When I last wrote, there was a chance we could go to France and I didn't have a current passport. It's amazing what has happened in a week's time!

We are officially under contract with a 1990 Privilege 48 catamaran located in St. Martin. AND my passport arrived two days AFTER I purchased our airline tickets. AND we're planning to put the house on the market ASAP!!

I can't even begin to describe the roller coaster of emotions we are both feeling right now. So many questions. So many variables to the equation. So much money. All we can do is put one foot in front of the other, and keep moving forward. Once we get aboard the boat, hopefully we'll know what the next step should be.

In one week, we will fly to St. Martin and spend two days dissecting the boat with a fine-toothed comb. There will be a pre-purchase survey and a sea trial. This will hopefully put all of our questions to rest and point us in the direction we need to go. We hope the trip will be "worth it" and that we end up making the correct choice.

In the meantime, we're busy lining up all the majorly important details. There have been many phone calls and emails with Brian (our broker), the marine surveyor, the haul-out yard, the insurance companies, and the finance company, as well as arranging flights, hotel, car rental, and kid care. Oh yes, and not to mention starting to get our house ready for the real estate market!

To sell, or not to sell. That is the question! The world's economy doesn't help our situation one bit. It also doesn't help that we've picked a boat "slightly" above budget. Carrying two mortgages will prove to be quite stressful, especially when the landscape business has dropped off along with the rest of the market. But this is our dream, our goal, and we're going to make it work.

We can afford to get the boat and move aboard, but then there's no money left to go cruising for any extended time. We've always said that we would reduce the size of boat, so we can afford to do a circumnavigation. The excitement of this particular catamaran has changed our thought process, and we're opening our minds to other options. At this point, living long-term on a larger boat seems to appeal more than being "cramped" on a smaller boat. We know people do it on smaller boats, and we've done it on smaller boats. However, this time around being able to have a bit more living space, and the ability to accommodate our many family members and friends comfortably really appeals to us. The idea of living aboard while Wil continues to work for maybe another year seems to be the best answer.

Then the question arises of WHERE do we keep the boat? When do we sail it back from St. Martin? What's the process to import a boat from a foreign country? What if the house doesn't sell? How much will all of this cost us? Where will the kids go to school? Do I start homeschooling a year early? Where do I keep my car? Where should our mail go? Should I get a job? Is there time for me to have a job, take care of the kids, and haul laundry to shore? Again, there are so many questions and so many variables.

Right now, all of this seems so complicated. All the little things are adding up. We will proceed forward one step at a time, enjoy all the good things along the way, and one day we will get to where we're going.