“Top down? I think it’s supposed to be nice this morning…?” The kids continued brushing their teeth while I checked Accuweather. “Ooooh,” I said surprised and a bit disappointed. “It’s 40 degrees. Feels like 43.”

“Eh,” Sid shrugged like it was no problem.

“43 is close to 50,” Addie grinned, displaying her relatively new braces.

“But if it rains, we’ll put the top up,” Sid clarified, noting the gray clouds. Absolutely.

*I swear she had a HUGE smile behind all of that.*

Hi Friends! It’s been a while but I thought I’d check in. My fingers are still thawing out from the brisk drive to school in the convertible but I’m motivated to get my thoughts out before my 11:15 dentist appointment. And luckily my job is still flexible enough to take this time… 😊

First…the book. Friends, *chuckle* it is NOT going well. I’ve started on it but MAN (!) it is hard to write. Why? I’m still living it! The adventure is still going! And yet, “the adventure” is arguably LIFE (!) and will be going as long as I breathe, right? It’s so hard to go back and tell you the story of how things started when things are still happening NOW. And while I’m very much living “normal” life, my perspective has shifted tremendously. It feels like I’m living the aftermath of “It’s a Wonderful Life.” How long did George Bailey keep his profoundly grateful perspective? Did he kiss that broken stairway bulb for the rest of his life or did that deep and sincere appreciation of “normal,” of all of the everyday things we take for granted, fade away after a few months? Time will tell. I’ve certainly had some rough days and moments. Of course, all of the problems and frustrations we left behind were eagerly waiting for us when we got back. And we did have two (yes, two…16 hours apart) visits to the ER over Labor Day weekend—a broken arm and a suspected kidney stone that turned out to be a tweaked nerve. And Sid’s new mountain bike did fall off of the back of the car on the highway and that definitely sucked (it’ll all be in the book!)………but most of the time, I feel like I have ZuZu’s petals in my pocket. (*PMS/perimenopause days not included). We have a magical machine that cleans most of our dishes. Easy access to a grocery store. A stress-free water and power supply. Dry (!) sheets. And I’m not dripping with sweat! Paradise! 😊

That said, I DO want to write out the whole story and I very much intend to. It’s just on Holly Time instead of Holly Anticipated Time. Steve created a “Holly Time” formula when we were dating and we still use it today: “double it and add 30.” If I was working on a project and I told him “I just need another ten minutes,” Steve would apply his formula and know (well before I did) that I actually needed 50 minutes (10 x 2 = 20 + 30 = 50) instead of ten. In short, I thought I could crank out a first draft by Spring 2026. Steve would tell you that it will likely be ready in 2028. But I’m on it.

Steve and I are driving back to Layla this weekend to drop off a few very big and heavy boat spares, so I’m taking a moment to reflect. I’m happy to report that our family is doing well. Thriving as much as any family can these days. Our first few weeks back were filled with all of the emotions you would expect—happiness, sadness, relief, confusion, disorientation, grief, questioning, etc. But I think the dust has settled and we’re on the other side of most of that.

Sid has gotten SUPER (!) into mountain biking and has already completed a full season. He had his first practice three days after we arrived in STL. Today is his first day of Chess Team. He’s going with a friend of his who I didn’t even know existed until we moved onto the boat. His mom (a stranger to me then) found my email last December and reached out to tell me that her son was in tears because he missed Sid so much (Aw!).

*Sid shaved 13 minutes (!) off of his time from his very first race on the same track—even after missing six weeks of the season with a broken arm!*

*From mountain biking to chess tournaments…*

Addie just finished her Mary Poppins, Jr. play and has recently started her first club volleyball season (I’m coaching). Living in our Airbnb in the city has opened her eyes to a lot of unhoused people and a few weeks ago she assembled a bunch of blessing baskets that we routinely hand out.

*Addie was a clerk, a kite flyer and a park stoller in Mary Poppins Jr.*

Steve? He’s Steve-ing. Still working remotely (now from home most days) and once again taking classes—that man is always in school. He is very much running the household while we figure out how to get everyone where they need to be…especially now that I’m back at work five days a week. We are very much living “normal” life.

*So grateful for this man who takes care of everything.*

And…

We have new perspectives which makes a world of difference. For me, our adventure was a mid-life cleanse, a mid-life rebirth. Overall, I’m happier and more relaxed these days than I’ve been in a long time. Which is crazy to say considering the state of the world (which I rage about daily), the fact that many people close to me are struggling with some pretty heavy stuff and the fact that we’re living in an 864 sq. foot house that barely fits the items we had on the boat. But I think that’s the point, one of the major lessons from all of this: What do you really need? All of that “stuff”—physical items, gadgets, toys, relationships that aren’t working, etc.—all of that just slows you (you = me) down and distracts you from what’s really important and what brings true happiness. And we had an opportunity to get rid of ALL of that stuff. And we don’t miss it—at all. (*Clarification: We do miss our couch.) We’re trying to be really intentional about only keeping things that bring us functionality, joy and meaning. We’ve reached back in storage—literally and metaphorically—for a few things that offer these: our martini shaker (joy), my grade school friend, Meg (joy and meaning), my work clothes (functionality), etc.

But for the most part, we’re still living very simply. I have grand visions of moving back into our more spacious house and having a drawer only for the can opener, and a drawer only for the measuring spoons. Ha! We’ll see. 😊

I remember back in December 2024—about three weeks after we moved onto the boat. It was Christmastime and we were in the midst of adjusting to boat life and everything had consistently been going wrong. One day after Sid hit his head on his bedroom ceiling for the 29th time, he hit his breaking point and screamed, “WHY DID WE DO THIS??!?!?? WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO US??? WE HAD THE PERFECT LIFE!!! IF YOU WANTED TO SHOW US THAT WE HAD THE PERFECT LIFE, YOU’VE PROVED YOUR POINT AND WE CAN GO HOME NOW!!!!” It was heartbreaking.

*deeeeeep cleansing reflection breath and a chuckle*

Ah, yes, we did have the perfect life. And we still do. And now we appreciate it so much more.

I think of our boat friends regularly. In fact, two weeks ago, we were in contact with Sarah and Mike, our SV Pintail boat friends who we met in the Bahamas and hung out with in New Hampshire (oh right, you don’t know that part yet….it’ll be in the book.). Anyway, they are now good friends and they asked if Steve would be willing to crew for them from Virginia to Antigua. We couldn’t make it work but we checked in with them recently and they are currently stuck in Bermuda. They got hit with a powerful wave that completely spun their almost 50-foot boat around (I’m sure it was terrifying…) and damaged their rigging, boom and sail (big expensive things). Thankfully, there were no injuries but they are going to be in Bermuda until everything can be fixed. Uggghhh! We also found out that our Greek friend Greg (who almost stepped on the nurse shark in the “Non-Post: Boat Life Extremes blog) and his family were also hit by a rogue wave a few weeks back and their plans have been significantly altered as well. So discouraging. But from what I can tell, our other boat friends seem to be where they want to be. Claire and Jon just made it to Mobile Bay yesterday and they are once again in salt water as opposed to the Mississippi. Captain Blaine is somewhere in the Virgin Islands. And the rest of them are scattered in the Caribbean and South America. I really hope they are far away from those US drug boat strikes….

*I imagine the adventures of our boat friends…*

We knew that the transition back to land would be tough and wonderful all at the same time. One of the first things I did when we got back was buy a few pieces of artwork from Goodwill to make our gray-walled Airbnb more……Swift-ey (Swift-ey = colorful). I found a $3.75 painting that had a picture of sailboats in the distance framed by palm trees. The painting makes you want to be on the water. But…since we lived that life, we added a few reality details to make us laugh and remind us that boat life isn’t what you see in the pictures.

The post-it note speech bubbles say things like “Mom, I’m hot!” and “Dad, the toilet is broken again.” The welcome sign is a maple barrel (?) top. Addie painted it while we lived at Claire and Jon’s house in Massachusetts over the summer.

We also asked some friends of ours to paint us some paintings in the bright colors that we have in our permanent house to remind us that we are home and surrounded by love.

*Our permanent house is filled with bold, bright colors. We asked our friends for help in making our gray-themed AirBnb our home.*

We saw Claire and Jon in the beginning of October when they were cruising down the Mississippi. They stopped in Kimmswick, MO (just south of St. Louis) and the first thing an exhausted Jon said to me (with a touch of good-humored envy and a sigh) was “You look relaxed.” They had just squeezed into the marina (“marina” = a super old and dilapidated floating dock; St. Louis is not known for its boating culture!) and weren’t sure if they were going to be able to stay because the river water level was so low (no rain!) that they feared there wouldn’t be enough water for them to continue on. Luckily, they were able to stay and it felt like a family reunion. We went for an Italian dinner on the Hill and then hit Ted Drewes for some famous St. Louis frozen custard.

*Gosh, it was SO good to see Claire and Jon!*

Claire and Jon’s visit was a crazy 36 hours. We lent them a car so they could tour St. Louis. But did they? Of course not! Friends, touring the sights is perceived (!) boat life. When you actually live on a boat and someone loans you a car, you use it to run errands (like the FedEx store) and go grocery shopping. Ironically, on the second and last day of their visit, I ended up gathering with a handful of grade school friends that I hadn’t hung out with in years. We were sharing some pretty deep thoughts about our lives. At one point, my incredible friend Meg, whose husband had just passed away very unexpectedly, said something like “I mean, I have a long road ahead of me and now there’s a really big gap, but I LOVE (!!!) my life. I can’t imagine (!) living a life I don’t love….!” She then very seriously went around to each one of us and pointedly asked “Do YOU love your life????” I swear, if any one of us had said “no” I don’t think she would have let us leave until we had a plan in place to make it better (Thanks, Meg.)

Yes. Yes I do love my life. And I have a newfound profound appreciation for it. Ironically, I had to leave that wonderful conversation because I was headed to Addie’s volleyball game…where Claire and Jon were going to meet us. So surreal. That night, our closest boat friends (boat family) met my parents (family family) and some of our closest land friends (friend family). It was a very special coming-together moment for us.

So yes, while we certainly have our moments and while we’re very much back to scarfing down dinner in the car on the way to the kids’ activities….life is good.

This weekend, Steve and I will drive to Florida to drop off some items to Layla that have been stored at my parent’s house. We will hit Jimmy Hulas (“Food Nirvana”) at least once (hopefully twice) for a Kingston taco (Jerk Chicken, Melted Cheddar Jack, Sweet Plantains, Avocado, Cotija Cheese, Boss Sauce—best thing you’ve ever tasted). I’m realizing as I type this that Jimmy Hula’s probably means nothing to you. That was another blog post that never made it to publication. *sigh* The book. It’ll be in the book.

Anyway, when we get to Layla, I will hug that anchor, smell that ocean air and sit in (sleep in?) the cockpit as much as I can (and help Steve change the transmission fluid, of course). We had a potential buyer tour the boat earlier this week. Our fingers are crossed that they will fall in love with her like we did.

And then we’ll drive the 15 hours back to St. Louis. And continue on with our ordinary, perfectly imperfect life. And enjoy all the things that feel so much more precious and valuable now—a random weekday glass of wine with my mom on the porch swing, fall colors, a firepit evening with Steve, once-a-year family reunions, making up ridiculous band names with my co-workers (Someone Else’s Gerbil!), Halloween candy auctions, kid sleepovers, etc. Simple, “ordinary” moments are so much more treasured.

*Our annual pumpkin carving/decorating. Thanks for the fun pumpkins, Heidi and Peter!*

*Sid and I went for a bike ride while Steve and Addie threw a frisbee. Riding over this yellow blanket of soft leaves was blissful.*

And that outrageous secondhand (well, thirdhand) car of mine? It is—hands down—the best purchase I’ve ever made. Period. Makes every single drive an EVENT (!) when that top is down. The stereo is top-notch (thank you, original owner!) and I’m sure I look like a madwoman (but a happy madwoman 😊) singing my heart out with my gray hair flying everywhere,, but I really don’t care. I’m having too much fun. A co-worker of mine told me about a route she takes to work (thanks, Emma!). The other day I felt a pull to take that different route. The top was down, the weather was stunning and the oranges, reds and yellows of the trees were at their peak and bursting from their branches.

I got stopped by a train. Normally, this would annoy me. But that day, that ludicrous car and the French music I was blaring (“La vie en rose” by Zaz?) had put me in such a good mood that I simply relished the moment. I was so happy that I think I physically manifested (?) a coffee shop into reality—Glendale Grinds. I had never seen it before. My car instinctively steered its way into the parking lot and I ended up having one of the best chai lattes (and random barista conversations) I’ve had in a while (FYI - my beloved Garden Café closed in September. *moment of silence here*)

I got back on the road with my toasty chai latte and while at a stoplight about a half mile from work, the wind kicked up and a bunch of red and orange leaves let go of their branches and fell right into my car like confetti. Felt like a spontaneous celebration of life and beauty. Had I been driving my Toyota Highlander—which I would inevitably still be driving had we not done the boat thing—that moment would have looked very different.

I’m so grateful we went on that adventure. We are better for it.

Granted, if the boat had worked out, I might have been blogging from somewhere in the Northern Caribbean right now. And I might be telling you about all of the new people we met and the fish we saw and the jungles we hiked…..or I might be telling you that something else on the boat broke again. Who knows?

I’m grateful, friends. Yes, the larger world is a mess and I’m doing what I can to make that better….but I’m also trying to absolutely squeeze all of the joy and appreciation I can out of every moment that I have. Be that in a crazy convertible moment or in a simple “I am dry and clean and comfortable and can turn on the water without any worries” ordinary moment of awareness.

You only live once. And I’m trying to live like I’ve never lived before.

Big hugs to all of you! Love, Holly

11/13/25 - It’s a Wonderful Life

8/22/25 - Making Sense of It All