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9 Days Left!!!

 Time is all of a sudden flying by!!! It must be my age!?

I'm sure the next 9 days will go by in a flash!! 

The panic mode is even stronger now but it's mixed with Redfish withdrawl, planning our departure

 and butterflies of excitement!!

Kinda like going on vacation...only gosh...it's permanent vacation!!

It's been a crazy past few weeks...

Organizing, cleaning out storage, dock box, a wedding, etc..etc...

We decided last weekend that even tho we'd be underway on Christmas we needed a bit of Christmas Cheer...so out came the Christmas tree...and a wreath hung on the mast! 

Our neighbors have adorned their boats with outdoor lights so I will just enjoy those this year!

A BIG Thank you to...

 Rob & Janet of Wandering Star

Larry & Karen of Whisper

Chris & Tammy of Living & Loving Life,

and

Glen (whom I will have to edit this later with name of boat!!)

for sharing your lights with us!!

We took time out to attend a wedding in Wichita Falls for a very special couple!!

Congratulations to Mr & Mrs Matt Singer! We love you!!!

Hmmm...Dean & I clean up fairly well!!!

This is it for awhile folks...dress clothes are in storage!!

It's gonna be swim suits, shorts, flip flops or barefoot as soon as we hit warmer climate!! 

Gonna be toes in the water...buttocks in the sand!! ;-)

Happy Birthday to our Grandson...Kolden James!!! 

9 years old today!!

 Oma & Opa are so proud of the fine young man you are becoming!!

Nine years have flown by...seems like yesterday...

FYI folks...working on the new website! 

Will post as soon as it is up & running...having a bit of technical difficulty!! :-(

OMG!!! 30 Days Left!!!

What to do??

Breathe... 

What do I do first??

Breathe...

PANIC MODE IS SETTIN' IN!!!

Breathe...

30 days til we cut the docklines!!

Am I ready?? Yes & No...scared...excited...mixture of emotions...bare with me folks...

I feel like a spazed out crazy woman right now!!

I feel like I am losing my grip at work...

Thank God for Karen...she is keeping me sane!

Breathe...

Dean tells me it'll be OK, don't stress!!

 (I know he's stressing a bit too...planning, oil changes, etc...

he only has a few weekend days to accomplish his list!!)

David tells me to drink more wine!! :-) (I think I might have to!!)

Redfish Island Marine has been my 'baby' for quite a while. 

I feel I'm a part of it, it is a part of me!!

It's kept me busy when my husband has had to work out of town and

 I have met the most wonderful people! 

I am grateful for the opportunity and friendships I've gained. 

Oh how I will miss my 'Redfish Crew' & 'Awesome Customers'!!! 

Breathe...

I 'dislike' Good-byes!!

Breathe...

OMGosh!! 30 days left before departure!!

Breathe...

Is Dean ready?? Oh yeah...37.6 years at GM...he is sick of punchin' the time clock.

For the past 2 years, Dean has driven from Arlington TX, over 300 miles each way, to be home with me on weekends aboard OWT! That my friends is dedication, to his wife and his home!!

 He has spent most weekends engrossed in what I call 'projects' to prepare us for this day.

(More posts later of all the 'projects' to prep OWT! for this adventure.)

He deserves this retirement!!! It's about time!!!

Is Our Way! ready??

A leisurely sunset sail on Galveston Bay

At anchor near Redfish Island

She's ready!!! Yes...she was built to SAIL!!!

OWT!'s happy place is out sailing and resting 'at anchor' not glued to a dock!!

Ready to embark on her next adventure!!

 A main character in the next chapter of the 'Calkins Saga'.

Breathe Katie Breathe...

Destinations to be determined...

(Destination Wedding in St Thomas, VI's in the fall of 2014???)

P.S...Thank you for tolerating my ramblings & panic attacks...

Klyde's Kountdown

Klyde is still waiting patiently to go 'Crusing' again on Our Way Too!

Guess what...?? His countdown has begun!!!! 

Katie's Klyde

Klyde is Katie's special friend from her job at Arlington AISD.
She fell in love with his soft furriness, bright eyes, and
Kewl Klyde Attitude!!!

He flew on a airplane from TX to FL

(ya'll should've seen the looks I got carrying my Klyde in my backback!!)

...cruised onboard Our Way

(at that time, not officially OWT! yet)

from east coast FL around to Tampa, FL

then straight across the Gulf of Mexico to Galveston, TX!!

Klyde's Kountdown has begun...

Dean & Katie are driving themselves crazy preparing Our Way Too! for departure!!

Waiting patiently in his comfy spot..the perch!!

 Klyde's Kountdown...35 days til the adventure begins!!  

A Special Touch for OWT!

 We wanted to keep the 'sunburst' that was on the Wind Generator Covers,

but we also wanted to include our 'anchor charm' from our previous boat name.

The faded covers and the really dirty blades!!

 So when Dean removed the generators to rebuild each one and paint the blades,

we shipped the covers to our daughter Tammy to see what she could come up with!

 This is the finished product!!! 

Hand painted and sketched by Tammy!!

Both done & ready for installation!!

 They look great!!!

Thank you Tammy & Tony for all your time & effort put into this project!

We love you both & appreciate it very much!!!

Congratulations on your engagement!!

Our Way Too! & Crew look forward to having you onboard soon!!!

A Bit of OWT! History...

The start of our adventure was Whitehall, Michigan at Crosswinds Marina...

A Dock Slip 1...The BEST view on White Lake!! 

Beginning 2003 - we spent summers on the boat...the winters in our 5th wheel in Kalamazoo, MI. 

Because we are 'water' folks...we were 1st in the water in April & last out of the water in October! 

(Sometimes November if the Michigan weather would hold & Dean's footprints down the dock weren't too deep in the snow!! We'd hang in there as long as we could!!!) 

This was our home...

I introduce you to our beloved "Third Time's A Charm"...

After a few years a couple joined us on A Dock that became fast friends and part of our family!!!

He needed a 'scrubby' & because I had just enough beer, I told him I'd give it to him for a quarter! 

Little did I know that just being sassy for a second would bring Dean & I to the most wonderful friendship & learning experience that we could ever imagine!! 

I didn't get the quarter...but because we agreed to go out to dinner & hit it off immediately...we received so VERY much more!!! (Including Irish jokes & learning to drink wine!!) 

Jim & Jane Knack 
Cheers!! We love you & miss you!!!
You are why we are where we are today!!!
Thank you!!! XOXO

A beautiful lasting friendship and an awesome 'SAILING' education!!!

Let me back up a sec...our 3rd year, we met Jeff & Janie Coppes. They took Dean out sailing on their "fall' sail before pulling 'Clover' out of the water for the season. I stayed behind with my loving furry Rico Jon. When they arrived back to the dock, they claimed Dean was a 'natural' sailor!!

Little did we know.....

We sailed every weekend we could...

day sails...over-nite sails...whenever & where-ever Jim & Jane would have us...

we became sort of their 'permanent crew'. Dean & I sailed every moment that was available!! 

(I actually logged more hours than Dean did!!) Jim & Dean spent hours out on White Lake & Lake Michigan tweaking sails...following the wind...dumping the rub rail in...experimenting, sharing, etc. Jim shared all his knowledge, Dean absorbed everything he could and we just enjoyed all our moments onboard their beautiful boat with our awesome friends!

Please allow me to introduce you to...

"SENIOR PROM"

This is the beautiful girl we learned to sail on!!!

It was our dream to own her one day...but because of situations, layoffs, economy, our move to TX, we succumbed to the fact that finances and timing...it just wasn't to be.

Dean & I knew we had the SAILING BUG!!! So after a bit...B-Boppin' around on the Texas reservoirs in the lil "Katie-Did" dingy just wasn't cuttin' it! So...we started looking again...

THIS is what our journey brought us to...

We share with you...our beautiful, blessed, christened 42' home on the water...

'Our Way Too!'

It's really from here now that our story begins...

So if you'd like to read from the beginning and enjoy our 'Gulf Crossing' from FL to TX...

please go to the beginning of our archives.

http://svourwaytoo.blogspot.com/2011_05_01_archive.html

As my Daddy says... 

Stay tuned for the next chapter in the 'Calkins Saga'...

The Countdown begins...

YES!!! 

It is official and we are finally seeing our dream become a reality!!!!

Our Way Too! 

will soon have her crew onboard 'Full Time' & the wind will fill her sails!!!

For the past 2 years, every weekend Dean has driven over 300 miles one way, from Arlington TX to Kemah TX then back again, to spend weekends at home with me onboard Our Way Too! 

That will all change soon and I will be so happy to have him here full time! 

No more worries of him on the highway with all that crazy traffic. 

No more late nights leaving GM at 10pm or later with a 4 1/2 hr drive ahead of him!

I am ecstatic!!! And I am so proud of him. It has been long awaited and a very tough decision in this economy. This wonderful husband of mine sure does deserve it tho!!

He has dedicated his service to General Motors for 37.6 years!!

It's his turn to enjoy retirement!

It's time to start the next chapter in the "Calkins Saga" :-)

Stay tuned...

Where do we want to be??

 Where do we want to be?? 

Out on the water with Our Way Too!

 With her sails happily filled, carrying us forward onto many wonderful adventures,

 tropical islands, and warm breezes!

Snorkeling, catching fish, lobster, exploring, hiking, doing whatever makes us smile!

We dream about that day and talk about that day EVERY day.

 We do our best daily to accomplish something toward that goal.

For right now...we both need to keep working.

We need to finish a few 'projects' that are important to our living on the hook at anchor.

One more wind generator to rebuild, and to put our solar panels back atop are the two most important.

Dean only has weekends to accomplish these tasks, while after work, I try to scan photo's, sort thru boxes of stuff, clothes, etc. We still have so much to accomplish.

 Will we get there?

Oh yeah!!! You bet and as soon as we can!!

Are we ready?

Way past ready to be gone yesterday...

Until then...

We steal away any time we can hoist sails

 and spend time out on the hook for an overnight or two!!

At anchor- Redfish Island in Galveston Bay Texas

It's been way too long!!

We're Baaaacck!!!

Sorry all...

We have let life, our jobs, etc. get in the way.

Wow...the time has flown by!!

It's time to get back into the swing of things and keep this blog up!!

We have so much to share & catch up on!

Lots of photo's  to share, visitors, vacation's...

Stay tuned...