth. The smell of the water weakens their moral fiber, it demolishes their beliefs in right and wrong. They lie.
Peyton is a fisherman now. Offically and truly, to the core of her being. She’s a fisherliar.
The Fishing Derby is a fun event set up for the kids by the Steve Yerrid Foundation. He holds a weekend of fundraising for the Pediatric Cancer Foundation that includes the Fisherman’s Derby where the grown ups lie to each other, the Kids Fishing Derby where the kid get the chance to learn to lie from the pros who come in the pretense of teaching them to cast and stuff like that, and then the Fisherman’s Ball with the opportunity to spin your fishing stories while others are too busy eating and drinking and bidding extraordinary amounts on auction items to notice your fibs.
Fishermen lie.
I know this because yesterday was the first time Peyton had even held a fishing pole. Yet, when asked the size of the fish she caught, she swung her arms as wide as they would go and announced “It was THIS big!!”
The 400 lb marlin that she apparently pulled in while no one was looking!
Liar liar, pants on fire!
What do YOU wear to fish?
Fish #1
Fish #2
But the two little fishes she caught thrilled her to the depths of her soul. She squealed, screamed, danced around, jumped up and down and even touched it. So for those around her who knew the true size of her fish, we couldn’t possibly be the ones to shatter her very first fishing story.
Besides Peyton’s budding Pinochio tendencies, we had a tremendous day of fun at the derby. We got to fish on the docks in St. Pete. They really stacked the deck in the kid’s favor by throwing chum and bait in the water and giving the kids the best chance to catch something. Most of the kids caught at least one fish, Nathaniel caught one and Peyton caught two. Rachael didn’t catch anything because she couldn’t be bothered to hold a stick over the water for long. Booooring! Instead, she flittered around and chatted up her friends.
I caught one fish as well…..it was THiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiS big.
We were invited to attend the Fisherman’s Ball as guests of the Bertoch’s. I’d heard about it, I’d see pictures, but nothing quite prepares you for watching people with bottomless pockets dig deep for a cause. I can’t think of a better reason for someone to bid 00 for a puppy, than to hand it over a sweet little girl who’d successfully battled cancer AND knowing that the entire amount goes to cancer research. People bid and won a Mercedes Benz, weekend getaways to Jimmy Buffett’s house (ohhhh, guess who was just dying to bid on that one?), a freshly painted picture of Mike Alstott, autographed by the A-train himself on stage, hundreds of auction items went up for bid and were taken home by generous souls. The Pediatric Cancer Foundation took another huge leap forward in funding the research and clinical trials that keep getting us closer to cures.
Peter and I spent the night not bidding on anything, just cruising and eating and having fun with the friends we had there. I have to share one of the highlights of the night.
Now, I missed this altogether, I can’t believe it because I’m sure it ranks up there as one of the funniest things Peter has ever done. Pete was strolling around, checking out the auction items, and he came across a beautiful piece of artistry. Awed by the carved fish and crabs, he reached out and asked “Is this wood?”….just seconds before his hand touched the sand and he realized what he had just done. As reported by Cody Bertoch, who was there to see the whole thing, there was a fantastic slo-mo moment when Peter was reaching out to touch, the sculptor was waving his hands in a “NO! NO! NO!” moment and then he made contact.
Only one fish was slightly damaged and the sculptor was able to carefully repair the touched spot.
I can’t really mock him because I’m the type of person who’s most likely to be found with my tongue stuck to the ice sculpture just because I couldn’t help myself.
f.r.o.G…fully relying on God
–Anissa
—Noteable fact,
CNN just announced that a discovery in the porcine family. It is stealthy, it is known to find it’s way into an already claimed territory and mark it as it’s own, and as a self-preservation tactic, it has a high pitched squeal.
It is known as the BED HOG
