The tradition for many Americans is to formulate New Year’s resolutions but I don’t personally like this idea. What is a resolution? Often times, this is defined as a firm decision to do or not to do something. A rigid set of rules that you hold yourself to in such a manner as to allow no flexibility.

How many New Year’s resolutions have you made through the years that have fallen to the wayside after just a month or two? A rigid set of rules that you make up for yourself to improve your life. I know I’ve certainly made my fair share of New Year’s resolutions which have ultimately failed and been forgotten by February or March each year. But not this year.

This year, I’m coming up with a set of intentions for our family, which I intend (ha!) to revisit on a regular basis.

Our New Year’s Intentions: Life, Family, and Sailing Adventures

Evan and Kali enjoy each others' company on one of our afternoon walks.

Evan and Kali enjoy each others’ company on one of our afternoon walks.

Work-Life Balance

I’ve made leaps and bounds of improvement in this area in 2018 but I feel this is something that will require constant work and adjustment for the foreseeable future. Currently, I work from home for a small digital marketing agency and Brenden is still working on-site in downtown Portland for a software company.

I work anywhere from 25-30+ hours each week. I love my job and feel a lot of pressure to make as much money as possible to continue working down our debts, but I do intend to try to cut back my work schedule to be closer to 20 hours each week so that I can spend more time each day focused on my kids.

Brenden works a full 40-hour work week and spends, generally, at least 8-10 hours each week just commuting (thumbs down on that!). We are planning on giving up our home slip at the marina in Portland on May 1st. Hopefully, at that time, Brenden will already have made the transition to be working remotely.

Sunrise at the marina in Portland OR

Family Time and Adventuring

We already hold the intention of daily adventures outside the boat which we definitely need to carry through to the new year. During these cold and often rainy and windy winter days, it is sometimes hard to get motivated to get all dressed for the cold and get outside with the kids. However, the kids really need the regular exercise and mental stimulation that we get from our outside time.

Kids watching two bald eagles in a tree in Portland

While on an afternoon walk, we stumbled upon these two gorgeous bald eagles in the trees above us.

Kids watching two bald eagles in a tree in Portland

To help facilitate this during the week, my intention will be to have completed all my work for the day by the early afternoon so that I can fully switch gears and get out with the kids. However, I also intend to watch the weather and try to be flexible in my work schedule so as to take advantage of dry periods in the day.

We also intend to cut back on electronics time and increase boredom. It sounds funny, but there are lots of benefits to allowing your kids to be bored and I fully believe that we’ll be more productive on our long list of boat projects if we remove the distraction that is TV time.

We've recently gotten into hunting for mushrooms on our walks. Kali was proud to spot these ones on the side of the trail.

We’ve recently gotten into hunting for mushrooms on our walks. Kali was proud to spot these ones on the side of the trail.

Sailing Intentions

Our intention this year is to spend as much time away from the dock as possible! We can’t readily get away from the dock (or, rather, shore power) right now in the cold season. We don’t have a good way to heat the boat away from AC power. We are considering buying and installing a diesel heater aboard Mosaic- it would certainly extend the opportunity for colder weather sailing for us.

Our windlass is still non-functional and we’ve yet to ever get to do any anchoring aboard our boat. We’re determined to remedy this situation this year! And more, to spend as much time away from the home slip as possible.

The plan is to head up to the Puget Sound in May or June. What happens from that point onward will depend on what Brenden’s job situation looks like but, we’re hoping to be able to cruise the sound through the summer and fall while continuing to work and save money.

Our sailboat, Mosaic, sitting pretty in our home slip in Portland Oregon

Mosaic sitting pretty in our home slip in Portland Oregon

Share Your Intentions for the New Year

I would love to hear your intentions for life, family, and sailing in the new year! Please leave a comment!

2018 is coming to an end. This has been a good year for us as we worked hard to get our sailboat ready for going cruising. We’ve still got a lot of projects to complete before we can leave the home slip on May 1st, but we’re in the home stretch here and, after over two years of stationary living aboard, we’re beyond excited to see what 2019 brings. Thanks for coming along for the ride! Cheers.  ~Rachel

The view overlooking the marina in Portland OR