A Birthday in the middle of nowhere (well, the middle of the Atlantic)

This is Forty-Three

Twenty-two days of travel since I left home on February 19th, and today, I’m celebrating my birthday in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

The Celebrity Apex departed the Royal Naval Dockyard in Bermuda around 5 p.m. on Tuesday, March 11th, and we’ve been sailing through fairly rough seas ever since, making our way to Ponta Delgada, Azores. We’ll arrive there on Sunday, March 16th, before eventually disembarking in Barcelona on Friday, March 21st.

There have been a fair number of tears these past few weeks. My family has suffered several losses—Aunt Katha and Scott, both taken far too soon, and in Scott’s case, very unexpectedly. Their passing has been a stark reminder of life’s fragility—a forced slap in the face not to take any of this opportunity for granted. And I assure you, I don’t and haven’t. It also reinforces my personal spin on YOLO: YODO—You Only Die Once. Instead of focusing on living just once, I see it as a chance to ensure I truly live each and every day, making the most of the time I have.

I’ve been missing the cats a lot.

I’m also struggling a bit with what comes next and where to call “home.” The Main St. Charmer is under contract and set to close in early April. If all goes as planned, I’ll quite literally be homeless. My remaining belongings—what little is left—will be packed into a storage unit I won’t even have a key to myself (thank you, Karina, for helping coordinate that). Everything else is gone, whittled down to just twenty plastic totes.

Not everything in my life has played out the way I once imagined. But when I look back at my 18-year-old self—the dreams, the plans, the version of life I once envisioned—I realize I’ve built the life I wanted, just with more bumps, twists, and turns than I ever expected.

And while all of this might sound sad, and maybe some of it is, it actually feels more like a massive growth moment. I can feel my horizons expanding.

I have no concrete plans beyond 2025. This year is fully booked with travel—I just put the finishing touches on a few open dates in November and December. As I look toward 2026, I find myself wondering if I’ll continue this ship-based life (and it’s looking more and more like I will), or if I’ll settle down somewhere—Colorado or elsewhere. All I know for sure is that time moves quickly, and I have zero regrets about spinning around the world and meeting incredible new people every week.

Last night, on my Birthday Eve, we danced the night away at the silent disco. Tonight, I’ll have dinner with new friends, Buddy and Joe. Beyond that, I’m not sure what a birthday in the middle of nowhere will bring. Maybe coffee, the casino, some pool time, a walk on the track, espresso martinis, a show, or some live music. Oh, and I’m hoping to catch the Blood Moon tonight.

Time will tell the story—I’m just a passenger on the journey.

Cole… from the Cruise Ship

Here’s a video of my last 3 months of travel- enjoy!