Is this real life?

Today is one of those days where you just have to ask yourself, "is this real life?" You wake up from an ample 7.5 hour sleep yet you still feel exhausted. The day continues and seemingly nothing goes "to plan" or quite how you'd have hoped. It's one of those days that makes me long for the comfort of home where I can wear shoes that don't hurt my feet, clothes that don't make me feel unattractive, consume something other than double espresso shots or red bull, read a book and hope the most exciting thing that happens all day is me maybe getting out bed.
December 30th, 2012- I will not miss you. Bring on the new day and the new year!

It's that time again

It's been over a month since my last post. A lot has happened since, some of which I do not care to go into detail about. Lets just say, the expression "what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger" is quite accurate. Over the past few weeks, I feel like I've been constantly tried and tested, just waiting for something to break me. I sit and write this today, much more confident, stronger, and more clear headed than I have felt in some time.

Thanksgiving has come and passed, reminding me just how thankful I am for the amazing support system that lay behind me. I feel truly blessed each and every day to have such an amazing family I can count on without  hesitation. Seldon and Mark's Engagement party was a huge success. Those two are so incredibly fortunate to have found one another, as well as such amazing friends. I visited Boston just a week ago to spend the weekend with four of my closest girlfriends. I can't begin to describe just how much I needed to share that time with them, to remind myself that I too have such amazing friends that I can honestly say will continue to be my friends for life. It's unfortunate how some friendships seem to fizzle out over time. While this is so, the strongest of friendships survive, leaving us each with a select few that we can count on in any situation.

It's always difficult saying goodbye to my friends and family as I return to work, and inevitably leave the country for another season on the boat. This very minute, I am once again in the middle of the ocean headed towards Sint Maarten for the start of our Caribbean season. While the weather has not been ideal and most of the crew has given into the feeling of sea sickness, I'm keeping my head up knowing I will soon be barefoot on a beach, working on my winter tan. There are so many things I love about my job, for instance: I get to avoid winters and spend my days in my most favorite place, the water. A drawback to this job include missing family and friends, as well as holidays each year. This season, I was fortunate enough to go home for Thanksgiving but will be missing my second Christmas and New Years in a row. We pick up a charter the day after Christmas through New Years, therefore I think we will stay just busy enough that the feeling of loneliness and longing will be but a mere blip on the radar. We have a long season ahead of us, so I am ready to get it started! Arrival to SXM on Wednesday gives us five days for final arrangements before our guests arrive, as well as those five afternoons to re acquaint myself with the beach and all its glory!

It's going to be another busy season... Come Away With Me and see for yourself.

Counting down

Instead of reflecting BACK on the last week that's passed by... Lets see what fun things I am looking FORWARD to!


Home: 13 days. So excited to head home for Thanksgiving, possibly my favorite holiday! Last year, we were at sea on our way to Antigua so I'm really looking forward to spending it at home with family. Joshua and Jacob will both be missing out this year unfortunately but that's what happens when you grow up :/

Seldon and Marks Engagement Party: 23 days. Looking forward to celebrating the engagement of Seldon and Mark again! While they've been engaged for 9 months or something, this will be the first time family and friends will get to congratulate and celebrate together. Any excuse for a party right?

Boston: 29 days!!!! It's been Over a year since I've seen my roommates from College, totally unacceptable but luckily that will change come December 7th :) I am flying to Boston for a much needed weekend with my best friends. Not looking forward to the cold- At All. But I suppose I can suck it up since I will be heading back to the Caribbean for the winter ;) sorry guys.

And then of course there is Christmas, which I will most likely be spending away from home AGAIN this year.... And the beginning of many trips to bring us through the season and back home for reunions :) aaaaand a wedding!!!

So many exciting things to look forward to!!!

Half Marathon Complete.

It's a great feeling to exceed ones own expectations and today I did just that! When signing up for this event: Rock n' Roll Savannah Half Marathon-- I registered with a time of 1:40:00 thinking if I got anywhere near that I would be happy. As time went on, my confidence in making that time dwindled. It's extremely difficult to train for any running event, let alone a half marathon when you live on a boat that's more times than not- at sea where boats belong. No treadmill.
I signed up, along with my sister, her fiancée and my father less than two months out from the race in September. Unfortunately, my Dad left for business in Iceland this morning so was unable to compete but the rest of us woke at 5am to head downtown before the major traffic hit and roads essentially closed down.

Now, it's been awhile since I've ran a race competitively... The last being a 4 mile mud run back in April that I hardly consider to be on the same competitive front as the run I just achieved. Training for most half or full marathoners is quite regimented as one could imagine: running six -seven days a week with long runs smacked somewhere in the mix of things, as well as swimming, cross training and tapering thrown into the mix. My training, having been on the ocean for so long and playing catchup with friends and family upon returning to the United States was a wee bit different.

5 weeks of running after a seemingly sporadic run here and there when on land in Europe for the previous 4 months seems hardly enough to be prepared for a run of this caliber. Some of you may be thinking that 13.1 miles isn't all that tough or long even, but having been an 800M runner all my life, it may as well have been an ultra marathon in my eyes.

So, 5 weeks. Averaging 4-5 runs per week. Most runs being in the 25-45 minute range with 2, yes... 2 runs just over the distance of 1hr.
For those of you that know me and my running habits, I don't normally mark distance and If I don't feel like running, I won't. And I like to eat what i like to eat.
It's an interesting thing running competitively for the better part of your life and then basically falling completely off the wagon with no regards as to proper training, eating or rest methods. But hey, to each is their own.

Back to the race:
After a 20 minute run yesterday, a good nights sleep and a mile or so jog this morning, I checked my bag into the provided gear check and entered my corral (number 2) about 30 minutes before the race to stretch and finish my warm up. The race officially started at 8am with my corral going off just one minute after. The first 5k felt quite amazing, and short even, a good sign as I then successfully completed my longest competitive race ever the next Kilometer.

At the ten mile mark, my legs started to really feel like bricks. But since they, as well as, the tons of supporters and bands throughout the course had brought me that far, I knew I'd finish. Besides, I may be out of the competitive running circuit but my competitive edge is far from gone.

About a mile later, I completed my longest run ever in the history of runs. This was the same time I started to feel like I might throw up... To avoid embarrassment and a messy outfit, I thankfully held this in and the feeling eventually subsided. :)

I crossed the line two miles later with a clocked time of 1:39:02... Converting to a chip time of 1:38:01. Two minutes under my goal time! Woot woot.

I am so proud of my Sister and Mark for also being finishers today. And so thankful for my kiwi for making me go out and run with him even when I didn't want to.

Another Half Marathon on the horizon? Perhaps a full..? Baaah! So impressed with all the marathoners today. I don't know how they do it....

Until next time!!

Thursdays

Thursdays have been anything but easy for the past few weeks.

The day of the week that I find myself most times looking forward to (as it's just one day away from the weekend) I had been trying to avoid for some time knowing that with all the Thursdays that passed, Today, Thursday November 1st would eventually be here. It has been exactly 30 days since Chris' moving back to New Zealand became a certainty. As I sit and write this now, I have the same sick and empty feeling inside as I did on that Tuesday, 30 days ago when the news of his leaving became a reality.

Chris is somewhere in the air getting closer to Houston now. Closer to Los Angeles. Closer to his final destination of Auckland. While at this very moment, I feel sad and lonely, I know I will be okay because I, much like the rest of the women in my family, am strong. It's the difficulties faced in life that try and wear us down. It is these same trying times that when faced head-on make each of us tougher than could ever be imagined.

 For now, I will continue to live in the present and reminisce on the past. Each Thursday will continue to be difficult...as now, it's not counting how many Thursdays until he leaves, but how many Thursdays he's actually been away. Going into a busy season with work, I know I will have distractions may I choose to accept them.

Sometimes we have to do things that are difficult in order to provide better for ourselves, as well as others. I admire and am happy that with a return home, Chris may strive to do exactly that. Besides, now I have the perfect reason to vacation to New Zealand someday soon!

_________________________________________________________________________________


On a lighter note, only 2 more days until the Rock and Roll Half Marathon hits Savannah. As I was taught in High School. the night before, the night before the race (so 2 nights out) is the most important for R&R. A good nights sleep and a bit of Carbs will help your body feel more fresh the day of the race. In HS, we always had Spaghetti dinners to load up on necessary carbs before races, unfortunately nobody offered to make heaps of pasta and host said party- therefore, I am on my own this evening. Thinking of all my TCR XC girls this evening!
So many other factors are running through my head on the half marathon front.... how much clothing should I wear? Will my shoes be okay for that distance? How will I find my friends after the race if we split up? What if I get a cramp? What if I have to pee? Is it neccessary to warm up before an 11 mile race?
It's as I haven't run competitively for the past 12 years. I will be fine. Difficulties make us stronger right? ;)


Hoorah!!!

The McArdles Take Atlanta by Storm

What a wonderful time it was spending a full-on girls weekend in Atlanta. Our time spent out of the country is more than made up for in our few months in the United States. Each weekend spent with family and friends is anything but low-key or ordinary.

This weekend, I had the pleasure of seeing my beautiful sister in her Wedding Dress for her final fitting and pick-up. The dress was even more stunning than the first time she put it on. My Aunt cried and we all drank Champagne: a necessary ritual for celebrating something as beautiful as finding the perfect ensemble for the perfect day. 29 weeks until Seldon McArdle becomes Seldon Jones!!!

5 days of work and then off to Hilton Head with My Sister, Mark and Chris for a relaxing weekend with Mom, Dad and Sophie.

Half Miler turned Half Marathoner???

So as my travels have come to a lull as I'm now back in Savannah, Ga. until December, once again preparing for the season ahead, my latest adventure has been my very unserious training for the Savannah installment of the Rock and Roll series half and full marathon.
A mere 17 days until I run my longest race ever by a whopping 15K At this point in my training my feelings vary from 'what the hell was I thinking when I signed up?!' And ' ahh it's no big deal, it will be fun'. Honestly- my competitive side is taking over, yet I've been out of the running game for so long, we can all agree that it will definitely be interesting. My goal is to simply finish and join the rest of the finishers for a rock'n post race party. (Provided I can walk at the end).

Up until this point, it's been three weeks of somewhat solid training.... (Yes, that is correct: i will be running a half marathon with only 5 weeks of training) And sadly enough Seldon and I will be competing our first legit long run this afternoon. While Chris and hit the roads almost most everyday after work, Seldon chooses to hit the treadmill on most occasions.
To each is their own. Funny thing is that while most would consider me the competitive runner in the family, I do want to point out that Seldon has actually competed in a longer race than I have! You go girl! Even Mark has signed up. I've never seen him run more than 20 yds. Ever. The important thing is to have fun and of course collect on the finishers loot. So Come Away With Myself, Seldon and Mark on November 3rd for Savannah's Rock and Roll Marathon!

Savannnaaahhhhh we're coming for you

Currently 344Nm out from our final destination... which quite frankly feels a bit like home these days, Savannah, Ga! So excited to not only be back in the United States but the beautiful city of Savannah- which may I add is only a short five hour drive from my true home :) (Which makes it all the more exciting)
I've already compiled a list of things I've been missing about savannah and will try to do as many as I can this weekend upon arrival.
For starters... I think Friday nights arrival will be kicked off with a visit to Tubbys Tankhouse, a short and convenient walk from the marina. Tubbys is frequented often when we're in Savannah and it only makes sense for it to be our first taste of 'home'.

Starbucks will have to wait until Saturday morning, fortunately it too is walkable from the marina. I'm thinking a brisk jog in the morning- followed by coffee?? Oh the possibilities!!!

Other highly possible weekend activities:
Vinnie Van Go Go's (a definite)
The Bohemian
The Distillery
Wild Wing
City Market
Savannah Candy Kitchen
Jimmy Johns?
River Street Shenanigans....

Ahhh yes... It's going to be great being back in Savannah!

Homecoming

This weekend is Wake Forest's Homecoming and surely enough, I am in the middle of the Ocean and 1827 Nm from our final destination: Savannah, Ga.

While I am missing out on a weekend in Winston Salem that is sure to be filled with friends and good times, I am very much looking forward to a bit of a homecoming myself in a mere seven days, Huntress will be back home in Savannah and I will be only hours away from my family :)

Ending the season was a beautiful accomplishment, as it was extremely busy and at times incredibly difficult. Working in this industry feels like being in another world entirely. With a huge time difference between myself and most of my friends and family, I'm even more grateful for having been surrounded by people whom I care about when home seems so far away. The experiences I've been a part of this summer have been absolutely amazing. I traveled to 6 different countries over the course of 3 months, All cities I explored for the first time. Not to mention, I feel as though I saw these beautiful places in a way not many will have the opportunity to: by boat. One of the most amazing things was coming into the Grand Canal in Venice, a place I've always wanted to visit.
Gibraltar,Montenegro,Croatia,Italy,Greece and Spain are all beautiful places in their own ways.
Greece takes the win for the most beautiful beaches, while Croatia's 1000 islands possess some of the most breathtaking scenery I've ever seen. Montenegro's Marina was by far my favorite place to be at dock, without guests. Everyone knows Venice is just... Venice, therefore making it awesome.
My favorite stop of the summer came at the end in Palma, Spain. Probably a combination of the feeling of accomplishment and knowing our season was complete, giving us more downtime than in any of the other cities we traveled to, but also the island itself provides so much entertainment. Because we sat there for 10 days at STP shipyard, I feel like I saw the entire island, each corner different, but equally as beautiful as the one before. And who doesn't love Tapas? The old town in Palma has ample shopping, restaurants and bars, although I was good and didn't do
Much shopping... But also bad in that I partook in a lot of the other two ;)
If you're ever in Palma, you must go to Abaco cocktail bar, while its pricy, the atmosphere and decor is worth it. Seriously unlike any bar I've ever been to. After entering through a small hobbit like door, the place has a very antique feel, with crown molding and intricate details in the architecture itself, and decorated with roman statues, massive fruit displays, and ancient furniture. You almost forget that a drink is like 18 euro. Haha
Sa Colobra, on the NW tip of the island Is worth the hour drive, as the drive itself is part of the attraction. The winding roads take you down to a beautiful cove. Unfortunately this area is crawling with tourists, making it difficult to find a spot on the small rocky beach, I regret not bringing a snorkel mask, as the water is gorgeous and there are many coves to be explored.
In Puerto Portals, Roxys Beach Club is this great little beach club right on the water. People pull there Jet Skis right up to it and anchor small boats right outside. The drinks are amazing. Best Sunday Funday location.
Okay, so I basically am in love with Palma. I could probably live there. Anyone want to join me? Haha

Finish Line!!

So we have finally completed what felt like a month long charter. 2 days with our most recent guests would have been too long let alone the 14 we actually did!
Upon experiencing the most bizarre departure day of any trip ever, we finally were able to call our trip finished around 9 pm yesterday evening and find some reprieve by getting off the boat for about an hour before we pulled off the dock for our next endeavor. All crew on deck for an 11:45 pm departure, followed by a 5 am-730 am Navigational Bridge watch and straight into another day. Looking forward to logging some
Serious sleeping hours over the next three days to Palma.
Bringing on a charter agent for our seemingly pointless, yet logistically necessary trip to Ontranto, Italy from Corfu added to the confusion and bizaroty of the entire experience. Not even worth adding details about really.
Just a short Jaunt back to Italy before heading to our next destination of Palma de Mallorca, Spain.
Greece on Wednesday, Italy on Thursday, and docking in Spain on Sunday. What a journey!
I am very much looking forward to seeing some new sights, and having Tuesday off to explore Palma!! :) lots of beaches to explore and sights to see. between our Tuesday off and the weekend I think it will be doable ;)

GREECE

The Greek language is unlike any other. It is quite interesting to simply listen and have absolutely zero idea of what is being spoken of. Although English is the only language that I speak fluently... I've taken enough French and Italian to understand both languages to some degree. I now know and understand the phrase, 'it's Greek to me'.

While in Greece, I tasted my very Irant Ouzo, a Greek liquor that I am not wry fond of for the simple reason that it tastes like lack licorice. I've never been a fan of black licorice. Throw some cherry twizzlers at me... Great but black licorice is blech. What I do find quite entertaining about Ouzo is the way it turns cloudy when reacting with ice. If you like Licorice, I would try it! It's an interesting liquor that I've learned goes well with cucumber... Or so the Greek tell me.

While I was loving Greece when I started writing this post, it's almost two weeks later and I am ready for a change. Mostly because for the last 11 days we've been catering to 14 guests. It's been 11 days, yet it feels like an eternity and almost everyday we've had additional guests brought on for lunches and dinners. Between the amount of work involved catering to this many people, the lack of sleep, and just having this be our last trip of the Med season, we are all ready for some R&R. If I began to describe the requests and events of this trip, most of you reading would probably not believe it and guaranteed all of you would laugh your butts off.

Some of my favorite quotes of the trip are as follows:

'Can I have toast with yellow cheese please?'

'Coke with Ice. No lemon.'

'My mom said to give us sweets'

'Its not really lemonade without a straw.'

'Can I have milk chocolate? With ice.'
..... You mean chocolate milk??

'We will have 2....Maybe 8. Yes, 2-8 guests come for lunch'

'Twix. Two.'

Gaaahhhhh!!! Ready to be in Palma with zero guests :) 3 more days until we drop and then three days at sea to Palma!!!

The Past 29 Days in a Nutshell

Service.Toilets.Cold Towels.Bar.3 Coursemeals.Carbohydrates.Booze.Dancing.See's.Montengro.BBQs.Vacuumn.Ice.Coffee.Laundry.ServiceCloths.Wine.Fruit Bowl.Lillys.Table Settings.Polishing.Refills.JetSkis.Stainless.LintRoller.Downy.Fishing.G3.Tissue.PinotGrigio.Chocolate.Bacon.Beads.Water Station.9M.Pillows.Prada.Service Trays. Fluff.Juevos Rancheros.Toilet Paper.Provisioning.Croatia.Scarves.FrootLoops.Ketchup.TrainTracks.Orangina.Dumbwaiter.Rags.Linen Closet.Frank Sinatra.Pinot Noir.Bathing Suits.Twins.Johnny Walker.Olives.Peanuts.Raisins.Ipads.Ipods.Grenadine.Potpourri.Puppets.Piano.Josh Groban.Pizza.Kids.Rope Swing.Singing.Batteries.Anchor.Sleep.Iron.Patron.Eggs Benedict.Grey Goose.RedBull.Forts.Napping.Khaki.TommyBahama.Daiseys.Centerpieces.Candles.Dessert.Radios.Fold.Oreos.Napkins.Tealights.Restock.Flush.Bed Making.LauraStar.Eppaulettes.Sperrys.Dock.Family.Dishes.Napkin Rings.Roses.Pollen.Citronella(Centonilla??)4thofJuly.Cheese.CokeZero.Lalique.Peacocks.Hydrangea.Gym.PeanutButter.Horsey.Eyelashes.Split.Trojir.Dubrovnik.Cavtat.Mountains.Cocktails.Family.Fingerprints.Toenails.Chargers.DomaineOtt.Converter.SkyTV.Toucan.Nutella.Clarins.Simonelli.Creepy Angel Statues.Dominoes.Sundeck.Airhead.Eyelashes.Wind.Huntress.Fake Flowers.HorsePuppets.8Peanuts.FakeHydrangeas.Backgammon.LRC.GalleyFire.Birthdays.Ice Sculptures.Gerber.Baby Monitors.George of the Jungle.Whites.Laughter.Geriatrics.Benadryl Stick.Cookies.Vanilla Hazelnut.RockyBeaches.Chai.Perrier.Doilles.Aleve.Burns.Uniform.Sew Buttons.Photos from Dad.Shammy.SprayAway.Green Toilet Brushes.WineAway.Bleach.Juicing.Buttermolds.Ribbons.Tourism.Lillypads.Carafs.Salt and Pepper.Lemons and Limes.HandCream.Meal Times.Speedos.First Date.Napkin Folds.TP Fan.Croissants.Hermes.Green Tea.Scavenging.Candiiiier!.Ice Packs.Blisters.Eos.Silver.Jungle.BDP.Pre Alarms.Black Coffee.Foot Powder.Starch.Fenders.Miele.Illy.Mother *********!!!!.Sleep Talking.Band Aids.SpiderBites.Big Hats.Caffeine.Sunshine.Hot Hot.Plums.Fox News.Nora Jones.Gorgeous Views.MOB Drills.Swimming.....Once.Skinny Dipping??.Pinot Noir.Crazy.Hot Tub.Toenails.Lotion.Gross.Greetings.Departures.Luggage Tags.Laundry Logs.Alarm Clocks.Chefs.Three of them.Skype.Piperlime.aaaaand Seldon getting punched in the face.

With only three and a half days to go I am expecting much of the same in the next days and can hopefully add:

Drunk.Day Off.Sleep.Cristina Richard.Drunk.Aaaaand Venice to the mix :)

Once the weekend rolls around.

1000 Islands

Sooo its been a fair amount of time since my last post but as it turns out, there's been a lot of repetitive bed making, bathroom cleaning, dinner and cocktail serving and laundry since the last time I wrote. We've been traveling throughout Croatia for the past two weeks. I feel like I've seen so much of it until I recently saw a t-shirt in a tourist shop advertising the 1000 islands of Croatia! Who knew?
Although most of the sight seeing has been through a window or a small porthole conveniently located in the laundry room, I can confirm that Croatia is a beautiful country.

I was fortunate enough to leave the boat just two nights ago for dinner and drinks with some of the crew before our owners returned with more guests. Them leaving for a night or two has been a wonderful break between trips and just enough time to taste freedom before beginning yet another week aboard the slave ship.
We had a wonderful meal at a small restaurant in Split, Croatia. Almost everyone ordered pizza per the usual since being in Europe. I honestly feel like I'm on a European Pizza tour. I'm especially looking forward to the Venice Pizza tour in just under two weeks!!! We have found out we are finishing our four week owners stint in Venice, Italy where we will spend two nights before returning to Montenegro to fuel for a 14 day charter in Greece. So looking forward to the rest of the season and the places we will go! As busy as it is, and as much as I would like to have more time exploring as opposed to working, I will take what I am given :)

A few of the places we've been:
Cavtat
Dubrovnik
Mljet
Korcula
Hvar
Split