What’s in a Name?

My kids grew up in the 90’s before everything was electronic. PDA’s were being introduced but cell phones weren’t in every pocket. We used a paper calendar to keep up with our schedules. I wrote EVERYTHING on that calendar and with a busy family of 5, that was a lot of writing. So, I shorthanded it, kind of like texting shortcuts. L – SP was soccer practice for my son. C – GS was Girl Scouts for my older daughter. R – PD w/ DGS was a play date with my younger daughter’s best friend. This worked so well that I started referring to my kids and their friends by their initials. (HR³_,  you know who you are!)  As texting became the norm, I started leaving cryptic notes for my kids. TAN was “taking a nap”. YMLY was “your mommy loves you”. It drove them crazy, but they had fun with it with, too. They still do.  I’ll get a cryptic text every once in a while and will have to decipher what they are telling me.

So to us, it’s not odd for our boat to be named FNR. Many of you have asked what FNR stands for. Well, it depends on who you ask…

Steve says it’s a name for all people. Meaning that, if you’re a radio enthusiast, it stands for Frequency Noise Response. If you’re a microbiologist, you probably know all about Fumarate Nitrate Reductase. If you’re a car enthusiast, you’re ready for a Friday Night Ride. If you’re a professor, perhaps you teach in the College of Forestry and Natural Resources. But, he says, if you’re an asshole like him, it’s For No Reason.

Ask me and I’ll tell you that what FNR really stands for is Finley aNd Rootie. Most of you know that Finley and Rootie are our dogs, and that I love those dogs dearly.

When we talk about going cruising, I just assume the dogs will go with us. Steve says lots of people take their dogs with them. Yes, we’ll have to make some accommodations for them, but dogs do live on boats. Besides, we’ve taken them on a powerboat before and they did just fine. So I am excited to take F & R to Oriental when we close on our boat. They are excited, too!!  But, as we head down the dock, I realize that getting on and off a sailboat can be rather problematic for a dog. Boats move back and forth and up and down along with the water. It’s not just a little hop for them to get on and off. They have to think about when they jump and where they land. F & R are a little intimidated so I jump on with Finley in my arms and Steve carries Rootie on board. Once down below, they make themselves at home.  Yep.  This is going to work out just fine!!

We practice going up and down the companionway steps. They figure out how to go up, but down is another story.

And, poor Rootie. He has another issue. A medium-sized dog, weighing about 55 pounds, he’s the sweetest dog ever, but a major klutz. I don’t know, maybe his center of gravity is off, because he sure has trouble standing up when he is out on deck. Steve calls him shark bait, meaning it’s just a matter of time before he falls overboard.

It takes me a few months, but I finally decide that cruising with two dogs is not going to be the best idea nor it is going to be particularly enjoyable for me or the dogs. I am going to need time to settle into the cruising lifestyle and it’s going to be lots harder if I have two dogs trying to adjust, as well. Besides, F & R are getting older and I can’t bear the thought of something happening to them on the boat.

Finley and Rootie are going to stay behind. Steve knows how hard that is for me, and while he won’t admit it if you ask him, that’s why we named our boat FNR.

Luckily, both dogs are with family. Each daughter took one. They get together for play dates and the girls share lots of pictures.

Steve and I plan to cruise for 2 years so F & R will be 9 years old when we return. I miss them but I am about to embark on the adventure of a lifetime and I feel very certain that it won’t be for no reason!