I would like to find a t-shirt that says, “I survived my first week living on a houseboat and all I got was this lousy t-shirt!” I am beginning to wonder if we will ever master lake life. We still haven't completely unpacked, the internet signal is weak, the air conditioning units are still not working, I blow a fuse every time I try to multitask, and even my dogs seem depressed...
Read moreDAY ONE: HOPE FLOATS
This is hard! It is our first night on the boat and nothing is going the way I planned. I just wrapped up a little pity party I was having for myself downstairs so I could write. Even as I am typing this, I am waiting for some sort of epiphany that...
Read moreSAFETY FIRST
The alarm in our home sounded in the middle of the night several months ago and woke up John. Was someone in the house? He jumped out of bed ready to protect our family, only to discover it was me. I had walked in my sleep – right out the door...
Read morePOINT OF NO RETURN
I wanted to go on vacation, so I lied. I was in Jr. high at the time and my best friend was allowed to take one friend with her on vacation. However, there was one condition, she wanted to bungee jump with whoever joined her on the trip. And so began the lie. I convinced her that not only was I up for it but I was totally excited about it. I wasn’t. I wasn’t up for it. I wasn’t excited about it. I wasn’t planning on actually going through with it.
Read moreSTAYING AFLOAT
It’s hard to sort through your feelings when your future is hanging in the balance – literally! The 60,000 pound houseboat was loaded on the trailer and ready to be hauled out of the lake. A number of things could go wrong, so everyone waited, watched, and wondered. The creaking of the pontoons and the snapping of wood...
Read moreWALKING AWAY
In just a few days, we will be homeless. We have an appointment Monday morning to sign on the sale of our home, hand over the keys, and walk away. We walk away from a home we watched being built. We walk away from neighbors we love. We walk away from a yard we dreamed, designed, and landscaped ourselves. We walk away...
Read moreTHE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY
As I sit on my bedroom floor surrounded by boxes, I navigate through the difficult process of downsizing. Sorting through the clutter is harder than I expected because tucked away among books I'll never read again and the jeans I haven't worn in ten years, there are memories. A thousand little memories that make up my life...
Read moreREADY OR NOT
It started as a joke. A silly suggestion to a problem we were facing that took root and grew faster than the weeds in my backyard. And just like those weeds, this idea wouldn’t die. Now? My husband, our three children, two dogs, and I are just a few short days away from moving onto a houseboat. I guess the joke's on me...
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