Ugh. I've got "yacht hair."

You know that feeling when you navigate your yacht back into the slip and now that you're no longer sailing in the breeze you realize your hair is a complete mess? Me neither. Until last week.

You see, Lands' End brought me, Dawn from Because I Said So and Lisa from Lisa's Thoughts and Ramblings out for a sail on a yacht on Lake Michigan to give us a taste of the Race to Mackinac. Lands' End is the title sponsor of this 260-boat race across the lake.

It was a lovely afternoon and I really meant to post on it before last weekend's big race, but as of this writing, there's still no winner from the race that began last weekend. Check here for up-to-the-minute details.

Amanda from Lands' End PR gave us a water bottle and a Land's End bag branded with the Race logo. I laughed when I took a good look at the bag and realized it's not just their standard bucket bag, but a zip top version. I had to laugh, because I carried one of these around for years!

When my boys where about 3 and 5 and I became serious about writing, I carried a large journal with me everywhere, and this was my sturdy go-to bag. I think this new version is going to be my "BlogHer and beyond bag."
Photo credit: Dawn Meehan. She's on the left, Lisa is in the center. I'm the one on the right looking like an old lady and our fearless Captain Randy is in the rear.

We Dared to Stand Out

Dared to Stand Out on the Ledge- you know that glass enclosure sticking out of the 103rd floor of the Sears Tower? Oh yeah, Smartypants and I were there!

I was pleasantly surprised to receive an invite to the Media Preview Day for the new Sears Tower (Willis Tower) ledge. I was able to bring along my oldest and might have tried to bring the youngest as well, but the boys have been fighting like cats and dogs lately.

And look: our shoes are famous! And my 11-year-old was quoted in the Washington Post.

Earlier this year he and his orthodontia were front and center in the New York Times. That kid is quite the media darling.

We give the Ledge a thumbs-up and dare you to Stand Out on your next trip to Chicago.