The Beginning

Dave and I are both from Buffalo, New York.  We were in the same MBA program, and met because we sat next to each other on a flight to London as part of class at school.  It was his second to last class in the program and my second.  If either of us had not taken that class we most likely never would have met.  We lived in completely different circles.  Thinking back, it definitely felt like the hand of Fate was guiding us back then.

The Dream

Shortly after we started dating we started to fantasize about "taking off" and traveling around on a boat for a while.  When we got married it became our 5 year plan.  We lived a nice, but modest life, and focused on saving money for the day we would set sail.  Our 5 year plan turned into a 9 year plan, but in July of 2007 we sold our house and moved onto a boat that we spent the previous 4 years restoring.​

Back to Reality

Living the Dream

We were delayed for a year, but in October  of 2008 we pulled up anchor and it finally started to come true.  We had an incredible time travelling, the inland rivers from Pittsburgh to Florida and around the Florida Coast.  There is no doubt that the trip changed the course of our lives forever.  You see, the hand of fate reached back into our lives and we took a course we never anticipated.  ​

We were looking to drop anchor for a night on the way to Tarpon Springs.   While waiting for another boat the tide went out and we wound up grounded so we were towed to Crystal River for repairs.  The guide books said the river was too shallow for us, but that was not the case.  We travelled on from Crystal River, but when it was time to settle down again we chose to come back and try to make it our home.  Dave, who never worked in the public sector before, is now the City Manager in Crystal River - the only place in the world you can swim with wild manatees!