In the Blink of an Eye!

Christmas is already over (we hope ya'll had a great one) and the year is coming to an end.  We can't believe how fast 2010 went!  I swear it's true that the older you get, the faster the time goes.  "In the blink of an eye" it's over.

Ken and I enjoyed Christmas Day at my brother's home in Mississippi.  About 30 family members were there, including my parents, my daughter, and her boyfriend.  Since the family is so large, we play the "stealing" game so that anyone that wants to participate just needs to bring one gift.  So much less stress!  It was good seeing family that we don't get to see any other time of the year.

Ken and I refuse to spend a lot of money at Christmas, but we like to have a little something to open while exchanging gifts with our daughter.  I gave Ken a Harley Davidson tank top* (we need to make time for our neglected bikes), a "Jimmy Buffett in Hawaii" CD, and an LED lantern that doesn't require batteries ... just wind it up!  The music and the lantern will be great for our sailboat.  Ken also got some Edwin McCain (awesome performer) concert tickets from our daughter and her boyfriend.  House of Blues, here we come!  And what did I get?  Well, I was pleasantly surprised with a Nook e-reader!  Ken, my daughter and her boyfriend put in and got it for me.  How cool!  I love to read and this will be great for living on our sailboat.  It holds over 1500 books, and I've already downloaded a few free books.  Also, the Nook allows you to "lend" your books to other Nook owners.  Sooo, if anybody out there wants to share just let me know!  *By the way, Harley shirts are so expensive, but we always hit the clearance rack - half price!  Gotta live by the cruiser budget.

Gingerbread Superdome - Home of our New Orleans Saints!

So now that 2010 is almost over, Ken and I have thought about what we've accomplished in the last year and what's on the list for the year 2011.  If you've been following us, you know that we purchased our Catalina 30 in November 2009, then hauled out Nirvana and spent 2 1/2 hot months sanding and repainting the bottom, the hull and the boot stripe.  We also did several other projects at the time and also held a denaming/renaming ceromony for our sailboat's new name, Nirvana.  We had Nirvana back in the water just in time for the 4th of July (the day before) and in the blink of an eye winter set in.  We didn't get as much sailing practice in as we would have liked, but we did sail Lake Pontchartrain a few times and had our first overnight anchorage before it got too cold.  For those who don't know, Ken and I have never really sailed before purchasing our sailboat so we've got a lot to learn!  We have had a lot of experience with power boats, but boy are we finding out how different the two types of boats are!  However, we've really enjoyed sailing so far, and our overnighter was awesome!

  

On a personal note, we've also watched our daughter hit some major milestones.  In 2010 she turned 18, graduated from high school, moved into a dorm about an hour away at LSU, and completed her first semester of college.  We can't believe how quickly our baby girl has grown, but we're so proud of the young lady that she's grown into.  Oh, and we watched the Saints go to their first Superbowl, and win!  Geaux Saints!  Remember, I'm a New Orleans native so we were so excited!  We have the pics of 2010 on our picture page, as well as pictures from our first sail in 2009, the haul-out project, and other past stuff.

So what's in store for 2011?  Well, Ken is squeezing in time to improve our house and get it on the market (again) this Spring.  We really want to sell it this summer!  Once we sell our house, we'll rent a waterfront apartment for one year and we'll then have the money to get Nirvana ready for cruising.  Until we sell, we're too broke to do any major improvements to our sailboat.  I'm a real estate agent and Ken is a contractor, so the slow housing economy has been killing us the past two years!

We can't wait for warmer weather!  It seemed last summer was spent in the boatyard (it wasn't but it seemed that way), so we're anxious to really get some sailing in during 2011.  We're planning on cruising to Ship Island in Mississippi for our first real getaway sometime in March or April.  Then, who knows!

So to sum it up for 2011:  sail, get rid of so much stuff!, sail, improve and sell home, shakedown cruise, improve sailboat, sail!  Oh, and I guess I have to include work.  What a drag!

Note:  I also wrote an article with great tips for making 2011 a good year!  I think it's a great reminder of the basics.

Ken and I wish you all "Fair Winds and Following Seas" this New Year!

Hasta luego ... until then. Mid-Life Cruising!