some forever, not for better

Two years ago today I stepped aboard the Voyager for the first time. Little did I know that this ship would be my home for the better part of two years.

This time is coming to an end, and this experience has changed my life. Not necessarily just the ship, but the ship, this job, was the catalyst for much change. When I leave in a week, a week from today, it will be a different but (I think) stronger, better person than the one I was when I stepped aboard two years ago. I have been through some of the worst times of my life in the past two years... and some of the best.

Mostly, I have learned a great deal, even forgetting what I've earned due to the travel and seeing a great deal of the world.

In some areas of my life, "I'll still be out to sea," but in those that I believe matter most I know quite clearly what I want. This is a picture from the first evening aboard the ship, leaving Ft. Lauderdale for a crossing to Funchal, Madeira, on April 23, 2005.