Back to Life

We have finally made back to the place we will call home.  

Is the wanderlust gone?  
No.  
I don't think once you've really started to see what the world has to offer you can ever really be satisfied in one place.  The next trip will be aboard a plane though!  Europe anyone?

But, we aren't really gypsies.  So, it's time to get back to reality.  Or rather the reality we want for our family.

So, when choosing the place we would settle down it was important to look at what brings us joy.  Jobs, work~ that's available in lots of places.  But, we had to consider what, outside of income, would be comfortable, attainable and in line with what our lifestyle is about. 

And, duh.  Just, duh.  Of course we knew where we wanted to make our roots.  We had already started before and came back during this great big Airabess adventure.  We keep coming back.  
Again and again and again; where layers include a bikini and sarong~ not fleece leggings and flannels.  

The Florida Keys really is where this crew calls home.  
I think we have known for a long time.  But... we thought maybe.  And now there is no question.  No, "what if?" 
What if... we could sail the Caribbean and set ourselves up in the Virgins?
What if.... we see the west coast and really, really love it?
What about... a cabin in the mountains?
Why not... where we have a house?
Why?  Because none of it worked, or worked out (i.e. the USVI).

It feels absolutely amazing to be able to know for sure. 

We get this life to experience and I don't want to look back at the end of it and wonder what it would have been like if I had put it all out there.  
It's all out there.  No regrets or questions.

I was welcomed back to the job I had last Summer before we took off to the Bahamas and the beyond that never happened.  RV Airabess is a convenient bike ride to and from.  Which is perfect because when you step out of life for a year or two there are a ton of things that need to come together- car, housing, furniture etc...)  

It will all work out.  I'm not worried.  Not stressed.  Just super hopeful and excited about this next chapter.  

Life is so full of every day moments that are worthy of recognition.  So, I am still going to post about our adventures. Maybe not as regularly, or maybe more.  For right now, we are getting into the groove of Airabess life here, at home, and still living this amazing dream.

Decisions, decisions

This last year has been so amazing.  But if you had told me a year ago that I wouldn't be living on our boat in a tropical local, well I would have been really offended.  I mean we worked so hard to get to that place.  We had spent years and years planning and making shit happen.  So, how could we NOT be 'there'.  
Well, 'there' is a funny concept.  For some people it's a very specific destination, be it financial, spatial or mental.  For me it's been about finding myself.  I am so fortunate that I get to go on the journey with my love, my partner and that we have been able to show our kid that changing your perspective really can take you places; financially, spatially and mentally.  

And while the journey is never really over, it's time for this crew to put the wanderlust on the breaks for a bit.  It's really hard to travel for extended period of time.  Even if you take your house with you.  Even if you had every intention of that destination tropical local LESS than a year ago.  Especially when you sell one travel home for another.  I mean we had plans.  We acted on them and well... Life just says, "Try this... see what happens."
What can I say?  There IS something to be said for a full size kitchen (we love to cook) and level floors with a roof (can I say Yoga!).  And doors.  Doors are really nice.  From sea to the road... doors.  Don't shut a door in your house for just one week and see how it changes you. 

We are currently hanging out on the Oregon coast.  We are enjoying our freedom, but we are also ready to plant ourselves and make some roots.  Our biggest decision is deciding where we want to grow, where we want to be.  Because we are really ready to just be in one place.

Well,  I'm pretty sure we've got it.  We have seen enough to know where we fit, and what fits for us.    And, though we put it out into the universe on a many different levels, it's not here.  We found viable employment (thank you so much for the pats on the back~you know who you are).  We imagined ourselves in so many different homes that were so perfect for us.  Just.  Just not here.  We so wanted it to be.  We sort of planned on it.  Well, damn.... plans. Lesson learned.  Again.

You can tell when you visit a place if it will work for you.  You can feel it.  We felt it in Morro Bay, unfortunately the amount of work to living life ratio didn't fit.  Just because we want to settle down doesn't mean we want to become slaves to the man. 
So, while we aren't really ready to tell the world, we have decided were we call will home.   

I will say this....  we are selling our house in St. Augustine.  So it's not there.  But it is somewhere we have loved for a very long time.

I'm not trying to be obtuse.  I am just being real... we could change our minds again.  We already did 3 times this week, even after telling part of our world.  

Tis the Season

I'm always pretty introspective  this time of year. It's the holiday season. Coco's birthday kicks it off.  Hubs and I remember  our first  date. My birthday falls a couple of days before the finale. We finish everything off with the new year. 

So between the regular festivities, there is the celebrations of us. Our family. 

That's what this blog has been about. Our family. 

It started out as my take on the boat life. But now it's just our life. Very cliche. But also very real. 

We aren't  living the boat life now. We are just living. We are finding our way. Struggling, surviving our choices, looking ahead to what is next, grateful for the opportunity that hard work has allowed us, and putting what we have out into the universe hoping that we get it right, that we get an experience worth remembering and holding on to. 

I put it all (well most) of it out there because that's who I am. I share. I learn from it.  I could keep it close and not put it out in cyberspace, but, for me, there is an accountability and responsibility to the reality of adventure I want to participate in. 

This world of blogs, and social media is connecting if we let it be. It's is also cruel. People can hide behind anonymity and be hurtful for spite or jealousy. They can project their insecurities. 

The trick is to not get lost in what other people say~ be it to your face or behind an anonymous screen name. 

So, this year, I'm going to look back on how I/we got here. How my family went from boat life to just life and how amazing that we have the choice to do that. I'm going to recognize the compromises we make to live a life that is full,  but challenging, and completely ours. 

On the Road

I'm still not ready to write down the why's of why we sold S/V Airabess. 

To say its personal would be an understatement. But I DO want to share. I think it's important. I know I want to. It's just that I'm not quite ready for that yet. I'm still processing. 

I am super excited about this next adventure though. 

 

Road trippen. 

It's funny. All those years ago, after we had bought the boat, we were already looking ahead at this next adventure.  The transition was easy. 

We had no idea that it would be so fast. (I think I might have whiplash). 

And tomorrow it begins. 

Crazy.