Rosa Linda Román (00:28): Hello and welcome to New Mexi-Castaways. I'm Rosa Linda Román. And I'm going to see how this sounds with me working around the boat. So, please stand by. Okay, so you can hear the radio in the background. And I wanted to.. it sounds fine. So basically, this is me recording on my Note8, which is my new phone that I got for Valentine's day from my sweetheart. And the reason I needed to get a new phone is because I dropped my iPhone 7 into the ocean where it totally died and never was to be rescued again. I had sent it to a company hoping to salvage the data, hoping by some miracle I would be able to continue to get the videos, and photos, and audio recordings off of that phone because I actually got… everything that we did on this voyage from, basically, the beginning of December to the beginning of January, which is when we went from Florida to The Bahamas, and all the way down the chain of Bahamian islands, all of that was done… was recorded on that phone. Rosa Linda Román (01:48): So, you can imagine my horror when I just got the email this week, hang on, I'm trying to situate my phone right now. So, if it's loud, I apologize. When I got the phone call this week to tell me that it, well, I got the email, rather, that there is no salvaging the data, it is long gone, and there's nothing that I can do. So, I'm quite heartbroken about that. It was a lot of precious recordings that I will never be able to get again, but the show must go on, right? And so, I now have this Note8, which Nathan got for me for Valentine's day and it's a huge phone. So, the downside is I don't really think I can run with it very easily, but the images are beautiful. And I mean, it's a really solid, awesome phone. Rosa Linda Román (02:45): So, I want to paint the scene for you, but let me back up in case you're new to my channel. I'm Rosa Linda Román. I go by Rosa Linda, and I call this New Mexi-Castaways because my family moved from New Mexico onto a 45-foot sailing catamaran called the Dawn Treader. And that is where I am right now. I'm actually alone on the Dawn Treader for the first time in a while. And I'm cleaning up and prepping to depart the Dawn Treader tomorrow. So, I'm going to actually vacuum something really quickly. And then, I will pause this, make sure the recording is working and I will be right back. Rosa Linda Román (03:29): All right, I'm done with that loud noise from vacuuming. And I'm going to put my phone back in my wrist sleeve so I can talk and work. The reason I'm working here around the boat is I am not sure. I'm assuming I have to work under the assumption that I am prepping the boat to sell her. And that's an assumption that kind of breaks my heart, but I also recognize that as much as I love the Dawn Treader, it it is still a thing, right? It's not my family. It's not the things that matter the most in my life, which I always try to remember when I get sad about the fact that the Dawn Treader is up for sale. I try to remember when Ziva when asked about, and I know I've said this here before, but when asked about where her home was, her response was home is where my family is. Rosa Linda Román (04:29): And that's basically how I'm going to try to really remember that as I go through these moments of sadness about, you know, kind of closing this chapter because I don't know what's coming next. The reason we're selling is my husband, Nathan, is very much focusing on his career right now. And it's just not really that compatible with living on a boat and all that comes with it. So, in the interest of, hopefully, being together a bit more, you know, and also, the biggest factor actually was I don't want him stressed all the time. A boat is a lot of work. As you can hear, I'm working as we talk. And that's just on the people stuff, not the boat systems, and the boat systems are, basically, Nathan's responsibility. In general, it has been, at least. Although, I will say I came here to The Bahamas about a week and a half ago to see what I could do to kind of facilitate things and prep things here at the boat. Rosa Linda Román (05:39): Because we have some captains [ph] Varina Calner, I'm sorry, I always say her name wrong. Varina Calner and captain Mike Castle. There are a couple who are here to help. They're going to sail the boat from here in Georgetown, in the lower Bahamas called, called the Exumas. They're going to sail from the Exumas up the chain of islands, and then, cross over to Florida, eventually, in a few weeks. The reason they're doing that is because Nathan just really didn't have a time window to do that. And we were in a bit of a quandary because Nala has been here in Georgetown staying with a family and that's a whole different subject for another day. I'm sure I will do some more episodes on Nala and her excellent adventures. But for now, I'm just trying to focus on what we are doing and what I'm thinking. Rosa Linda Román (06:43): And I'm here to prep the boat a little bit, and then, bring Nala back to Florida where I'll fly tomorrow. My kids are in Chicago with my family, and we and Nathan was in New Mexico, but I think he's on his way to, he was doing his clinical work because he's a physician. He was doing his clinical work in New Mexico. And then, now he's working on kind of the corporate side of his job in, I want to say Pittsburgh, but I really never know where Nathan is except when he is with us, which hopefully is going to be more, right? So, the original plan once we had some major heart-to-heart talks and Nathan really emphasized, you know, I really wanted this boat thing, I was really against the idea of selling her, and you know, we talked about it, and he said, you know, I really want to focus on my career, and I really feel like I supported you in that boat thing, you know, for… it's been a year and a half that we've lived on the boat. Rosa Linda Román (07:54): And I had to admit that, you know, it was not as enjoyable as it could have been because when Nathan was able to be with us, he had to work on boat projects. So, that takes away from some of the enjoyment. So, the original plan was to move off the boat and go move to Phoenix, which is where he's thinking of that being the hub that he will be working out of. And also, he has a side business that he does with his two best friends, and they both have homes in Phoenix. So, we were looking at just moving off the boat, and going to Phoenix, and I'm sorry, I'm working while we talk, but it's the only way I can justify doing the recording at all anymore because I got to get this done Rosa Linda Román (08:44): It's my last day. And I already extended my trip. I was supposed to leave on Sunday and I already extended it an extra what? Two days. So, I leave tomorrow, which is Tuesday. Anyway, so we were going to move straight to Phoenix, but the more we started talking, because the boat has been in Georgetown and we have been in first Puerto Rico, then Florida, we've been doing a lot of home rentals, VRBO, Airbnb. And in the process of doing that, we kind of started the seeds of a new idea. And we also met a wonderful family from Australia that they travel full time. They sold everything back home. I don't think they even have a house in Australia anymore, where they're from, and they travel, they have four boys, 10 and under, and they're amazing. Rosa Linda Román (09:44): And we met them in the Abacos, which is one of my favorite places in Hope Town. And when we met them, it was just like, wow, full-time traveling. Like, they've been to Japan, they've been to, I don't know. I can't even tell you, but all over the place. And right now, they're in Nicaragua learning to surf. So, you know, Nathan and I talked about that and we said, you know, what would that be like if we, instead of feeling like we had to rush over to Phoenix because realistically he's still working out some of the details of whether he's going to get a promotion for his work, and also, working with his business partners. Their ability to be present in Phoenix. Isn't going to solidify for a couple months or maybe like four months. Rosa Linda Román (10:37): And so, rather than move to Phoenix right before the summer, we said, why don't we, like, go to one city, and you know, rent a place for a month, and live there for a month. And that would actually be more consistent than just full-time living on the boat for Ahava with her gymnastics goals because that is a sport that you kind of need to be in one place. So, the theory is she will go to a gym in whatever city we're living in, and you know, and then, she'll be able to train for that month, and then, wherever we go next, she'll go find a gym at that place. So, that's the new thought that we're going to be doing that. Now, let me pause for a minute. I don't know if my away party is here. Nope, they're not. So, by the way, the captains, Varina and Mike just took Nala to the shore to throw the ball, and keep her busy, and let her run, run, run, run, run. Rosa Linda Román (11:41): So, that's very cool because she needs to run, run, run, run, run. She is a very busy dog. So because of that, I have the place to myself and I'm able to kind of do some sorting. Now, announced on the cruiser net, which is basically every morning here… Speaker 1 (12:00): [indiscernible]. Rosa Linda Román (12:01): Oh, that's the radio. That is actually where the Cruisers' Net is on the radio every morning at 8:00 AM. They do a cruiser net, and it's basically where, it's kind of like a radio show, but everybody gets to participate and it's a place where people can buy, sell, trade items. Maybe, you know, you have an extra propeller or I don't know, but also, personal items on the boat that you don't need anymore. It's also a place where people get the weather, find out activities around town for that day. And right now I'm here during the cruisers Regatta, which is a really fun time to be in Georgetown. Rosa Linda Román (12:45): I think even if you didn't live on a boat, I would consider coming here and staying at a resort somewhere here because they have activities every day and they have volleyball on the beach and it's just really a cool time to be here in Georgetown. But anyway, so on the Cruisers' Net, I announced this morning that Nala and I are leaving and everybody knows Nala because she had this excellent adventure, which could have turned into a terrible, tragic adventure. But luckily, it all went well because the local Georgetown community, especially, the cruisers, and not just the cruisers, like, a local resort, St Francis Resort, and a bunch of people kind of pitched in to help keep an eye on Nala because she was supposed to be with a family that we left her with here at a place called Kevalli House. Rosa Linda Román (13:44): And she managed to get away from them and escape. And when she did that, she just kind of took over the island. And luckily, people could tell she was a friendly dog, and eventually, the resort kind of took ownership of her, and took responsibility for her, and started feeding her regularly. And she had a place to sleep at night. And again, that's kind of a whole different story, but coming here, I didn't know what I was going to run into. I didn't know how that was going to go when I got back to the boat and got Nala. Not only did I announce on the Cruisers' Net that Nala and I were leaving, I announced that I have a bunch of stuff to give away because I've been, first of all, even before we left the boat to head to Puerto Rico, we always, generally, whenever the kids outgrow something, we always have an ongoing giveaway pile. You know, we just kind of keep a pile of stuff that's good. Rosa Linda Román (14:53): In Florida, we always just would eventually bring it down to Goodwill, but here we can potentially let other boaters, other boat kids have that stuff. So, I announced on the Cruisers' Net that we would be leaving and that we have a bunch of stuff to give away. And if anyone wants to come tomorrow and do kind of a rummage sale for free they can come and take a look at what we have to offer. And so, that's what I announced and that's what I'm doing. And I've been sorting stuff. In addition, to all the stuff we already had set aside to give away, I'm just kind of going through the whole boat, finding what we want to take with us, what items, because I basically am planning to bring two duffel bags with me to Florida. And then, we're driving our van actually up to Binghamton New York where we're going to be going for aunt Fern's memorial service. Rosa Linda Román (15:59): Sadly. our beloved, my husband's aunt, who was a beloved person in all of our lives, the kids, and myself, and Nathan. She passed away and they're having a memorial service in Binghamton, New York. So, we're going to be driving up there. I'll be driving up there with Nala, and then, the kids will either meet me in New York or will drive, and get them… once we get to Binghamton will drive towards Chicago and pick them up. So, what I'm doing as I'm going through the boat is just looking at the stuff and thinking, okay, do we need this now? Like, on the road, this is stuff we're going to want with us. I'm trying really hard to limit what we have with us to one large suitcase each. So, that can be our full-time traveling bag and we're building that now. Rosa Linda Román (16:52): We just bought suitcases for Ziva, and myself, and Ahava. And they're kind of cool. They're the bottom is solid, these suitcases, the bottom is solid which is perfect for, if you followed my journey at all, perfect for KonMari, which is the system I have to organize our clothes and whatnot. And the top is like a duffel bag of these suitcases we bought. And what's nice about that is then you can have the top with stuffed animals and things, but you can collapse it and put it under a bed if necessary when you're done. So, that is what I'm doing right now, is I'm just kind of going through the boat. I'm looking at what I want with us, what is going to stay on the boat because I don't want to take our special treasures off. Rosa Linda Román (17:56): And that was a big thing that I had a conversation with Nathan because I'm going, well, you know, how do I decide what to bring? I've got to manage Nala, which I've never traveled with before, and carry our stuff, you know, and you want me to move off the boat. Like, you know, emotionally, that's a massive thing, you know, to have to contend with. And he said, "No, you know, you don't have to bring the special treasures. Just focus on what we need, you know, now. Leave the other stuff on the boat. And then, after that we can come once the captains delivered the boat to Florida, then we can go back and get the stuff that we actually want either when they sell the boat." Or, my hope is that when we sail again, so that's what I'm doing. Rosa Linda Román (18:46): I'm kind of looking at what stays with the boat, what comes with us, and what is a giveaway so that I can give that to whoever shows up tomorrow for our little free rummage sale. So, that's it. That's what I'm working on. I think I see Nala and company heading back and I don't want to get into too much in-depth when they're around because, obviously, that's a big distraction, but so far so good. The captains, no, actually do I see them? No, I don't see them maybe they're not coming back or maybe they're hiding behind another boat. Let me look. Anyway, let me give you a quick, low down. So, these captain's super awesome people, they have been feeding on me, which is really great, because I tend to forget to feed myself. Nathan is the cook in our family. Rosa Linda Román (19:40): And so, if he's not around, sometimes I go the whole day, and then, I get hungry, which obviously is not good for anyone because I didn't eat that day. So, I'm being fed. They managed to help me… not help me, they managed to move the Dawn Treader out of Hurricane Hole 3 where she has lived for the past two months. And that was kind of a treacherous coming out of this Hurricane Hole. No, it wasn't treacherous. It was just scary. It looked more intimidating than it actually was, actually. It was fine. So, they did a great job, and now they're going to kind of take a leisurely path from here and explore the Bahamas because they're actually from… they live in San Diego, and they are from Seattle area, a little north of Seattle, I believe. And so, for them, you know, being in The Bahamas and enjoying this tropical weather, I think they're enjoying that. They're going to enjoy that. Rosa Linda Román (20:39): And we want them to really enjoy the process, not just deliver the boat. So, that's the plan. They're going to take a couple weeks or actually, it could be up to a month really because we're not in a big rush, but I'm going to leave the stuff that we don't need right away here on the boat, then I will come back for it at some point. We kind of, I really, really like them and they seem to be enjoying the boat a lot. And so, we've been kind of joking that we need to have them sail the boat to various places that we want to be, and then, they can, you know, go take a break and have that boat, like, wherever. Like, she said, they would love to sail to Australia. And I said, "Great." Rosa Linda Román (21:29): So, you just sail the boat and along the way, you know, you have it ready, prepped for us, do all those boat projects that Nathan hates and stresses them out, have all that ready so that when we're ready to use the boat then it's available. And I thought that was a great plan. Nathan said, "And how am I supposed to pay for this with my good looks?" I said, "Well, you are pretty good-looking." So, anyway, and since I'm talking about massive big dreams, let me just tell you, there's nothing that I believe is impossible and on a side, completely unrelated, but maybe related note, that place that I just spent the last week and that Nala spent a month in January, the Kevalli House, that place is magical. It's amazing. It has a home, like one main home and that's where the family lived. Rosa Linda Román (22:27): And then, it has two guest cottages, and it has a mooring field, which is where the Dawn Treader was. From that area, you go from either the Hurricane Hole, which is like where all the boats are to the other side it goes all the way across. There's a beautifully manicured path and well maintained to go from the harbor to the sea, and the sea is this beautiful, amazing wild ocean. Oh, that's Mickey Mouse talking to you. I just bumped one of their stuffed animals. That's hilarious. Anyway, so Kevalli House, it is a special, special place. And, you know, I was walking on the beach with Nala, and she was joyous, and I was joyous, and I was like, man, I write in my journal, and I'm writing, you know, like my dreams, and I'm very big on Tony Robins, and Shelene Johnson, and pretty much all of the people who are my mentors, if you will. Rosa Linda Román (23:29): When it comes to kind of visualizing and planning, your life, you have to give thanks and you have to visualize what you want. But you have to first get clear, oh, and KonMari, yeah, Marie Kondo. She says the same thing before you start that whole sorting process you have to get clear on what it is that you want. And that way, when you're listening, as you're sorting your stuff, and deciding does this thing spark joy, you can hear that sound of your own voice and know what really does spark joy, okay? So, with those things in mind, I always try to like, especially, in transition times like this, where we don't really know what we're going to be doing next, I try to really have some quiet time, and really think, and being on the beach, which as you can imagine is my happy place. Rosa Linda Román (24:18): I was walking there with Nala, and she'd come back, and I'd throw the ball over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over again. You know, and I was walking and I was like, what is it that I really, really want? And I just looked around and I thought, I want more of this. This is what I want. You know, I could see us enjoying the cruiser community here, but being a part of something. And you know, it's a really unique place because it's green. They built the homes using reclaimed wood for the cabinets and stuff like that. So, you know, it's a very environmentally beautiful place. It has 12 acres. It's just like everything you could write on a list that you would want that you could visualize wanting, Kevalli House has, for me, at least. Rosa Linda Román (25:09): So, I had said that. Like, I was walking with Nala that day and I was like, "This is what I want. I want this." And then, at some point, now the owner of Kevalli House has had some real health problems and that's how we were introduced to him because Nathan was helping him with some of his medical problem. Anyway, so I had said that in my mind and I wrote it even in my journal, I want more of this. And then, later, I don't know if it was that… it was probably two days later I was talking with the caretaker of the Kevalli grounds and I was like, what's going to happen with this, you know, beautiful property now that you know, Robert is having to fly back to Florida for medical treatment and all that. Is he going to be able to, you know, maintain it and stay here? Rosa Linda Román (26:01): And Norman, which is the gentleman that's worked on that property for more than 20 years. He said, "No he already put the property up for sale. It's on the market." And I was like, "Oh, like, whoa, really?" After I had just said in my mind, "Oh, I want this." Right? So, I was like, "Oh, I got to go look up that listing." And I went to go look at the listing and yeah, it's $9.7 million, which is awesome. And I thought, "Well, you know, a girl can dream." When I told Nathan, I said, "We need to buy Kevalli House." And he's again, that's when he is like, "And am I doing this with my good looks?" So, I just want you to know I have big dreams and I don't assume that it is not possible. I assume things are possible. Rosa Linda Román (26:53): How that works out. I can't tell you. I do not know what direction we're going to be taking, but I never say to myself, "Oh, that's impossible." I never say that because nothing is impossible. What I really truly fundamentally believe, this is honestly my, like, personal mantra is, if you get clear on what you want, the people and resources will show up to make it happen. So, that's step one, get clear on what you want. So, I'm just telling you, you just don't close off your possibilities by saying, oh, that could never be possible, oh, that's impossible. No, we could never do that. Just don't say that because that's like the death rattle to your dreams. So, just say it out loud, or in your head, or write it in a journal, and say, "Yeah, I want that. I'm going to find a way, we're going to do that." Rosa Linda Román (27:42): Not sure how? You don't have to know how, that goes back to the whole secret., right? You don't know how it's going to work out, but it's going to work out if you believe it, and I'm not talking about, I don't know. I mean, I guess I am. Everybody's interpretation is different. You might call that God, you might just say that's, you know, the universe, however you define it. It doesn't matter. Just the fact that you get clear on what you want, right? Not that you leave your dreams up to someone else. And then, you know, you sit on a beach and do nothing. I'm just saying if you're willing to believe it, and you know, it might take some work, it might take some creative thinking. But if you get clear on what you want and you really mean it, the right people and resources will show up to make it happen. Rosa Linda Román (28:33): So, I hope you will get clear on what you want as I'm working to do that in my own life. And yeah, just drop me a line. Let me know what that big dream is that you've been thinking you want to do it, but you no, you didn't tell anyone. You don't want to tell anyone because what if they laugh at you, right? I mean, I've been there, believe me. When I was thinking I wanted to live on a boat with my kids, I mean, I didn't tell anybody. In fact, the first time when we moved aboard Hakuna Matata when Ahava and Ziva were two and four, I did not even tell my family until we were already living on the boat. And I literally, when they're like, "Well, where are you going? You know, why are you going to Florida?" I said, "Oh, we're going to get a place on the water." Rosa Linda Román (29:18): And they pictured like I'm renting an apartment overlooking, you know, the water. And I meant, literally, we're going to get a place on the water. So, I'm just saying, don't give up on your dreams just because they seem crazy because, obviously, I believe in crazy, you know, or as Hans the, you know, not so nice guy in, in Frozen says, "I love crazy." Anyway, all right. I hope you guys are doing well. If you like this podcast and you want to hear more of my Rosa Linda's Ramblings, please subscribe, and spread the word, tell some friends, share. And you can always see some of our videos and live reports that we've done from this journey and whatever the chapter is, whatever the next chapter will be. You can check out the YouTube channel that is New Mexicast TV. You can also find me on Facebook as New Mexicast. And finally, if you want to join our private Facebook group, there's a Sign-Up button on the Facebook page. I hope to see you either out on the water or somewhere along one of these wonderful life adventures, take care. And thanks for listening. I'm Rosa Linda Román.