Today is a cold day in Florida. We woke up to temps in the 40’s and that makes news around here. Everyone is talking about how cold it is. We were complaining too, until we reminded ourselves that if we were still in MA we would be scraping ice off our windshield.

Here in St. Augustine, we are fully immersed in the Job Hunt. Resumes are being tweaked, online job sites are being perused. Captain K got a haircut and even shaved off his beard for a big job interview today. He is looking extremely clean cut all of a sudden.

We are looking at new clothes worthy of job interviews. We are trying to figure how to get ourselves back in “the system” just enough to land a job but not so much as to destroy our boating lifestyle. This is a difficult thing. Will we succeed???

We are trying to keep our goals in mind as we pull ourselves out of “cruiser” mode and back into “land” mode. I’m telling you, it is not easy! Everyone assumes we have “normal” things like a house and a car and an address. We are walking a very weird line right now between what society wants us to be (good, docile employees with fixed addresses) and what we are (free spirited, creative travellers who need money). The goal: pay off debt, put money in the bank, and make upgrades to the boat for the next Big Trip. What is the next Big Trip?? We are entertaining ideas ranging from going to Central America to actually crossing the Atlantic and making it to Europe. Obviously we will want to continue travelling again as soon as possible. Living on a boat without going anywhere seems like it will get old pretty fast. But planning and saving for a trip of the magnitude we are planning will not happen in just a month or two. The sudden reality of living on a boat surrounded by people who are adventuring and traveling, but not joining them at the next anchorage is tough, but we are prepared to face reality. We need to make some money.

So far we have applied for job possibilities ranging from making minimum wage to $50,000 a year. We are a bit torn between taking the first available paycheck just to have some income and pushing to get the highest paying job we can. What will probably happen is that one of us will take the first job we can get and then we will continue to look for something better. Money, money, money is name of the game today.

Meanwhile the new moon looks exquisite hanging over the fort, and we bring in new intentions and dreams during the new month…..