Sunday Afternoon on Ocracoke

This past Sunday, Brian and I worked all day.
At 5:30 we called it a day and spent some
time with our animals, Jack and Charlie.
Jack was looking very bored...

Charlie wanted to go to the beach...

So, we went...

Charlie was puzzled for some unknown reason...

We went for a walk through the coastal woods and had a picnic,
on the platform looking out over the salt marsh and sound.

And we go to see this gorgeous sunset.
Happyness...

WOW! An Award? For Moi? I'd like to thank...

Casey, my dear friend from back in my LSU days has given me the Kreativ Blogger award, thanks Case! I'm new to blogging and I'm enjoying it very much as a way to let friends and family peer into our little life and also to speak to my fellow cruisers and soon to be cruisers who have been following our website, www.yachtpuff.com. Casey is the one who got me started doing this blog. She also taught me how to be creative with my blog. THANK YOU SUPERMOM!

The Rules:
List 7 things that you love and then pass the award on to 7 people...tagging them and letting them know they won! You can copy the picture of the award and put it on your sideboard letting the whole wide world know you are.

1. the ocean: it represents life and energy and limitless possibility to me

2. my family: in my ideal world, I have my entire family all living within a 5 mile radius of me

3. my animals: i couldn't live without pets, they provide entertainment and so much love

4. South Louisiana: I'm with Casey on this one... the food, the music, the culture, the history, the steamy weather, plus my own heritage goes back for hundreds of years there... my family

5. my husband: partner, friend, inspiration... he challenges me to be a better person every day and i trust him more than anyone else i've ever known... life is so unbelievably good with him at my side

6. sunshine: I could totally deal with sunshine every day, same goes for warm weather

7. traveling... I love, love, love to travel. I have made traveling my life and I don't ever want to stop moving!

I can't believe I only get 7, I could go on and on...

I'd like to award ( I guess you can't award someone right back, but Casey really is the most creative bloggstress that I know)...

Force Ten Hurricane has the blog called S/V Wahoo... She's been working so hard on her sailboat for a couple of years now. She is in North Louisiana and doing a great job with all her boat projects. She's going to be an awesome cruiser someday very soon!

Travis and Maggie at blog, Me Voy... Crazy enough to be cruisers, they have 2 boats that are works in progress. It takes a lot to rehab an old boat. These guys are doing 2! And they are both artists, so I'm sure they are not only doing quality work, they're probably taking the time to make it look really good too! They definitely have the patience to be blow boaters.

Brian Pucella at the Oceanprowler.com blog... yes, he's my husband, but I really do love his blog and it is very creative!

Scott, of A Food Journey With Scott... Love this blog, she's such a great cook, shopper, hostess. I learn something from every single post!

OKAY! So I admit it! I need to read more of the great blogs out there! I don't really have seven that I have read more than once. I resolve to do better! Of course, there's Nie who I read, but I'm sure she's gotten dozens of awards. I'm going to get into this a bit more I hope. Thanks Again Casey!

Let's Talk About Boats!

This is what we have to look forward to!

The cruising life is always so exciting! Even if you're not cruising, you're preparing to go again. Nothing can be more thrilling than planning your next adventure except actually taking off! We're in the preparation stage right now. We rented a house for the winter, because we wanted to do some major work on Puff. We have ordered a new diesel engine and Brian is working days to build the cruising kitty and working on the boat at night. Right now he is doing interior varnish work. We're also planning on installing a hot water heater, re-doing the non-skid on deck, sewing a new dodger and bimini, and at some point... a new mattress, a new stove, LED lighting, a new stereo system, cockpit cushions, and interior cushions. We're also going to haul her out before we go and scrub and paint her bottom, get a new prop and driveshaft, and a remote oil filter for the engine.

Boats are a lot of work, but there is something cool about working on your own boat. It's a great feeling. I'm grinding the ax at a day job, as well. At night, I am working on creating a source of passive income for us, so we can get paid while we're cruising. Sounds great, doesn't it? It's basically a web based income that requires a lot of work initially and minimal maintenence to keep up. Perfect for cruisers.! We need to find another way to make money besides trading hours for dollars, that cuts into actually living this wonderful life. I've seen good results for others, but I'm doing my own test. If it works out, I'll write about it and let everyone know. The unveiling should be at the end of the month, if I make my own deadline.

March holds much excitement for us, new engine... boat repairs and upgrades... moving out of the house and back onto the boat... launching a web biz... I'm starting a new job, doing massage for a friend's spa... lots of new things! That's what Spring is all about, right? New beginnings, leave a comment and tell me about the new beginnings in your life this Spring. By the way, March 20th is the official first day of Spring!!! Yes! Bring on the sunshine and warmer weather!

Ahhhhh... the Bahamas!