We are Natalie and Mitchell. The two of us met in August 2009 and were married in September 2012.
Natalie was born in Steubenville, OH and then moved to Columbus, OH when she was 4 years old. She went to grade school and high school in Columbus. After high school, Natalie attended The Ohio State University and earned a BS and M.Ed in Elementary Education. She immediately started teaching in Columbus for South-Western City Schools. After 4 years of teaching 2nd grade, Natalie moved to Livermore, California for a year to teach at YMCA Camp Arroyo Outdoor School. She then returned to Columbus to teach for the same school district for 5 more years. Natalie has graciously been granted a leave of absence to follow her dream of sailing to the South Pacific.
Mitchell was born and raised in New Bethlehem, PA. He attended elementary, middle and high school there. In the summers he lived and worked in Wildwood, NJ with his family who still have businesses along the boardwalk. After high school, Mitchell attended The University of Pittsburgh. After earning degrees in Physics and Mechanical Engineering, Mitchell started coursework at The Ohio State University in the Physics Graduate Program. Six years later, he graduated with his PhD in Physics. Mitchell felt as if this was the perfect time to withdraw from society and live life as a vagabond.
Our first sailboat was a Catalina 27 named Blue that hailed from Lorain, OH on Lake Erie. It is on Blue that Mitchell proposed to Natalie and plans were made to sail to the South Pacific.
Blue
Thank you, Nathalie. You did find the right house. Thanks for such a lovely tour of where we called home. (Jen’s mom.)
No problem! Mitchell and I really enjoyed our visit. I have always loved Jennie’s stories about growing up in the Bahamas and really admire you and your husband. I hope one day to do something similar with Mitchell and my (future) kids. 🙂