When the going gets tough, the tough weigh their options.

After reading an interesting blog on Dockwalk.com, I have decided to take a long hard look at how I got here. "Here" being, "in the yachting industry". It all started way back in 2002... I was a high volume bartender in Houston, TX. I was really good at it, I was making a little money, working at the bar at night and at Sun N' Ski Sports during the day when I wasn't at class at Tomball College. To say the least, I was busy. It started to wear me down and I decided to do something different. I stood in the middle of Sun N' Ski sports, on one side there was the ski section, full of snowboards and warm fuzzy coats, on the other side was the Sun and Surf section, equipped with wake boards and swim suits. I closed my eyes and spun around. When I stopped I was looking at the snow board section as well as a very confused coworker. He was silent, I said "I'm deciding what to do next", he just smiled and walked off. I spent the next few weeks doing research on Aspen, Colorado because where else would one go if they wanted to move to the mountains to become a snow bunny??? I signed up on a website called Roommates.com and eventually found someone who was in the process of moving to Aspen as well. We decided to look for a place together and the search began. Not long after that someone gave me the bright idea to email a long lost relative who lived in Key West if I wanted to try something new. They thought it a better idea to go somewhere I actually knew someone than to go off into the wild blue yonder where I knew no one. This turned out to be a not so good idea in the end. I have learned my lesson in that area but we won't go into that. Needless to say I chose to couch surf in Key West instead of Ski Bum in Aspen. It's a decision I think about often. We all know what happened after that, I ended up being a boat girl instead of a ski bunny. Not so bad, I have skills now that not many people have and I wouldn't trade my experiences or friends for the world. But I do think about what I could have learned and the fun I could have had if I had gone ahead with my first choice and ran for the hills. This new Megayacht industry has really spoiled me in the salary area but I'm not so sure I need to be really worried about that right now. I think I might like to spend the winter season in the mountains just to see how it goes. I can always get back on a yacht for the spring/summer season in the Med come May. I'm just thinking out loud, but those of you who know how I am wont be surprised when I tell you that I have already sent my resume out to over 10 ski resorts across the US, anddddddddddd I just got an email from one! Gotta go check it! Wish me luck!