Wow. It has been a long time since I last wrote a blog post and must admit, I'm very excited to be creating this new blog, Stephanie's Adventures!

This blog will be documenting a new chapter in my life, one with me on land and doing the normal '9-5' thing as a kitchen and bath interior designer in the DC area. Some of you may know me from when I sailed full time as a captain teaching others how to sail and kept the Liveaboard's Logbook. Since I am no longer living aboard, I am no longer blogging on it, at least not for the time being. My new blog, Stephanie's Adventures, will hopefully express a little more of me other than 'strictly sailing' - one that incorporates a little bit of everything from the outdoors, finding new adventures, sailing, quilts, new travels, my cats, bike riding, crafts, designs, architecture, recipes, family, friends, holidays, and much much more.

To catch everyone up, this summer I changed direction in my life and decided to jump back into the interior design career world. There were a ton of factors helping to make my decision including wanting more stability in my personal life and the fact that sailing was becoming more of a "job" - it was no longer fun. I knew something needed to change. I could not let my love of sailing and travel become a chore. To change this, I chucked the guy of 4 years who was no longer trustworthy or supportive and decided to look for a design job anywhere in the US that would allow me to be me. A place where I could pursue the other things in my life that make me happy, that I was unable to do in the past - bicycling, camping, family, friends, hiking and sailing small boats.

I soon accepted a job in the DC area where I work with a close team of designers designing high end kitchens, bathrooms, and closets for the elite professionals of the DC area.

Allie, Bridget, and Cooper exploring my new balcony

Upon stumbling across a Bengal Rescue site on Facebook, I also acquired two more Bengal cats through a pet adoption agency in Louisville Kentucky, ....  making a total of three 2 year old-ish Bengals running around (Admiral Allie, Bosun Bridget, and of course the one and only Captain Cooper). I absolutely love every minute of it! There is nothing quite like being greeted each evening by their happy faces and being surrounded by their unique, fun loving personalities as they explore every square inch of my apartment!

S/V Bandit, a Tanzer 26

I miss sailing quite terribly but have also enjoyed being able to bike ride more, hang out with friends, travel to visit family, and enjoy my quiet evenings working on small projects around my apartment. I am currently in the process of trying to bring my baby boat, S/V Bandit (whom I restored a few years ago with my parents) up to the Solomon's Island area this Spring. It will be about an hour from where I currently live but will give me a fun weekend escape.