On Monday evening at sunset, aboard our new vessel Y-Not, we made our relationship partnership legal to the state of Florida.
It was a small intimate zany marriage license signing event (some might call it a ‘wedding’) with just our parents and a local notary. My father, who passed four years ago today, I know was smiling down from heaven to join us.
We literally tied a bowline knot around our waists using our new rope skills. Up until 2 hours before the event, we had no clue what we’d wear (long time readers will recognize the choice of our iconic purple shirts we wore on our first date), say or even if we’d have flowers.
Kiki was of course the flower-cat.
In reality, it doesn’t change much about our relationship except legally protect each other better going forward and qualifying us for reduced insurance rates. Benefits we would not have taken advantage of before same-gender marriage was legalized.
Chris and I actually had our own private commitment ceremony nearly 10-years ago, already had legal documents to protect each other with medical advanced directives, wills and powers of attorney. We’ve worn rings forged with the ashes of our original vows for many years.
We own a business together, were beneficiaries for each other on everything, have purchased three (mobile) homes and several vehicles together… and of course there’s Kiki who owns us both.
We were already pretty darn legally tied together anyway, with full intentions of life partnership.
There will be no name changes, we will not refer to each other husband & wife and we don’t identify as ‘Mr and Mrs’ (we prefer the term partnership.)
So there you go.. we Tied the Y-Not.
While we didn’t intend it to be a big deal, it was a very touching milestone in our relationship – and we’re honored to be able to share the excitement with you.
I’m reading your post about tying the Y-knot on the day my daughter called to tell me she and her long-time partner just had a “paperwork signing ceremony,” as their low-key, just enough to make it legal marriage ceremony was called. They, too were not going to marry until their same-sex friends were able to do so. Neither like fuss and the last thing they wanted was another piece of paper. I’m finding I’m as delighted for you two as I am for my dear Alex and her dear Mike. Congratulations to you both and best wishes for more wonderful adventures for many years to come!
Best wishes for an even longer and happier future.
good on ya!
Congrats on tying the knot. Beautiful!
Congrats on tying the knot! I must confess this is my first contact on your site. I am a 50+ Southern Mainer interested in the whole idea of paring down, finding meaningful purpose in life, and traveling. I liked your talk on ten sucky things about everything living.
Welcome to our little area of the web.. happy to have you here!
Congratulations!
Congratulations. No bells or whistles, just congrats. Good for you.
So happy for you (I guess!). Maybe I will start a blog for you on being married for 40 years and just now going full-time!!!!!!!!!
Congratulations! Your love clearly shows in your writings and is inspiring to those of us who have enjoyed following your RV adventures! We wish you many happy years to come in both your new “aquatic” nomadism and in your new married adventure!
We thought the start of a new chapter for us was a perfect time to add another piece of paper to our lives 🙂
Congratulations You Two!!! You did it your way!! Looking forward to your continuing adventures –Y Not !!!
Jenny Johnson
elevenfootrv
Congrats!! Perfectly done,
Like you said, it doesn’t really change your commitment or love for each other. I suppose having Florida’s nose in your business is worth it, if for nothing else than saving a few bucks. I wouldn’t advise this if there were minors involved. Legal marriage makes it a more than equal partner and children, it’s children. My wish is for you two to be happy and prosper “all the days of your life”!!
Clint
Congratulations! Best Wishes and to many more happy years together.
I respect and admire your deep commitment to each other. So refreshing to see in this use and throw away culture we live in…
You two are a perfect fit. Wonderful and lovely, smart and gifted, and good cat owners. Love it all…
Congratulations! Wishing you continued interesting and safe travels.
Congratulations!
Congratulations. My wife and I were married 37 years when she passed away two years ago today. My furry tribe and I are heading out in our 5th wheel in the morning no agenda just road tripping. Best of luck for a long happy life together
Cheers on the new chapter in your life!
Congradulations guys! Been watching your vids and getting your posts for some time. Your bus has become my dream bus and you guys really set the standards with all you teach us as your viewers with rving and other things. Thanks alot and congrats.
Wait wait wait! Where are the kissing and cake photos!? What kind of haphazard, ill-thought-out wedding was this? Thank goodness for Kiki, who brought a semblance of wedding decorum to an otherwise legality-beleaguered event.
My winky-eye blown kiss emoji didn’t show up! You know I’m thrilled for you and so tickled that you included all of us in your joy.
Kiki adds decorum to everything we do.. 😉 Thanks for the follow up clarifying the intended humor.. was hoping that was the spirit.
Congratulations! And Kiwi was a beautiful flower-cat!
That was quite honestly a very touching blog. Thank you so much for sharing. I can relate.
Congratulations, and may you be blessed with many more years together.
Congratulations!! You Guy’s Are Awesome and We wish you the Long and Prosperous Life Together!! We enjoy all your material and thanks for all the Quality information you provide us to keep us out of trouble!! Thanks and Safe Travels…..Dan and Terry….
Congrats and thanks for sharing your special moments and adventures. Kiki’s photo is stunning — really the cat’s meow!
It’s so rare she actually will strike a pose.. she must have known this was special 🙂
Congratulations on your official status! I’m an old-fashioned believer in marriage (united with my late husband in 1977 until his death after 36 of those years; and with multiple cats as our children). Even if you had “perfect” arrangements before this, married status is the cherry on top of the icing on the cake (not required for happiness, but a little something extra to be the finishing touch of a loving committment; after all, a cake even without icing/frosting is delicious all by itself, right?!).
When I lived in Pine Bluff Arkansas, after my divorce and before my second-current marriage, there was this couple who had lived in the RV park for about ten years before he died…they never got married…the man’s kids came in, removed her from the RV, gave her NOTHING outside of their joint bank account, and she was DEVASTATED. So glad you both are taken care of now no matter where you happen to live when/if one of you departs leaving the other sad, but not financially devastated. BTW, second marriage in Arkansas, just Marcia, me and the minister…totally legal there to do it that way. Happy for your both. –Dave (GoingRvWay.com)
While we trust our families would honor our relationship, we don’t have kids to contend with and had everything setup to protect each other to our wishes – we just felt there was no reason NOT to make it legal all the way around. Plus, it will make things like probate a lot smoother when that time comes.
Bravo! You are beautiful!
You guys make great partners. Congratulations!
Your togetherness couldn’t get any more together but I’m glad things finally came right for you to feel free to take this step. Congratulations to you two and to everyone who waited for this.
Congrats! Looks like it was a beautiful ceremony!
Congratulations Both and I’m so happy for your new adventures. Love the boat!
Aww… Congratulations! â¤ï¸
Congratulations to both of you – many happy days ahead!
Congrats! My wife says she’d like to send you a card, since she knows I’ve been following your blog for years now and knew about this long-awaited thing. Is there a way we can reach you? PO Box?
Thanks.. we appreciate the sentiment, but as digital nomads we’re not into physical cards 🙂 We just have no where to store them or display them. Your comment here is congratulations enough.
Congratulations! I am very happy for all of you. My own experience of marriage to my long-term partner is that nothing changes but everything changes–and for the better, too!
Congratulations to the both of you! Call it whatever you’d like.
Congratulations on your “PartnerSHIP” and your new knot.
Hahaha.. love it. PartnerSHIP. Why didn’t we think of that??
Congrats! This brings another possible meaning to the Great Loop trip. Liked the symbolism of ‘Tying the knot!’ – and on Y-Not… Suggest that is a hunk of line to cut out of day-today usage, and mount and frame for the years ahead…
Best to you both,
Smitty
We should have totally saved the ‘knot’…. oh well, that line is already back to doing boat things.
😉 Ed & Stevi
Congratulations! Very fitting venue and I love your wedding attire!
The rosy sunset glow in your pictures says it all! Thanks for sharing the moment.
Congrats!!! Love that you had the same purple shirts you wore on your first date!
Much love and happiness as you continue exploring together!
Congrats!
Congrats to you both…continue down your fantastic journey.
Congratulation to the three of you….I am sure Kiki is very proud of you both!!! Can’t wait for your first long venture on you new home!!!
Nancy
Lovely photos, many happy smiles, you both share so very much, inspire countless numbers of us, may all that good heartedness only return to you both many times over! Happy journeying!
The best sort of acknowledgement of your commitment, best of luck to you and thanks for inviting us in to see what is going on.
Aahhh such a sweet ceremony. Bless you both as you sail into many sunsets together.
Congratulations! I love the purple shirts and Kiki did a great job with the flowers!
She really did! She actually sat right in front of us during the ‘ceremony’. So wish we could have captured that part in a photo.
Happy tears for the three of you.
Congratulations on your reaffirmation of your love. Wishing you both the best.
Congrats! You are probably the first couple to tie the knot on a Y-not with a knot.
It is ironic that I’m reading this post on my 38th anniversary. Looking back I tend to agree with you that the “license signing event” did not, in reality, change much about our relationship except legally.
Love the photos.
Happy Anniversary to you!
Congratulations!
Congratulations to you both, and how wonderful to have the ceremony on your lovely boat! Very best wishes and a great way to start your Great Loop adventure as well!
How Wonderful! Heartiest congratulations and best wishes to you both, Chris and Cherie!
Congratulations Cherie and Chris, best wishes to you.
From looking at the photos of you two, so happy, it makes me happy myself. Best of luck, you both look younger all ready (living a the water does that)
Congratulations! Not that there was any doubt or confusion about your relationship with each other. This just makes it that much more special. And what a glorious place to tie the Y-Not!