F. A. Q. 's

Today I thought it would be fun to do a blog about our most frequently asked questions. As you can imagine, we get A LOT of questions about our lifestyle. Quitting your jobs, selling everything you own & moving onto a sailboat (when you've never sailed before) tends to generate a lot of talk. So, here we go.

The #1 most frequent question we get is...."WHERE DOES JIB GO TO THE BATHROOM?". Yep. Not "where was your favorite place?", or "what's the scariest thing that's happened out at sea?". Nope. So many people want to know where Jib poops.

The answer is Jib does his business on deck. We lower a bucket into the water for a good rinse off & we also have scoopers. It's easy. It only becomes a big clean up when Jib swallows too much salt water which causes horrible things to happen to his GI tract. That usually requires the bucket, the scoopers & a deck brush. Luckily, he does that less & less. We are lucky that Jib has taken to this method so easily. Of course, he moved on the boat when he was 12 weeks old so that definitely helped. Jesse would have no part of it. He was nine when we moved on the boat & there was just no way we could convince him to go on deck, which meant several trips to shore everyday. Jib did need a lot of encouragement after living on shore all summer. He held out for 24 hours a couple of times. So when he did go, we had a big celebration & treats & within a few days it was like a lightbulb went off & Jib was like "Oh yeah! I remember!"

# 2 on the list "HOW CAN YOU AFFORD IT?".

Because Scott & I are only 40 ( well, ok...he's 40, I'm 42) this question also comes up a lot. We always tell people..1st of all, we're "semi-retired". Can we afford to never work again? No. However, because we are in health care we can work anytime, anywhere(in the U.S.) HUGE bonus. We also really did sell EVERYTHING. Except for Scott's med school loan (which we'll be paying forever) we have no debt. The other thing that makes working a few months out of the year possible is that Scott & I live CHEAP! We rarely splurge on things like fancy dinners, new clothes, fancy anything. Our expenses are usually around $1000/month. Unless of course we're doing boat projects...precisely why we have to keep working! There's always something!

Nope....We don't get bored.

 

# 3 "DON'T YOU GET BORED?"

This one shocks me. Boredom rarely occurs & it usually starts setting in when we are stuck inside the boat for a few days due to weather. Most of the time we are very content with our life. We go to the beach almost everyday! We read, listen to music, go hiking or explore a new island, swimming, snorkeling, fishing, spear fishing, lobster hunting. We meet people from all over the world almost everyday. It's an amazing life that we feel blessed to have & no....we don't get bored. If we do, a new boat project develops.

Under the sea today during the lobster hunt

# 4 "DON'T YOU MISS WORKING SOMETIMES?"

This one's easy. Um....No. We do not miss working. I miss all my friends at work. I mean, don't get me wrong....we love delivering babies & many of our patients have had profound effects on our lives. Scott still gets goose bumps every time he delivers a baby. It's sort of EPIC to be a part of new human life. You have to have a certain level of passion to do that kind of work & we do but.....life is not all about work. After almost 20 years in health care, we've learned that life is precious & it's unbelievably short. We do plan on trying to get involved with Doctors Without Borders or some similar type of organization & getting back to our health care roots. It's very easy to become jaded when you work in this arena. Especially in America.

# 5 "WHERE DO YOU GO WHEN YOU HAVE A FIGHT?".

I'm not going to lie, sometimes a 38 foot sailboat feels REALLY small. Yes, we get on each other's nerves sometimes. I challenge any couple to try 24/7 together for months & months. Believe me....you'll find out if your relationship has what it takes to make it to forever. If we're having a bad day together we do just find ways to do our own thing & it eventually passes over. Mostly, I think we both realize we just have to get over it because we do live in 38 feet & tomorrow when we're sailing somewhere...we need each other!

The truth is...this life isn't for everyone. But for us....it's everything we thought it could be and so much more. Follow your dreams....whatever they are & I promise you will be happy.

Love,

Michelle, Scott & Jib

XXXOO

 

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