The first week of August holds a lot of memories for us. Twenty seven years ago, on August 2nd, Jay and I got married in Naples, Florida. And here we are, unexpectedly back in our home town for hurricane season, putting down new roots in an old place. This photo was taken this past year at our nephew’s wedding. It was so fun to be with our big family celebrating this milestone–the first marriage in our kids’ generation.

Twenty years ago, we left the house on Angels Lane in Atlanta, Georgia and moved to Clearwater, Florida, enacting the first step in our five-year plan to buy and move aboard a sailboat and go on an adventure with our kids. We had three kids under three and everyone already thought we were crazy, so why not keep going?

Fifteen years ago this week, we moved aboard S/V Take Two with four kids age eight and under, completing our five year plan on the dot. We had no idea what we were doing, but it was rewarding, so we kept doing it.

One year ago, we celebrated our anniversary in the Dry Tortugas, on a buddy boat trip with Jay’s dad and our oldest son aboard as first mate on Lovely Cruise. Happy memories continue to be made on the water.

I love celebrating these anniversaries because they show how far we’ve come, and how much we’ve learned since we left the house with the white picket fence. If I could time-travel and visit my younger self, I wouldn’t give away any spoilers, but I would tell her: Stop worrying so much. Everything turns out even better than you can imagine. I feel so grateful this August and want to encourage anyone reading this to never give up on their hopes and plans…the journey may be hard, but the destination is so worth it!