Sailing Baby Blue

So, we borrowed a friend's truck and went out to Moab again for another dirt biking adventure. I took a pretty hard fall in the sand, and then freaked out for ...two days. I really didn't want to fall again and just felt nervous constantly. Apparently that just makes it worse. But, we were on some beautiful trails the second day and saw deer. It would've been a bit more enjoyable if I weren't afraid I was going to die the whole time. Then, for the non-biking part of the trip we drove 4 or 5 more hours to Bryce Canyon. It was definitely worth the trip. So dirt biking doesn't have much to do with the subject of this blog: saving money to go sailing. But maybe posting will make me feel better about the money we spent. And hey, going on mini-adventures prepares us for our future grand adventure!

In the interest of making money on our house to partially (or mostly) finance our trip, we've spent the last couple of weeks remodeling our kitchen. I forgot to take a good before picture, so here's a during: We had to take out the old plaster wall in order to move the doorway from the right side to the middle. Holy dust storm in our house. And the after: New fridge, dishwasher, cabinet pulls, sink and faucet, counter top, doorway, shelves, tile floors, and paint! So yeah, we're in debt again. Plus we booked our honeymoon this month. Sheesh.

For Jon's birthday we took a dirt-biking trip to Moab with Jon's brother and his fiance. It would've been a relatively cheap camping vacation, except that almost every road home was closed due to snow or a rockslike. We ended up waiting it out for the night in a hotel. I have to admit that a hot shower was sounding pretty good after all that cold and rain and camping grime, so I didn't mind spending the extra money. I think I did pretty well on the bike for my first time riding off road. Jon was impressed at first, but then I tried to go down a steep hill too slowly and crashed, ruining my credibility as a natural.

We took a - rather large - step backward this month, and bought a new motorcycle! For me! I'm already having a hard time remembering how we justified this expense, but I guess selling the truck and cashing out the old 401K to pay off debt should come with some sort of reward. Right? Now we can ride together through the desert. I'm going to need some riding gear and a learner's permit.

...cause that can be so funny. It doesn't cost any money, and it always grows back. Hair grows even after you're dead." - Regina Spektor This is my new favorite way to save money. I don't know how much Jon's haircuts cost, but I do know it's way more fun when we do it at home. Observe.   The timid punk rocker. The state trooper. Oh, The Irony. Hmm...my twice a year haircuts cost $40. I suppose I'm next. Lets just hope I look good with a buzz cut.

A little taste of what Jon's been riding his bike in.  I felt guilty.   But when he got home I made him help me build a snowman anyway.

I made the first big lifestyle change and sold my truck. It's been two weeks now without my truck and this morning I woke up to a few inches of fresh snow on the ground. Not only did selling the truck instantly knock three thousand dollars off of our debt but it is also a test of my determination to achieve our dream. The sooner we can start living as cheaply and simply as possible the sooner we will be able to set sail. We can also make sure we are up to a lifestyle with far fewer conveniences. Even before deciding to start selling our belongings and saving to go cruising I had wanted to try getting by without a vehicle. I have tested the idea a few times and left the truck sitting in the driveway for a couple weeks and ridden all times of year and in all kinds of weather. Living in Colorado we definitely experience all kinds of weather. Besides the obvious money savings this will provide it is also a healthier lifestyle (no need for working out at the gym when you are biking 12...