Patience / ˈpāSHəns / noun: 1. the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset.

December of 2015 (and, as we head into January of 2016) has been an exercise in patience for us - staying before leaving. We loved spending a week in Seattle - Susan soaking up her time with Kate and Rob wrapping up with his trusted team at work; witnessing a beautiful milestone as Carah graduated from CU Boulder; enjoying an amazing annual holiday gathering at Greg & Ross' with all of our kids (plus dogs Chester, Edie and Bodie); saying more good-byes to friends and family, and then heading back to San Diego at the end of the month.

Since we've been back, we've been attending to yet more "boat projects" while waiting for a break in the weather before chasing the warm weather south to Mexico. Major projects that weren't on our radar when we left Seattle in September: (1) Pulling out our two 75 gallon water tanks to weld some leaks; (2) Replacing the refrigeration system. The latter was new in 1999; it is now 2016 and the ultra-reliable compressor that has an expected life of 10 years ... suffice to say, time to replace. And then, if you give a mouse a cookie ... it's more projects from there.

All in due time, we tell ourselves, as we wait out the current El Nino deluge whilst sitting at the Marina bar mid-afternoon. That might sound a bit pathetic, but it really isn't. The projects remain, the lists still have to be checked off. But there is a pleasant enough crowd around us, most doing what we're doing, waiting out the rain. As with so many other factors that ultimately drive our schedule, the weather is out of our control. And so, it all requires a little patience. Patience. Sure to be a theme throughout this voyage.

Looking forward to writing from Mexico!