Update For Ya'lls

So, it CLEARLY has been a long time since I've updated our situation here!!!

Marc and I got hired on the same boat :) We are currently in TN and working hard.  It is very pretty here and reminds me so much of the trail.  The yacht we are on has its own dock at a local marina and the owners usually come aboard on weekends and travel up and down the Tennessee River.

We are working with a Captain and Stew that are engaged.  They have been on board for 3 years.  So we are learning a lot from them.

When we first got here we took a drive and actually went and visited the Appalachian trail!! It was so beautiful and brought back so many memories :)  We even got to talk to some hikers at one of the shelters we stayed at.  We found our old journal entries which was pretty neat to see!

Since being here, we haven't done a ton of venturing out, but we did take a 4 hour drive to stay with Sammie and Jeremiah one night.  That was a very nice time! We hope to do it again soon.  It'd be fun to camp out a night or something like that.

                                               Miss and love everyone back at home!

Sunday Funday

Today Marc and I are enjoying having some time to relax :)   Marc got back from the Bahamas last weekend, and I got back from my boat the same time.  I missed him so much! A whole month apart was not fun!!

I have been looking for that perfect job, trying not to be too picky but I feel like I have a better idea of exactly what I want, so hoping it will pop up.  Marc is enjoying his boat and they have said I can take the trip up North with them come June so I am hoping it works out.   The weather here has been really nice, a little humid but cant' complain. We still hope to team but since things are working out right now we are kind of going with the flow :)

This week I have a few job interviews and then Marc and his boat are moving to a different yard which will be nice. They said I can stay on-board if I would like to. So that will be nice! Getting to know them better is always a good thing. 

Missing everyone back home, hoping to be able to come home sometime and visit everyone of course :) Love!

Things are HAPPENIN'

Marc and I have been pretty busy, things have been going good for us!  Things just suddenly picked up and there we were, both working!




I ended up getting hired on a private boat, and the next day I was on a flight to the Bahamas!! It was incredibly intense and exciting! Flying over miles and miles of water was incredible, watching it change from dark blue to a lighter shade.   I landed and got taken to my yacht.  Beautiful!  Was better than I could have hoped for. 

Right away, I had 11 guests on board! Was really fast jumping into things, but I picked up and had a chance to set the table and serve them all.  I was nervous but it felt great!  It was a crazy week while I was there but I learned sooo much and made new friends that I hope last long in my life!  I got really lucky to have such nice owners on board that were very understanding.  They said I could come back anytime which is a great relief to me!

While I was in the Bahamas, Marc started work too! Marc got hired on a yacht that is run by a Captain/Cook and Stewardess that are engaged :) They have been together 4.5 years.  Marc gets his own room and the boat is beautiful!! They allowed me on-board and let me help out a little bit prepare for their trip to the Bahamas.  We got to be together only for a few hours because I came back from the Bahamas and then the next day we was leaving. 

Dinner before Marc Left at Flanigans

In the morning, we drove to the boat and I got to help with getting the boat ready to head out.  It was so hard leaving Marc again especially we only got to be together a little bit.  Marc was so busy getting ready to leave that he had to sneak over and say bye to me in case they took off before he could.  I helped get the boat away from the dock and he yelled to me and made me cry even more!! He was so sweet but I was so happy he found such a great boat.  He will be back around April 15 from the trip. 

Since I have been back to Florida, I have been working on boats here.  The boat that was next to Marc's asked me to work for them for a bit and it was nice to be able to come back to the same Marina.  I am lucky to have Jackie here because she has become a good friend to me through it all and I am thankful for a place to stay while Marc is away.  I am really getting comfortable with Florida and learning where everything is. 

Tomorrow is Easter and I have found a Lutheran Church only a couple miles down the road and I want to go to the service. The people that run it are even from Wisconsin! Being this will be the second year I am away from home for Easter, I want to do something that gives the day proper attention.  I know last year in the woods was a great place to be.  This year will be interesting being all alone but I want to make the day a celebration.  Wish Marc was with me but I am sure he will be doing something special also.  We have been keeping in touch by emails and when he is traveling it is hard for him to answer but I am thankful we have it!

So there's a little update, I know it's been hectic!! I made us a website while I've been back too trying to get people to see us :) Check it out! :  http://knoxville314.wix.com/marcdanateam

-Dana

Little behind :)

So this week was a fun and busy week, I finally got to take my Silver Service course, which taught me about how to clean, serve and all that fun stuff!! I met some really nice girls and had an amazing teacher that really cares about us! It was nice and I am so glad I took it with them :)  Having that certification really helps me!

Last weekend, we went to the Hard Rock in Miami for Marc's birthday.  It was a lot of fun and we got all dressed up.  I can't believe how expensive drinks are down here, at least I am not big on drinking anyways :) I surprised Marc with a cake too! Earlier that day we went to the beach and had lunch and got to relax and watch the waves roll :)

 Otherwise we have been busy looking for jobs and enjoying the weather here! I had been swimming and working out, alongside of Marc :)  Can't wait to find a job but having fun while he are searching!

The view of the Inter-coastal from behind the apartment!

Getting Organized :)

Soooo.... my first round of classes are finished and I am officially STCW certified :) It was an exciting week for me! I learned about how to survive if I ever had to go overboard a vessel, and I even got to learn basic fire fighting which was pretty cool!! Luckily it wasn't too hot of a day here in South Florida :)

Basic Fire Fighting!

This week I am trying to get into the Silver Service course which will help me learn more about the exact expected duties of a Stewardess.  I am really excited to get some of these things under my belt! Then I know I'll be ready for the hiring world!

I have already met so many new and awesome people through this school.  It is neat because there are so many people at different points in their career. I have already learned a lot from them! I have heard many positive things about the industry that it makes me so excited to start searching!

Today Marc and I took our new head-shots for our resumes, they look really nice :)

My head shot, dls photography ©

Marc's head shot, dls photography ©

 Everything is starting to look really good for us! I hope we will be able to find something together and not have to be searching for months and months.  But we will do what it takes!

Right now, Marc is making me dinner :) I feel good that I got a lot done today but got to relax at the house..

My own personal chef

Did I mention how beautiful it is here? It has been awesome.  And also, Marc's friend came home and surprised us all! So we have been having a good time with him, and he has also been giving us lots of tips on what to do, since he is in the industry too :)

Happy Monday!! Presidents DAY!

We have arrived!

We left Monday, February 4th for our drive down to Florida.  It was -1 degrees when we left! Was hard saying goodbye to everyone but once we got on the road, we started to feel the freedom bug and it was feeling pretty good.  Our first drive was an 8 hour trip to Kentucky.  Thankfully, the Jeep was working wonderfully!! We got to Marc's Marine Core friend's home about 7pm.  When we got out of the car, they had 4 gigantic steaks on the grill just about done to perfection!  It was a wonderful suprise.  Also, Asparagus, amazing baked potatoes, corn bread.. YUM!! Was so delicious!  Marc got to catch up with Rich, and we met his fiance Jessica and sweet little girl Olivia.  They made us feel so welcome it was definitely hard to leave!

The next day, we headed out to Sammie and Jeremiah's.  It was only a 2-hr trip which was surprising!  We got there and Sammie and Jeremiah created a delicious chicken dinner meal, and Mom came over too to eat. Sammie FINALLY got to open all her Christmas presents from Dad! Was fun watching her and she was very happy.  We ended up having such a good time that we stayed another night!! Jeremiah showed us a little bit about his job and Marc and Jeremiah enjoyed playing video games while Sam and I played "Would you Rather".   They made us another amazing meal and Sammie introduced us to their yogurt smoothies which were delicious!!  In the morning, Jeremiah had us shoot at cans with a 22. and a muzzle loader which was pretty fun :) I wasn't the best shot and I blamed it on my glasses!~

Then we got back into the Jeep and drove for 5 hours to see our good friend, Free from the A.T.  He was in Georgia.  We had a great dinner at a little bar and lots of talk (Mostly about how we couldn't eat the same as we could just a few months before!) and then we got to meet his parents and see their beautiful home.  If we would have had more time, it would've been amazing to stay there longer! Everyone was so welcoming and kind :) It was cool because a photo I took of Free hung in the kitchen of their home.  I felt pretty proud to have something I took all the way in a home in Georgia!






After that, we had another 8 hour trip to Florida. We ended up meeting two other trail friends, Blue Sky and Gerber just a couple hours North of Fort Lauderdale.  We had a great time catching up, eating, talking about what everyone was up to.  Before we left, we had a nice breakfast at a little cow-themed breakfast diner.  Reminded me of Wisconsin for sure!

Then we finally only had a four hour drive to Fort Lauderdale.  It was a pretty calm drive, and there was even a camper that had overturned on the road and fortunately for us, it was on the opposite side of the road.  All of the traffic was backed up for at least three miles, people were sitting on their hoods! And it didn't look like it was going to be any time soon that they were able to get out of there.



We got to our destination, and it was absolutely shocking how beautiful it is here! The place we are staying has water right outside of the building, it's a safe community and it has pools, gym and more! We are lucky to stay but are definitely hoping to find work not to put our friends out for too long! :)  It is beautiful here though for sure!

I had my first STCW training course today, so far so good!! Can't wait to have the whole week done :)  Will try and keep everyone informed as much as I can!

-Dana

Some PICS from our drive down! Will have to get some of our place up soon!

Sammie's Smoothies

Sam and I

Marc shooting the cans!

Beach by Blue Sky's House

Beach by Blue Sky's

Me Gerber Blue Sky Marc

It's soo hard to say..

For everyone that I didn’t get a chance to say “see you later” to, I am sad and sorry for that.  I really wanted to see each and everyone in the last few weeks, but time went way too fast and my days were filled with cousins, aunts, bouncing babies, work, and last minute to-dos!  It is never easy to have to say it and I thought about you each very much and having to say those words are never easy to do.  Just because I didn’t, doesn’t mean I don’t care; I truly love you and hope you realize I am the same as I always was and nothing will change that!  And remember the phones work and I would love to hear from you at any time, I mean that. 

For those I did get to say it to, I love you so much and thank you for the time you gave me.  Getting to see you all was great, and hard, but helped me realize deeper the relationships I am lucky enough to have, and remind me even more about how precious time at home is and how no matter what, Gilmanton is my home and always will be.  I know we will be back again, hopefully sooner than later, but just know we will be thinking of you and keeping in contact the best we can as we go on our new journey.

We are doing this while we can, we are young and able and have lots of people that support us and are doing what they love too! No matter where in the world they are.  Everyone needs to remember that his or her own dreams should be a priority; we only do get to live once.  Live it how you can, keep family close, stay happy and be safe <3 nbsp="" p="">

I'll try and stay on top of the blog as much as I can.  Feeling excited, anxious and a little sad as always to leave those I love, but open for the new and amazing experiences to come.  Love you all :)

21 days til' sunshine and rays!

So this week I got a lot done :) I got my business cards ordered and started getting a bit organized to go!  They are Marc and I updated our resumes and have been sending it out and about.. super exciting!!

I still have to figure out what to do with all of my STUFF.  I think that totes are the answer :) I am excited to start packing and get a little shopping done with my new stuff!! Just have to wait until pay day comes again haha!! Have to be smart and saaaave $$$

We have been getting to hang out with some family and friends.  I got to have a day date with my love Destany, we had a dinner and a movie! and just yesterday we got to go to Marc's sister Cricket's birthday party where we got to hang out with a lot of Marc's family.  It is really fun to see everyone, but it's a little sad looking at the little nieces and nephews and knowing that when we come back they will have grown up even more.  It's hard to leave the family and friends but just know we will be back! We are so lucky to have so many wonderful people in our lives that care about us :)

I am looking forward to going to Florida so much, and signing up for crew jobs has just made it seem even more possible :) Our only downfall so far is Marc's jeep has been acting up so hopefully it won't cost too much to fix! We really don't need that right now.   Pretty soon we will be on our way and stopping and seeing all our friends and family on the way!! 

2013: A New Year. A New Adventure :)

So, 2013 has finally rolled around.  I can't say that 2012 was a bad year for me.  It was probably one of the greatest years I've ever had: 

Marc and I did hike the Appalachian Trail and finished September 18, 2012. The blog was too hard to keep up with since internet service so too hard to keep up with.  We did most of our posts on trailjournals.com/danamarc (check em out if you want to see what we did!). Hiking the trail was the hardest, most challenging thing I have ever done.  Mentally and physically it pushed me every day.  Without Marc, I know I wouldn't have been able to do it. He pushed me, helped me, believed in me.  Because of him I "sucked it up" and kept on going until the very end!! I am proud to say I never gave up and made it to the top of Katahdin just a few steps behind him, just in time to see the most beautiful sunrise I have ever seen.  I think about being on top of that mountain every day.  I never want to forget the way I felt that day.

 

The only picture that ever really mattered.

Which leads me back to 2013.  How could we ever top something so great as our adventure this past year? I don't think we could.  But we are definitely in for another adventure.  And this time, we are southbound.  We are moving to Florida :)

Our plan is to head down there on February 4th.  We have planned on stopping and visiting friends and family on the way down so we are excited for that.   I am hoping to keep up with the blog while we start our new journey.

Marc had worked on a private yacht as a Deckhand from 2011-2012, and got to spend time in the Bahamas, Florida and the Northeast.  To say the least, it sounded like a photographers dream and another great adventure that "we should do while we're young".  I am so excited to get down there and get certified so I can become a stewardess.

I know nothing can compete with the A.T., but I am ready to see what 2013 and our new Florida adventure will bring us.   I know it'll be a whole new experience and I am ready to be with Marc and to learn about yachting and see another part of this big world. 

The blog will be here if you'd like to keep up with us on our journey! Wish us luck,

Happy New Year :)