Ketch Up

We spent Thanksgiving with the FL family in St. Pete, good times were had by all. Great food, lots of laughs, and time spent just catching up!

Turns out my cousin has a passion for thrift store shopping as well, it was so nice to have a buddy to spend way to long looking at everything in the store-twice.

We went fishing-or atleast attempted to do so...my FL cousin had low expectations being that Bill and I are "yankees."

"Give a man a fish feed him for a day, teach a man to fish feed him for a life time. "

Still working on our "life time" skills. Bill hooked mostly rocks, and I let the fish get away with the bait almost every time. I am determined to become an excellent fisherwoman, practice starts again this week, reels in the shop being re-spun (need the right tools to do the job).

After Thanksgiving we knew we had to leave the St. Pete area, but we didn't have a clue of where to go next. Benjamin Franklin said "fish and company stink after three days." I wanted to catch fish not be one-it was time to move on. So we did what we always do when we don't know where our life is going-we look at boats (usually online) but this time we headed to marinas, contacted sellers, and crawled around in boats, something with both love to do. Thought we might buy one in Satellite Beach, but decided to walk away, to much of a financial risk.

Again-where to go and what to do? The west is cold this time of year, and if we weren't going to be living on the ocean I wanted to at least be in spitting distance to salt water, Bill felt the same way.

The Keys Disease had gotten into both our systems, and so we conclude the best move would obviously be to live in the FL Keys for the winter, why not right? So apartment hunting we went, up and down the Keys, and arrived at a nice quaint little beach shack of a studio, on a canal in Key Largo.

400 square feet seemed like a palace compared to the RV, along with double the amount of deck space, and dockage for our "some day soon" boat, all for the right price! Not to mention a real shower stall!

We may not be living on a sailboat just yet, but for now I am content to eat a...

Cheeseburger in Paradise
Medium rare with mustard be nice
Heaven on Earth with an onion slice
I'm just a Cheeseburger in Paradise

I like mine with lettuce and tomato
Heinz 57 and French fried potatoes
Big kosher pickle and a cold draft beer
Well good God almighty which way do I steer for my

Cheeseburger in Paradise (Jimmy Buffet)

Dear Santa

So I know I should catch you up on Thanksgiving, but I wanted to share my Santa wish list with you, as I am now starting to listen to Christmas music and get in the spirit! All I want for Christmas is for people to live more; being alive and living are two very different things. Do what you love, and love what you do. Live in the present. As my favorite fortune cookie reads, one which I saved and read every day "Life does not get better by chance it gets better by change." Make yourself happy, you deserve to be happy everyday!


Enjoy yourself. It's later than you think. ~Chinese Proverb

Go for it now. The future is promised to no one. ~Wayne Dyer

To change one's life: Start immediately. Do it flamboyantly. No exceptions. ~William James

One Month, time well spent

It has been one month to the day since I blogged last, sorry for the delay, however the time has been spent experiencing new and exciting places;

Jacksonville FL we visited with cousins and Uncle Den...we always have a good time with our FL family. We played with the children, ate grits, and enjoyed many laughs. After a few days we got the itch and headed further south. Getting the itch to hit the road again is quite an awesome feeling. It is the first time I was craving the act of movement and exploration rather then being really nervous about where we would go next!

We headed to St. Augustine for a day (been there before) and decided to B-line it to Miami for a free concert. We drove down A1A and saw dolphins swimming by as we picnicked, and jumping the surf while we waded in the water at Smyrna Beach.

We reached South Beach Miami for a free Zac Brown concert on the beach. We were right up dead center in front of the stage, barefoot and dancing to "Free", couldn't have been any better.... but it got even better; those standing around us were very friendly people. We learned more about the band from a hardcore fan, about Miami and FL in general from a local, and each got a free beer!

After traveling through Miami (Manhattan with palm trees) we decided we have no burning desire to live in such an over crowded city, where life moves way to fast. So we hit the road again, this time...Key West was the destination!!!

Stopped off in Key Largo at Snapper's which is an excellent resturant/bar that my cousin runs. I had never been there and hands down had the best Key Lime Pie (even after we made our way through the rest of the Keys). I also ate the Vera Cruz Hogfish (local fish) which was delicious. Snapper's is on the water and has a nice laid back feel, check it out if your ever in Key Largo.

We then slept at Jolly Rogger's on Marathon Key, Breezy Pines on Big Pine Key, and Bahia Honda State Park on Big Pine. Jolly Rogger's we were parked right on the Gulf it was beautiful. At Bahia Honda we stayed on the Atlantic side and it was stunning (rated #1 beach in the US multiple times), check it out.

We traveled into Key West our first two full days, and it was like we had walked into the Caribbean while still standing on US soil. We rented a Hobie Cat and sailed off the beach into the Atlantic for an hour. The following day we took a Stand Up Paddle Boarding lesson/tour with Megan at SUP Key West. This is my new favorite sport, seriously you get to walk on water, freakin awesome. We went through mangrove tunnels, crossed little bays, went under bridges, learned about the wildlife; pelicans, sea cucumbers, and the locals. Mangroves take in salt water and deposit the salt out through warts on the skin of their roots. Nature amazes me more and more. Read about the mangroves and you will understand how awesome mother nature is. Go to this page managroves and scroll down for pictures, definitions, and descriptions. We celebrated our SUP experience at Irish Kevin's with some impressive live music, beer, and laughter...great night capped off with another sampling a Key Lime Pie!

We were hesitant to leave Key West b/c we knew we had to visit again and don't know how long it will be till we return. Thankgiving and family was around the corner and it was time to make our way to some homemade food and good times with the fam!

I took my Dad's advice, I'm not spending my time taking pictures, I am spending my time really seeing the world through my eyes, and experiencing things that are worth a thousand words.

(for all those who like pic updates, don't worry I'm still taking a few)

Pondering & Pictures

Wander 1. to ramble with out a definite purpose or objective; roam, rove, or stray: to wander over the earth. 2. to go aimlessly, indirectly, or casually; meander.



As we wander down south I can't help but feel a need for purpose, a need for a goal. Is my goal to be more eco-friendly? volunteering? finding the place I want to settle some day? learning to slow down? running six miles? what is this feeling, and what will fill my need?


We have been on the road for two weeks, we have seen awesome parks, met nice people, and loved the climate change, however we are wanting for something more. We are not sure what it is. What I do know is the journey so far has reminded me how strong our relationship is and how much fun Bill and I have together. Whether we are meeting some crazies, getting hurt moving around in the RV, flavoring soup w/ steak mix, or dancing in the rain we always seem to have a good time!

Adjusting

So I'm sitting in Panera like a real nomad hoping the internet connection doesn't fail me. It will be one week tomorrow since we departed our home town in Upstate NY. We stumbled along to LI to visit and unload more STUFF. I think stuff grows over night while your sleeping. You wake up and find another pair of jeans you love, and a chair you simply can't part with. However this past week was crunch week and it came down to space. The 22ft Rialta has less than 160 square feet of living space, which the two of us are sharing with our 50 lb dog...what were we thinking...we thought it would be easy- lol. Let's just say by move out day I was simply giving it away and by send off day I no longer cared if I had or had not packed something. If I forgot it, odds are I didn't need it, if I packed it I figure if I don't use it in the next two weeks I will again get rid of some more STUFF.

The pace at which we have gone from a two story house to an RV simply amazes me. I'm so glad that up to this point we both seem to be enjoying the experience. There are some down sides like hitting your head while doing the dishes, having the dog step in his water bowl all the time, bumping your knee on the kitchen counter while rolling over in bed, but as Bill has pointed out to me; all of these things are much better then sitting at a desk all day (at least for us)!

So we spent time with our Jersey cousins and the McGuiness cousins... which was awesome, having time to just simply decide to stick around longer and see family is great. Everyone asks; where are you going, what are you doing, how are you going to make money? Usually I give a quick run down of my answers, but really the honest truth is I don't have a definitive answer for any of these questions and I'm ok with that.

Nomad life takes adjusting to. Our first day that Bill and I had together with no plans simply felt odd for both of us. We felt out of sorts the whole first half of the day, like we were playing hookie, or should feel guilty for not being on the hampster wheel moving at lightning speed. We worked on the RV, spent time at the park with the dog, we to an art gallery, took a nap mid day, and picked up the cousins from school! We both felt weird, however today seems a bit more normal, not like 9-5 normal, but I didn't feel guilty today!

The idea of not knowing what I am doing tomorrow or next week is growing on me already. To be honest I'm crashing in some parking lot tonight for free and tomorrow I might take the dog to a park, go to the beach, sleep in, go for a hike, or eat some seafood or maybe I will do all of these things. When it is YOUR time to spend, you get alot more done, and enjoy doing it!

We are in Maryland its our first location south without any reason to visit other then we wanted to see it, we have no set place to stay and no family to visit, only new places to explore and interesting people to meet (so far the locals are very nice)!

For those family members reading; we are safe and happy and we have more first aid kits and fire extinguishers then I know what to do with, thanks for all the love!

Where the River Meets the Ocean

Have you ever seen where a river meets the ocean? The water is choppy and moving in many different directions. This is exactly how I felt last week. I was visiting my parents, checking up on my dog (who is currently living w/ them), and visiting other relatives. I loved spending time with the family, however it was bitter sweet, I knew it would be the last long visit I would have with them for quite awhile. I soaked up all the love, laughter, and quality time I could and it was a week I will never forget.

I prepared for one last yard sale at my parents house! I found a treasure chest of letters in the closet. These letters had not seen the light of day in years. What I found were the letters my mother had received from her mother, sister, and boyfriend (yes, my father) while away at college. These letters were side splittingly funny, emotionally touching, and provided insight into what each of these individuals was like "back in the day."

What do we get from a letter other then the content? We get-handwriting, dates, times, smells, cross-outs, doodles, and so much more!

Today most people don't send real mail, instead they use: email, text, facebook, and twitter to correspond. Today's technology doesn't require us to have patience, everything is instant and fleeting. Emails get deleted, text and facebook doesn't get archived. What will our kids have to look back on, read, or discover? When was the last time you printed pictures off of your computer? Most of us just leave them on the hard drive. I lost 3,ooo photo's in seconds a few years ago. The guy at the Apple store told me "they are floating out in the universe never to be seen again."

So... I have decided I will start writing more letters. Who knows if the recipients will tuck them away in a closet for safe keeping, but I like the idea of letters, there is something more personal and thoughtful about them.

"Keep your eye on the ball"

Not a big fan of baseball, but if my dad said it once he has said it 100 times...keep your eye on the ball...in other words-focus.

I haven't posted in 6 months, life has been hectic. We tried to sell the house but the market is rough here in NY just like everywhere else...so we rented it. Being landlords is something we have done in the past, it is pretty easy as long as you know how to find tenants. However this time around we need to find a good property manager/handy man as we now plan to hit the road in my in-laws RV! No they are not coming along for the ride.

See the original plan was to sell the house, buy a boat, sail off to sea, and then figure out how to make enough money to stay our there. NOT the most practical of plans, but hey why not? Well here is why-we couldn't sell the house, and though I personally don't value money other then to afford the necessities of food, shelter, and water, we need it to cover these basic needs. So with lemons in hand we found a new way to make lemonade!

We rented the house, sold or gave away most of our belongings (still working on downsizing even more now that I have seen how little storage I will have in the RV), and decided that it might be best to learn how to make money while working for our selves or in a fun industry before setting sail. See either way we both wanted out of our office jobs, no matter what the industry I simply hated being behind a desk. Unless I am working for myself or for enjoyment/satisfaction or a cause why do I care about being on time and pushing papers just so my boss can drive a nice car, golf during the day, and go on grand vacations...why not work for myself, toward making my own life more enjoyable! Lucky for me I don't feel the need to waste my money on silly things like fancy cars, or material items. I would like to spend my time and money on experiencing life! So we will work on our business, and/or in fields we truly enjoy!

So I quit my 9-5, I decided I can call myself "self employed" as long as I get out of bed my 9am each morning and work on my goals, our family goals, and business goals. I may not be getting paid in cash just yet, but my time will pay off when we get to embark on our journey sooner rather then later.

Bill will leave his job two weeks prior to our "send off", b/c lets face it as state before we need to eat, sleep, and afford to start our business. The business- selling frozen drinks at fairs and festivals across the country-turning lemons into lemonade! Vending will be long hours on our feet, but it will be something that allows us to travel, meet all different people all over the country, and in an environment that welcomes positive attitudes!

So plans have changed/rearranged, but life is a winding road, you have to keep an open mind, your eyes open for opportunities, and roll with the punches. Set goals and achieve them. I promised myself we would be out of our house by Sept. 1st. I wasn't sure how we would achieve this, I had hoped to sell it, however I realized the better option was to rent, found a renter, signed the lease, and they moved in on Aug. 31st. We were out!

Each morning I read two fortune cookies words of wisdom that I opened years ago, both of which inspire me each day. They read:

"Working hard will make you live a happy life."

"Your life does not get better by chance, it gets better by change."