Wednesday, July 28, 2010

And just like that, we got married!!

We are still riding the "high" from the most amazing wedding weekend EVER...and while I'm not sure I can sum it up in words, lets just say it was PERFECT in every way! 

First Kiss.  It's official.

Scott and I got married in the beautiful harbor town of St. Joseph, MI (where we met 3 years ago).  For those of you who have never experienced the idyllic beauty that is Southwest Michigan, you must.  Miles and miles of pristine beach, quaint harbor towns with cobblestone streets, berry picking, bike riding, sunset watching, amazing people and oh, I could go on and on.  It's a living Norman Rockwell painting.

First dance to Van Morrison's Into the Mystic.  We rocked it.

This weekend, our family and friends took St. Joe by storm.  We rented an AMAZING beach house where 12 of our nearest and dearest stayed which became the "home base" for the festivities - which included: 
  1. A crazy night of karaoke to kick off the festivities - complete with a rendition of "Total Eclipse of the Heart" by Scott and I (literally, all the locals in the bar were like; "who ARE you people and WHERE is the wedding!?!  WE WANNA GO!!")
  2. Beach days (and beach nights)
  3. Boat rides
  4. The most amazing rehearsal dinner (Thank you Sue and Ed!!)
  5. After parties complete with a professional DJ - our awesome friend, DJ Dav! (I think there were at least 5 of these, spread out over 3 days).
  6. The wedding itself (DUH!)
  7. A full spread, complimentary Sunday Brunch to give final hugs, thank yous, and goodbyes.
Everything was perfect.  Saturday morning it was raining - and by raining I mean POURING- and this typically chilled-out bride lost her cool in a big way.  However, by 11am, the skies cleared and the day was absolutely BEAUTIFUL.  The ceremony took place under a pavilion at the harbor mouth and get this - as we exchanged our vows a sailboat sailed right behind us!! How auspicious is THAT!  Things like this happened all over the place throughout the entire weekend.

The reception was a hop skip and a jump away at the beautiful Shadowland Ballroom where we had the BIGGEST party that place had ever seen (they told us so).  The Dave Ivaz Orchestra rocked the house so much that when the night ended, we had 200 wedding guests chanting "ONE MORE SONG!" over and over until they caved and played an acoustic version of "Wonderful Tonight".  We then had not one, but TWO after parties...finally finishing at the beautiful beach house complete with DJ Dav spinnin' records and a full moon swim in the lake. 

Honestly, there is NOTHING, absolutely NOTHING we would change about the whole weekend.  It was so full of love and fun, I'm surprised we didn't burst!

So we did it friends!  We are married!  And you have never met two people more excited to be so than us!  We are so lucky and blessed to be surrounded by the most amazing friends and family and the Universe just continued to provide for us in the most spectacular ways throughout the weekend.  A special shout out to my parents, who made this wonderful weekend possible.  Honestly, we are *STILL* getting calls from friends and family saying it was the best wedding they had ever been too!

The fun is not over though!  Now it's time to really put our noses to the grindstone and get our boat ready to sail off into the sunset!

A gift from one of my best friends.  Our Sunday Brunch attire.  You'd never guess we were out till 5am and up at 8am, would you?

LOVE,
Brittany and Scott Meyers

Monday, July 19, 2010

Happy Birthday to Scott!

Happy 34th Birthday to my honey bunny Scott (it was actually yesterday)! 

Not only am I soooo excited to spend the rest of my life with you, I am soooo excited to sail off into the sunset with you...

Here's to many more fun-filled birthdays!  Thank you for being the best partner I could have hoped for; in love, in life, and in BOAT.  I am truly a very lucky girl. 

I love you!

Brittany

Friday, July 16, 2010

T minus 8 days till we get HITCHED!!!

How insane is that!?!  You'd think we'd be going out of our minds working on the boat (we were there with Walt until 9:30pm last nightAND planning a wedding, but not us!  Either we are one super-duper laid back betrothed couple or we have really dropped the ball on this wedding thing...

Would anyone care for some crackers with this cheese? Don't hate.  I love this pic.

If the fact that I am borrowing my best friend's wedding dress - because shopping for one made me want to gauge my eyes out (and not for financial reasons) - gives you any indication of which side of the coin we fall on, then I think you know the answer.

We are so excited!  The wedding is taking place in the beautiful harbor town of St. Joseph, MI (where we met during a sailboat race in 2007) and the ceremony itself is taking place not 100 feet from where we first kissed - right on Silver Beach (this was by sheer coincidence)!  Awwww....  It is going to be a beautiful lakeside wedding and 205 of our nearest and dearest will be there to celebrate with us!

Anyway - I just had one of those "ohmygodwearegettingmarried" moments and decided to post it here, since all we seem to do is talk "boat this and boat that".  We actually have simultaneously been planning a wedding - and an *AWESOME* one at that - so if the posts thin out for the next week or two, you know why!


Lots of love!

Brittany & Scott

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Can we get a WOOP WOOP?!

Scott and I are grateful to so many people for helping us to kick-start our dream.  I have always been aware that I am a *very* lucky person.  I tend to think that my life is proof positive that the "law of attraction" (the idea that your thoughts shape the world around you) - truly does work in this crazy world we live in.  I consider myself a very positive person (I don't burp rainbows or anything, but in general...) and I think that this has attracted positivity into my life.  Take our boat, for example.  We have a TON of work to do on it (just check the to-do page).  Scott and I are GOING to get it done, however, because a) we have no choice and b) we have somehow managed to surround ourselves with people who WANT to see us get it done and help us do so.  This sort of support does not just grow on trees people, it's the real deal.

So - with no further ado, there are some *key* folks we must thank for getting us thus far:

1)  My dad.  You've seen him throughout this blog.  He's been there working side by side with us since day one.  He is awesome.  What you may or may not know - is that it is also his dream to sail around the world (like father, like daughter I suppose).  He has his own custom built aluminum sailboat (a real beauty) that he plans to see the world on when he can "extricate" himself from his work.  The problem?  He loves his work.  He loves business.  He enjoys creating things and improving peoples lives with his company and the company's products.  So this "extrication" is easier said than done.  So he throws himself, his time, his expertise, his knowledge, his contacts and (yes) some of his money to help us realize our dream.  That or he reeeaally wants to get rid of me.  He is truly selfless and on top of that an amazing mentor, sailor, friend and father.  I want to thank him - officially, out here in the blogosphere because he is wonderful.  Thank you Dad, we would be lost without you.  I love you.

We share the same onion head!

2)  My uncles, Bill and Bob.  These are my dad's brothers - and are equally as awesome as he is.  They too are sailors with their own boats and I have very close relationships with both of them.  My uncle Bill is my Godfather and is also responsible for our new steering system.  It was an incredibly generous wedding/birthday/Christmas forever gift from him and we are so very grateful.  And Bob....never have you met a nicer man than uncle Bob.  He is probably the kindest soul I have ever known.  He has also been with us since day one - and it is his R&D department that is responsible for all of our custom gadgets (like the handrails, the fuel tank cover...etc).  He has been pulling for us from behind the scenes since the get-go and, again, we are so thankful.  We love you guys!

and last but certainly not least...

3) Rentner Marine and the entire team over there.  We stumbled across them by sheer luck (or was it fate?) and I honestly do not know where we would be now without them.  The marina is run by brothers Eric and Russel Rentner and, let me tell you, you cannot find more stand up guys (at least that far south!).  The work these men have done on our boat is nothing short of exemplary.  They are there 7 days a week, 12 hours a day and (almost) always have smiles on their faces (or at the very least, a wisecrack to share).  They installed our new engine as well as our chain and cable steering system.  Both of these tasks were no small feat.  In fact, there were two HUGE feats.  Other people we spoke to shook their heads and said it couldn't be done, whereas Eric and Russ would scratch their heads, let out sighs...and get to work.  We honestly cannot thank them enough.  They are incredibly meticulous with their work (even down to their work areas) and if you are looking for a proper boat yard that will do PROFESSIONAL work (and let you work on your boat as well - DIY'ers are welcome here!) call these guys.  They look tough, but trust me - these guys are a couple of softies.  When we left the yard last weekend they gave us a spare engine parts kit as a wedding present (and Eric, was that a tear I saw in your eye!?)!! Also - Russel REALLY loves to have his picture taken - so make sure you get a snap shot with him!  Anyway - joking aside, we love these guys - and if we ever need any work done in the future, we'll be going there.  They are *the* place to go in Chicagoland.  Hands down.  Thanks guys.  We will be sending you postcards from the road...er, water!

If you want work done on your boat - don't let their mugs fool you- you want these guys to do it!

There are MANY others to thank as well - but since we have made it past ONE major milestone, I felt it important to thank these key players.

So to all of you THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU....we would NOT be where we are now without you.

Lots of love,
Brittany & Scott

Monday, July 12, 2010

THE EAGLE HAS LANDED!!

RASMUS IS HOME AT BELMONT HARBOR! 
I REPEAT:  THE MIGHTY RASMUS IS HOME AT BELMONT HARBOR!

We're baaaAAAAAAAaaaaaaack!

This is one small step for a boat, one GIANT LEAP for Scott and I!

I honestly do not know how to appropriately convey the excitement we feel that:

a)  Our boat is sitting at it's dock, tied up snug as a bug in a rug...
b)  Her brand new Yanmar engine purred like a kitten the ENTIRE 5 hour journey down the Calumet river and up the lake to Belmont Harbor (it's about a 25 mile trip)...
c)  Running said engine at a comfortable and recommended 20 RPMs gets 7 knots out of her...
d)  Her brand new Edson chain and cable steering WORKED like a charm...
(for those of you just joining - we previously had faulty hydraulic steering which took anywhere from 15 to 20 rotations of the wheel to turn the boat, and we *never* quite knew if and when we were "hard over" - this is NOT comforting when coming into a busy harbor...or ever for that matter.)
e)  Did I mention how much we love our new engine? Like, LOOOOVE it...
f)  The bilge remained dry - meaning, we are not taking on water - further meaning there are no holes in the boat - further meaning we did a good job replacing all the hoses and all the seacocks....Phew. (a "seacock" is essentially the 'hardware' for any 'holes' in our boat - of which there are 6 - think of it like a shut-off valve).  Non-sailors giggle at the term "seacock"...
g)  Rasmus is FLOATING.  In WATER.  Floating....in WATER....at the SLIP.  The slip that is a FIVE minute bike ride from our APARTMENT.  FIVE MINUTES.  BY BIKE!!  We can work on her WHENEVER WE WANT!!! (for newcomers to our site, she has been a 45 minute drive away for the past 5 months and we have only been able to work on her on weekends).


Ladies and gentlemen - it's GO TIME!

Love,

Brittany & Scott

PS -  I will be posting a more detailed account of the river trip and say a few much deserved "THANK YOUs" to some key people soon!  Stay tuned!


Wednesday, July 07, 2010

How to REALLY kill some time - Scott and Britt Style

Remember how we said we didn't know how to fill the weekend because we couldn't be at the boat doing boat work due to the holiday? Ha!  Apparently we do know how to fill a weekend.  Or ten. Because here is what this past weekend looked like:

Friday night: Scott takes me out for a nice romantic dinner al fresco.  Early night.

Saturday 6am: Up and out to the boat, pit stop at the ‘Bucks.

Saturday 7am - 6pm: Boat work in OCD-like fashion.

Saturday 7:45pm: Dinner and epic evening sail with two friends.  Phenomenal conditions.  We are happy.

Sunday 3am: Come home from all the fun on boat. Drunk *might* be an understatement.

Sunday 8am: Wake up. Pop some Excedrin. Lay down again, wonder why we do this to ourselves.

Sunday 10am: Head to the grocery store to buy beer and food for boat. Discover you cannot buy liquor on Sundays before 11. This angers me.  Since when are grocery stores righteous?  Gimme a break.

Sunday 11am: Arrive at boat with Dad and friends. Jump in water to relieve hangovers. Works like a charm.

Sunday 12pm - 5pm: Sail, Sail, Sail - again, epic conditions. I get an awesome tan line that I will, no doubt, be sporting at our wedding. Suuuuper.

Sunday 6pm-7pm: Pass out on couches at home. Power nap of the open-mouthed-tiny snore-trickle of drool variety.

Sunday 7:30pm: Showered, shaven and with Red Bull in hand - we head to our friends 4th of July Party.

Monday 4am: We head home from said party. I pass out cold in cab. Scott has to carry me inside.

Monday 11am: Wake up. Decide we need food NOW.  We eat some chips and salsa but it is just not cutting it.

Monday 12:00pm:  Drive to the Golden Angel - greasy spoon of a restaurant that must be paying a fortune in energy.  The AC is blasting so much so that I have goosebumps everywhere and shiver throughout the whole meal.  Scott thinks this is funny and takes his sweet time eating just to spite me. We sit next to Bob Ross reincarnated.  Except he wasn't smiling.  Or painting.

Monday 1:30pm:  We head to my best friends place for a barbecue (yes, we ate RIGHT BEFORE we went to a barbecue) where I proceed to hog her adorable 2 year old child and try to make him hug and cuddle with me.  I am only mildly successful. We eat.  Again.

Monday at 6pm:  Leave barbecue to head to the boat where we meet two other friends for take-out food on the boat (yes, ANOTHER meal - who's getting married in two weeks?  Psh) and a sail.  Again, sailing conditions are awesome which makes three (count that - THREE) days of perfect sailing in Chicago.  This is, in a word, RARE.  I am so exhausted that I hallucinate the Titanic ghosting along the horizon.  Just kidding.

Monday 10:30pm:  Head home.  Start load 1 of 2 loads of laundry.  Pretty sure I know what the people from "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" felt right before they were, well, invaded by the body snatchers.  I have an eye twitch.

Monday midnight: PASS. OUT. COLD

Sigh.  So the lesson here is, friends, when one door closes, another 50 open.

Lots of love!

Brittany & Scott

Tuesday, July 06, 2010

Scrub a dub dub...

On Saturday Scott and I woke up bright and early to maximize the ONE day we had this weekend to work on Rasmus.  We arrived at the boat yard about 7am and got to work.  Scott worked on finalizing the engine compartment insulation and I decided to clean the decks of the 6 months of dust, dirt and grime with a scrub brush just slightly bigger than a tooth brush.  I cannot be sure, but I think I may have done nerve damage to my left hand as it is STILL numb from the ocd-ish scrubbing. 

However, it was worth it - because after 4.5 hours, 3 bottles of Simple Green, 5 rolls of paper towel, 2 pints of bleach and, yes, several damaged nerve endings - our boat looks stunning.  She will sparkle when she is splashed (hopefully this week!!)

Love,
Brittany & Scott

Thursday, July 01, 2010

What to do!?

As we bound full steam ahead towards a much needed long weekend, you might think that Scott and I are SUUUUUPER excited to work on our boat for a whole THREE days.  (If you recall, we got a TON done on our last three day weekend).  Alas - this is not the case.  While we have been working very hard towards being able to put the mighty Rasmus in water this weekend, it is just not going to happen (tear).  There is too much to do and too little time.  On top of that major disappointment- the yard is closed on Sunday (okay fiiine, it is a holiday) and to add insult to injury - Eric and the guys would like us to steer clear of the yard on Monday as well because they have a lot of work to do with the steering installation.  Too many cooks in the kitchen.  We have no choice but to oblige, which leaves us only Saturday to work on her (which, Scott informs me, will begin at 6:30 am). 

We get it, and we're happy that, despite our absence, work will be getting done - but Scott and I have spent every spare moment of every weekend working on her and to now have two whole days to fill!? This amount of unscheduled free time is just mind boggling! We are scrambling for exactly how we'll fill this when all we want to do is work on our boat... It sounds silly, but we simply cannot remember what we did all day when we didn't have a boat to pour money and man hours into!!  There's been talk of a bbq, a bike ride, hitting the beach, a picnic or maybe a sail on my dad's boat...but suddenly, the prospect of having choices has paralyzed us!  Go figure!

 I guess we'll hang out with some of the friends we've been neglecting the past few months and re-enter the land of the living who enjoy the summer not from the confines of a boat yard every weekend.  Look out Chicago - we're back!  For 48 hours at least.

Love,

Brittany & Scott
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