Hi Friends! Apologies on such a long delay since our last update. Where to begin?
Health Update – 6 month check-up
First things first. I am happy to report my 6 month check-up in the last 2 weeks delivered good news! My MRI and bloodwork are clear, and my oncologist Dr. Kouroukis is pleased with my status. As I’ve said many times over, he is the best. And another best is Dr. Hooper, my ophthalmologist. His examination of my eyes last week showed no inflammation and are “quiet”, which is music to our ears. Although I continue to deal with cataracts which are developing as a result of the vitrectomies initially conducted to perform the biopsies on both eyes.
My optometrist Dr. Newman has managed to adjust prescriptions to keep my vision at about 20/20. Eventually I will need surgery to remove cataracts in both eyes. I must praise Dr. Newman for her efforts. She is also the best! That’s three bests and there are more! I am otherwise feeling absolutely great, running 10 km a couple of times a week, walking 10 km most other days and doing yoga and strength exercises a few times per week. As always, I hold my nutrition in the forefront, and am working on stress management and relaxation to keep body, mind and spirit healthy.
ARAVILLA
As some of you know, we decided to put Aravilla up for sale last year. Dealing with a year of record breaking hurricanes – namely Irma and Maria – followed by my cancer diagnosis, and then of course Covid-19, she was spending more time on land than in the water.
We found an awesome buyer in our network late last year, and completed the sale in January. The great news is that two people from London, Ontario will be taking over the ARAVILLA name and business to run charters in much the same way as Derek and I. We met this couple through our time spent on the island and are thrilled they’re following in our foot steps. Of note, they took possession of ARAVILLA, and promptly entered the Caribbean Multihull Challenge, and WON the whole regatta – congrats to them and ARAVILLA, and check the photo of them literally flying during the race!
We enjoyed our sailing and charter experience and truly value the people we met and the many learnings associated with running a charter business. Our plan is to continue spending a chunk of time in beautiful St. Maarten each winter with our amazing community of friends. We can’t wait to get back and see you all. And thank you Ian, Thomas, and Tim for all your help with the sale and everything remote for us during the transition – you all are amazing.
ARAVILLA TOO?
Not to let any grass grow underfoot, in February we purchased a 42 ft. RV! It is a 2007 American Eagle, and with all tip-outs extended offers almost the same square footage as our condo. Our driving condo instead of our floating condo! Derek is actually completing courses to give him his D and Z licenses, which are needed to drive this monster! 400HP motor, 10kW generator, 3 air conditioning units, and this baby even has 2 bathrooms and a king bed!
She’s a beauty, and our plan is to travel throughout North America when conditions permit. First on the list, hopefully this July, is a trip out west to see my daughter Katie and her boyfriend Nick, and some friends on Vancouver Island. Yes, we can take the ferry with this bus! We are beyond excited about the exploring and adventures ahead!
New Residence
Because we now have a house on wheels, we’ve decided to move out of our condo and took a site in Green Acre Park in Waterloo for the summer and fall. It’s a very beautiful park – think a manicured Summer Resort rather than Trailer Park Boys. This move happens on May 1st and in the meantime we’ve had our new baby parked out at our faithful and ever supportive friends in Linwood – Jill and Terry. We’re so excited to have this new home that we’ve been spending long weekends camping out in Linwood. Although it’s in great shape, Derek has already done many upgrades and tweaks to make everything perfect for our days on the road.
My Education Update
On another front, my studies at the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition are going very well. I love the distance learning, and find no problem being motivated to keep focused on moving this along. The curriculum is extremely interesting and everything I’d hoped in terms of content and preparing me for a consulting business down the road. I’ve also been working on my business plan, and in fact am presently enrolled in a Start Your Own Business Boot Camp to support women entrepreneurs in the early stages of non-tech ventures.
It’s run through the Women Entrepreneurship Centre at Wilfrid Laurier, and it’s free! An amazing community of like-minded women, great resources and reference material, and opportunities for funding grants. My good friend Renata took this course recently, and recommended I apply. This was awesome advice and I’m grateful she shared her experience with me. I highly recommend it to any women interested or already involved in launching a small non-tech business.
Derek’s Business Update
Derek’s home automation business, BlackBridge Systems, is continuing to grow and thrive like crazy. They have added resources to keep up with their expanding client group, and have multiple projects on the go at any one time. As many of you know, starting and running your own business is no small feat. Derek can attest to this! He and his business partner spend many long days on-site and on their computers and phones keeping up with the many responsibilities of running this business on all fronts. Oh, and his partner Mike and his wife just had a lovely new baby boy just to add to the workload!
More Updates Soon!
With a promise to keep you posted on our travels and other news. I think that covers everything over the last months. We wish you all well and hope you are finding ways to stay happy and healthy. We miss you all, and can’t wait for the moments we can all enjoy time to laugh together and dare I say, hug, once again in the not too distant future! Here’s to summer and happy times ahead, and everyone stay safe from Covid!
Love,
Cindy and Derek