What did you want to be when you grew up?

For many years, I answered “sailor”. I figured this was the best way to see the world. When I turned five, all the neighborhood kids read Swallows and Amazons and became obsessed with sailing. My dad helped us drill a mast into an old tree stump and we practiced rigging and catching the wind. We pretended that we were boats and tacked across the lawn as we ran home for dinner. There was only one problem–we lived within the arctic circle in the desert interior of Alaska. The Bush isn’t ideal for learning how to sail, but it was perfect for our imaginations. My friends and I spent hours painstakingly filling in the chinks of our snow boats, shaping ice rudders, and bailing out water (snow) every time it snowed.

Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the States, Spencer and his family actually sailed. They’d rent boats for the day and race each other around a few islands. Winning came down to a bit of luck and who had the most finely tuned sails. Then they’d settle on their favorite island and spend the rest of the day relaxing, enjoying the sun, and letting the breeze tease their hair.

Spencer knows that I jump at any chance to go sailing, so our last day in Florida he coached me through the basics of a catamaran and we sailed out to the island.

There’s nothing better than lapping water, full sails, and a beautiful coast. Except maybe an island with a picnic lunch waiting.

Now that we’re back in landlocked Ohio, the rest of the world feels very far away. I’ve been struggling to find a way to keep up-to-date on the news (somehow international events are much less engaging now that I’m less directly involved with them). Enter theSkimm. It’s hilarious and free. Created by two former NBC News producers who are still in their twenties, theSkimm is a daily e-mail newsletter. Thanks to theSkimm, I can still hold an intelligent conversation about current events while spending a fraction of the time that I used to reading the news. Check it out. You won’t regret it.

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When we heard that Spencer’s sister, Emily, and her family were visiting, we took advantage of the holiday weekend and drove down to Spencer’s hometown. An amazingly good sport, Emily adventured with us despite her pregnancy. First on the agenda: boating down to the Gulf of Mexico and pushing Spencer off the boat =)

Two dolphins played with the boat. Spencer and Emily reminisced about dolphins eating little fish out of their hands when they were kids (don’t try it–it’s illegal now).

A much needed break. One thing is certain–we’ll be back.

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