Ikimashou Yo

We live on a boat, a sailboat to be precise. This is not very different from many of the others who have chosen this life. Each of us has our own stories to tell. This will be a journal of our story. We have our Captain Eric, Admiral Sharon, First Mate Aoko, and our Deck Swabs Skit, Lilly, and Toast. Before we took on the boat we lived in Northwest Iowa. We were used to waves of corn, and oceans of beans. Wildlife was cattle and pigs with a few interesting creatures such as raccoons, snakes, deer and the occasional skunk. The predictability of the weather was nonexistent. One moment we would be below freezing, and in a few short hours it would be sunny and maybe in the sixties. This could happen pretty much any time of the year. Iowans are built to endure weather. We are used to multiple feet of snow, and snow drifts that cover a house. As Iowans, we just plow through it, and go about our day. We are used to high temperatures in the summer, and we still farm through it. We have had levies break and flood our homes, but we still managed to get it back up and running without a peep. In short, Iowans are a quiet, strong breed of people. We are wary of new comers, but we will give you the shirt of our back if you are in need. Both the Admiral and our captain have lived their entire lives in Iowa. We were born there, we were raised there, but we decided not to rest there.

Eric and I have been married six years. In that time we lived on the East side of Iowa. Eric worked for a university, and I worked in sales and music lessons. We trudged through our jobs like most Americans. They were not bad jobs, but they did not give us much in return other than a paycheck to live off of. Eric went on to develop his home brewing skills. It was evident that he was talented in making a great beer. So we set off for Northwest Iowa to start up a brewery. That brewery is still going on today. I still took on sales and teaching lessons. In a short time, we found we were not as happy as we had hoped. We felt a constant struggle in our lives, and our married life. We just did not know what we were missing.

In May 2013 there was to be a wedding. I was the maid of honor for my dear college roommate and friend. It was in Playa de Carmen, Mexico. Eric and I had not had a personal vacation since our honeymoon. It was chilly in Iowa when we left. We flew into Mexico and it was warm. Not too hot, not chilly at all, but warm like a blanket fresh from the dryer. We had some hiccups in the room department, and spent most of our first day going to the beach and checking on our room situation. We still felt optimistic and happy in this place despite all the hiccups. The beach was amazing to look at. The sand was soft on your feet. The waves were nice pushing against your body. There was something about looking out at the waves, and just seeing endless blue waters. Almost as if you could go on forever. We took a small catamaran out on a reef tour. We saw a turtle and then the vast ocean. Looking down and seeing the floor that was more than 12 feet away. Our sailor of the catamaran told us about his history. He worked with computers and sounded like he made very good money. He turned it all in, and lived the life of the sea. He gave tours on the catamaran, and did diving snorkeling. He was not making the money his old job gave him, but he stated that his is far happier with his life. This sailor would not change his life for the world. There was something about ocean that was compelling. It was beautiful, peaceful, and what I had been searching for in my life, simplicity. I never thought Eric would look my way and say this is what he wanted in his life as well.