Welcome Julie Johnston to the
houseboating world! Julie is brand new to houseboating. She just bought her
first houseboat in December 2011. She began her love affair with boats after
working part time on the Watts Bar Belle, a split wheel paddleboat. She obtained her Coast Guard Certification as
a 1st Mate, and never looked back.
For almost four years, Julie
looked for the perfect houseboat, or one that could be updated. Her search ended on Lake Linear, where she
was first introduced to the Lazy Days and loved them. She is in the Army
Reserves military and got deployed to Huntsville, Alabama. Six months after she
was diagnosed with breast cancer. She looked at her bucket list and saw that
one of her goals was to get a houseboat. She had been to Houseboat Expo's in
Kentucky but didn't find anything she liked. "They all look alike, like
Mercedes Benz' and BMW's." Julie wanted something different, that showed
character and was unique. She did an online search and found "Lazy Summer". It
was refurbished and it was love at first sight.. She also knew, that the Lazy
Summer would go fast and she needed to act quickly. She put a contract on the houseboat contingent
on a Marine Survey and eyes on. Her
houseboat was transported from Georgia
to Tennessee
on her one year anniversary of being cancer free.
Julie docks at Blue Springs
Marina on Watts Bar Lake in Ten Mile Tennessee, just off the Tennessee River.
She loves being on her boat every chance she gets. "It feels like a condo, not
a boat to me," says Julie.
Julie shared some big news that
she is going to be changing the name of her boat to "Ser?nit?s,
which is the original Latin phrase for serenity. The reason for this change is
because when Julie was diagnosed with breast cancer, she would always say the
Serenity Prayer every day, preparing her for the challenge ahead. the perfect
name for her. Also, the previous owner of "Lazy Summer" named their new boat
that.
Julie loves the marina, and
the community of the marina. She is only 15 miles from her home in Kingston,
Tennessee. She said, "It's like going on Holiday being on the water." She
eventually wants to live on the Houseboat full time and be a liveaboard.