We are back in Florida at the Port of the Islands just in time for sunrise and sunset over the port and boats decorated for Christmas.  Journey looks good in her red and white lights.  And lots of visits from the alligators.  This one was posing for Lilia.  We are excited about Christmas this year and spending Christmas Eve with the whole family.  So, lets break out the Grinch cups and Kick off the Christmas season with Lilia time - Don’t you love that hat!
Lilia loves horses and it is time to get her first ride on Cisco. She is so excited that she and Capi are going to ride.  This day gets both Hannah and Jesse back up on a horse with Lilia.  Smiles all around for this little girl.  This season is full of more Christmas fun like making waffles with Capi, Reading books, and lots of snuggles but lets not forget seeing the Christmas lights and feeding the giraffe! All In Capis favorite hat!  Don’t you love that picture.  Super Sweet.  Christmas Eve is here and watching Lilia and Carson is so much fun!  It was great to have everyone together again for my Mom and Dad.  I am not sure how many more we will have together with them.  The night ended with Christmas gifts at Mom and Dads and really watching the little ones open their presents.  Carson had share that time with Lilia this year. Oh, how I loved watching her with the baby doll and carriage.  Such a little momma, but babies do not get names.  Lots of laughs rounded out this Christmas Eve.
We were able to get a little more Lilia time over the holidays having her at the camper to watch her explore and play in a new environment.
Happy New Year from Solmates Journey!  We return in January to Journey to prepare for the run-up into the Okeechobee River to LaBelle for haul out and a bottom job on Journey.  We leave the marina and anchor out at White Horse with a spectacular sunset.  We had some dolphin visitors before…..We hate being on a schedule, but one we are on.  The morning before we head up while a cold front pushes down on top of us as we race to Fort Myers to get tucked in at Gibson Bight.  The sky, the waves, all looks pretty bad, but we pushed in and got anchored just as it passed.  We recovered and then said why sit here lets move on into the river passing through downtown Fort Myers and still seeing remnants of Ian.  We arrive early Sunday into LaBelle and are ready for a Monday morning haul-out.  This is a different kind of haul out and they all make me nervous, but Dee really liked being pulled out on a trailer.  Check it out.  Two days in the yard. Some great service for a bottom job and we are back in the water and headed back to the Port.  This time we really stop and experience this old Florida look with all the cows down at the river.  We anchor at Panther preparing to go back up the channel to the marina and spot the white pelicans for the first time and as always the hunting Osprey are all around.
Now it is time to catch up with old friends at the port of the islands and enjoy some ten thousand island fun and of course getting to know Grady.  One more visit back home to see Lilia before our three month trip to the Bahamas. This quick trip home brought brewery fun, reading more books by all.  Smores and the Life and Science Museum visit. So much fun with her.  WE will miss her so much over the next three months.
We arrive back prepping for the Bahamas and make our trip to St. Pete for our new dinghy and see our Shelby.  This is a sad high field story better left to tell over a strong cocktail.  We pick up our new LeaAnn.  WE are almost ready to untie the lines and head back to the blue blue water of the Bahamas.

After a year and 8 months, we returned to the United States from Mexico, but how did this happen?  We are the first to admit that we felt at home in Mexico.  We were fortunate to have met many great people who became like family.  We were a diverse group from all over,  but great friends (Texas, Idaho, Virginia, New Jersey, California, Canada, Sweden, and Russia).

How did we decide to leave?  This little girl who turned two in September held all the cards, our granddaughter Lilia or as we call her, Sunshine who we want to be closer to.  So we are Chasing Sunshine.  We know she is growing so fast, and we want more time with her so how can we easily see her more often?  Well,  Mexico was not the answer.  So the hunt began for a marina as we decided we would plan to cross back over to Florida before Christmas.

The marina hunt was of course the first piece of our puzzle.  After Ian hit the Gulf Coast of Florida, and this was the area we preferred, we knew it might be challenging.  Florida marinas are changing so much.  Live aboard marinas are getting harder and harder to find and the cost seemed to be going up everywhere we looked.  Either way, I was getting lots of Nos for an answer or put on a waiting list.  I did start my search at our old marina in Naples, Port of the Islands.  We have been here several times since we found it in 2019 and it always feels like home.  When I first reached out they did not have anything.  Yes, I bugged the dock master, Mike over and over and he promised me I would get the first opening.  Finally, in October we got the news he would have a place for us in November.  Having a slip and being able to plan was a huge relief to start moving forward with planning.
We were targeting around Thanksgiving.  Dee began watching the weather the first week of November and looking for what he had hoped would be a 4 to 5-day window.  We began to prep Journey for departure.  After living in Mexico for over a year and having lots of dock space we had spread out a little.  The meticulous process of cleaning out, throwing away, and repacking Journey began.  This was a process, but something we certainly needed to do after living in Mexico for so long.  We hadn’t been in and out of the same place for more than 6 months, so one year and eight months had caused us to set up house and spread out.   We had moved out of the public marina about 8 months after arriving and began renting dock space from a private owner.   

The Thursday before Thanksgiving, Dee says that he sees a window opening on Sunday the 19th.  We needed to go, so we really amped up packing and on Friday he put our Motorcycle up for sale.  Yes, we bought a motorcycle but when you buy one at the grocery store it is super easy and was great transportation for us.  We had our good byes on Friday evening and the motorcycle sold on Saturday morning.  It seemed like everything was working out until late Saturday afternoon when the front stalled and the weather forecast went south on us fast.   ​

We were so disappointed especially on Sunday morning when we woke to no change and had to make the decision to stay put.  We did spend the afternoon with friends and tried to enjoy some more Mexico time, but it was bittersweet.  At this time, it looked like Thursday or Thanksgiving Day would be the departure day so we began eating the food I had prepped and continued our planning to depart on Thursday.

Why was this an issue and so much disappointment?  One reason is the checkout process in Mexico and the cost.  So let me back up and share that procedure.  When we believed we were leaving on Sunday we began that process.  We had to check out on Friday due to the weekend and get all our paperwork straight with Mexico.  This cost $300 USD and the paperwork was to be good for 48 hours.  This really is for the US so we felt if we could get out within the week we would be good to get cleared into the States without starting this process again.  This led to our disappointment when looking at the weather and hoping for the Thanksgiving departure.

Monday afternoon the world changed on board Journey.  I was doing some work on my computer and Dee was on his iPad.  I didn’t realize he was checking the weather again, but I should have.  He sighed handed me the iPad and left the boat. When I looked at Thursday - the weekend was a mess.  A new front was developing and coming to stay for the weekend.  I looked and looked at all the windows over this period of time and of course, could find nothing.  So, I backed up to Tuesday - the next day, and saw hope.  I knew the winds leaving Mexico shores would not be that great, but was hoping that the southerly shift might hold.  It appeared that crossing over to Cuba things would get better later in the day.  After that, all looked good, EXCEPT for the coming front that was dropping into Naples and the Dry Tortugas even Key West on Thanksgiving Day.  So hopeful, I went out and asked Dee to come and discuss something I was seeing with me.  I think he could see a little hope as well.  He was concerned about our departure and arrival and made the decision then to start out heading towards Marathon in hopes we would beat the front and arrive in time for protection if the entire Keys were affected.  Fortunately, we now have Starlink and knew we would be keeping a check on the weather several times a day.  We also told those who needed to know and got our prayer warriors praying for our crossing.  So we went to bed with the plan to get up early, check the weather one more time, and get off the dock

Tuesday Departure Day:

We were considering heading to Marathon instead of Naples,  but even almost pulled the plug on leaving Mexico.  The worry was that we saw no windows for travel in our near future.  The fronts were dropping from the North one after the next.  We are off the dock at 7:45 am and once out of the inlet the waves became consistent from the NE but decently spread out with some slams, it's doable so we continue.  The occasional beam rollers begin once we are out of the inlet and stop after about an hour.  We are fully committed now to the crossing.  This was going to be a long day and making it even tougher was that we had not slept well the night before.  This is a day where you get a seat and you keep it and even at that, your core is getting a continuous workout trying to keep you stable.  Journey is taking a lot of abuse.  We know it sounds worse than it is but we still worry about her.

The time goes by slowly, even though we have the Yucatan current in our favor the wind and waves are not allowing us to gain any time with the current. By 4 in the afternoon, when we hoped for change nothing has changed, Journey had taken plenty of waves over the bow and was very salty.  Before sunset, we get out The Great Gazoo (Starlink) and check the weather.  All seems good and no major changes ahead.  At this point, we are 9 to 10 hours until the tip of Cuba and protection from this land mass. We enjoy the sunset but not the darkness that follows.  We say our prayers and are thankful.  The moon is in the first quarter so we have some light until around 1:30 in the morning.

By 2 am we have reached the tip of Cuba and the seas are beginning to lay down and it is a welcomed relief.  Dee gets about 4 hours of sleep to Allie’s 6.  We take 2-hour shifts to watch through the night.  Once we lose the moon for the night it's not until 5:45 before we begin to see light on the horizon again, but it is a welcomed sight.  We were not lonely as we saw cruise ships, tankers, and cargo ships busy the entire passage.  In fact, we saw 10 cruise ships alone during our crossing.

Here are two cruise ships we passed the first night.  Sorry about the quality of the video.  But still a sight to see.

As the sun rose around 7 am the seas calmed to soft swells cradling Journey lifting her and easing her back down in a smooth rhythm.  It is a great morning with our coffee enjoying the seas.  Off our starboard bow, we watched a whale blow many times but I didn’t think of a video until it was almost passed us here is what I was able to capture.

We have slowed way down to averaging under 7knots so the time and miles are passing slowly, but we are thankful for the calm seas.  Around 11 am we are greeted off our port bow with a large pod of dolphins jumping.  They ride our bow then jump in our wake for about 10 minutes and we take it as a good sign from God that he has us and will protect us through the unknown of the next night and day.

By afternoon even with an angle toward the Florida Keys, we are still right alongside Cuba.  As the sun begins to set we get The Great Gazoo out and check the weather again.  Some models are showing wind will be up in the morning, but others are conflicting so we are hopeful, and enjoy another beautiful sunset and the calm waters.

We are expecting to enter the Gulf Stream around 8 pm.  We have increased to 7.5 knots so hoping for 9.5 when we hit the Gulf Stream.  The moon is waxing gibbous tonight so a little brighter and will last longer.    We have to force ourselves to remember how beautiful this is, even though we cannot truly appreciate it in the moment as we are in a hurry and get there mode.  Dee sleeps first the second night and by the time he is back up, we are flying.  The seas are smooth but with the speed, we have more movement.  After the moon sets it is followed by Venus rising which casts a bright reflection in the water for miles.  We both during our shifts watch what we believe were satellites circling Venus.  This was cool but video just didn’t capture it.  By sunrise we are approaching and passing Key West, the seas are eerily calm with a slight haze.  For us this is one of the greatest Thanksgiving mornings ever.  God is good and prayers are being answered because the morning weather report shows a stalled front.

We planned to head to Marathon but daylight hours are our enemy and we would like to stop somewhere before dark tonight.  We look at several options, but only one gets us where we need to be to get into Port of the Islands Marina at high tide.  This route passed through the Bahia Honda Bridge, up the Big Spanish Channel, and onto Shark River in the Everglades to make a 4:30 pm arrival before sunset. We have the fuel to do it but by the time we make the Port of the Islands marina, we will be down to 100 gallons which is the lowest we have ever been.

As we pass under the Bahia Honda Bridge around 10 am, we find it ironic that this is where we left from back in March 2022.  We get some FaceTime with Family after we are under the bridge and share some Thanksgiving time together.  We are now back in the land of shallow waters and crab pots - OH MY!  After 30-plus miles of avoiding crab pots, we drop the anchor.  Are we really going to shut the engines down after 58 hours straight?  Yes, but it did feel strange and eerily quiet.  It is hard for us to describe how we felt but accomplished and  thankful we are for sure.  We had celebratory cocktails and meatloaf with mashed potatoes.  Happy Thanksgiving!

The alarm rings at 5 am and pull the anchor before 6 to make sure we arrive at the entrance to the channel by 11 am.  It is dark when we pull the anchor and we watch the slow glow of the soon-to-be sunrise as we head out for our 5 hour cruise in smooth waters.  We arrive at the entrance around 11 am to a familiar place, but we don't make any assumptions since Hurricane Ian has recently visited the area.  The tide is rising so the current is pushing us along through the channel.  The wind is blowing hard down the canal but when we get first sight of the marina the winds look light around E Dock.  Several are there to assist our docking and Dee slides her in nice and easy.  She temporarily secured, engines are shut down and we can officially celebrate! 

Details of Travel:
Mexico to Shark River
58 hours
464 miles straight

Total Trip:
64 hours
511 miles

Fuel:
229 gallons wiht 3.6 per hour burn

We head back to Mexico and Bill and Lisa come along for some Mexico fun and finally spend some time aboard Journey.  It all started with airport fun as we flew out of different airports but arrived in Mexico at the same time.  We were not able to get Journey off the dock during their stay due to the weather but we had lots of fun.  Dee was our personal Mixologist!
Our fun included time on the beach thanks to Jack and Cathy.  We enjoyed exploring the area, hanging out in the hole and canal tours courtesies of Robin and Landon,
and finally a great night out at one of our favorite places Buena Vida in Akumal also with Jack and Cathy. We were sad to see them go.
Dee and enjoyed getting Journey out a few more times into the Mexican waters and having some final fun on the PA beach.  Time is slipping away.  We saw this rainbow soon after returning to Mexico and would see one more right before we leave so stay tuned. God is sending us some signs that it is time to go.
Before we leave we get to experience One more Halloween and a huge Day of the Dead celebration.  I have included here some information about the full celebration of the Day of the Dead in Mexico. It is a week-long celebration leading up to Halloween and Nov. 1st - the biggest day of celebration and culminating on Nov. 3rd.
Halloween always means a golf cart parade in PA.  Check out Alex’s family dressed up to scare us all!  We enjoyed decorating for Tradewinds bar and handing out candy to all the golf carts as they passed by to collect their loot.
The next day was All Saints’ Day and PA had a huge Day of the Dead event which was more fun and meant so much to this culture.  They remember their dead during this time.  This is the day children who have died come to the Day of the Dead table.
Our days in PA are coming to an end as we try to enjoy the final day at our dock And enjoy as Lilia calls our duck, the families of Chachalacas that live in the trees around us.  Knowing that this view from the beach and The Hole will no longer be ours very soon.
Before we leave we have some final visitors.  Jeff and Melissa arrive to experience Mexico and all PA has to offer.  From canal tours in Shelby to a trip out on board Journey.  We had a great time.  This culminates with Dee’s birthday which we celebrated at Latitudes. Cheers to so much fun in Mexico and the sadness we have letting it all go, but new adventures await.
Before we go we must sell Metallica.  Dee’s final ride on her out to meet the man who would buy her.  She was so good to us.  Best and cheapest transportation for us to get around in Mexico to get supplies and explore. Then that final trip to “The Hole” with friends.  So much fun then and even now looking back, but so hard to know it was over.  The final rainbow shines over us and we know that this small weather window that we have we must take.  So out of PA we went for  14 hours of rougher seas than we would have liked but we knew in our gut we had to go!  Stay tuned for the crossing in the next video.   

Before we head home for Lilia’s birthday we spend another day over at El Cielo.  We know that these days will be over soon as we make plans to return with Journey to Florida by Christmas.  This water is what we will miss until he head over to the Bahamas.
Lilia is 2!  It is so hard to believe that two years have past since she arrived and how much our lives have changed with her in it.  We up to Durham a little early with the great-grandparents to spend some time before the crowd arrived.  Then it was time to celebrate…. Dee and I headed back up to Durham to spend some time with Hannah and take Lilia with us for a few days and lots of adventures! 

We started with the stop back in Salisbury at Dan Nichols Park and the Merry Go Round.  Next, we headed out to view and visit the animals at the park.  First found the bears, and Lilia told us to be quiet he was sleeping.  She loved the chickens and got down and personal with them trying to talk to them about their day.  Last but not least We played in all the playgrounds.  Lots of fun to explore.  Ditched one slide or another.  Before knew it was finally time togo. . But Lilia left uniquely to say the least.  But yes, she was tired and ready to go
Another small trip was out to see the Neigh Neighs.  Lilia got to pet them all and we didn’t know it at the time but this would be the last time that Lila would pet and see Fury.  What better way to spend some time then at the local playground where she could try out lots of new playground equipment and of course more slides.  She poised as a butterfly and enjoyed her time on Capi’s shoulders.
We enjoy watching her explore and grow and love on her Noah.  Noah must be around for sure when she heads to nap or bed.  Preparing to take her back we planned a stop at the Dixie Classic Fair , Of course to see more animals.  She loves cows as well right now so we started there.  The camel not so much but the chickens had her smiling again.  Then is Cotton Candy time!  She was sure and not sure about that stuff, but it was nice time to rest and cool off before heading out to meet Hannah.  On the way out we spotted some neigh neighs.
Before heading back to Mexico, Dee and I spend time getting our NC home set up and we are loving it, but we are flying back to Mexico for the last time and taking along some friends, Bill and Lisa to share some of our fun!

Just after we arrive back onboard Journey in Mexico, Jesse and Harley join us.  We are so excited to have them both back with us aboard Journey.  First things first we grab margaritas and dinner at Latitudes, but this is just the first of many outings around Puerto Aventuras we take because Jesse loves that Harley is welcome everywhere here in Puerto Aventuras.  Canal cruises are a favorite as always.
Jesse is trying to mark off two bucket list items with this trip.  One was to swim with the whale sharks.  Jesse and I head up to Isla Mujeres wishing the trip had been canceled before we made the ferry, but we spend a wet day exploring and bar hopping in Isla Mujeres and scored bathing suits from Gladys!  We will plan this again for July 2024 so stay tuned.  But it was great to spend a girl’s day with Jesse.  We are thankful Dee made the wet trip twice to Cancun to the ferry and back for us.
Some wet pool time, beach time, and sunsets before Harley and I get 10 days together as Dee and Jesse head off to Peru to hike the Inca Trail.  Check out their adventure in the next video. A four-day hike into Machu Picchu.  This is the big bucket list item.  They depart Cancun for Lima, Peru and then to Cusco, where the hike begins.  Arriving four days later at Machu Picchu near Aguas Calientes to spend a night before returning to Cusco.  Then back to Cancun via Lima to conclude their trip.  But this is their story.
After they returned we took Jesse and Harley on board Journey across to El Cielo with friends and enjoy the crystal blue waters for the day,  and we get to see some dolphins it was a beautiful trip with our new bathsuits!  Some final hiking and exploring  around Puerto Aventuras before it is time for these two to head back to the United States.  We will see them soon as Lilia’s Birthday is upon us she will be 2.  Before heading back, Capt. Dee takes us and some friends across the El Cielo again, and then it is time to celebrate Lilia!

We are back and super excited to get a week with Lilia.  She is coming to spend some time with us the week of July 4th.  We can’t wait to explore the world with her.  From Ducks and the lake, horses, and boat rides just to name a few.  But watching her personality shine is the best!  July 4th is a hot one but we head out to the lake to spend some time. Lilia is a trooper and enjoys the lake, food, water, and toys provided by Brody.


After a very important phone call, Lilia needed to make, it was time to see the horses.  She loves her neigh neighs.  This would be a memorable experience now for Dee and I,  as Fury passed in the Fall of 2023.  As you can see she enjoyed exploring Farm Life at Bill and Lisa’s house and the cats., We did not know then that when Sugar would come back to live with Hannah and Aldo Lilia would fall in love with her.  We should have seen that coming.


We always enjoy spending time with our lake friends, especially When Chef Mark prepares dinner on the Blackstone.  The sunset with friends is something we miss about North Carolina summers.


After a visit to Alexandria to see Jesse and experience 5 hours of worship at National Community Church in July which was a great experience.  We also keep Harley for a long weekend while Jesse goes on a Bachelorette weekend.  And use these times passing through Durham to begin building Hannah and Aldo’s gazebo.  I believe they finally had to finish it themselves.


Busy Busy Busy we are.  Mom and Dad purchase a new camper so we buy theirs and set out to sell our motor home.  Which included a 24-hour round trip to Florida to tag the new one and get the title for the motor home but she is sold.  Also while we are home, Dee’s insurance agency becomes a true independent.  Finally breaking long hard ties with an aggregate company, Now, he and Stormi have so much to do.  and I try to help as much as possible to keep this new endeavor off the ground.  This coming year will be a difficult but rewarding one we pray.  Wild times!


Dee and I also spent a night in Durham painting Hannah and Aldo’s garage floor which turned out great, but the Airbnb we stayed in was a different story.  What I learned is to take pictures this is what helped us get some of our money back.   dirty with trash left in bags in the living room. We had no sheets on the bed, and no towels in the bathroom.  Crazy!  We endured.  And enjoyed these last few days with Lilia and Hannah. As they returned to Mooresville with us for our final weekend which included another sunset boat ride with Hannah and her friends and a boat ride for Lilia.  I think she liked it except for that life jacket.  


Just as we were preparing to leave and spend the final day with Hannah and Lilia,  We learned people were on Dee’s property preparing to move the mobile home.  That was just a chaotic story that I have already written a blog post about titled Whirlwind, but I am using it to prepare this video.  Before I get into that remember that gazebo, well the night before we take off back to Mexico, a storm takes it out!  Heartbreaking.


During this entire trip home we continued to try and find out what was going on with Derwin’s cousin’s mobile home on his property. She said she was having it torn down, but then we found out it was being sold.  So much we need to know about moving a mobile home, but she will not talk to us.  Dee and I sadly had to post signs on the property hoping to encourage people to call us so we could find out what was going on.  Some of the signs were just torn down.  This story culminated on our final weekend while Lilia and Hannah were visiting...
Its Saturday morning while having coffee the neighbor who is a renter called to tell us a lot of people were on the property.  Dee flew out of the house and asked her to call the sheriff's office because he did not know who was there.  When he arrived it was the new owner and moving company who failed to read signs and just moved the barricade at the driveway.  The deputy explained everything to them about how they could be arrested and why didn’t they call the number on the sign, but Dee said give us a minute to see if we can work this out.  While discussing with the moving company why they had not contacted him they continued to say they just assumed the owner of both was the same.  They ignored the sign.  He told them he needed their insurance before they could start.  His cousin shows up and the company then pings her for money because she was not forthright with anyone and had stopped their work.  After lunch, we met back to get the insurance and she paid them the extra money.  Dee spent most of the weekend out there telling this company what they were going to run into and continuing to have to ask them to correct mistakes like a broken water line which caused the other renter to be without water for hours, and not realizing how embedded the mobile home was in the ground after so many years.  He made sure it was done right with little damage to the property and they cleaned up and dressed the lot which they did not want to do, but when you are almost arrested then you conceded a little to correct your mistakes.  The worst part is that Dee spent almost all day Saturday, Sunday, and Monday on the land watching this “shit show”.  If it had not been for one of their contractors (it was a family business) then it would have been really bad!  As I said before everything he predicted in the email to his cousin happened, and it cost her more money.  Let’s see you sell for $1,000 and then have to give the moving company $800 for your lies.  Seems like a lot of work to be deceptive for nothing.  But now we can look forward to having a great little spot to put the fifth wheel and have a place for us here in NC.


We have to end this all on a good note and that is All About Lilia or Sunshine as we call her.  She lights up our life.  She loves animals and is curious about the world around her.  Her smile lights up the room, and she is quite the comedian.  She is really understanding that I am Meems (Allie).  Well, right now she thinks we are both collectively Meems, but we are working on it for Capi (Dee).

May begins with Construction Worker Day on May 3rd.  This day also known as the Die de la Santa Cruz/Feast of the Holy Cross.  You find decorated crosses on construction sites everywhere.  This one was right next door to where Journey was docked.  These stayed up pretty much all month or longer.  Look it up because there is so much more to the history of this day and the cross.  May also was Dee and I’s 34th anniversary and choose to celebrate this year at a favorite in Akumal, La Buena Vida, a great restaurant on a small cliff in Akumal.  Sand below your feet, a stunning view, and a warm summer breeze with happy hour Margaritas!
The weather is getting better and better and that means a trip over to El Cielo.  Off we go with friends which is always the best!  These are memories Dee and I will treasure along with the stunning views of the water in this area.  The weather is also allowing us more opportunities to watch the sunset on the roof at Jack’s. This is always a favorite and we always meet someone new it seems each time we sunset there.  May provided some stunningly great days on the water, and this one with coffee on Journey did not disappoint.  Our crew today was Tony and Annette and Jack and Cathy.  The day was perfect, the seas were perfect, and the time was just too short.
As the month closed out Dee and I decided to celebrate Memorial Day weekend anchored in the Hole.  It was a busy afternoon but we enjoyed anchoring back and watching the festivities for the day.  At sunset we moved up to the sandbar to watch the sun go down.  There is so much more to this story and if your watching ask us about it over a beer sometime!
Summer is coming fast as June arrives and more and more friends seem to drift back to their homes for the summer, but a small crew is left to carry one.  Dee, Danny, and Mike take the solution out fishing and Dee scores his first Sailfish!  Awesome experience for him.  I thought he should share it in his own words. so check out the video for more details.

When the boys go fishing, this can lead to a fresh dinner.  We enjoyed tuna steaks and Sushi this night at Latitiudes.  We volunteered to take some friends to the airport, and while in Cancun we headed out to see the beautiful beaches of Cancun and this trip did not disappoint.  Final stop on this trip was Pescadoras for a craft beer in Puerto Morales.  Excellent!
Finally, in June we get Alex, the manager of Tradewinds our favorite bar, and his family out on Journey for the day.  We took a short cruise but it was a little too rolly, so we headed back to the Hole to anchor.  Each child got to be the captain   and take a dip in the water.  Ashely might have stolen our heart.  Danny and I both celebrate June birthday’s so to celebrate we all got together for a cookout.  We had a great time at the pool with a few drinks, and grilled hot dogs and hamburgers from Dee.  On Father’s Day we headed out to the Hole and it got a little crowded.  That just means more people to watch!  We are always amazed at how many charter boats can get into this small area.
As June comes to a close we enjoy some dinghy exploring, snorkeling the reefs,  and the Xpu Ha beaches, watching the kingfisher fish each day, and finally celebrating my actual birthday at latitudes with friends.  It was a great evening.  We flew out the next day and yes we might have hurt a little with a hangover but we will remember my 55th birthday.  First Stop home is Miami…

April 2023 brought lots of fun for us here in Mexico, and lots of trips to El Cielo which is the southern tip of Cozumel… So in this video, we are sharing all the fun we had crossing over to either Cozumel or El Cielo where some of the most beautiful water can be found.  Our first trip was Easter Sunday and what better way to spend it than with our friends on board Journey making the trek across to El Cielo.  This is the best friend group and we loved this day that we got to spend together.  At the time we did not know it at the time but it would be one of our last when we would all be together.  We had a great crossing and a beautiful day enjoying the stingrays who are always super friendly to everyone.  Remember this is Easter Sunday and it is crowded along the sandbars of El Cielo…
The next trip was a special request from Jack and Cathy and some of their friends.  We set out on a beautiful, actually perfect day.  It just does not get much better than this on the water.  Cathy was able to reel in her first fish, a baby mahi, we gave him back to grow a little bigger for another day, but she enjoyed the experience.  Once again we settled into a beautiful spot on the sandbar to enjoy the day.  And the stingrays were just as friendly as ever!  Check out how beautiful this water is with white sand down below. (See Video)
Our third trip was a little different, as we had some friends who were stopping in Cozumel for the day on a cruise and we could not miss the opportunity to go across and visit even if the waters were just a little rougher than we like.  We enjoyed visiting and hanging out before they had to go back on board.  Dee and I had gotten a slip in the marina for the night and loved the marina, but even more so when we were able to watch the sun go down into the water.  We have missed these sunsets.  The next day the seas were a little better and as we set out across Dee caught a mahi!
Our final trip was to celebrate an engagement. The son of some friends of ours proposed to his long-time girlfriend here in PA.  This is a favorite place for them both.  We took them and their friends across to El Cielo before they headed back to the States.  The sun didn’t cooperate as well as our other days, but all in all, it was a great day.  Soon they will be back saying their vows here in Mexico.

This is the only word that I can find to describe the six weeks that Dee and I spent back in the States.  We could not catch a break, but we accomplished so much.  We know that somehow God has a plan that we are headed toward and it will be Good! Words you have to remember when in the midst of the storm.  Our Dee’s favorite song, The Eye of the Storm ( Ryan Stevenson)
We kick off this whirlwind with my 55th birthday here in Mexico.  We met friends at Latitudes and enjoyed way too many Margaritas, but it was a fun and memorable birthday.  Dee and I suffered traveling the next day — car rides and plane flights — a little yucky, but we survived to arrive back in NC and at my parents’ home by 8:30 pm.  Long day, but glad to be home and see family and friends, especially Lilia!  On our first full day back, Dee was given bad news about his business as he prepared for separation from his parent company and independence for his agency.  His biggest company he thought so highly of decided he was not worth appointing.  This is a big blow as the finality of his partnership with AA and the uncertainty of the future for the business are just about to begin on July 1.
July 1 is a Saturday and the good news is that Lilia has arrived to bring smiles to our faces!  We so love having her around and watching her grow and learn.  She is the funniest and sweetest.  Aldo and Hannah take a night to themselves in a hotel before heading back home.  We get lots of Lilia time - Parks, Ducks, Restaurants, and the July 4th celebration.  We spent the afternoon out at the lake with good friends, Eddie and Joan. Chelsea and Garrett whose son is Lilia’s age brought out all the water toys and Lilia had a blast.  It was hot and she is a trooper so we called it an early night for her.  The 5th is our last full day with her and we get all the love we can before meeting Hannah halfway on the 6th to give her back.  We are sad, but Dee has lots to do and I need to learn how to be his backup and help out so he and Stormi can work.  During Lilia’s visit, Dee still did lots of hard work on the business which was hard with Lilia here, because he had missed her and needed her love.
Sat. July 8 we took my parents to Thomasville to see a camper they had been looking at and they decided to buy.  It is beautiful.  While we were there, we decided to sell our motorhome and buy their fifth wheel for our new North Carolina home.  More on how that will work when I tell that drama story.  After making the decision to sell the Motorhome we must begin the clean-out so we can take pictures and have her ready to sell.  So Monday morning, we begin the process which takes us two days and we have her ready for Facebook and up for sale.  This is good because now we are packing bags quickly to leave for Alexandria, VA, and a visit with Jesse, but first, we stop in Durham to see Hannah and Aldo’s new house.  Lilia is at daycare so we must wait for those hugs just a little longer, but we love the new house and can see the potential it has for them.  I know Hannah is glad to have a place even though I also know how much she loved traveling around the country, but with a child and two dogs, it just was too hard.
We make it to Virginia and enjoy our time with Jesse which includes a 5-hour worship service at NCC on 7/13 beginning at 7:14 and ending at midnight at 7:14.  Yes,  it means something!  2 Chronicles 7:14, " If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”  On Saturday we were supposed to hike, but the weather canceled it so we spent an evening at Port City Brewing a great little brewery in Alexandria.  We also had some pool time and worshiped at NCC, and heard Mark Batterson preach before leaving and heading back toward Durham.  Now we get Lilia's love and hugs for a few hours anyway.
At this point, I think my body decided to take a break or break down, and I got sick.  Thankfully I had an antibiotic from Mexico and started taking it, but it still took about 4 days to get it out of my system.  Yet, I could not stop!  We had motorhome showings and Dee had to keep plugging away at work.  By the end of the week, we had a deposit on the motorhome.  Wow! That was fast, but this part of the story is not over.  The weekend arrived and it was finally time to pick up Mom and Dad’s new camper and get it set up and the Jayco moved up to our old site so they could move out slowly and organize into the new camper because for sure my Mom needs it to be right!  After all this hard work we needed some downtime, so we headed out to the lake to hang out with Mark and Lisa to float in the lake,  spend the night, and enjoy a fabulous meal cooked on their Blackstone grill.
Dee is still working but Stormi is on vacation in Hawaii, so I start the week working with him in the office, on Wednesday we head back to Durham to pick up Harley and get more love from Lilia.  We also begin the process of building a patio cover that needs to be put together for Hannah and Aldo.  We were going well until Hannah remembered she had her online class. Oops!  We still have so much to do, but stopped and took Lilia to Chick-fil-A with Jesse.  Then we head back to my Mom and Dad’s with Harley.  I am now working from Mom and Dad’s to take care of Harley as the weekend hits.  I head back up with Mom and Dad to work on setting up the new camper while Dee takes a break and gets his Harley time.  On Sunday we are headed back to Durham to work on the cover and return Harley to Jesse.  I didn’t mention that Jesse had a Bachelorette weekend.  We worked for several hours but still could not get that patio cover done.  Hannah and Aldo finally finished it during the week.  I wish we had kept track of the hours it took to build.  You will know why soon.
We started the next week off with Dee continuing to work super hard and long hours while I worked with Mom and Dad up at their camper helping move items from one to the other along with some other items that needed to be done so they could hopefully be living in the camper some.   The camper is like their summer home.  We also delivered the motorhome to be checked out, especially the generator, which was a good hour's drive away.  On the next evening which was a Tuesday,  Dee and I rented a car and headed off to Florida for a 24-hour trip to get the title for the motorhome.  It took exactly 24 hours to make this turnaround trip, but we did it and are ready to finalize the motorhome sale.
The day after our Florida trip,  we head over and pick up the motorhome and meet the couple from Lumberton at Concord Mills, and sell her off!  Feels good to know someone will be using her and we can’t wait to get the Jayco set up for us in Mooresville.  Sometimes you need your space!  We close out this week with a sunset cruise on the lake finally!  July is gone and it is August before we get a sunset on Lake Norman.  The cruise was awesome and it is hard to believe this is the first time we saw the sunset as our stay is winding down. Dee and I spent Saturday morning helping Mom and Dad again move items and working on their setup.
On Sunday, we rested as my sister went with my Mom and Dad to the camper and then to their pool.  So we just relaxed, but Hannah finally said they wanted us to do their garage floors, which we had offered on the first stop to see the house as a housewarming gift.  Her life has been just about as crazy and she finally says yes, so off to Lowes we go.  We got all the supplies and the paint kit.  This week brings great news as Jesse’s job finally posts!  We are so excited and pray that this is what God wants for her.  On Wednesday we head to Durham and start the floors.  We have dinner with Aldo, Hannah, and Lilia at Growler Girls or that is where the beer came from.  The pizza was next door not sure of the name, but super yummy!  We topped the overnight stay of by Dee and I stayed in the dirtiest Airbnb ever but it was for just one night.  The next morning as we headed to finish the floors I was concerned we might be accused of making it dirty.  I had taken pictures so decided to report it, but we did not ask for any money back. We felt the man must really need the money.  Airbnb did give us a little back probably their fees, but it took a while before they got the apartment down.  I hate it for him, but the filth, etc., was indescribable.  I hate anyone who lives this way.  I pray the money he received was well used.  That next day we finished the garage floors and they looked great.  We can’t wait to see the downstairs of their house finished.  They have so much going on it is crazy!  Hannah and Lilia packed up and headed back to Mooresville with us for the weekend. I think Hannah just needed a place to live for a few days with furniture!  We needed more Lilia love so it worked out for us all.  We took Hannah, Aislinn, Jenna, and of course Lilia out on a sunset cruise. The girls took off for girl time and we took Lilia home and enjoyed a few extra minutes of love although she was a little grumpy before bed. We finished off the weekend with dinner with my parents, sister, and brother-in-law.  A great family celebration and get-together that we really should do more often.
This last week in the States brought packing up, Hannah had a big storm that destroyed the patio cover we all spent hours building gone in seconds along with Lilia’s play set.  Very heartbroken for them and it seemed they were in shock over it.  This is what Hannah and Aldo need just a little more on their plate.
Now, I have to back up and tell another story that is happening during this entire 6 weeks that culminated on our final weekend while Lilia was visiting which really did not give us enough time with her before we left especially Dee who had to deal with most of this issue.  Dee’s cousin had her mobile home on the land Dee inherited from his parents, the land was originally his grandfather's and she had been promised she could live there as long as she needed back in 1985.  She called on May 14, to tell us she was moving into an apartment and that the mobile home was no longer a safe place to live she was giving him notice and promised to have the mobile home torn down by the end of July.  He thanked her for calling and taking care of the mobile home and told her she did not have the pay the little money she did to lease the land.  Sometime around mid-June, Dee reached out again to her to find out what was going on and she told him she had a realtor and was selling it.  I knew this sounded crazy so I went straight to Facebook and found the post but at the time failed to notice that the mobile home was not posted by her for sale.  He asked to be kept informed.  I really can’t remember if there were a few more times Dee reached out for information, but after the 4th of July, he received a call from her sister saying she was trying to handle all of this and would he be interested in the title being signed over to him.  We walked through it and knew it was a no for us because we felt it needed to be torn down.  On the same day, they called back to say that they might have a buyer.  Dee tried to understand the pricing, the Facebook person who we finally saw was not her, and the moving of the mobile home off of the property, but neither wanted to communicate and answer questions.  In fact, she hung up on him 3 times in one morning because she could not answer questions that were being asked.  On this same morning, we sent a message to the woman on Facebook and told her she no longer had permission from us to be on the property.  She never responded.  We asked for her credentials as a realtor which his cousin kept calling her.  Although we knew she did not have to be a realtor to sell a mobile home.   We were out of town visiting Jesse at this time, but when we returned we went and posted No Trespassing signs on the property, and a sign on the trailer that it had been abandoned and the owner was not communicating with the property owner.
At some point, we believe the Facebook lady found all this as she finally answered the message and asked us to sign a Hold Harmless Agreement which he refused.  His cousin began sending emails at this time, we feel because Dee refused to talk to her sister any further and she needed her help.  After reading these and going by the property we knew someone had been on the property so we reposted signs and blocked the driveway with a sign again stating that the property owner and mobile home owner were not communicating with each other.  Dee answered an email from her asking her to put him in contact with anyone who had purchased the mobile home, and he would not remove the signs until he knew what was going on.  He laid out what would probably happen because she would not choose the right path and almost word for word it happened our last weekend home while Lilia was visiting.
Our last Saturday morning in the States while having coffee the neighbor who is a renter called to tell us a lot of people we're on the property.  Dee flew out of the house and asked her to call the sheriff's office because he did not know who was there.  When he arrived it was the new owner and a moving company who failed to read the signs and just moved the barricade out of the driveway.  The deputy explained everything to them about how they could be arrested and why didn’t they call the number on the sign, but Dee, giving everyone some grace, said give us a minute to see if we can work this out.  While discussing with the moving company why they had not contacted him they continued to say they just assumed the owner of both was the same.  They ignored the sign.  He told them he needed their insurance before they could start.  His cousin shows up and the company then pings her for money because she was not forthright with anyone and had stopped their work.  After lunch, we met back to get the insurance and for his cousin to pay the moving company the extra money they required for the incident.  Dee spent most of the weekend out there telling this company what they were going to run into and continuing to have to ask them to correct mistakes like a broken water line which caused the other renter to be without water for hours, and not realizing how embedded the mobile home was in the ground after so many years.  He made sure it was done right with little damage to the property and that they cleaned up and dressed the lot which they did not want to do, but when you are caught breaking the law then you concede a little to correct your mistakes.  The worst part is that Dee spent almost all day Saturday, Sunday, and Monday on the land watching this “shit show”.  If it had not been for one of their contractors (it was a family business) then it would have been really bad!  As I said before everything he predicted in the email to his cousin happened, and it cost her more money.  Let’s see you sell for $1,000 and then have to give the moving company $800 for your lies.  Seems like a lot of work to be deceptive for nothing.  But now we can look forward to having a great little spot to put the fifth wheel and a place for us here in NC.
We have to end this all on a good note and that is All About Lilia or Sunshine as Dee calls her.  She lights up our life.  She loves animals and is curious about the world around her.  Her smile lights up the room, and she is quite the comedian.  She is really understanding that I am Meems (Allie).  Well, right now she thinks we are both collectively Meems, but we are working on it for Capi (Dee).
Here’s to hoping our next trip home is not exactly like these six weeks were this past summer.