Lists, more lists, and lists for the lists

I've always been a list writer, and I think I've rubbed off on Pat. We even write things on our lists just so that we can cross them off. Last January we started the first of dozens of lists as we asked ourselves, "What types of things do we need to do to in order to sell our house, move onto a boat and move to Mexico?" I kept all of the lists as we've written them, added to them and crossed things off. Many of the list items started out as questions.

Here's our first list:

To do:

• Get rid of stuff
• Stop buying stuff
• Sell the house
• Sell the scooter :(
• Get out of all debt
• Buy a boat
• Alexa takes a leave of absence
• What do we do with the traeger?
• Rent a storage shed?
• Get boat bikes?
• Do all Dr. appointments, procedures etc
• withdraw kids from school
• Enroll kids in an online program? Or not?
• Pat change base to LA?
• Work on the boat/Prep for the trip
• Provision the boat
• LEAVE!

To Research:

• World/Boatschooling
• Taxes, property issues
• How do we get mail?
• Lex - take a boating class
• Lex - tutor/teach online?
• Find a marina in Mexico or ?
• Logistics of living outside the US

Glad to say, we've figured out nearly all of our first lists. Then we went to the boat show a few months ago and had to make another list. What we needed to get, who we needed to talk to etc.

Boat Show List

• Find a boating class for lex
• Snuba, dive suits, mask, fins
• Scuba gear
• Epirb
• Stern tie flat rope
• Attend workshops
• Iridium go
• Get the life raft serviced?
• Find a mail service?
• 5 Marine locks
• Giant bag for rope
• Canvas for interior & shades
• Media center plan

We're almost done with that list. Then there is a list of items that other cruisers have said are 'must-get' items:

Must-Get Items

• Floaties
• bocce ball
• beach umbrella
• lycra dive suit
• reflective tape to put on boat so you can find it at night
• soft sided cooler
• quick-dry clothes and towels
• tupperware in a carrying case for all of the potlucks
• travel cups for dingy rides
• Stugeron for motion sickness
• Boat business cards & binder to hold the ones we get
• Giveaways (pens, tshirts, cheap glasses, books, dvds etc)

We're working on the must-get items now.

We've just recently made a list of 'To do immediately' things, now that we're down to 4 months left.

• Get the boat hauled out (May) & painted
• Learn to work the water maker (fix it if it doesn't work)
• Scan all important documents
• Clean out the pantry/stock it
• Pat-Change oil
• Get new driver's licenses
• Set up mail service - close PO Box
• Smaller storage shed
• Visit dr. for cruising meds
• Inventory spare parts list
• Plan & practice emergency drills
• Plan route/schedule
• Get cruiser's insurance 
• Sell 1 car - get the other to LA
• Gilligan to vet - get updated records
• Set up media center (11 TB of movies, music & TV onto a hard drive)
• Lex - Clean out classroom
• Plan a goodbye party
• Final Dr., dentist, eye dr., ortho, etc appts

There are hundreds of other little things that never made it to the list, that we have done. As we start to freak out about how much we still have to do in the next 4 months,  it's good to look back at what we've accomplished:

• Sell the house
• Get out of debt
• Buy a cruising boat
• Leave on an adventure of a lifetime

We're doing fine :) 

One of the original lists

What's on your list?