August 13th marked a "holiday" for my family...my twin brother's and I's 24th birthday.... we decided on a cookout that brought together our friends and family since we haven't celebrated our birthday together in over 4 years. 

After being away a little too long from Derrek (as we were doing our "own thing" aka me working on the boat in WV and Derrek working in Mn doing ASA charters) we were finally reunited for my birthday weekend in WV. It was full of tons of fun with family, friends, bonfires, and rollercoasters! 

In addition to sailing, I also enjoy bike riding. My entire family are avid bike riders who got my brother and  I  started at the age of 3, and "competing" since the age of 4. This summer I made it a mission to ride more often since I hardly do any riding when I'm down south due to the lack of storage for my bike on the boat while doing charters. 

Currently, my Dad and I are training for the Country Roads Bike MS where we ride 150 miles through the mountains of West Virginia starting at the Greenbrier to raise money and awareness for MS. Click Here: If you'd like to donate by August 28th, 2014! My Dad has been doing it for the past 5 years, and I've only participated once though have gone as his support crew with my Mom and taken tons of pictures a few times. 

We've added to our crew! Welcome Captain Cooper.....our new Bengal kitten. 

Growing up, I've always had pets - always a couple of cats, but also dogs, chickens, ducks, gerbils, a goose... (you get the picture haha). But as of a few years ago, I lost my last pet due to old age, Misty, an extremely sweet, loving, blind tabby cat. Once hearing about a guest's Savannah cat that her and her husband absolutely loved (and described as acting more of a dog then a cat) I started researching online. Savannahs were a little too 'wild' and even banned in a few U.S States....Bengals though, well they had the wild look, sweet personality, were hyper-allergenic....and LOVED water.... Sure enough, I was sold. 

And started to think of every possible way that I could get one on the boat, especially since Derrek was allergic to cats - which turned out not to be a problem since Cooper's hair is not of a cats, but of his "Lepoard Cat" genes. 

 Info on Bengals:
Bengals look like a while cat but are as friendly, lovable, and docile as any domestic tabby. Bengals are playful, and energetic, and are extremely curious. They are supposedly not intimidated by water and love to be involved with their family. (For more information, visit: http://www.bengalcat.com/whatis.php or http://crazyaboutbengals.com/about-bengals/ )