Saying Goodbye...

... Kinda Sorta.

We spent this past Memorial Day weekend saying goodbye to family and friends, and now, just like the expectant parents of an overdue baby, we await the news that our Knotty Cat is ready to sail away. But I have a feeling that just like waiting for that new baby, our expectations may far exceed the actual event!

If you've ever had a baby, you'll know what I mean!

We spent Saturday at my parents' where their Doberman Kristi was less than cordial to our Wilbur, and for some reason Kristi totally resented his attempts to taste test her food. My dad consoled her as she spent the day sulking outside on the porch (Kristi is his baby).

But Wilbur was a good sport about it and, by the way, if you ever need an opinion on your pumpkin pie, Wilbur is your man! However he won't divulge his vote until he's scarfed down at least half the pie.

But at least he's honest!

Sunday we went to a wonderful BBQ hosted by my former employers (check out the fun decorations). It was supposed to be a combined Memorial Weekend Picnic/Surprise Going Away Party (for me) but thanks to Hans the surprise was kind of ruined, which was okay with me as I really don't like being surprised!

Jason my (now former) co-worker who's from the south, and whose family owned a BBQ restaurant, was the resident chef and OMG, it was fantastic!!! Of course I ate too much, and Jason, I'm really going to miss you (even without the food)!!!

I started working for Heather and Jen (of Shiny Happy Cleaners) last June and I can't believe I'm leaving already. They were wonderful employers, and Hans (Mr. MBA) commented often on how totally impressed he was with how well they ran their business.

I just loved them, and while I may not be shiny, I sure as hell was happy (Heather and Jen, I'm going to miss you too!)!!

Our ever-festive Wilbur.

We then moved on to yet another party and this one was on the Allegheny River. Hans had assured me that yes indeed, many people bring their dogs to this annual event, and Wilbur wouldn't be a problem. Well, maybe dogs had been welcome years ago, but at this stage of the game, Sassy, the resident dog (age 16 years), was even less happy with this young whippersnapper than my parents' dog Kristi.

I felt like the obnoxious parents who never know when to leave Junior at home! I was also apprised (quite suddenly) of Wilbur's strong 'prey drive'. He nearly dislocated my shoulder when a rabbit hippity hopped through the yard. If it weren't for his harness I'm pretty sure he and that rabbit would now be half way to Mars. Just a reminder that in addition to a life jacket, we'll need to make sure that Wilbur is tethered to the boat in some way whenever he's above board or we'll be getting a lot of Dog Overboard experience, and I'm too old for that.

So now we just wait....

The Reality

It was a month or so ago that Hans declared, "This is it, we're going sailing!"

So why the hell aren't we ready?

Well first of all we had a family wedding to attend in Germany that literally took two weeks out of our life, and I had to hem the evening gown I'd made a couple of months ago (why not just wait until the last minute?).  It was a bias cut skirt (that means difficult!!) and it took up a whole day.
Then I thought maybe I should use up some of the silk I bought in Paris a couple of years ago and made yet another dress. For the record: silk is fabulous but it's an absolute bitch to work with, and oops, there went another day.

We are now down to our final week ashore and today I found myself at the Vet Clinic with an overly affectionate pit bull puppy and a screaming cat.  Both needed final inoculations for our trip, the pit bull is suffering from diarrhea (most likely stress from having spent two weeks with my daughter and her menagerie of pets), and the cat needed a Kitty Cat Prozac prescription for travel!

Tomorrow I have a hair appointment, and Thursday an optometrist appointment as I realized yesterday that I used my last set of contacts last week.

We had news today that our boat has blisters on it's bottom and all I could think of was diaper rash.  Only this is turning out to be very expensive diaper rash.

The main sail hasn't even been touched and we dropped it off for repair over a month ago.

Our radar repair has been held up because our electrician couldn't get to our boat as he was held over in Ireland during the volcanic mess over Iceland. 

On the lighter side: 
Hans and I at the wedding. Check out Hans in a tux!!

Ready or not!

When we bought the Knotty Cat two years ago it was with the intention of making a permanent move aboard a boat and leaving all our cares behind!
We've found that it's easier said than done and if one waits for the perfect opportunity to do so, it may never happen.
So in the beginning of June this year (2010) we're throwing the cat, the dog (that we only just aquired last month), and most of our belongings onto our thirty five foot catamaran and heading north to the New England States.
Hans is the Captain, and I'm Laura the official writer of this blog, and I'm going to try very hard to keep a detailed diary of this trip if only to use it in a court of law when I eventually find myself being tried for Mutiny!