A year of Green Eggs and Ham - aka Boating full time and a Fantasy Update

Do you know that book Green Eggs and Ham? Remember the story? Basically someone being offered something and them not wanting it over and over and over with intense determination and then at the end they finally try it and they LOVE it? Let me refresh your memory starting with the perfect line:

WOULD YOU, COULD YOU, ON A BOAT? I COULD NOT, WOULD NOT, ON A BOAT.

So that line is what 99% of peoples' reaction is when they find out we've lived on our boat full time with 4 kids for the past year. But the beautiful reality for us is now we can say:

I DID, I DID IT ON A BOAT.

THE KIDS DID NOT REVOLT, WE LIVED ON A BOAT, IT STILL FLOATS!

After a year of living in a "tiny home", sailing, schooling and exploring the seas we have learned more about ourselves and life than I knew one year could offer. We met some of the most incredible people, seen immense amounts of arguably the most gorgeous scenery this earth has to behold, and come even closer as a family aboard Pegasus. We still have so many adventures and stories to share from this past year and the relationships and memories will live on for decades to come. Full time BoatLife was amazing, challenging and in the end something we are so happy we did. But now we embark on the next chapter.

Over the summer we came to the reality that building a home in Puerto Rico, while amazing, was going to take away from the years we have with our kids. By the time construction would be complete we would only have a few short years left with Atalaya living in our home. On top of the timeframe we decided our time would be better spent in other areas than focusing on a construction project. This past month we have found ourselves in San Juan, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Newark, Phoenix, Houston, Las Vegas and Zion Utah. We set off in search of a "home base" to hold our stuff and to call home if we needed it while traveling. That search has yet again brought us back towards the West Coast. Initially we thought we would just get a condo but I found Matthew's perfect compound on Zillow and I even exclaimed "Uh-Oh! I found your house!" as I texted it to him (while he was sitting next to me on the boat)

This month is September and that means it's Matthew's birthday month. So what will I get him for his birthday?!? Well back in 2006 Matthew and I took our 1st long RV trip in our Mercedes Sprinter conversion van and we went to 43 states. When we returned to Atlanta everyone asked us "Where should we go?" To everyones surprise we said: "UTAH!!!" There is so much beauty in this state.

Zion National Park is one of the most breathtaking and gorgeous places in the entire world, with Bryce Canyon, Arches, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Park City nearby and the list goes on and on. Prepare to be amazed. You must come visit Utah!! And Happy Birthday Honey! We have just closed on his brand new birthday present and stunning new home in southern Utah.

While the adventures don't stop now for us we are going to be trading some snorkeling for hiking and some teal waters for some red cliffs and lavender mountains. Our kids are thrilled to have more space and to explore the land we now call home. They have been the 4 most incredible children this year: helping, adapting, laughing, learning and seeing so much of the world. While it will be wonderful to have a home base this family will be taking some pretty epic trips in the very near future.

But for now its time to go unpack some boxes!

Sending all our love from Utah,