Young family moves from high desert to life on the high seas – Grand Junction Daily Sentinel

Tyler and Kristy Hawkins, former Mesa County residents, pose on their new home, a 37-foot boat in North Carolina. The couple will set sail for the U.S. Virgin Islands in the fall with their children, Sofie, 3, and C.J., who is almost 1 year old, along with their dog, Riot. They will chronicle their adventure in a blog.

By Erin McIntyre Sunday, April 9, 2017

Tyler and Kristy Hawkins know that life is too short, and thats one of the reasons theyve sold everything, left their home in western Colorado and embarked on an adventure with their kids. But this isnt just a trip, its a new lifestyle theyre happy to share with anyone who wants to live vicariously.

The 27-year-old Plateau Valley High School graduate and his wife, a 25-year-old Fruita Monument High School graduate, call themselves the Windswept Gypsies, and are documenting their adventures on their blog, windsweptgypsies.com.

The Hawkinses started downsizing their possessions last year with the goal of living on a 37-foot sailboat with their two children. And for the past month, theyve been getting their sea legs on board the Night Music, currently docked in the Northwest Creek Marina just outside New Bern, North Carolina.

It has been quite the adjustment, moving from a 1,500-square-foot house with two small children in a landlocked state to living on a boat with their dog, Riot.

For the couple, the decision came after tragedies and the realization that they wanted to have a different lifestyle, and they didnt want to be the kind of people who spend their best years in the rat race to take a few weeks off here and there to spend time with their kids.

Their new lifestyle allows for a lower cost of living than the house and vehicles they were maintaining in western Colorado, and theyre embarking on this incredible adventure together, with their daughter Sofie, 3, and son C.J., who is nearly 1 year old. They hope to experience a more sustainable lifestyle that focuses on quality, not quantity.

Living on a boat has been a longtime dream for Tyler, and hes wanted to do it since he was in high school. The decision to make it happen was prompted by recent losses of family members. Tylers dad, Wes, was killed in a sudden, massive landslide less than three years ago near Collbran, with two others, and Kristys dad and brother have died in the past two years.

Lifes too short to not go and do something like this, Tyler said. We figured we could either continue down the path we were going and wonder if we were truly happy or make it happen.

Last year, the couple was in the process of trying to buy some property near Molina, which didnt pan out. Tyler was working long hours as an electrician and missed being with his kids.

They sat down to dinner one night and were discussing the problem, and Kristy said, Why dont we just move onto a boat?

And Tyler thought, Thats why I married you.

So far, they dont regret their transition one bit, although living with less in a smaller space has been an adjustment. Theres no hot water heater, no washing machine for clothes, no dishwasher. Theyre setting up a wringer for laundry, and C.J. is wearing cloth diapers, so thats on the list of things to learn how to do. Theres no TV and Kristy has to keep a hawk eye on the kids for fear they will fall overboard, as C.J. is learning to walk on the boat.

Their plan is to stay at the marina until fall, after hurricane season passes, when theyve worked out the details of living on the boat full-time. Then theyll head to the U.S. Virgin Islands, the destination of their first trip together only two weeks after they met years ago, and the place they fell in love.

So far, the couple has detailed their experiences getting to the marina and starting life on board on their blog, and plan on sharing their adventure with anyone who wants to know more about their lifestyle, including the nitty-gritty details, and is fascinated about life aboard with kids.

Were going to be pretty open-book, he said.

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Young family moves from high desert to life on the high seas - Grand Junction Daily Sentinel