Things I will miss, things I won't, and a few things I'm looking forward to...

As I finish up my last week of work and we get this close to moving out of our little (but cozy and adorable) rental apartment, the fact that our lives are about to change drastically is very apparent.  We are on the verge of something and we only now are becoming acutely aware of it (it's about time, right?). 

Here, with the glaring reality that change is just on the horizon are some things that I can identify I will miss about our 'land' lives.  And some things I will not miss.  And some things I am looking forward to.  Just in case you're curious...

Things I will miss:

• Long, hot, (wasteful) fresh-water showers with all the lotions and potions I want
• Being able to drink water that doesn't taste funny and in any quantity I see fit
• Being able to drink COLD water
• COLD anything, for that matter (we have no refrigerator on our boat)
• Convenient stores - they really are so....so....convenient
• The security of a paycheck
• Being able to do laundry whenever I want and not by hand, in salt water
• A bed that doesn't squeak or move constantly
• Closets.  Big, giant, walk in closets to store all our gear
• Being able to walk/bike pretty much everywhere we ever want
• Chilled Sauvingnon Blanc.  Oh, the pain!
• Our favorite Turkish restaurant, Istanbul.  We'll miss you Keram!
• Not having to consider and/or worry about mildew ALL THE TIME
• Being able to call someone when something breaks and having them fix it within 24 hours (I'm talking plumbing here, people)
• Bikram yoga, running daily, not having to take a dinghy to shore if I want/need anything
• Internet and all it's at-your-finger-tips resources any time, any place
• Our friends and family.  We'll miss them the most.  For sure.
  

Things I will not miss:

• 
  
  Traffic/cars and all associated tickets/road rage
• Working out of a 4 x 4 cubicle. Every. Single. Day
• The sound of "el" train every 7 minutes outside of our apartment window (Like, right outside - so loud you have to pause the t.v when it passes and it has woken me up in a gasping, grabbing-at-the-air panic more than once at 5am)
• The feeling that we always have to be somewhere because we are so. damned. busy.
• Having a pretty predictable schedule and a routined life
• The noise of city life (sirens, honking horns, construction, trains, screeching tires, homeless evangelists...etc)
• The need to wear anything other than shorts, tank tops, flip flops and bikinis
• The smell of Wrigleyville (where we live) after a Cubs game (for those who don't know, it's a mixture of stale beer, body odor, and vomit)
• I actually will not miss the Cubs either, come to think of it
• CNN and pretty much any other sensationalist US news source (save NPR, that I like)
• Did I mention working out of a cubicle day in and day out?
• Being in a "rush" or feeling "late"
• Bills
• Television (Jersey Shore?!  Toddlers and Tiaras?!  Really!? These are shows!? And they are legal!?)
• The "status quo" and all the limiting social expectations that go along with it
• but I am most excited to say "buh-bye" to:  CHICAGO WINTER and all the hell that comes with it!  See ya!!

Things I am looking forward to:

• Living simply
• Being excited for a big rain storm because we can a) top off our water tanks b) shower and c) wash/rinse boat/clothes/gear
• Going, literally, where the wind takes us
• Exploring new places and cultures with fresh, excited eyes
• Forging new bonds and friendships
• Having experiences that only .001% of the population have
• Night watches with nothing but the sea and the stars
• Seeing the Southern Cross in the night sky (and now I have Crosby, Stills and Nash in my head "When you see the Southern Cross for the first time, you understand why you came this way....")
• Islands, mon
• Experiencing that first crazy storm after which we're thankful we're alive
• Meeting a real, live mermaid and her lobster and flounder friends (Just kidding.  Want to make sure you're awake!)
• Learning the ukulele and any other hobby we undoubtedly pick up
• Becoming incredibly efficient, self-reliant and resourceful with every aspect of our lives
• Living "off the grid"
• Fishing and then eating the fresh fish we catch...mmmmm...
• Entrusting each other with our lives and the bond that undoubtedly ensues
• Learning to cook and getting very creative with it (again, no refrigeration - whaddup SPAM!)
• That first big ocean crossing
• Seeing a whale breach (excited for all wildlife encounters, but this one is what I am most excited for)
• Traveling the world with my husband in our home
• Reading, reading, reading, reading and more reading.....
• Writing about it all

That about covers it, for now.  It will be interesting to re-visit this list in a year or two...I'll probably laugh at my naivete.  Or perhaps I'll think "damn, I was pretty spot on".  We shall see!