Setting a Course - Part 2

So we haven't completely let the cat out of the bag about our big plans, but I'm talking about it here and with some other friends... not to mention our friends (& neighbor), C and G, who now also appear to have live-aboard fever (sorry guys!). We've, collectively, come across a few books, more sailing blogs, several with kids, and even got a couple of links from the Schultes... I've also expanded my research to include several 'working abroad' blogs. Some people work remotely/online and others are making their living writing travel articles or even documentaries. It's fun to glean ideas or little tidbits of information, about the traveling part, the working/financial part, and the family part.

As it turns out, a good friend is restoring a 33' sailboat from the late 70s that he bought for a song. He's still not completely certain what he's gotten himself into, as far as the boat's condition, but it sounds like the project is going ok and we can't wait to make a trip down to check it out in person. We got together with some friends for dinner Monday night and DH and I both got to spend time talking to him about the project and what he's learned about boats and sailing. We only joked him a little that he got out of amateur off-road racing to get into boat restoration and sailing.

Last week I got to have lunch with my favorite cousin, who was going to spend most of this past spring and summer helping a friend sail his 42' ketch (Swedish made, that's all he told me) from Deltaville, VA, back to Sweden. I think it was originally planned for the summer of 2011, but the weather and other things forced them to put it off not only once but now twice. They're planning on doing a loop of the Caribbean this fall and winter. My cousin is in his late 60s or so, and a complete nut. I mean that in a good way... he's always up for a challenge and stays busy with a business (or maybe two), working on his 1740s house in Virginia, or visiting Hawaii and hiking all over to check out old haunts from his Army days. He basically drove 2 hours out of his way because he was passing through "close enough" to warrant a quick visit. He was excited by our scheme and promised to send me links to people he knows who are sailing, especially with kids.

Right now, I think we're leaning toward a catamaran. As much as anything for the stability, because they don't heel like monohulls (look at the terminology use!) and we'll have small children and dogs on board. I don't know, for sure, though because I've seen several blogs with kids and dogs on monohulls and everyone seems to do ok. There may be more critical things to consider, such as boats actually out there for sale and their available space, condition, equipment, and holding tank space for things like gas and water. DH suggested we name whatever boat "Your Boat Name is Dumb," but then realized we'd probably end up with the nickname "The Dumbs." You can't always get what you want.

We do have a ways to go before we are actually in shopping for a boat mode. Some of the boat questions will require some actual experience (or at least stepping aboard a craft or two) to sort out and we'll have to have at least a half-assed plan for how on earth will we finance this lifestyle to which we'd like to become accustomed. There are some debts to be paid off, money to save, a few ongoing house projects to be completed, stuff to unload, and a family to continue to raise. We need to refinance our house, because the rates are just too good not to. We're looking at having a contractor come in and do some work, including probably finishing some things we haven't. Several friends and family members have told us (more than once) that the 10 years we have spent working on our house have been tedious and unnecessary, but we've learned a lot about construction and ourselves along the way. DH and I know we make a good team; we know how to split up projects and tasks, we know our strengths and weaknesses.

   

We're bulletproof tigers, dude.

Weekend recap and a survey

We had the best weekend! Friday was a little rough. I left work a little early and picked up DD, who has been dropping her second nap and gets pretty cranky in the evenings as a result. I was unusually exhausted (even for 29.5 weeks pregnant) and, when DH got home a little early too, took a nap for about an hour. He took DD outside to play and pick up sticks in the yard (it's not child labor when she loves to help, right?) and then I made dinner after I woke up. She was just not satisfied, no matter what. Hungry? Maybe, but that still didn't fix it. Teething pain? Maybe, but a little something cold or even rubbing the gums didn't fix it. She finally gave it up about 8:30pm, but then woke up at 4am and didn't fall back asleep until at least 5:15. Ugh.

Saturday was beautiful and we spent the morning and most of the afternoon doing little chores around the house and spending time in the yard. DD caught an anole!

It was the funniest thing, and I still don't know how it got in the house much less how she caught it. He was a teeny baby, less than an inch-and-a-half from the tip of his nose to the tip of his tail. I was moving laundry from the washer to the dryer and she was toddling around the adjacent office/sunroom. She was kind of quiet, so I peeked around the corner of the door to see what she was up to. She came from behind a chair, in front of the windows in one corner, with something in her hand, holding it palm up but with her fingers closed into her palm (not quite a fist). It looked greenish and my first thought was leaf or bug. Nope, she had this tiny anole by the tail! I was able to catch him from her and call for DH to see before we took it outside and set him free on the patio to watch him scurry away. We even saw an adult later, on the side of the house, so I could show DD the 'mama' lizard.

We even got DD to take two naps, the second one on our way to the stadium to tailgate with family and friends and then watch three quarters of a very one-sided football game. She is so not shy (at least most of the time), and had a blast clapping, dancing and waving at everyone around us. She slept better that night, too. What is it about more nap time and sleeping better? The better rested they are, the better they rest or something, I think I've heard.

Sunday (yesterday) was even nicer... a little cool and definitely fall-like. We started off early at our favorite country breakfast place. DD ate like a linebacker and I ate more than I should have. I mean, the pancakes are huge (11" diameter!) and I usually eat maybe half of one, including sharing a few bites with DD. Between the two of us, we ate at least 2/3 of it. We ran a couple of errands and got DD to fall asleep on the way back home. I'd hoped for a repeat performance of the afternoon nap in the car, since we were leaving for a mid-afternoon wedding a little over an hour away, but no such luck. She powered through the outdoor ceremony (my dad did take her around back of everyone so she didn't have to sit still), cocktail hour, dinner, and she danced to the saxophone music during cocktail hour and the DJ after dinner. She gave hugs and kisses 'bye' before passing out as soon as we were in the car to leave, at about 8:15. Stirred once around 11 and then nothing until 6 this morning. If you don't have kids, you have no idea how awesome that is.

Speaking of this wedding... it was the absolute cutest, most fun event and it was really a great reflection of the bride, groom, and their families. My cousin, the bride, grew up showing cows for her grandparents' dairy farm and now she's a veterinarian. The groom also grew up on a farm and, with degrees in Human Resources, Science, and Agricultural Business Management, he helps run the family farm in western NC. The ceremony and reception took place in a 1940s dairy barn that has been refurbished into an events facility with a catering kitchen and space for dinner and dancing. The ceremony was out behind the hayloft, on the lawn overlooking fields of soybeans and recently cut corn stalks. The sky was completely clear except for the visible moon. The cocktail hour consisted of local wines & beers and meat, cheese, and fruit hors d'oeuvres passed on trays with little cards containing agricultural facts. The place cards were printed on labels attached to bright pink (the bride's favorite color) ear tags and the tables were labeled with farm animals and farm equipment. The dinner was good southern food... barbeque pork, grilled chicken, green beans, mashed potatoes, macaroni & cheese and deviled eggs. The cake was beautiful and delicious. 

Even if I wasn't pregnant, I'd still talk about the food.

I found this survey some time ago and held on to the list of questions, for fun... The sun is shining and some of these made me smiles that much more.

Hometown? the tiny community of Timberlake, NC
Parents still together? well... it's complicated... and not just on Facebook.
Siblings? two brothers, this one and this one
Pets? two very spoiled labrador retriever mixes... both rescues

Smoker? nope
Drinker? I like good beer but it tastes funny when I'm pregnant and, well, I'm pregnant
Favorite Color? Black. Ok, you know I'm lying... it's orange.
Favorite Flower? Daffodils. There were tons in my grandmother's yard and we'd pick and fill the house with them.

Favorite Candy? That's a tough one, because I love candy, especially the old-school penny candy variety. I'll go with Hot Tamales... or Mary Janes... or...
Collect anything? I used to collect little clocks, 3 is considered a 'collection' and DH cut me off at 5 or 6. I've given a couple away, now that we're getting rid of clutter.
Biggest Fear? That's a tough question... it pains me to think of my loved ones suffering, but I'm fairly content with the concept that life happens and shit happens...
Biggest Weakness? DH or DD's laugh, definitely. Cures all sorts of ills. Doggie kisses from my two favorite bad dogs are good, too.

Oh, and we had to find DH a new pair of slacks and a shirt to wear to the wedding. Yes it was adding to the stuff, but it was a good excuse to cull at least one pair of slacks and 4 or 5 shirts from his closet to donate.

The Ball is Rolling

We're still both very excited about the idea of sailing and living aboard (or something) and have found a couple more interesting blogs and articles by people living aboard with kids. Our main 'planning' task is figuring out how to support ourselves. The idea we have is to take a 'shotgun' approach, and identify or develop several marketable skills and see what works and what works well. I read last night that the Schultes are writing a book on not only their choices to pursue passions and dreams but also how they fund their lifestyle and, specifically, Pat's experiences in trading stocks. Should be interesting reading! I can also confirm that they do reply to every email, as Ali was kind enough to help me with my question about concrete criteria for paring down. She confirmed that you do the best you can to clear out the excess and then you'll quickly figure out what works and doesn't once you shove off... either finding things you need or shedding things you don't. Her main piece of advice was basically to "get rid of everything you are not using now." It was really cool to hear back and it gave us an extra boost of enthusiasm.

I've taken even more stuff to Goodwill and I have a load to take to the Salvation Army (each takes donations of different types of things). I also posted a few things on craigslist last night and DH posted our older Nikon DSLR on the forum we run (which will also go on CL if no one on the forum bites). I have lots more to photograph and post, but it feels good to start the next step in our "clearing-out" process. The more we unload, the more motivated I think we'll be to keep it up.

DH and I celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary last week. It was actually the same day as my midwife appointment. Even though I knew they were the same day and we spent several hours and had lunch together, neither of us remembered until the middle of the afternoon. Our celebratory dinner consisted of sandwiches and chips. We did go back to the beach for the weekend, near where we were married on the Outer Banks of NC, and had some yummy fresh shrimp for dinner. The dogs had a blast playing on the beach and in the sound and we had great weather.

I've posted this photo before, of us the morning after our wedding... we were tired, a little hungover and DH had no grey hair then.


I'm 29 weeks pregnant today, which means I'm into the third trimester. That blows my mind. I had a midwife appointment last week where they did the Glucose Tolerance Test (no news is good news so I apparently passed) and also tested my iron/hemoglobin. That was a little low so even though I eat pretty well/healthy, I need to try to get the number back up before 36 weeks. I'll go in every 2-3 weeks, for now, but they won't check until 36. It dipped and went back up with DD, so fingers crossed. Everything else was good, though, as far as weight and the measurements they take. The midwife did seem somewhat incredulous that I'm working full-time, have a toddler who doesn't always sleep well, AND I'm almost seven months pregnant. DD is sleeping better, but she has eye teeth coming in and they're the worst so far. In other 'baby' news, we're proving to be just as slack (if not more so) with belly progress pics. We've taken some, but have yet to post any. I'll try to work on that.

Speaking of DD... this photo is a couple of weeks old now, but get a load of this kid... such a wallflower. New words are coming almost daily now, although there is still lots of 'nonsense' talk... but she will repeat entire phrases (that we can't understand at all) and we figure she just thinks we're dumb. Still climbing everything, trying all sorts of new feats of strength, agility, and parental nerve-wrecking. We're going to my cousin's wedding this weekend, it will be her second but first since she's been truly mobile (we were both in my first cousin's wedding last November). She's going to be a hit on the dance floor, I guarantee.

Setting a Course

John Lennon sang, "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans."

Maybe it isn't the most profound statement, but it's one that I like. I try to live in the moment, try to not get dragged down by the past and try not to get too distracted by what lies around the corner. Sure, I think about the future... especially now that I'm a mom, although kids definitely force you to live in the moment, because everything changes SO quickly. I just feel like life is too short to spend so much time planning and preparing that you either forget what it is you're planning and preparing for... or you just never get "prepared" and miss out on that thing and every other opportunity that you passed up in the meantime.

That's a lot of BS to get around to saying that DH and I have decided to set (or change) a course... we're not waiting until we're 65 to go on adventures. I mean, we've had lots of little adventures in the almost 15 years since we first met, but we're not going to wait for "retirement" to really go out on a limb. Yes, we have a 17-month-old and we'll have another baby before the end of the year, but we've never thought we had to wait 18 years to do anything "fun" again, either.

We haven't figured out exactly what or exactly how, but we've got some pretty interesting and compelling examples in folks like Brad and Sheena and Pat and Ali Schulte.

It all started when our buddy in Portland sent DH a link to a guy who is driving the Pan Am Highway with his girlfriend in an old Toyota Forerunner... that led him to Drive Nacho Drive which then led him to Bumfuzzle. He sent me the link where Brad and Sheena met up with the Schultes and I read from there... and climbed right on board (yeah, pun intended). The sailboat is compelling, the life in Mexico maybe even more-so since our PDX buddy competes in the SCORE races on the peninsula and has begged us to come for years. Doing all of it with kids is what is most interesting to us. Our daughter is 17 months old and will be about 20 months when the new baby arrives, just like the Schulte kids.

We've been on lots of road trips in the almost-15 years since we started dating, camping out of a 1990 Ford Bronco, sometimes with my brother tagging along, lots of times with one or two dogs tagging along, not to mention following along with our friends and all camping out together and helping each other through mechanical failures and other mishaps. We've driven from the east coast to Colorado and Utah and we've roughed it on the Rubicon Trail. We've done a lot of backpacking, even. We've done 'nicer' trips to Key West and San Francisco (if you can call youth hostels nice)... Now we have a jeep and still get in lots of long weekend practice runs... but we miss the longer (although only really 2 weeks or so) trips.

We think it will be like a mini-retirement. We're setting our 'start' date about 5 years (+/- 2) out, to give us time to figure some things out... and then we figure the duration will be 1-5 years. I guess it all depends, we're ok with that. We just like the option to change course and not be stuck anywhere doing anything. I think we've both been feeling a little "stuck", professionally, for a while and this has been a bit of a light bulb moment... not only can we get out of a rut, we can rid ourselves of the clutter and BS that drags you into them in the first place.

I've never sold anything on ebay, but I'm finding things I think will sell, along with things to offload to charities or friends (can you say way too much pink and purple baby/kid clothes?).

So, tell me your best adventure story, tell me how to best photograph stuff to sell on ebay, tell me I'm insane. Whatever. ;) I think, sometimes, you just gotta take chances.

Thankful...

When I'm feeling kind of bummed about some things, I try to take a minute and focus on... Things I love, In no particular order:

1- My husband. It is that simple and yet that all-encompassing. As I've mentioned before, he is my favorite person and my best friend. He makes me laugh and he makes me a better person. We make a good team and we work hard, always there to help each other along the way.

DH and DD on his first Father's Day

2- My child(ren). My 'darlin' daughter' brings smiles to my face and melts my heart constantly. The newness of everything, how she's seeing and figuring things out for the first time, amazes me and makes me appreciate so much. Her hugs and kisses are the BEST and her high fives and fist bumps are pretty awesome, too. ;) She dances at the tiniest hint of a tune and she LOVES.

DD, age 1, my Gma, age 91

At 20 weeks, tomorrow, we're excitedly anticipating the birth of our second child. I can only imagine that the fun and love (ok, and lack of sleep!) will increase not only double but probably triple.

3- Making people smile or laugh. What is better in life than sharing the joys of every day with family and friends?

4- A sense of accomplishment for a job well done. Knowing I've done my best, learned something and made a difference to someone else. Like June Carter Cash was fond of saying, "I'm just trying to matter."

5- My dogs. They help me remember lots of simple things that make me a better person. They also make me laugh on a regular basis, which is good for anyone.

Happy Dogs on a backpacking trip

6- God. My faith is something I'm often at a loss for words to describe, something too personal to discuss. I don't expect other people to share my beliefs, so I don't often share my beliefs with others, if that makes sense? To each his own, it is a personal thing, is what I'm trying to say. I'm in awe and take comfort in the enormity of it all... whoever is responsible.

7- Nature. I experience great joy being out in the wildest places. It isn't just the sun or the trees or any particular type of place. I'm very happy when I'm out 'there' in the open (or deep in a laurel thicket) and the silence. See #6.

With DH and the Dogs, on top of Cold Mountain

8- Cooking for/feeding people. I may not be the best cook, but I put every ounce of love in my being into it. I learned that from my grandmother. Food doesn't solve all our problems, but knowing you're loved and cared for sure does help.

9- Feeling good/helping others feel good. Related to #3, 4 and 8... but more specific to feeling "healthy." I like to be active, but not in a gym-three-times-a-week sense. I like walking (see #7), I like stretching (I'm starting to feel a Molly Shannon moment coming on :LOL: ), I like to feel like my body is doing things it is supposed to do. I'm not the preachy type, but my enthusiasm may sometimes get the better of me. ;) I'm trying to figure out a way to do more of helping others feel good... maybe there's even a "job" in it.

This makes me a little sad

While blog browsing, I found something that... well it kinda makes me sad. Strawberry Shortcake has had a makeover for a new generation. It started about a year ago, I must have missed it while I was busy loving the Star Trek reboot.



Not only is she now a bright shade of fuchsia, she has long flowing hair and shows off a more trim figure. This new Strawberry is tiny, like some kind of fairy, and lives in 'Berry Bitty City,' not Strawberryland. The cast of characters has been streamlined to five super best friends who have also been made over... and have super girlie jobs like dancing, shopping and hair styling. Then, of course, there's the token nerdy, "super smart" friend who runs a bookstore. I think I might gag.



At least she still has her pink cat, Custard.

As a child of the 80s, I was all about Strawberry Shortcake. I had the Berry Bake Shoppe and several of the dolls, including Purple Pie Man (also missing from the reboot). I think what bothers me most is these are characters for children but they've been made to act like grownups... they have jobs. It just seems unnecessary.

As my Nana used to say...

It is H.O.T. hot outside!

Close to 100 forecast for the next three days. Now that DH started a 60-day contract job (YAY! more on that later) a 20-minute drive from home, I'm back to the old routine of going home to walk the dogs around the 'hood at lunch... no matter what the weather. Because we're tough... which is what I told them when I resolved to walk the third block of the 'loop' of our neighborhood... it works out to about a mile.

Oh, so almost two weeks ago now I realized I had a voice mail from my friend and coworker, Allison, saying that her husband's firm was looking for contract help on a project. DH called the guy in charge of hiring, he put DH in touch with the staffing firm they use who set up an interview the next day... and the next day called DH back to say they wanted him to start ASAP! So he worked 4 days last week, had a 4-day weekend...

(Happy Independence Day!)

...and then has another 4-day week. Such a relief, on many levels! We're hopeful that they'll like him enough to keep him around once the project phase is completed and/or his contract is up. YAY!

My walk with the bad dogs got my blood pumping in the heat, so I'm only in the mood for fruit today... enjoying some tomato and cucumber salad (from my garden, which has gone berserk), with a little Ranch dressing that showed up unexpectedly out of the office fridge. The highlight of my day (I know, sad) will be one of my all-time favorite snacks... sliced apple with peanut butter.

So much to do, so little time

I have lots to say but little time to share it! I'll think to myself, I really need to put this in blog form and then it doesn't happen. (grins sheepishly) If anyone wants to know how to make sweet tea or jalapeno poppers or how not to trim a tree, I have photos and posts in my head!

DH and I have started a website business. The website has been around for a while as a Bulletin Board owned by a friend. DH helped him keep it running because he understands teh html, teh php and other things that I don't. ;) Anyway, I digress... our friend grew tired of people asking for t-shirts and other perks that would've forced him to handle money and turn it into a business, so he handed it over to us... to turn into a business. Yay! but starting a business is hard work! So much paperwork, so many forms and things to keep track of and so many fees! It falls right in with our hobby of photographing off-road endurance races, though, so we did more of that this past weekend too. DH takes the photos, I take video and Brother K comes along and does some of both.














We're still working on our house and I'm still working on sewing projects. I took time away to actually crochet not too long ago (okay, it was in April) to make this sweet little bunting for Allison's nursery. She was sweet enough to include it in a series of posts she's done on the decorating process.
















Well, that's mostly what I'm up to. The garden is happy, we've harvested many yellow squash, wax beans and cucumbers, but only one cherry tomato so far. It's been super hot here! I'm hoping to get a few sewing projects finished and make progress on house projects these next few weekends.

Saint Patrick's Day (and a plug for St. Baldrick's)

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

To interrupt for just a second, I wanted to share that this Sunday, March 21, my baby brother is participating for a second year in the St. Baldrick's Foundation fundraiser for kids with cancer. From the St. Baldrick's website: Volunteers shave their heads in solidarity with kids fighting cancer and family & friends give generously - worldwide. The St. Baldrick's Foundation uses the donations to fund more in childhood cancer research grants than any organization except the United States Government. The big man has upped the ante this year by offering to also shave his beard!

I love St. Patrick's Day... we've had temps in the 60s, flowers are blooming and everything outside is turning green! We always have a good time celebrating our Irish roots (and Scottish, where St. Patrick was also born), whether we're hiking, hanging with friends or running a 5K, like I did two years ago! I'd really like to attend the parade in Savannah, Georgia, some day, since it is supposed to be one of the biggest and, besides, I love that town!

Needless to say, we have a good time (most of the time!) and we love a good Irish Pub. Although I don't go around pinching other people, I'm wearing my favorite green t-shirt and socks and we'll, hopefully, find some shepherd's pie or corned beef for dinner! Today is also my girl dog's birthday (7!) and the not-so-old girl will get a special treat, as well. She ran that 5K with me on her 5th birthday.















These photos brought to you, courtesy of DH and our new 35mm lens.

More happy for Friday

because I love these rainy spring days that don't really require a jacket or an umbrella... after all, I won't melt.

















from etsy

This makes me laugh

and I can always use more of those...























Have an awesome day and a great weekend!