Last night was our last Sunday night in our house.  Today is our last Monday.  If I don’t get a hold of myself, I’ll be starting every sentence for the rest of the week with “This is our last…”

It started with our last Sunday Breakfast.  For ten years, we’ve been welcoming every new week and celebrating family time with a big, home cooked Sunday breakfast.  I could only count a handful of missed breakfasts in all that time.  We rotate between chocolate chip pancakes, waffles, swedish pancakes, and pancake puff (known as a Dutch Baby in recipe books.  If you don’t know what this is, you MUST make one.  Right Now.)

Our Sunday Breakfasts allow Chris to have special time with the children, cooking together and figuring out who will go and wake up mommy when the food is ready.  Sunday Breakfasts allow me to sleep late, which might be my favorite thing in the entire world.  We have a whole ritual about it that is comforting and deeply meaningful to each of us.  I know we will continue our Sunday Breakfasts this coming year, but there was something about our last one in this house, for now, that struck a sentimental chord.  Maybe it was because we made waffles for the last time (since we won’t have our waffle iron on board…)

Perhaps, luckily, there will not be much time for sentimentality this week.  We still have so much to do, despite working almost non-stop since Friday morning.  This was “loading weekend”.  After staging all the “boat stuff” in our living room and garage this month, Chris and I loaded it all up in our cars and drove it all up to the boat in a crazy thunder and lightning storm!  We had to wait for breaks in the deluge to run the items from our cars down the (very long) dock in wheelbarrows.

We agreed that it would be better for our relationship if I was in charge of organizing where everything should go.  And I definitely need to be responsible for labeling (Chris labels his file folders using his regular handwriting.  In pencil.  I label EVERYTHING.  With a label maker.)  He had some great ideas, though, so I incorporated them into my our plan, which now includes a detailed map of the boat, labeled where each item is stored.  If only there was a market demand for professional boat packers…

Now that we have most of the clothes packed, I would say the boat is 85% loaded.  We are in much better shape than I had imagined we would be.  One need only look at the average, typical “liveaboard” boat to know how desperately frightened I’ve been about looking like what my dad would call a “taco wagon”.  I am happy with how it looks so far and am only mildly concerned about the typical “last minute” items and Chris’ probable attempt to sneak his roller blades on board.

Here is a list of some of the essential (and non-essential) tasks we have completed this week.  Can you guess which is which?

Packed the boat.

Kids slept over Grandma’s house, complete with dinner at Friendly’s and pooltime.

Watched Hangover 2.

Took kids to Olive Garden (Porter’s request).

Had Reese’s friend Kimmie over for a sleepover.

Bryson slept over his friend James’ house and took a golf lesson with him.

Emptied Bryson and Reese’s rooms and the hallway bathroom to get ready for our house guests.

Bought things for the boat: kayak, stand-up paddle board, portable fan, travel-sized iron, rubber gloves (no dishwasher), shower caddy, and a tiny red teapot.

Talked with Dom and our other friends at Haverstraw Marina while we should have been working (essential training in converting to “docktime”- a more laid back sense of time)

Visited with the Sparago family up at the boat and said goodbye…

Ate Wendy’s for lunch :(  (I was desperate.)

Got an iPhone 4s so that Chris and I can split our service between Verizon and AT&T.

Took my mom and Sal and the Grogins out for a sail and went swimming in the Hudson River.  Successfully anchored with minimum yelling.

Went to the recycling center.  A lot.

Ordered an obscene amount of product from Hammer Nutrition.  I’m all set for about 6 months of yoga, hiking, cycling, distance sailing, and swimming.

Celebrated Aunt Anne’s 60th birthday with the Conways.

Got a massage.  Almost cried with relief.

Had my mom and Sal for a visit and said goodbye…

Got my hair dyed for the last time.

Got lots of help packing from my friend Stephanie Altman.

Met with my Cub Scout co-den leaders to plan out the next year.

Went to Girl’s Night Out at the Orange Lantern to celebrate the end of school. (All I can say is that  I don’t have to pack another &*$%!@ lunchbox until September 2013!)

And….eye doctor, 3rd grade walking trip to The Hermitage, had the Cub Scouts out for a sail, last piano lesson, last tball game, dinner with Carolyn and Aaron, last homeschooling meeting with teachers, Reese bridged to Girl Scouts from Brownies, Bryson and Reese competed in a Triathlon, our friends threw a going away party for us and another family, the kids finished school, and Reese got her palette expander out.  Did I mention that my family kept wearing clothes and eating food, which meant the usual laundry and dishes?

Well, that brings us up to our last Monday night.  We are on schedule to leave on time.  Everyone is welcome to send us off this Sunday, July 1st, at 12pm sharp:  Haverstraw Marina, North Entrance, end of the dock.  If you can’t make it, wish for fair winds and red skies at night:)

Our videos will be published on YouTube.com.  The name of our channel is…let’s see if you can guess…..conwaysailors.  We have a few non-sailing videos there now, but I’ll let you know when we add some fun stuff from our new Go Pro Hero.  http://www.youtube.com/user/conwaysailors?feature=results_main

Once we leave, be sure to click the link to Patronus’ Location if you are ever curious as to where we are in real-time.  The link is found on the left margin of our homepage.  Also check out the kids’ blogs as soon as we get started.  Their homeschooling will start with daily journaling about our new life.  FYI, if you are subscribed and read our updates on email, or you are reading our website on your mobile device, you may not see all these features.

Thank you for all the gentle reminders that I have not posted our itinerary yet:) Our official floatplan (itinerary) will be available online next week.  Here is a look at the first week:

July 1: Haverstraw, NY to Port Washington, NY (dinner with the Weintraub’s)

July 2: Port Washington, NY (visit with Dad and Kathy and the McLeans) to Port Jefferson, NY

July 3: Port Jefferson, NY (visit with Erica’s childhood friends and show kids mommy’s old stomping grounds) overnight sail to Newport, RI (arrive morning of July 4)

July 4-July 9: Newport, RI (4th of July, visits with Armitages, Halls, and Horans)