It’s been an interesting start to the week. On Monday which would normally be a workday for me started first with waking up on our boat. We ended up being there Sunday evening until Monday evening after a nice weekend away at my parents to work on some of the long list of projects we have before launch. The weird part of waking up on a boat is that we’re still in a warehouse with around 20 other boats. We’ve stayed there before but this time it was even more weird than before because Monday starts the work week. What used to be an eerily quiet warehouse turns into a bustling loud workshop for all the marine workers. Tharon and I then came to realize that while our indefinite list of projects continues to grow, everyone else is outsourcing their work to be done by others. We don’t mind the work but sure wouldn’t mind having some help with some of the deadlines so have decided that we’re having them take on the dreaded bottom paint job. They’ll be doing all the prep work of sanding away the old paint and adding the new. For us, this job would have taken 4-5 days but will now be off our to-dos to focus on other deadlines!
We came back to Grand Rapids late last night thru an epic thunderstorm presenting a wondrous lightning show and curtains of rain for the entirety of our drive. We had driven separate this weekend to bring some larger items to the boat as well as drop off our beloved ferrets, Chomper & Nibbler to my sister to care for alongside my two nieces (Lily & Olivia). It was an emotional time to gift our pets but are so happy to have them in a loving home. Driving separate was not fun at any point and this will unfortunately not be the last time we have to do this trip like so. Lots to transport in the upcoming weeks including kayaks, dinghy, our new 25 kg anchor, and the rest of our personal items.
Tuesday is here now and we’re back in Grand Rapids for an event called Toast the Town hosted by Experience GR. This was the greatest year of this event because it was a luncheon beer tasting and also because Tharon joined me! Normally, I wouldn’t partake so early in the day during the work week but this was a special occasion. The food & beverage were delicious and the decor was very fun for the brewing theme. The purpose of the event was to express the success of the Beer City Brewsader Passport which has been such a fun way to explore breweries in Grand Rapids. T’was a fun event to attend and look forward to the challenge in becoming an Ultimate Brewsader (visiting all 23 of the current breweries represented). You only need 8 for a t-shirt BUT I’m always up for a challenge. Especially if there’s beer involved! I’ve got to get a move on tho because that’s visiting 15 breweries in the next couple weeks. Here’s are some pictures from the event and a fun video about the program if you’re interested in joining –>
Anyways, I write this post to express the hard work and dedication we have taken to enjoy our future in adventuring. Although I do not have a job, Tharon is still working 40 hours and many of my duties have turned into taking care of everything to prepare our life aboard a sailboat and learn new skills. Many people think I’ve ‘retired’ but has just become working towards a dream rather than living to work. There are a lot of sacrifices being made and letting go of the old work load has been much more difficult than it sounds. We’re letting go of immediate access to our friends & family, we’ve gifted our ferrets away, I’ve left a job I thoroughly enjoyed, and we’re leaving the city we love and fell in love in. It’s easy to say we’re going to sail away but these changes are the hardest we’ve experienced.
