A pirate looks at 40 ~ The Admiral

It’s our captain’s 40th birthday tomorrow. It's been a rough month for him full of loss and heartache so I wanted to do something meaningful for him. It’s hard to get a gift for someone like our captain so instead of buying him something, I made him something. I put together a video looking back at his life over the last 40 years. I’ll let the video do the talking but I will say this about Steve: it’s rare to find a man who has lived his life putting others before himself. A man who has loved his children with everything he has, even if their choices take them in different directions. A man who has risked his own life to save others. A man who puts God first in everything he does in his life.

A recent discussion I had was about heroes. What makes a hero? Who are the modern day heroes? Famous coaches, athletes, movie stars, billionaires? These are people who are worshiped like gods and who’s only qualifying trait is they know a sport well, they play a sport well, they are good at pretending and they made lots of money. These same "heroes" live lives full of selfishness, debauchery and sin. Are these the type of people we should be raising up as heroes? Not at all, in my opinion!!! How about the men and women who put other's needs before their own? The ones who risk their own life for others? The ones who sacrifice things they want so others may have it. The ones who serve their country, their community, their family, their Lord God. The ones like my captain. My husband. The father of my children. He is a real hero. A real man. A real father. A real veteran. He is our hero.

I recently came across a poem that hit home for me. I don’t know the author but I share it with you today in honor of my Hero, my Captain, my Steve. HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY!! I love and respect you beyond words.

You are my rock, my anchor, and my sea. I live within you, yet you hold me fast. I breathe your soul. Your thoughts so blend with mine I can’t distinguish a dividing line. Before our love is unimagined past. There is no after – now is all to me.

I love you with a tenderness my past could never fathom. Before your love was mine, the person I remember wasn't me. There was no rope of love to hold me fast to life’s one truth within its restless sea, nor happiness to help me draw a line.

Winds of the world blow wild and free, and fast obliterate the most enchanted line. But there is now a well of love in me well past the wind, the turbulence well past, a serenity within me more than mine, an inner calm more endless that the sea.

Through love we’ve found a love past yours and mine. I will hold fast to what is best in me. Love draws its own shoreline and pounding sea.

Happy Valentine’s Day ~The Admiral

This is going to be a mushy love story post so if you don’t like reading about happiness, you’ve been warned.
The devotion the Captain and I had yesterday was titled "The Meaning of Rings”. I found it very fitting that it just so happened to be Valentine’s Day this week and what better way to celebrate it than this.

So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.” Matthew 19:6

My favorite part of my wedding was exchanging our rings and vows. “This ring I give you, as a symbol and pledge of my constant and abiding love.”

Symbol: Something representing something else by association.
Pledge: A solemn promise to do or not do something.

We exchanged vows and we exchanged rings. Those rings are more than just jewelry. They are a symbol and a promise to each other. They are a constant reminder of the vows I made to my husband and to God. They are not fancy, they are not expensive, but what they are is ours. Those simple rings make us a set, my husband and I. A matching set that God Himself picked out carefully and we should not forget He knows what He has planned for us, even if we can’t see it yet. As a part of our devotional yesterday, we were to find our wedding vows and read them to each other again. I can’t tell you the joy this brought both of us. For me, it was a powerful moment, remembering just how much I loved him when I wrote mine, but realizing just how much MORE I love him today.
Since we didn’t have anyone other than our children at our wedding, I thought I’d share our vows today, with our friends and family. Our way to celebrate Valentine’s Day with everyone and a way to share our love with you. 

Captain’s Vow to his bride
I feel I started living the day I met you, and I will spend the rest of my life making up for our lost time. I have never felt the way I do when I’m with you. Every day I find new ways that show me that we were meant to be together. Your strength, your vulnerability, your stability and your support of my dreams make me feel I can accomplish anything.

Whether it’s finding paradise in a small town, living simply and raising our children, or planning our future sailing into the unknown and living as most people wish they could.

You are the shelter for my soul, you heal me when I lost control. Only you know who I really am, and only you understand.

You make my life complete, for you are now and forever my wife. I love you for everything you are, and for everything you are not. I will build my life around you, support and encourage you, heal you when you are sick and keep you from harm. I promise to never grow up and to never take you for granted, to love you more today than yesterday, and like there is no tomorrow.

Admiral’s Vow to her groom
Steve, today I give you my heart and soul because you have earned it. They have been enriched and brightened since you came into my life; by your love and your laughter, by the touch of your hand and the smile of your eyes, by your strength, your compassion and your kindness.

Today I give you all of who I am because you have earned it. I am, in every thought of my heart, completely and forever, yours. I will be with you always, growing in love day by day, hour by hour. Never above you, never below you, always beside you.

Today I give you my love, all of my love because you have earned it. Multiply it by infinity, take it to the depth of forever and you’ll still only have a glimpse of how much I love you.

Today I give you my heart, my love, my soul. I give you me….because you have earned it. You will now and forever be my husband. I love you for everything that you are, everything that you are not, and everything that you will become.


So now we’re busy planning our future, sailing into the unknown and living as most people wish they could. Happy Valentine’s to all our friends and family. We send our love and our blessings. May God shine His love upon you on this day of love. He is where all love begins and ends.

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16
~ The Admiral

Faith ~Dolphin Dani

 What is faith? Faith means different things to different people. Faith is a noun and a verb. According to the Webster.com, faith, as a noun, means ‘belief and trust in and loyalty to God’. It also means ‘firm belief in something, for which there is no proof, complete trust’. Faith, as a verb, is 'to trust or to believe'. Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”


My mom took this picture at our church


Faith is a lot of things, and faith is pretty amazing. It actually goes beyond the church, and into your heart! I have faith that God will protect me no matter what when I devote my life to Him. I don’t think that means no harm will come to me, because when you are hurt, there is usually some purpose behind getting hurt; whether that is a lesson that I needed to learn or the opportunity to test my faith. All things happen for a reason. My Grandma Peggy says that ALL the time but it's true. And now with our new boat, my family and I plan to stock up on bibles and other needed items, and head to the islands and spread the Word of God (aka the Bible)!! Mom and Dad made some friends down the dock that want to do practically the same thing! I will use my faith during those times knowing that God will be with us and use us for His needs and for His good. I am excited to see what adventure my life will take when I live my life for Him. 

Bethany Hamilton

There is one person who has taught me more about faith than anyone else and got me thinking about my faith a lot lately. That person is Bethany Hamilton. At the age of 13, she survived a shark attack that took her left arm. During her time in the hospital, one verse stayed in her head, Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you, and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” I have memorized this verse and I think of it often. Bad things will happen to me but when they do, God will show me the reason behind it. He will give me hope and a future. Bethany is so amazing, determined and has a super strong faith! My faith has grown stronger because of her example and I think that's awesome!
So thank you Bethany; for giving me strength, courage, PLUS a super duper boost in my faith. You got your arm taken off by a SHARK, so that sort of means the bad things that happen to me are small, compared to losing an ARM. But I know that God is just testing us on how strong our faith is, and now I have a better perspective for when I have had a bad day. I have faith (or confidence as in Hebrews 11:1) that He has plans for my future and I will be ready for whatever I face.

Now you know what faith means to me. What does faith mean to you?

~Dolphin Dani