Feeling pretty lucky....

The chill spot

Lounging on the aft Sundeck, cruising the South Atlantic, preparing to finish off the rest of our Cristal, and trying to wrap my brain around the fact that this is actually mY life (and I'm getting paid for it!!).  If you would've asked me 4 months ago what I'd be doing around Thanksgiving never, in my wildest dreams, would I have thought "sailing around the Bahamas on the deck of a private mega yacht".   How is this a profession I've never heard about???  And why the hell isn't everyone and their mom doing this??  I'm just sad it took me this long to do what I've been wanting to do for years...get out of Minnesota, explore the world, and LIVE my life!  I could try and attempt to describe what I'm seeing, feeling, experiencing with pics and detailed blogs but it wouldn't do this justice...

So I've made it through my 1st charter and can't wait for round 2!!   The Mr. and Mrs. were planning to meet us in the Caribbean December 26th but apparently had such a good Holiday onboard they want to spend Christmas on here as well,  which means we'll be heading back out to sea the 1st week of December!!  The plan (although I've come to learn quite quickly that every "plan" is subject to change within an hour's notice) is to head to tour St. Lucia, St. Maarten, Turks & Caicos Islands, and be to St. Barts on NYE and they'll fly out sometime mid-to-late Jan...  :)  I've never been to St. Barts (shit let's be honest, I've never been to ANY of these islands) but if they're anything like what I've been seeing I can't wait!!   (apparently they've got the clearest most amazing water/beaches in the world, but I'm not sure what, if any, can top the exumas)!!  

Well that's all I've got...my brain is on E and it's too hot to type so ciao for now!!  Oh, and with internet being my only form of communication these blogs are getting easier (and seemingly more appropriate) so enjoy :)

xoxoxo,

mE

Happiest I've been in a long, long time :)

Adrenaline’s pumping!!

Dear God what have I gotten myself into!?!   This is crazy, I'm about to meet two multi-billionares who basically "own" me and I have no idea what I'm doing!  Let's be honest, I've "faked it till I made it" for the majority of my jobs thus far...but one wrong move here, one thing they notice and don't like about me (my hair color, my voice, my tattoos, etc and I'm gone!)  And to make this even more nerve-racking, turns out the owner wants a Jr. Stewardess/Masseuse so three days ago I had to bust my ass looking all over hell for a table/bedding/massage oils/lotions/music, etc (and there was no time for ordering/shipping so I craigslisted the whole deal...drove all the way to Miami with my Swedish roommate (who had to drive because I'm not on the rental car insurance yet) to pick it up from some random in the ghetto who buys and resells massage tables for his "uncle".  So now we're underway (meaning we're en route for the Bahamas) and I am so freakin' excited (trying not to pee my pants and crap myself)! my nerves are evening things out a bit)!  I had my first bout of sea-sickness but it only lasted an hour or so and now I'm up in the bridge (helping keep watch) and just saw my 1st sunset of this incredible journey.

Going....

Going....

Gone!
- Sunday November 21st

Um, wow, I'm speechless!  I never knew places like this existed in the world...everything is more beautiful here, the water, the sun, the people & there way of life - it's too amazing for words!  We got into Atlantis late last night but hadn't cleared customs so we couldn't leave the boat.  Today, however, was amazing!   On our way into the Marina I saw Cakewalk (the boat I dayworked on) and then right after that I literally ran into my old roommate from my crew house...the yachting world is definitely smaller than I realized!  Just wanted to throw in a quick update, now it's off to work - Mr. and Mrs will be here in less than 48 hours!! 

- Monday November 22nd

Oh, My, GOD!!!!!   Webster's dictionary does not have enough descriptive words for my owner, his wife, and two kids but lemmie give it a whirl.  Eccentric, delightful, odd, quiet, rich, particular, kind and modest.  I can't lie though, this is more work than I ever thought possible!  Sun up to sun down - zero down time, cracked & dry hands (chemicals), sore feet & calves, iron/steam burns, but with all that said this shit is AWESOME!!!!   One thing I find rather odd is how extremely private this industry is.  We're not allowed to call our owner or his Misses by their names (we call and refer to them by "the Mr." and "the Mrs", we whisper and tip-toe whenever they're onboard (literally not figuratively), and we're not supposed to share any details about who they are, what they do, where they're from, etc with anyone sOoooo...for blogging sake this should be interesting (but as you all know I'm a rule-breaker by trade so I may slip up with a few pics/details ;-).  

So back to it - my first day onboard with Mr., and it was crazy (by crazy I mean the service we provide is beyond anything a normal person could comprehend.)  We hand wash & iron underwear, we iron sheets before and AFTER we put them on the bed, we clean bathrooms everytime a person so much as touches the doorknob, we wait on them hand and foot from the moment they wake up until the minute they go to sleep, and we eat/sleep/pee & shower in between.  But even with all of that, this is paradise!  The places we're going and the people I've met...it's priceless.

Speaking of priceless, you should've seen my face today as I got called up by the Mr. for a massage!!!!!! I about passed out I was so nervous - partly because the only people I've massaged are my close friends and fam, and partly because he's the owner of this $40 million dollar vessel that's become my home and work, and if he doesn't like me or my techniques he could tell me to pack my shit and be gone.  Anyway, I pulled myself together and went up to the "massage parlor" (aka my office) to do my thang...turns out I'm a pretty good masseuse :)!!  As we wrapped up he told me it was amazing and asked where I did my training... I told him the truth (that I'm self taught and just do it for fun) and he seemed OK with that so I told him I'd let him get dressed and left the room (adrenaline pumping from every orifice of my body).

The new Massage room...aka my office ;-)
- Wednesday November 24

Happy Thanksgiving ladies & gents!!!!!!!!!!!  I went to bed last night pretty bumed - missing the hell outa my mom & dad, friends, and man-friend, but I woke up today with a totally different attitude.  Waking up in the exumas and rolling over to this view makes it next to impossible to be sad.

So we're working all day (limited football which really chaps my ass) when my chef Alan calls me up to the kitchen.  He'd asked me before we left what my favorite dish was and as it turned out he'd provisioned for it and surprised me with green-bean casserole :)  It may hurt my parents feelings to hear this but I swear to God his food's gotta be laced with something because he prepares the most amazingly delicious meals I have ever tasted - this Thanksgiving became a day thankful for Alan!!!  Two tables of pure bliss...notice the score on the NE/Detroit game ;-)

Shit, my roommates just came in and it's lights out for this cabin...so much more to write but it'll have to wait until next time.  Happy Thanksgiving everyone, miss you & love you lots!!!!


xoxo,
mE

Dad always said, work isn't work when you love what you do!!!

FINALLY the blog I've been waiting 46 days to write!!   I got a job!!  And not just any job, my DREAM job :)  K, so where do I start...?

The day after my last blog (a week ago today) I was bumming around, day-working on Cakewalk, starting to wonder why I'd left a job I loved and friends I adored for something so uncertain, when I get an e-mail from Captain Mike.  It said:

"I'd like to speak with you again soon. Please give me a call when you can 904 607 ####. - Michael"

I jumped up and although it was hard to go pee without asking for permission first, I ran up to the Sun Deck to call him back.  We arranged for him to pick me up that morning to take a walkthrough of Inception (the vessel) but he didn't say anything about offering me the position or this being the last step of the process, so I had no idea where his head was at.  We get to the boat and he walks me through every inch of it, introduces me to the crew - Mark (South African Deckhand/Engineer), Allen (American Chef), Peter (South African 1st Mate), Nick (American Engineer), and Zahara (Irish/Saudi Arabia Stewardess).  He hadn't hired a Chief Stew or Bosun yet and the other Stewardess was in the Bahamas getting her Visa renewed.  When we finished the tour he brought me up to the bridge (control room) and asked me what I thought.  I told him I was in love with the boat, he asked if I could see myself living/working on her, I said "um yEs", and as he smiled he told me he'd like to extend the position to me.  I clapped my hands, jumped up and down, laughed a nervous weirdo laugh and said I'd LOVE TO!  We talked about salary, start-date, benefits, and itinerary and then he brought me back to my boat.  I swear to God even though I loved Cakewalk (and the people onboard) those next few days were the longest ever!  I said my goodbyes (even though I'll see them all again on New Years - our boats will both be on St. Bart's for NYE :), packed up all my shit, cleaned up crew house, and went to meet my guy.

Wes had booked a ticket the week prior and his visit could not have come at a better time.  I got to spend my last 4 days of unemployment at the beach, in bed cuddling, on a scooter (should've traded in my bike a long time ago!) and indulging in good food/drinks with great company :)  Saying goodbye is never fun (especially when you have no idea when you'll see them again) but after I dropped him off at the airport I headed straight for my new home!

Niners

I was greeted by Nina and Zahraa (two stewardess') who helped me bring my bags down to my room and we hit it off right away!  Zahraa is this cute little English girl (who's half Irish and half Saudi Arabian) with the best personality and most beautiful accent.  Nina is Swedish and a little more reserved, and although she's fairly new to yachting she's the most helpful and giving girl in the world!

Zahraa

And here I am, 4 days in and absolutely LOVING my life!  I'm sitting at the dinner table with Mark, Zahraa, Pete and Nina having dinner and drinking Courvoisier.  Lots more to share but it'll have to wait until tomorrow.



Thanks for any thoughts & prayers you guys sent my way...they worked and I've never been happier...I finally feel like I'm home :)

xoxo,
mE

My new home & office

Apparently patience is some sort of virtue...gimmie some!

Just like diets, daily journaling, and post cards home to Lissy...I've fallen off the 'blog' wagon.  Bare with me because as things start getting more routine (i.e I get on a boat with nothing else to do but write) I have no doubt this will become habit.

So...best way to describe my current mood is uncomfortably stressed yet eagerly optimistic.   I've been in Fort Lauderdale for 37 days, worked on 2 boats, been on 1 interview (which I'm still waiting to hear back on), but am still waiting for that "pack your shit and come to the dock, we're leaving for the Bahamas first thing in the morning" phone call.  It's so hard to describe the environment down here - it's a strange one to say the least - but I'll give it a shot.  Everyone's been down in FL at least a month (some as long as 3) with one goal in mind; to get a permanent job and get the hell out of town!  We're all spending way too much money, living in extremely tight quarters (2 bunk-beds to a room), surrounded by complete strangers (most from other countries), thousands of miles away from home...and on top of it all we're UNEMPLOYED.  The competition is crazy - I'd say 70% of the people I've met are entry level yachties and of the jobs available only 10% will consider newbies.  So as you can imagine we're all a little (as in VERY) stressed.

BUT with all of that said I'm having a blast - truly, no bullshit, I'm having the time of my life!  Weekends are spent doing non-work-like activities, and anyone caught talking about boats, captains, interviews, or anything work related gets tazed (kidding, kind of).  This past weekend the girls and I rented a car and drove up to West Palm Beach for the night.  We went to a crew party at Rybovich then bounced around Downtown.  From there we took an 87 minute cab ride back to a beautiful establishment called the Red Roof Inn (across the street from the Race Trak gas station).  When we got to our motel (at 4:50am) I told the cab driver to get bent and pick a new profession - the guy was a complete moron who took us 1/2 to Miami before we realized what was going on, so I gave him 50 cents and got out.  After downing $20 bucks worth of Taco Bell we called it a night.   Great night followed by an even more amazing day - I got to see my Aunt & Uncle (nothing like family to center oneself), had a delicious breakfast/lunch with a yachting friend (Martin), and got the rental back to Fort Lauderdale all in one piece.

Ahh, I almost forgot!  Reverse back to Friday for a sec (my first interview).  I met with a crew agency Wednesday afternoon and after our meeting they sent me this job...Jr Stew on a 165ft Heesen (Dutch made Vessel) called 'Inception' with a start-date of Nov 16th.  I exchanged a few e-mails with the Captain, Mike, and we set up a time to meet for coffee Friday morning.   Turns out the vessel was just sold to a first time boat owner for $35 million and he'll be taking it all over the world for the next year or two.  We had a great conversation - talked about the crew, the travel schedule, his ideal candidate, etc and I'm supposed to hear back tomorrow morning!

Back to this past weekend...so Sunday night rolls around and with cash running low I decide to wake up early Monday and venture down to Cakewalk (the largest yacht made in the U.S since 1930).  Monday was my first experience Day-Walking and I had no clue what to expect!  I packed my resume and a bunch of business cards, put on my yachting outfit (you guys would die if you saw me all yachtied out) and rode my bike down toe Pier 66.  I saw someone on the main deck of the vessel so I called up to ask if they were fully staffed...next thing I know the Chief Stew walks down, asks if I'm American, I say yes and hand her my CV (resume) and away we go.  She gives me a day-badge and puts me straight to work.  I must have done an OK job because she asked me to come back for the rest of the week...granted it's only day 2 but I'm already in love with her (Cakewalk that is, not the Chief Stew).   Despite the fact that my legs, ass, and abs are like jello (98 stairs, 20+ times a day, carrying more weight than a grown mule) - this ship & this experience is unbelievable!  Although I'm not supposed to take pictures of the interior, I may have to break some rules because you need to see what I see!  Four decks (main deck, owners deck, bridge deck, and sun deck), 6 bars, 3 boats, 6 jet skis, and more rooms than the White House!  Here she is (exterior of course :) ...

She's quite a step up from the 78 foot Ferretti I started out on (still trying to decide if she's TOO big), but either way the money's great and the experience is just what I need to get my foot in the door for something more permanent.

Well Kids, with my work-day starting at 7am I'm going to have to call it a night.  Hopefully this update finds you well...keep your fingers crossed for Inception!

xo,
mE

Home is where the heart is...

I'm a total mess...up, down, up, down, so try and bare with me here.  You'd think I was lying if I even tried to describe how amazing the friends I've met down here are...Eeva is my Finish sister.  She's amazing - well educated, witty, funny, beautiful, and she's lived EVERYwhere.  She speaks 4 languages and I have no doubt her and I will be life-long friends.  Jenny is the first "friend" I made here...she's a Kiwi (from New Zealand and I actually studied abroad in her home town).  She came over last night to watch movies and cuddle...she's genuine and everything about our friendship has been organic seems right.  Elise and Crystal have also become like family.  They're both French Canadian's with the most laid back sense of humor and they've been doing a great job taking care of me in my "homesickness state"...I call Crystal my candlestick - she's seen Beauty and the Beast so it makes sense ;-)  Matt, James, and Matthew are all great guys as well, and the crew parties have opened up more doors for friendship than I ever could have expected.  But even with that, and the true amazingness of all that's going on around me, I'm so homesick it hurts.  I miss being able to be myself - my total sarcastic, quick-witted self (with all the cultural differences I never know if/when I'm offending someone so I've learned that it's best just to keep my mouth shut.  I miss my foul mouthed, burping, boozing, retardedly amazing friends who love me in my most demented/ugly state.  I miss my home...the only place I could go to and feel completely at peace.  I miss Halloween in Minnesota...although I'm in THE Halloween capital of this country (only way I can describe it is: Fort Lauderdale is to Halloween like New Orleans is to Mardi Gras), today's just not the same.   K, enough of that...like I said I'm so back on forth on loving it here and then wanting to move "home"... but when it comes down to it I left Minnesota for a reason and my heart just isn't there.  Truth be told I have no effing idea where my heart is...I'm trying to listen to it and just go where it wants to take me, but the logical/planning side of me is making that pretty damn hard.

Update on the job search.  Eeva and I went to a party the other night - a chef on this 185 foot boat was cooking for the crew and invited us to come (Eeva and Erik are classmates).  Anyway, I meet a guy at the party and we start talking...he asks what I'm down here for and I tell him I'm looking to be a Stew.  He says they just hired four and are looking for a fifth so we walk over to check out the boat and I fall in lovE!  It's a 180 foot FEAD ship with the most amazing interior and GREAT charter schedule!  He's giving my CV to his Chief Stew tomorrow morning so we'll see what happens :)  They ship out in 6 weeks to head to the Bahamas so I'd have a lot of daywork to keep me busy and I'd be able to live on the boat...so keep your fingers crossed for me, oh and there's a helicopter on board!!

The Boat Show has been amazing but I'm glad to be wrapping up tomorrow.  I've been told to only post things on my blog that I'd want the entire world reading so I'll keep this story to myself, but I will say my current boat "partner" has made me realize what I want and DON'T want in a crew member (I can give you details that will make your skin crawl but it'll have to be in private).

All in all, it's been a great week but I'm definitely confused on the idea of "home".  Any thoughts or wise words are definitely welcome :)

Miss you all, and I hope to have good job news in the near future.

xo,
mE



P.S  Here's me and my Finnish sis, Eeva.

Dear God...is this real life??

I'm so tired I can barley move...nothing like a day's work hasn't meant shit until tonight!  Alarm didn't go off so I woke up to a roommate of mine getting out of bed...was already 45 minutes behind schedule so I took a 2 minute shower and said screw breakfast, screw makeup, grabbed one of the outfits I bought last night and ran out to catch my cab.

Side bar - I took the bus last night...just thought you all should know.  Those of you who know me well, know the extent of that accomplishment ;-)  I went for a mani/pedi with my Finish roommate (the cutest, skinniest blond chick I've ever met who has two college degrees and has been traveling the world since she was 22) and realized half way through that I had zero clothes for the boat show so I ran to the nearest bus stop and when the driver stopped I walked up to the door and asked "does this go to a mall with real stores?" He said yep and I hopped on.

So back to the boat show...I pull up at 7:15am and it's even more amazing than the day before.  People everywhere, hauling flowers/tables/props/signs/flags and every boat sparkled like they were made of diamonds.

I met our Broker who introduced me to a friend of his, and his friend just happens to be a boat owner and world traveler who is looking for a Stew ;-)
The pay is great and the boat has over 1600 hours (all to tropical/beautiful places) and it sounds like it could be a great fit...I'll keep you posted!

K time to shower and head back out...this still doesn't feel like real life!

xo,
mE

Ok ok, I'll blog about it!

So after like 100 e-mails/text/phone calls & messages asking where I've gone and what I'm doing, I've decided to blog about this amazing adventure!  Here's a quick re-cap before I dive into it all...

I've lived in the same house my whole life, gone to school (grade school, high school, and college), worked, and purchased a condo all within a 20 MILE RADIUS of 55417, and after 26 years I've decided a change of scenery is a must.  I go to the same bars, meet/see the same people, and do the same GD thing every single weekend and although I have girlfriends who have become my sisters and a job I absolutely love, I know I have to get out.  I've been talking about moving away for years now, so what the hell - why not sell my car, quit my job, rent my place, and move down to Florida to become a boat Stewardess!?!  Logical?  Hell no.  But then again, that's the point.  To leave everything that's "logical," safe, familiar, comfortable and experience something completely foreign...to stop going through the motions of life and actually LIVE it!

So I signed up for a package deal off some random website (four yachting classes/certificates for $2,000), bought a plane ticket down to Fort Lauderdale, booked a hotel, and off I went.  I've been down here for a little over 3 weeks now and let me tell you, NOTHING about this trip has been predictable/easy/or comfortable but EVERYTHING has been absolutely amazing!!

I got down here on a Sunday, checked into my hotel and got ready for two weeks of class.  The first day of class I meet a Canadian named Kendal who thinks pregnant chicks are hot, and bam I've got a new "friend".  He introduces me to his housemates the next night after class and now I've got a South African and Bohemian friend.  So after two weeks of classes, parties, yacht networking, friend making, and moving (I moved out of my hotel and into a crew house - which can only be described as college co-ed dorm gone bad), I hit a slight bump in the road.

First hiccup: Don't make fun of me when I say this...or call me 'Grandma', but the day before I came down here I got a crown put on my tooth.  The dentist apparently went to 3 years of dental school instead of 6 because he fit my tooth wrong, and I was forced to book a f#cking plane ticket home for another horrendously painful dentist appointment.  When I got home my dad gave me an untimely letter he'd picked up in my forwarded mail.

Second hiccup:  The letter says - "Dear homeowner, congrats on your tax credit.  If for whatever reason you decide to do any of the 1,00,000 following things, you have to give it back.  (I.E - I owe a shit load of money).

Third hiccup:  I'd been down in FL for a week when I got an e-mail from my bitch of a front office lady saying she has no info on the people living in my condo and I need to fill out a rental license ASAP...if I don't fill one out I owe 50 bucks per day for every day they live there without a license.  Fortunately I had to go home for my dentist appointment anyway, so after getting my 'notice' I went into her office and said "look, this is still my primary residence, I'm dating one of the guys living in my place and every time I come home I stay at my house."  She says - I've looked into it and you've had your mail forwarded to another address, you're clearly not living there, you're required to have a rental license, end of story.  I tell her NO WAY so she says she'll bring my "case" in front of the board at their next meeting.  I ask her when the meeting is taking place, she tells me Wednesday morning.  I was supposed to fly out Monday so I cancel my flight, re-book my ticket for a week later and attend the meeting.  I explain to the panel that all my shit's still at my place, one of the guys living there is my boyfriend, my mail was just temporarily forwarded, etc etc etc so case closed.  They approved my request so I got my ass back on that damn U.S Airways plane and here I am!

I got in Saturday night (midnight),  snuggled into my new bed at my new crew house with all new roommates, woke up Sunday morning so lonely and sad I could hardly breath, so I decide to head over to my old house to say hi to my "friends".  As I'm sitting there with Jenny (my New Zealand friend), a girl who I'd met at Waxy's (a pub where Captains & Crew hangout) comes in and offers me a job.  I drive down to the boat, meet the First Mate, and start the very next morning.

And here I am!  I've been working as the sole Stewardess on a 78 foot ferretti Motor Yacht and it's been amazing.  He offered me a job through (and at) the Boat Show which gives me free access to all the docks/boats/parties/events and cash money for the next week - p.s yachties pay ain't 1/2 bad!  So the boat's interior (which I'm responsible for) has been cleaned upside down and inside out and she looks AMAZING!  We pulled her into our slip this morning and I have to be back to the docks by 7am tomorrow to meet the lady I ordered our flowers from (cross your fingers I did a good job...if these flowers are horse-shit I'm screwed).

So there it is ladies and gents, my first official blog :)   I'm exhausted and literally out of breath/finger strength so I hope you're happy!  Wish me luck tomorrow and I'll be sure to post pics of these MASSIVE "boats" and all the hot deckhands - sexy, sexy men let me tell you!

Welcome to my life for the next 365 days, it's sure to be one hell of a ride!

xo,
mE