The Money Question

Someone (so many people) asked, "How can you guys afford to do what you are doing?"  

The answer I want to give is, "How can we not?" I mean this is LIFE.  I don't want to spend the time I have here on this planet slaving away and missing out.  I want to see things, do things, explore, find and create.   But I know that's not what he/she/soooo many people mean.  So I keep that to myself.  The real question (and the number one inquiry) always comes down to the money.  

Well, if you know us personally you know that we are absolutely not rolling in the dough.  I broke it down a little in the Crew page on the blog... but for those who want a little bit more this post is for you.  

We were just like so many other people out there 10ish years ago.  We had stuff.  New stuff, big stuff, little stuff... we had ALL THE STUFF.  
Then we had a baby.  And we realized that we didn't really need all the stuff, or the bills that go with that stuff.  What we wanted and needed was to give our girl (and ourselves) something MORE.  Something bigger and better and unique to us as a family. 
Unfortunately,  we had already dug ourselves a pretty impressive hole.  So, we dug our selves out.  Day by day.  Inch by inch.  Penny by penny.  

About 2 months after Coco was born we started plotting and scheming our way to a life afloat (She's 8 now).  We had pictures on the fridge of the places we would go.  We scoured the net for the right boat for when the time was right.  We worked.  We worked so much and never saw each other.  We stopped buying 'things' and started paying off the things we already had.  We cooked at home instead of going out to dinner.  We cancelled the cable.  We used the library.  We skipped the mall and learned to love the thrift store.  We politely declined the invite to the movie.  We invited people over for coffee instead of meeting them at the coffee shop.  We kept track of every single dime we spent.  EVERY SINGLE DIME.  

We still enjoyed the things that mattered to us.  Amazing food (thank goodness Hubs is a chef), walks on the beach everyday with Coco (pays to buy before the market takes off), and living in St. Augustine we never were lacking for entertainment.  We just learned how to find it.  We didn't go without the things we wanted.  We just took our time and made educated decisions when buying them (no more impulse buying).  

It wasn't easy.  It was so challenging and frustrating sometimes.   But I don't remember the $5  coffee I didn't get~ ever, or the new shirt I didn't buy.  I do feel grateful that our house is paid off and we saved enough that we~ CAN.JUST.GO.  And there is zero guilt.  

Are we living the high-life now?  No.  We still live on a super tight budget.  And yes going back to work is on the horizon.  Are we living?  Hell yes!  Every single day is open to what we want to do instead of what we have to do.  

I remember a few years back a customer (I was tending bar at the time) said that it was all great and good now to have my toes in the sand and live a bohemian life.  I bit my tongue because that's what you do, but if I could have really responded I would have said SCREW YOU!  Life is too short and magnificent to not have your toes in the sand or your head in the clouds.  And you can absolutely be responsible and respectable without sacrificing that.  It sucks that the norm is to put your head down and follow the crowd and that is what makes you normal. 

So the money thing.  It's money.  We need it to buy food and shelter.  So we sold our 'stuff' and saved the money we did make for years and years.  We live super simply with the big picture in mind every day.  After making some stupid decisions for years, we started making smart ones.  We caught up.  We managed and now we coast.  For a little longer.  
 

Nice to meet you Louisiana

RV Airabess is creeping her way along the southeastern coast of the U.S.,  Next stop Texas to spend some QT with Hub's mom.  

So far the topography has been pretty much the same, though EVERY place is completely unique and special.  There have been some stops that we were glad to pull away from and others that we were sad to leave behind.  

Ironically we live in a moving home... but we really don't drive that much.  We pick the next destination  and the best way to get there (scenic byways always beat out the interstates) then go.  Once we arrive we don't drive at all.  I think we might be driving less than if we had jobs and responsibilities. 

The 'destinations' we've passed so far are along the path.  The ones that we miss, we will either hit up on the way back to Florida, or make a special trip later on~ sans the kiddo.

Once the temperature starts to rise we will start heading more north and continue west.  Both Hubs and I have lived in Florida most of our lives, though we have traveled beyond the Sunshine State, and we are ready to see and experience mountains and desserts and canyons and whatever else is waiting for us.  


In the interim, we have hiked and biked and played games.  We have had structured 'school' and a whole lot of what can we learn today 'school'.  We've laughed.  We've read so many books.  We've combed the beaches.  We have become acquainted with this other version of the life we 'planned'. 

Currently residing in Louisiana just outside of New Orleans.  Not too keen on the idea of navigating NOLA in the RV, we might not get to the heart of the city.  But you better be sure there are beignets in our near future.  As well as an authentic King Cake.... it is Mardi Gras season after all. 

The view changes as we go.  There have been a few days when it was so foggy we could barely see past the bumper, others were filled with sparkling ripples thanks to the sunshine along the Mississippi Coast.  We've driven through cotton fields, underwater tunnels and one fire.  There have been a several times we laughed out load at the silliness we encountered and been taken aback at how cheep gas is right now (really had no idea).  

I can hardly believe that it's only the beginning!

Hello Alabama, and Mississippi

We are making out way over the border today (1/19/2015). 

We spent the last few days at Big Lagoon State Park. The sun finally came out again after a week of fog and rain. 

Sandy Pine Hike was maybe the highlight. And yes... It was sooo sandy. 

There was a beautiful lookout over the lagoon halfway through the estuary trail. 

I can not even believe I'm saying this, but, we kind of got bored. After the trails and multiple games of cards, and reading, and downtime, it was time to move on. 

The whole crew is looking forward to different terrain. Unfortunately, it's still a lot too cold to venture off the coast. So, we will take what we can get and embrace this part of the experience. There are so many worse things than being bored...

Florida

After a fantastic couple of weeks spending time with friends during Christmas, we are on the road.  

Our first stop was O'leno State Park. 

We weathered our first storm on RV Airabess after hiking 6 miles around the Sante Fe River. 

Two days was plenty there so we moved onto Manatee Springs State Park.

Friends joined us for the weekend. So we set camp for a full week. Hiking, manatee, buzzard rookery, deer, fireside antics, and late night conversations rounded out our time there. Also, lest we forget, no booze sold on Sunday. A very entertaining beer run ensued. Ha!

So glad Lea and Larry joined us. Can't wait to do it again! 

Coco always loves it when she can get in the water. I really think she's a mermaid. 

Then back on the road. A very, very foggy Big Bend Scenic Byway. Hard to take in the scenery when you can't see it. Oh well, we'll take what we can get... And stay off the interstate. 

Currently hanging out at St. Joseph's Peninsula State Park. I can see why this place would be a big hit for the area in the summer. Unfortunately for us it's pretty chilly in January.  So no frolicking in the waves. We have been able to do some serious beach combing though.  So, no complaints here. After living at the beach and on a boat I can appreciate the wintertime beach landscape. Its no less beautiful. It's really quit peaceful. 

We are on our way again in the morning. Headed west. Ready to be out of Florida, but trying to keep our drive time less than 3 hours, so a couple more stops in the panhandle. 

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. 

From Sea to Land

Now that we are settling in to this RV thing, I suppose I should explain why the quick change. 

First, I want to preface by saying that our boat was/ is solid.  Our decisions had nothing to do with the strength and integrity of our Prout, aka s/v Airabess. 

Our 'plan' was to cruise the Bahamas and make our way via Puerto Rico to the Virgin Islands.  That is what we have been working towards for the last seven years.

We crossed the gulf stream from Key Largo and checked in in Bimini.  We got stuck in Bimini for almost three weeks, after making several attempts to get across the Bahamas Banks.  This is not unheard of for cruisers.  In fact it happens all the time.  We were being impatient, but it was more than that. 

We were realizing that the Prout was not the boat for our family.  It was perfect for small day sails around the Keys, but once we got her out into deep water, it became clear that it wasn't working for us. 

Hubs is 6 foot 3, Coco is four foot seven and growing like a weed, I'm only 5'2.  But add all of us together, plus a dog.... we were getting super cramped.  We were not handling the passages very well, nor the waiting to make passage. 

That, and it just didn't feel right.  Hubs and I were constantly second guessing ourselves.  Did we read the weather patterns wrong, should we have taken the window early, did we take the wrong window. etc...? 

There was also the feeling of complete vulnerability.  You are at the mercy of the ocean and wind.  If you make the wrong decisions it could end horribly, or you could make it back to port with a great story.  The anxiety of miscalculations and over thinking and down right fear was getting to be too much. 

I will admit that I don't know that I am made of the right kind of stuff to be a blue water cruiser.  Not that we had planned on that anyway.  But there is no way to get to the island hopping that is in the brochure unless you traverse the deep blue. 

So, we had to make a choice.  Did we keep heading southeast towards the USVI, or do we turn back.  It took those three weeks in Bimini for Hubs and I to finally speak what the other was thinking.... we didn't want to do it anymore. 

I was suffocating on the boat.  The images of snorkeling off the back of Airabess in crystal clear water, laughing and playing on deserted beaches was not enough of a lure anymore. 
I missed fresh food and having a door to my bedroom. I hated being at the mercy of the weather~ to go, to stop, to choose what's next... I was humbled and humiliated by the whole experience.  

The joy that we had been working towards was still so very far away.  I didn't want to wait and work for it anymore.  Neither did Hubs.  Coco, well, she wanted to keep going, but only because that is what we had been promising her for years and years (um, yeah, no guilt there).

Hubs and I wanted freedom.  We thought that living on a boat and cruising would give us that.  In reality, we felt tied down by the weather and sea sickness (Coco, Ms Willow, and occasionally me when it was necessary for me to go down below)

We headed back.  We put Airabess up for sale and started looking at rvs because we realized we weren't throwing in the towel completely.  We just needed to change our vehicle to freedom and adventure.

There was a ton of interest in the boat, as we had it priced to sell and it was sold within a week and a half of our return to Marathon.  That meant it was crunch time to find a new 'home'.  Fortunatly, we did find one quickly.

So, less than a month after we set sail, we are on the road.  Admittedly the gas thing is a serious concern of mine. It is so completely not me or us.  After getting our carbon footprint so low living aboard to then pull up to a gas station as frequently as this rv traveling warrants.... it's hard to swallow.  The next adventure is going  to counter that.

Already we are feeling a little more in control and a lot more adventure.  We are going and doing and seeing.  We are showing our girl the world.  We are living a life extraordinary.

I hope that any readers that are out there still want to follow this family's journey to the elusive there even though we are traveling in a different way.  We are still Airabess. We are still dreaming.   #findingmywaylivingthisdream     

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.