Merry BOATmas!

I feel like it’s only in the spirit of the holiday season that I write about all the things that make living on the boat (and everywhere else we’ve stayed in between) full of joy.

1. Living on the water never gets old. Not only do we get to sail, but we get to wake up and step into the cockpit to watch the sun rise over the water. Its beauty brings joy every day, even the ones when we aren’t on the boat.

2. Steve and I made a habit of having our “date night” on Wednesdays. It’s in the middle of the week, and it makes us make the time to spend real quality time together. Just because we see each other all the time doesn’t mean that we don’t need these date nights. Plus, they don’t have to be anything extravagant, just intentional. So, my #2 favorite thing? Sail dates. These are definitely some of my favorite memories with Steve. Watching the sun go down on the bow, catching just the right amount of wind in our sails, slapping on the autopilot so we can hang out together and dance in the cockpit – priceless, all of it.

3. Dolphins!!!! I promise you, I will never stop loving seeing these creatures follow behind us or cross our bow. One of the most exciting times was when we were in the river and taking friends for their first sail and all of the sudden dolphin after dolphin started jumping alongside us. You would’ve thought we had just learned to laugh for the first time because of how happy and excited we were.

4. Planning our trips. Steve and I are planners, there’s no doubt about that. So, when it comes to trips, we love a good planning sesh. The best part is when Steve gets really excited about one place because he thinks I’ll love it and so in turn I get extremely excited and then our excitement just feeds off of each other. This happens all the time and I LOVE it. It’s truly a perk of dating your best friend.

5. Over the last few months, we have had quite a few ups and even more downs. Honestly, it’s terrifying when it happens so often, but the thing is, it really makes you realize what’s important. We don’t need much to keep us happy or to keep us going, we just need each other. That, my friends, is a huge lesson and man oh man am I glad we know it, because if not, we might be in shambles with all of the obstacles thrown our way.

6. Sometimes, you just have to leave it up to fate. Right now, we still have no idea what the future of the boat looks like. We have to wait until March to move it to our home port, and then we will have to get an estimate. We still have no clue what that will be, nor what we will feel like doing by that time. It’s hard, not knowing, but it also proves that we are capable of a lot of things, and that in the end, it will all work out just as it’s supposed to.

7. Steve and I are not people that stay in one place forever. We enjoy the traveling, seeing different things, trying different foods, meeting new people. It’s all fun and exciting! When you live on a boat, or don’t have a brick and mortar home, you get the chance to go all the places you ever wanted! In a month Steve and I will have just left San Diego and will be in Ensenada, BC, Mexico! Did I EVER think that we would be doing that this winter? NO WAY. Okay part of that is because we had different plans for the boat, but we’re still doing what we love and traveling this beautiful world.

I could think of a million more reasons, but I think these 7 really prove that no matter where you live or what you do, you can find joy in the life you live. We’ve been a lot of places this year and I still just want to spend my days hanging out with my guy and our pup, no matter the destination. After all, the journey truly is the destination, and we are proof of that. You may never get to the destination that you planned for yourself, or maybe you will, but either way it’s the experiences along the way that make everything worthwhile.

So this year, as you are holding your loved ones close, getting cozy by the fire, and celebrating all of the little joys, remember that just being present in the life that you’re living can provide so much love.

This is my last post before Christmas, so… Happy Holidays everyone! I hope this season brings love and joy to all of you.

Safe seas,

Skye