rallolovin: Summer 2022

Summer 2022 was pretty epic.

Ty has always loved being in the saltwater and dreamed of having a boat. When our kids were little the thought of having them in the middle of an ocean felt more stressful than fun; but as they've grown and we've spent time on the water with other families, I've warmed up to the idea. Ultimately what made me agree to bring this dream to fruition was the thought of how much time a boat would provide for us to spend together as a family.

We've lived in Gig Harbor for just over six years and it took that amount of time to discover all the nooks and crannies of the town. Getting the boat opened up a whole new way to love and explore where we live. As an Enneagram Seven, I crave new experiences and learning new things. The boat checked both of those boxes. Furthermore, we decided to reduce our travel and stay local so we could fully lean into the #GigHarborboatlife. After working every other weekend my 15-year nursing career, the combination of seniority and dropping my FTE made it so that I didn't have to work a single weekend day this summer. I loved being home and available for spontaneous get-togethers and extra time with friends.

We hired a college student to nanny for us and filled the (many) days she wasn't available with family. There was a good balance between camps/activities and down time at home, a marked improvement from the previous year.

Boat Highlights

Playing on the sand spit at Cutts Island
Family football games
Paddleboarding
Hanging with Erin, Levi and Ari
The lighthouse beach
Hosting friends
Uncle Chris' bender
Fishing off the dock downtown
Sunsets from the water
Tubing
Restaurants accessible by boat
Boat camping at Penrose during the heat wave
Island View Ice Cream cones
My birthday weekend with Rachel and Josh
Girl's night out with Captain Ty

Boat Lowlights

Losing power in one engine the first time we used it
Expensive $$$ damage to our car getting the boat in the water at low tide
Taking the boat to the dealership three times to identify a problem with the battery
Leaving the drain plug open and therefore almost sinking it
Large dent secondary to a sharp-edged piling
Hazel falling off the back of the boat at the Horsehead Bay launch, narrowly avoiding a major injury
Turns out that whole "Bust Out Another Thousand" boat acronym is pretty spot on

Non-Boat Highlights