Merry (belated) Christmas! Even though the stores have been playing Christmas carols and there are decorations galore, it still didn't really hit me it was Christmas ... of course, given the fact that it's 80 degrees and still feels like summer ... which I have no complaints =)
Thank you to family and friends who mailed Christmas cards - I have my walls covered in cards and pictures making me feel closer to home (p.s. same postage rates apply down here). And just so you know, you will hopefully receive yours by February (can you say "island time"?!?).
Enjoyed a nice dinner out on Christmas Eve with Jeff, Lisa, Tony, LauraLee, and Steve - talk about a Midwestern gathering - friends from Illinois, Ohio, Iowa, Michigan, and Minnesota. Went to a new restaurant and it was amazing!!! Definitely more of a special occasion type of place. I had a hard time deciding between the specials, but went with the gingerbread wrapped mahi in a pumpkin cranberry sauce - talk about tasting like Christmas!
Talked to my parents, grandma, aunts, uncles, and cousins who were down at Grandma's house on Friday night - missed being there! Got to Skype with my brother, mom, aunt, and uncle yesterday and open gifts - so excited for my parents to get their gift up and running, as I sent them a camera for their computer - so now I'll be able to see them on Skype! And as a reminder to my dad, EVERYONE else remembers your comment on the phone Christmas Eve ... no blaming the Nyquill, or the wine, or the grasshoppers ... See you down here next year ;)
My friend Amy was my official Christmas present and flew down yesterday - the first of many to take the non-stop flight from Charlotte - which I am single-handedly crediting my friends for changing US Air's schedule! Go figure, she had never seen a white Christmas, and it has been snowing in NC since she left! Sorry Amy! I told her we could make a sandman instead of a snowman to make up for it ...
We had a great time last night just catching up, then hung out with Kirby, Andy, Kim, Rachel, and Dan - I ate more than my fair share of desserts, which after becoming miserably stuffed, it really felt like Christmas. Today we had a full day - I was up at 4:30 to bake (after enjoying two days to sleep in!!) - only to find out that Polly's opens at 8 (instead of 7) on Sundays when no cruiseships - ugh, I really could have used that extra hour of sleep! Then Amy and I went for a walk on the beach, then spent the rest of the day with Kirby and Andy - hiked to the lighthouse, pitstop at Rhythms, pig roast at Mount Victory, pitstop at Coconuts, and finished off the day in Sunday tradition at the Lost Dog.
Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday. I was bummed that the Forest Hill Christmas Eve service was not online as of yesterday afternoon (and then services were canceled today due to snow!), so I will make time later this week to watch it and be reminded of the true meaning of the season.
Setting sail for the BVIs tomorrow!
Dec 26, 2010
Quiet Week
I gladly welcomed a relatively uneventful week! The weekend of my two month anniversary was very low key and much needed - I had a chance to catch up with a lot of friends from home, work on my to do list, and spend some time on the beach to just read and relax - it was perfect! Amazing how much better and recharged I felt by Sunday night!
The rest of the week went off without a hitch. Luckily work has finally slowed down, and I'm trying to get into a routine with baking (and getting up at 4:30 every other morning ... though this week called for two mornings in a row given the success of one day's treats!). Had pizza with a friend to talk baking, went out with two new girlfriends - Marie and Christie (and the Red Hot Banana ice cream from Rowdy Joe's was surprisingly my favorite!), and went to the "pitch-in" holiday party at Rhythms ... nothing says Christmas like peanut butter pie and fruit pizza!
Now onto my first Christmas in the Caribbean!
The rest of the week went off without a hitch. Luckily work has finally slowed down, and I'm trying to get into a routine with baking (and getting up at 4:30 every other morning ... though this week called for two mornings in a row given the success of one day's treats!). Had pizza with a friend to talk baking, went out with two new girlfriends - Marie and Christie (and the Red Hot Banana ice cream from Rowdy Joe's was surprisingly my favorite!), and went to the "pitch-in" holiday party at Rhythms ... nothing says Christmas like peanut butter pie and fruit pizza!
Now onto my first Christmas in the Caribbean!
Dec 18, 2010
Two month anniversary
Wasn't I just celebrating my one month anniversary?!? Hard to believe how fast time is flying by - I have been here two months already!
I am absolutely loving life down here - I still can't believe how well everything has gone and how easily things have fallen into place. I really could not be happier at this point in my life - and that in itself speaks volumes. Though I admit I'm a bit nervous ... what is going to blow up in my face??? I was worried for a bit about my apartment - the last thing I needed with a full time job from home, baking commitment, and friends coming down every week was to be homeless! Luckily my landlord stopped by today, and I signed the extension to my lease through April 30!
I celebrated my anniversary with a massage at Sandcastles (wishing it would have been more relaxing, instead of working out the knots from my last month of long days behind the computer), and ended up talking to my friend Bruno. We had met a handful of times, but never really talked to know each other's stories. When I told him how everything was going well and just falling into place, his response was very complimentary and sweet. And let's just say I'm not his type, so it's not like he was hitting on me!
I have not once had a freak out moment or felt overwhelmed by the magnitude of this move. I definitely recall feeling overwhelmed when I moved to NC - both times. Ironically, I haven't felt that here - nor have I felt out of place. The fact that I live on an island in the Caribbean really hasn't hit me. It's just kind of like, "yeah, this is home". I just feel that I have continued to follow God's path, and He has been validating this move every step of the way. Although I do miss my church community (though I continue to watch all the sermons online), I feel closer to Him every day - in the opportunities presented to me, in the amazing people who have come into my life, and in the astounding beauty of my surroundings - He is with me.
Amazing how I moved down here and instead of making it a vacation, I have completely immersed myself into the island life ... I am making lifelong friends, I am getting involved as often as entirely possible, I have started baking for the local coffeeshop, I am hopefully getting my name out there as the cake lady, and I am single-handedly trying to increase tourism on island thanks to all my visitors!
My only complaints are the bugs and that I've been so busy that I hadn't caught up with any friends or family from home in weeks. Luckily I've had some time to myself this weekend to catch up. And best of all, I will be seeing lots of them in person soon =)
I am absolutely loving life down here - I still can't believe how well everything has gone and how easily things have fallen into place. I really could not be happier at this point in my life - and that in itself speaks volumes. Though I admit I'm a bit nervous ... what is going to blow up in my face??? I was worried for a bit about my apartment - the last thing I needed with a full time job from home, baking commitment, and friends coming down every week was to be homeless! Luckily my landlord stopped by today, and I signed the extension to my lease through April 30!
I celebrated my anniversary with a massage at Sandcastles (wishing it would have been more relaxing, instead of working out the knots from my last month of long days behind the computer), and ended up talking to my friend Bruno. We had met a handful of times, but never really talked to know each other's stories. When I told him how everything was going well and just falling into place, his response was very complimentary and sweet. And let's just say I'm not his type, so it's not like he was hitting on me!
I have not once had a freak out moment or felt overwhelmed by the magnitude of this move. I definitely recall feeling overwhelmed when I moved to NC - both times. Ironically, I haven't felt that here - nor have I felt out of place. The fact that I live on an island in the Caribbean really hasn't hit me. It's just kind of like, "yeah, this is home". I just feel that I have continued to follow God's path, and He has been validating this move every step of the way. Although I do miss my church community (though I continue to watch all the sermons online), I feel closer to Him every day - in the opportunities presented to me, in the amazing people who have come into my life, and in the astounding beauty of my surroundings - He is with me.
Amazing how I moved down here and instead of making it a vacation, I have completely immersed myself into the island life ... I am making lifelong friends, I am getting involved as often as entirely possible, I have started baking for the local coffeeshop, I am hopefully getting my name out there as the cake lady, and I am single-handedly trying to increase tourism on island thanks to all my visitors!
My only complaints are the bugs and that I've been so busy that I hadn't caught up with any friends or family from home in weeks. Luckily I've had some time to myself this weekend to catch up. And best of all, I will be seeing lots of them in person soon =)
Cake Lady of St Croix
Apologies ... this goes back to the day after Thanksgiving. I know I've got some catching up to do!
I mentioned before that I had told my friend Kirby that if I could do anything at all while on island, I would love to bake. Let's just call Kirby my agent. Before you know it, she's talking about setting up a dessert booth during cruise ship days, selling goodies at the Christmas fair at the botanical gardens, making "island-inspired" cupcakes (based off of popular island drinks like lime in the coconut and bushwacker), and a catering opening at a local patisserie. All of these ideas sounded fabulous, but given my work and visitor schedule, I hadn't had much time to put any real thought into them - plus anything that would conflict with my Bank job wasn't an option at this point.
The day after Thanksgiving, Kirby texted me and said we had to talk about baking. I ran into her mom that night, who said that the baker from Polly's, the local coffeeshop, was leaving island and they needed a temporary replacement. Bummer ... if I didn't have my "real" job, I would have jumped at the chance! I was kind of disappointed thinking had I come down here without a job, it would have been exactly what I was looking for. But given my schedule with the bank, I sure didn't have time for two day jobs! Then I met up with Kirby, who surprisingly informed me that the baker baked from HOME ... then just dropped off the baked goods at Polly's! Wow ... now that's a different story!
I had already been to Polly's a handful of times ... and already met the owners, who are from Illinois and Iowa (Seth used to work in Bloomington and Steven went to school at Northern Iowa ... gotta love the Midwest connection!). Of course we ran into Seth and Steven that night, and Kirby introduced me again as "the baker". They asked me to stop by Monday morning to chat about some possibilities. Of course I couldn't show up empty handed, so I took with me a sample of goodies - coffeecake, pumpkin bars, and oatmeal candy bars. Seth said he would just keep me posted when he knew more about the baker's plans to leave island ... I basically left it as "anything I can do to help, it's what I love to do". In the meantime, I received notes from other friends on island who had been to Polly's for a sampling of the goodies - sounded like they were going over very well!
I finally heard back from Seth, who told me to stop by again the following Sunday. Of course this was during "Sunday funday" with my friend Liz - where we left the house at 8am for the jeep tour and didn't get home until midnight after moonlight kayaking. In the middle of those activities, I dropped Liz and Marie off at the Lost Dog to order our pizza, while I ran home to grab a few recipes and ran to the grocery store, given my baking assignment started Monday morning! By the time we were home and showered, we had been on the go for 17 straight hours, I got 4 hours of sleep, and was up at 5am baking muffins and coffeecake! (Not to mention, I then worked til midnight given our deadlines at the Bank - ugh! So much for not drinking coffee anymore, but luckily I have it readily available during my drop-offs!)
So I have since become the baker for Polly's. Up every other morning at 4:30 am to deliver two dozen jumbo muffins and a coffeecake by 7, then dessert by noon. I have no idea how long this will last, given their regular baker is just off island temporarily. Given the fresh bakery aroma coming from my apartment bright and early one morning, my landlord stopped by (after I had already told her about my new "job") and said "you know there's a charge for commercial baking here, right?" Ugh - just what I needed - my profits to be wiped out by electric bills! Luckily she was joking ... (well kind of, she didn't decrease my rent as originally planned given my longer lease) as long as she gets to sample some of the treats. It definitely hasn't been about the money so far, as my first day's profits were immediately donated to the island ... thanks to a parking ticket! I even tracked down the police officer, showed him my receipt, explained that I was new to island, it was my first day on the job, etc. But to no avail. Do you know how frustrating it is EVERY day to drive down there on cruise ship days, the street is lined with cars ... and no other tickets! AND ... who knows how long it will be to make up the money spent on a 25 lb box of chocolate chips!
I do miss my sleep and getting to eat what I bake ... I mean, that was the whole reason I baked in the first place - so I could eat it! And now I feel bad that my friends are having to pay for their breakfast/dessert, but I haven't been given much free timely lately to just bake for fun! But I am just grateful for the opportunity ... and who knows where it might lead. I was actually asked to cater desserts for a New Years party for 80 people, but unfortunately the party fell through. At least they were thinking of me! Then I was out with Kirby and Andy last week and a woman looked at me and said, "Hey, aren't you the dessert lady?" She remembered me from Thanksgiving ... and Kirby went on to tell her that I was now baking for Polly's. I couldn't help but smile ... may be making a name for myself down here ... and I love it =)
I mentioned before that I had told my friend Kirby that if I could do anything at all while on island, I would love to bake. Let's just call Kirby my agent. Before you know it, she's talking about setting up a dessert booth during cruise ship days, selling goodies at the Christmas fair at the botanical gardens, making "island-inspired" cupcakes (based off of popular island drinks like lime in the coconut and bushwacker), and a catering opening at a local patisserie. All of these ideas sounded fabulous, but given my work and visitor schedule, I hadn't had much time to put any real thought into them - plus anything that would conflict with my Bank job wasn't an option at this point.
The day after Thanksgiving, Kirby texted me and said we had to talk about baking. I ran into her mom that night, who said that the baker from Polly's, the local coffeeshop, was leaving island and they needed a temporary replacement. Bummer ... if I didn't have my "real" job, I would have jumped at the chance! I was kind of disappointed thinking had I come down here without a job, it would have been exactly what I was looking for. But given my schedule with the bank, I sure didn't have time for two day jobs! Then I met up with Kirby, who surprisingly informed me that the baker baked from HOME ... then just dropped off the baked goods at Polly's! Wow ... now that's a different story!
I had already been to Polly's a handful of times ... and already met the owners, who are from Illinois and Iowa (Seth used to work in Bloomington and Steven went to school at Northern Iowa ... gotta love the Midwest connection!). Of course we ran into Seth and Steven that night, and Kirby introduced me again as "the baker". They asked me to stop by Monday morning to chat about some possibilities. Of course I couldn't show up empty handed, so I took with me a sample of goodies - coffeecake, pumpkin bars, and oatmeal candy bars. Seth said he would just keep me posted when he knew more about the baker's plans to leave island ... I basically left it as "anything I can do to help, it's what I love to do". In the meantime, I received notes from other friends on island who had been to Polly's for a sampling of the goodies - sounded like they were going over very well!
I finally heard back from Seth, who told me to stop by again the following Sunday. Of course this was during "Sunday funday" with my friend Liz - where we left the house at 8am for the jeep tour and didn't get home until midnight after moonlight kayaking. In the middle of those activities, I dropped Liz and Marie off at the Lost Dog to order our pizza, while I ran home to grab a few recipes and ran to the grocery store, given my baking assignment started Monday morning! By the time we were home and showered, we had been on the go for 17 straight hours, I got 4 hours of sleep, and was up at 5am baking muffins and coffeecake! (Not to mention, I then worked til midnight given our deadlines at the Bank - ugh! So much for not drinking coffee anymore, but luckily I have it readily available during my drop-offs!)
So I have since become the baker for Polly's. Up every other morning at 4:30 am to deliver two dozen jumbo muffins and a coffeecake by 7, then dessert by noon. I have no idea how long this will last, given their regular baker is just off island temporarily. Given the fresh bakery aroma coming from my apartment bright and early one morning, my landlord stopped by (after I had already told her about my new "job") and said "you know there's a charge for commercial baking here, right?" Ugh - just what I needed - my profits to be wiped out by electric bills! Luckily she was joking ... (well kind of, she didn't decrease my rent as originally planned given my longer lease) as long as she gets to sample some of the treats. It definitely hasn't been about the money so far, as my first day's profits were immediately donated to the island ... thanks to a parking ticket! I even tracked down the police officer, showed him my receipt, explained that I was new to island, it was my first day on the job, etc. But to no avail. Do you know how frustrating it is EVERY day to drive down there on cruise ship days, the street is lined with cars ... and no other tickets! AND ... who knows how long it will be to make up the money spent on a 25 lb box of chocolate chips!
I do miss my sleep and getting to eat what I bake ... I mean, that was the whole reason I baked in the first place - so I could eat it! And now I feel bad that my friends are having to pay for their breakfast/dessert, but I haven't been given much free timely lately to just bake for fun! But I am just grateful for the opportunity ... and who knows where it might lead. I was actually asked to cater desserts for a New Years party for 80 people, but unfortunately the party fell through. At least they were thinking of me! Then I was out with Kirby and Andy last week and a woman looked at me and said, "Hey, aren't you the dessert lady?" She remembered me from Thanksgiving ... and Kirby went on to tell her that I was now baking for Polly's. I couldn't help but smile ... may be making a name for myself down here ... and I love it =)
Dec 17, 2010
Visitor #6 and counting
After three straight weeks of guests, tomorrow is my only "free" Saturday between November 20 and the end of February! I was joking yesterday when I told my friend TW I knew my way to the airport with my eyes closed since I had been there 10 times ... and then actually stopping to count, I was right on - and just about to make trip #11 (in less than two months) when dropping him off at the airport. It is a great problem to have!
TW is a friend of my friend Amy (she is flying in on Christmas!). He was supposed to be on a cruise that stopped in St Croix, then when it fell through, he ended up booking his vacation down here. So I tried my best to be a helpful host, though I did give him fair warning that I was exhausted!
Saturday night we went over to Christiansted and caught the tail end of the Christmas boat parade and fireworks, then live music. I hated that it was TW's first impression of the island ... I was going crazy it was so crowded and there was so much traffic ... ugh! I hadn't dealt with that since moving down here ... and quickly realized I sure didn't miss it! I caught myself on the phone the next day talking to Kirby, and without intention I said "I'll definitely be sure to go early to catch the entire boat parade next year". Wow ... "next year" just came out of my mouth without even thinking otherwise =)
Sunday TW was interested in an action-type of activity, so we toured around on jet skis. Spent the rest of the day beach bar hopping, and met some interesting people. First, as we were talking to the guy renting the jet skis, I told him how I was from Charlotte and TW had just flown in from there. A girl at the bar obviously heard and gave a shout out for North Carolina. Ends up she was from near Greensboro. When I mentioned I worked for Bank of America, she asked if I knew Sarah Hovis. Of course I know Sarah - one of my friends and teammates at the Bank! This girl (Kristin, who lives on St John and was just visiting St Croix for the weekend) was Sarah's college roommate in Chapel Hill! So she ended up calling Sarah and we talked for a few minutes. Of course we also happened to be at the beach bar that I had brought up earlier when mentioning Sarah ... it's the bar where her friend Lexi works ... so I even got to introduce Lexi to Kristin ... as we are all friends of Sarah ... what a small world! Second, we met Horace Clarke ... born and raised in STX, but played for the New York Yankees in the 60s! Very cool and humble guy. This was also where TW was introduced to Cruzan Rum - and got to take the Cruzan Confusion rum bucket and one of Mr. Clarke's baseball cards home as souviners. Last but not least, we hit the Lost Dog for end of the day pizza and football. I crashed early as I had been up since 4:30 and was getting up at 5:30 the next day ... my body clock is still adjusting to this new schedule.
Monday we saw Adrian playing at Coconuts, and I introduced him to TW as my friend who also took us moonlight kayaking. Of course this appealed to TW as well, so Adrian hooked us up on the kayak tour that night. I swear, that bio bay will never get old! Tuesday went to bingo followed by dinner at Rowdy Joe's, then Wednesday night at Blue Moon for live jazz. TW borrowed my jeep the last two days to do some sight-seeing ... the least I could do for him hauling down a bunch of my baking supplies. Though didn't I tell you not to check a bag and just send any items that wouldn't fit in a carry-on with Amy next week?!? =)
TW is a friend of my friend Amy (she is flying in on Christmas!). He was supposed to be on a cruise that stopped in St Croix, then when it fell through, he ended up booking his vacation down here. So I tried my best to be a helpful host, though I did give him fair warning that I was exhausted!
Saturday night we went over to Christiansted and caught the tail end of the Christmas boat parade and fireworks, then live music. I hated that it was TW's first impression of the island ... I was going crazy it was so crowded and there was so much traffic ... ugh! I hadn't dealt with that since moving down here ... and quickly realized I sure didn't miss it! I caught myself on the phone the next day talking to Kirby, and without intention I said "I'll definitely be sure to go early to catch the entire boat parade next year". Wow ... "next year" just came out of my mouth without even thinking otherwise =)
Sunday TW was interested in an action-type of activity, so we toured around on jet skis. Spent the rest of the day beach bar hopping, and met some interesting people. First, as we were talking to the guy renting the jet skis, I told him how I was from Charlotte and TW had just flown in from there. A girl at the bar obviously heard and gave a shout out for North Carolina. Ends up she was from near Greensboro. When I mentioned I worked for Bank of America, she asked if I knew Sarah Hovis. Of course I know Sarah - one of my friends and teammates at the Bank! This girl (Kristin, who lives on St John and was just visiting St Croix for the weekend) was Sarah's college roommate in Chapel Hill! So she ended up calling Sarah and we talked for a few minutes. Of course we also happened to be at the beach bar that I had brought up earlier when mentioning Sarah ... it's the bar where her friend Lexi works ... so I even got to introduce Lexi to Kristin ... as we are all friends of Sarah ... what a small world! Second, we met Horace Clarke ... born and raised in STX, but played for the New York Yankees in the 60s! Very cool and humble guy. This was also where TW was introduced to Cruzan Rum - and got to take the Cruzan Confusion rum bucket and one of Mr. Clarke's baseball cards home as souviners. Last but not least, we hit the Lost Dog for end of the day pizza and football. I crashed early as I had been up since 4:30 and was getting up at 5:30 the next day ... my body clock is still adjusting to this new schedule.
Monday we saw Adrian playing at Coconuts, and I introduced him to TW as my friend who also took us moonlight kayaking. Of course this appealed to TW as well, so Adrian hooked us up on the kayak tour that night. I swear, that bio bay will never get old! Tuesday went to bingo followed by dinner at Rowdy Joe's, then Wednesday night at Blue Moon for live jazz. TW borrowed my jeep the last two days to do some sight-seeing ... the least I could do for him hauling down a bunch of my baking supplies. Though didn't I tell you not to check a bag and just send any items that wouldn't fit in a carry-on with Amy next week?!? =)
Just what I needed
Given my latest posts (or lack thereof), my schedule has been a bit hectic. Mostly in a good way, but so much busier than I ever thought I would be down here! After a grueling past few weeks at work (job #1 ... the Bank), our managers were kind enough to give us back a few extra hours this afternoon (and a luncheon that I hate I missed!) as recognition and reward for all the hard work. I had a hard time deciding what to do with my afternoon ... wow, I hadn't had any time to myself in weeks! And of course my to do list had only grown during that time. So the big debate ... should I be productive and run my errands, or should I actually allow myself to relax and enjoy the scenery for a minute? Well, I decided to do a little of both. It seemed like AGES since I had done any form of exercise, so I decided to go for a walk before tackling the list. I walked to the end of the road, then took off my shoes and decided to make the walk back in the sand (sadly I didn't do the entire walk in the sand and was wearing running shoes for a quicker, more efficient walk - I had places to be!). About half-way through my walk back, I heard my name - it was my friends Scott and Marie - they moved here about a month before I did from Indianapolis. We chatted for a few minutes, then they told me to pull up a chair. My first response was that I couldn't, I had too many things to do. Like what, they asked? Well, I was going to go to the post office, then to the grocery store, then to sunset jazz on the pier. They reminded me that the post office and the grocery store would be there later, and we had plenty of time before sunset. I can't believe what a hard time I had just sitting down and allowing myself not to do what I had planned! Ironically, they both said that they have had to "force" themselves to head to the beach for an hour around sunset a few times a week just to be reminded of the purpose of their move as well. It is amazing how hard it is to get wrapped up in the day to day, no matter where your surroundings. And before you knew it, we sat there and talked for a good two hours, watched the sunset, and by then, I was ready to head home and curl up on my couch for the rest of the night - wow, amazing what some relaxation can do! Of course that didn't happen (I decided against the jazz, but did hit the grocery store and Kmart - exciting Friday night, I know!), but I am so glad they stopped me. Not only did I enjoy their company as always, but I remembered why I'm down here. And I need to take more time like that. The goal is not to make any plans the rest of the weekend ...
Dec 11, 2010
Catching up in style
Such a fabulous visit with my friend Liz, but it went by way too fast!
Liz and I met back in 1996 (omg, is that right?!?) - Sigma Kappa sorority sisters at Bradley. Like with many friends after college you go your separate ways and lose touch, but thanks to Facebook, so many of us have re-connected. Similar to how Eisa (another SK) and I got back in touch, and I had the opportunity of a lifetime visiting her in New Zealand!
Liz is from St Louis and a fellow Cardinals fan. We started checking out each other's updates and pictures ... and all of a sudden realized we had been at several of the same baseball games! We are also both huge fans of the band Needtobreathe - both saw them in concert, met them in person, etc. So 15 years later, it was fun to see we still have lots in common. We realized we were both going to be at the Cubs/Cardinals game in Chicago, so we met up for 10 minutes in September and quickly caught up on life after Bradley. I told her I was getting ready to move to St. Croix and that she should visit ... and luckily she took me up on that =)
Liz arrived in the middle of my crazy work week. Luckily she just wanted to lay out at the beach, so I didn't feel too bad when I was stuck working ... just jealous =) She ended up tanner than me by the end of her vacation! Thank goodness we had our nights and the weekend to hang out and catch up.
Wednesday night we went to Blue Moon for an awesome dinner and live jazz. Liz ended up getting a phone number from Junie Bomba, the bongo player. He claimed that we were sisters and promised to have gifts for us and Kirby if we came to see him play on Friday. He did not disappoint, as he made the three of us necklaces from "chaney" (broken pieces of pottery you find on the island near sugar mills and old plantations - children of the 1800's used it for play money - and the term "chaney" is a combo of "china" and "money"). We were also entertained by a friend's cousin who happened to be on Liz's plane (nicknamed her Fifa, given her 'soccer' attire) ... and had been drinking for about 14 hours straight. I'll just say I've never had a guy try to show off his traps before =) Oh, I forgot ... Junie Bomba nicknamed Liz "bushwacker" and Kirby "big shot". What about me?!?
Thursday night was trivia at Rhythms ... another unsuccessful night for the BI's. But we stuck around and took some funny pictures - the most classic picture ever is of her and Tupac! Liz, I fully anticipate that being your next profile pic! Then turned it into a late night at the Lost Dog ... as Liz was foosball champ, and we met Charlie Tuna who caught a 200 pound fish with only a hand reel. An island legend!
Friday was supposed to be a vacation day, then it turned into a 1/2 day request, then after my last meeting, I was finally able to leave at 4:30. We headed over to Christiansted - first stop, Gallows Bay hardware store! Nothing like two girls all dressed up on a Friday night at the hardware store! Luckily I got the jumbo muffin pans I was looking for (baking update next!), then we walked through some of the shops (though it didn't seem that they were open late as advertised for the first Friday of the month), stopped in for a drink at Brew Pub (and I hadn't even noticed until Liz pointed out that Brew Pub may be the only place on island where they have beer on tap - everywhere else is bottles only). Had a "welcome back" dinner for Andy - he had been in Australia for almost three weeks - so had fun catching up with him and Kirby, met new friends, and talked to Rachel about her volleyball league ... not only are the games indoor, but they also have 2 3-hour practices per week ... um, not quite what I was thinking in the Caribbean. Sand volleyball anyone?? At dinner, everyone talked about the earthquake that hit the island ... and everyone else seemed to feel it, except for me and Liz! I guess it was felt more on the West end, and we were already in Christiansted by that point ... but it was a 4.6! Even talking to friends the next day, they even heard the rumble before the shake! Went back to Brew Pub after dinner and music by Kurt Schindler and Junie Bomba (complete with our necklaces), where Liz met a guy from St Louis ... and his friends just opened a bar/restaurant that is one of her favorites. Had we known the rules for shipping back rum, she was going to show up at the restaurant with a case of Cruzan Rum, courtesy of their friend in St Croix!
Luckily we took it easy on Saturday, since Friday night was a late one by my standards (especially given the hectic work schedule). Went for a nice long walk on Sandy Point, then went downtown Frederiksted for lunch at Polly's. A cruiseship was on island, so the streets were lined with vendors, and my friend Adrian was playing live music (and gave a few shout outs for my pumpkin bars that were being sold at Polly's!). After some shopping, Liz, my friend Eric's daughter Kara, and I went down to Coconuts. We hadn't planned on staying long, but you could tell by the sky that it was going to be a good sunset. The owners, Tommy and Grace, said that there had been a "green flash" the past three nights in a row ... and I'm still yet to see my first. So we were determined to see this (where a green spot is visible, usually for no more than a second or two, above the sun as it is setting). Unfortunately no green flash, but it was one of the most amazing sunsets I have ever seen in my entire life! I didn't have my camera with me, so hopefully my iPhone did it a little bit of justice! Went on to Off the Wall where Adrian was playing again, then dinner at Rowdy Joes. When Liz got off the plane days before, one of her first questions was had I been to Rowdy Joes. I guess people were talking about it on the plane. My answer was of course, and that it happened to be one of my favorite restaurants on island. And yet again, it did not disappoint! Fried edamame, bacon topped mac and cheese, and the blackened mahi tacos were out of this world! And the ice cream, of course the ice cream! All in all, it was a fun night ... though I do have my friend Eric to thank for saving us from creepy Mike!!!
Sunday funday ... wow, talk about non-stop. We picked up my friend Marie at 8:15 and the three of us did the Tan Tan jeep tour - awesome! Our "half day" tour didn't end until 3:30 ... of course we got started late and had a pitstop when the jeep got stuck (yeah, let's just say I won't be taking my jeep on those "roads"!) ... but it was a great way to see 1/2 the island. Included a hike to the tide pools, so I finally made it! And our guide talked about another mile of hiking around the rocks in the opposite direction, so will have to add that to my list of things to do! Needed to stop by Polly's to get my first official baking assignment, and since we were short on time, Liz and Marie dropped me off so they could pick up a few things before the second half of our adventure day, then they met me at Polly's, I dropped them off at the Lost Dog to order a pizza while I ran home to get some recipes, and then to the grocery store, finally had a break to sit down for a (really!) late lunch / early dinner, then off to the bio bay. Marie, Adrian, and another friend Ty are all kayak instructors who work at Salt River Marina. From the time I heard about the moonlight kayaking, I was definitely interested! We saw Adrian and Ty on Saturday, and they mentioned going out Sunday night, so we told them to count us in.
One of the coolest things I have ever seen - kayaking in the bioluminescent bay! We were out from about 8 - 11 ... so it was pitch black with the exception of the millions of stars in sight and the illuminated water. The kayak paddles and your hands and feet would glow when they hit the water - we even jumped in to swim, so you looked and felt like Tinkerbell floating through the water! It was a full and amazing day - pretty much by the time we got home and showered at 1am, we had been on the go since 8am, and my alarm was set for 5am to start baking!
Liz flew back on Monday already - her visit seemed to fly by! Had a great time catching up with her though, and luckily Monday was another perfect beach day, so after our action-packed Sunday, she had a chance to relax on her final day of vacation. She couldn't have had more perfect weather, as it has rained every day since. The weather has been a reflection of how the rest of my week went ... granted, I guess I'm glad it was dark and gloomy, otherwise I would have been really mad if I was stuck inside til all hours of the night working instead of being able to enjoy it. Thank you sun for coming back out today, and thank you Liz for such a fun visit!
Liz and I met back in 1996 (omg, is that right?!?) - Sigma Kappa sorority sisters at Bradley. Like with many friends after college you go your separate ways and lose touch, but thanks to Facebook, so many of us have re-connected. Similar to how Eisa (another SK) and I got back in touch, and I had the opportunity of a lifetime visiting her in New Zealand!
Liz is from St Louis and a fellow Cardinals fan. We started checking out each other's updates and pictures ... and all of a sudden realized we had been at several of the same baseball games! We are also both huge fans of the band Needtobreathe - both saw them in concert, met them in person, etc. So 15 years later, it was fun to see we still have lots in common. We realized we were both going to be at the Cubs/Cardinals game in Chicago, so we met up for 10 minutes in September and quickly caught up on life after Bradley. I told her I was getting ready to move to St. Croix and that she should visit ... and luckily she took me up on that =)
Liz arrived in the middle of my crazy work week. Luckily she just wanted to lay out at the beach, so I didn't feel too bad when I was stuck working ... just jealous =) She ended up tanner than me by the end of her vacation! Thank goodness we had our nights and the weekend to hang out and catch up.
Wednesday night we went to Blue Moon for an awesome dinner and live jazz. Liz ended up getting a phone number from Junie Bomba, the bongo player. He claimed that we were sisters and promised to have gifts for us and Kirby if we came to see him play on Friday. He did not disappoint, as he made the three of us necklaces from "chaney" (broken pieces of pottery you find on the island near sugar mills and old plantations - children of the 1800's used it for play money - and the term "chaney" is a combo of "china" and "money"). We were also entertained by a friend's cousin who happened to be on Liz's plane (nicknamed her Fifa, given her 'soccer' attire) ... and had been drinking for about 14 hours straight. I'll just say I've never had a guy try to show off his traps before =) Oh, I forgot ... Junie Bomba nicknamed Liz "bushwacker" and Kirby "big shot". What about me?!?
Thursday night was trivia at Rhythms ... another unsuccessful night for the BI's. But we stuck around and took some funny pictures - the most classic picture ever is of her and Tupac! Liz, I fully anticipate that being your next profile pic! Then turned it into a late night at the Lost Dog ... as Liz was foosball champ, and we met Charlie Tuna who caught a 200 pound fish with only a hand reel. An island legend!
Friday was supposed to be a vacation day, then it turned into a 1/2 day request, then after my last meeting, I was finally able to leave at 4:30. We headed over to Christiansted - first stop, Gallows Bay hardware store! Nothing like two girls all dressed up on a Friday night at the hardware store! Luckily I got the jumbo muffin pans I was looking for (baking update next!), then we walked through some of the shops (though it didn't seem that they were open late as advertised for the first Friday of the month), stopped in for a drink at Brew Pub (and I hadn't even noticed until Liz pointed out that Brew Pub may be the only place on island where they have beer on tap - everywhere else is bottles only). Had a "welcome back" dinner for Andy - he had been in Australia for almost three weeks - so had fun catching up with him and Kirby, met new friends, and talked to Rachel about her volleyball league ... not only are the games indoor, but they also have 2 3-hour practices per week ... um, not quite what I was thinking in the Caribbean. Sand volleyball anyone?? At dinner, everyone talked about the earthquake that hit the island ... and everyone else seemed to feel it, except for me and Liz! I guess it was felt more on the West end, and we were already in Christiansted by that point ... but it was a 4.6! Even talking to friends the next day, they even heard the rumble before the shake! Went back to Brew Pub after dinner and music by Kurt Schindler and Junie Bomba (complete with our necklaces), where Liz met a guy from St Louis ... and his friends just opened a bar/restaurant that is one of her favorites. Had we known the rules for shipping back rum, she was going to show up at the restaurant with a case of Cruzan Rum, courtesy of their friend in St Croix!
Luckily we took it easy on Saturday, since Friday night was a late one by my standards (especially given the hectic work schedule). Went for a nice long walk on Sandy Point, then went downtown Frederiksted for lunch at Polly's. A cruiseship was on island, so the streets were lined with vendors, and my friend Adrian was playing live music (and gave a few shout outs for my pumpkin bars that were being sold at Polly's!). After some shopping, Liz, my friend Eric's daughter Kara, and I went down to Coconuts. We hadn't planned on staying long, but you could tell by the sky that it was going to be a good sunset. The owners, Tommy and Grace, said that there had been a "green flash" the past three nights in a row ... and I'm still yet to see my first. So we were determined to see this (where a green spot is visible, usually for no more than a second or two, above the sun as it is setting). Unfortunately no green flash, but it was one of the most amazing sunsets I have ever seen in my entire life! I didn't have my camera with me, so hopefully my iPhone did it a little bit of justice! Went on to Off the Wall where Adrian was playing again, then dinner at Rowdy Joes. When Liz got off the plane days before, one of her first questions was had I been to Rowdy Joes. I guess people were talking about it on the plane. My answer was of course, and that it happened to be one of my favorite restaurants on island. And yet again, it did not disappoint! Fried edamame, bacon topped mac and cheese, and the blackened mahi tacos were out of this world! And the ice cream, of course the ice cream! All in all, it was a fun night ... though I do have my friend Eric to thank for saving us from creepy Mike!!!
Sunday funday ... wow, talk about non-stop. We picked up my friend Marie at 8:15 and the three of us did the Tan Tan jeep tour - awesome! Our "half day" tour didn't end until 3:30 ... of course we got started late and had a pitstop when the jeep got stuck (yeah, let's just say I won't be taking my jeep on those "roads"!) ... but it was a great way to see 1/2 the island. Included a hike to the tide pools, so I finally made it! And our guide talked about another mile of hiking around the rocks in the opposite direction, so will have to add that to my list of things to do! Needed to stop by Polly's to get my first official baking assignment, and since we were short on time, Liz and Marie dropped me off so they could pick up a few things before the second half of our adventure day, then they met me at Polly's, I dropped them off at the Lost Dog to order a pizza while I ran home to get some recipes, and then to the grocery store, finally had a break to sit down for a (really!) late lunch / early dinner, then off to the bio bay. Marie, Adrian, and another friend Ty are all kayak instructors who work at Salt River Marina. From the time I heard about the moonlight kayaking, I was definitely interested! We saw Adrian and Ty on Saturday, and they mentioned going out Sunday night, so we told them to count us in.
One of the coolest things I have ever seen - kayaking in the bioluminescent bay! We were out from about 8 - 11 ... so it was pitch black with the exception of the millions of stars in sight and the illuminated water. The kayak paddles and your hands and feet would glow when they hit the water - we even jumped in to swim, so you looked and felt like Tinkerbell floating through the water! It was a full and amazing day - pretty much by the time we got home and showered at 1am, we had been on the go since 8am, and my alarm was set for 5am to start baking!
Liz flew back on Monday already - her visit seemed to fly by! Had a great time catching up with her though, and luckily Monday was another perfect beach day, so after our action-packed Sunday, she had a chance to relax on her final day of vacation. She couldn't have had more perfect weather, as it has rained every day since. The weather has been a reflection of how the rest of my week went ... granted, I guess I'm glad it was dark and gloomy, otherwise I would have been really mad if I was stuck inside til all hours of the night working instead of being able to enjoy it. Thank you sun for coming back out today, and thank you Liz for such a fun visit!
Wow ...
That's pretty much the only way I can describe the last few weeks. Can't even put into words ridiculous. No wonder I tried to quit my job and take a break ... I am exhausted!!! I haven't touched sand or water, much less look out my window to the see the Caribbean ... it has been that busy! Hopefully the worst is behind me, and I can get to the more fun updates (lucky it wasn't just my job that kept me so busy) ... not much else to say other than work still sucks no matter how beautiful the backdrop!
Dec 6, 2010
Can't believe I'm saying this, but
I think I have been busier down here than in Charlotte ... and that's pretty ridiculous!
All good things, but no time for updates!
All good things, but no time for updates!
Nov 30, 2010
The Week of Griff
Wow. I am exhausted just thinking about all the ground we covered! Funny how I picked up Griffin from the airport, and he said he really didn't have anything in mind - just wanted to chill and relax for the week. Then two hours later when I met him for dinner, he had already booked a fly fishing trip and listed off about 18 things he wanted to see and do. So we did ...
Caught up over a nice dinner at Sandcastles that evening and was fun to have Kirby join us. I had to work Tuesday and Wednesday, but was able to break for lunch - one day Kirby met us at Coconuts as they had live music (Matt Vrba - originally from Chicago, spent some time in Nashville before moving down); the other day a swarm of bees joined us at Turtles. Tuesday night we met up with Lisa and Jeff for beach bingo, then we all went over to Rowdy Joes for dinner and met up with Kirby, Kim, and her friend Chuck. Still raving about the food there ... and the ice cream! Last week's flavors were cookies and cream, chunky monkey, espresso macadamia nut, and chocolate reeses pieces. DELICIOUS!!! And yes I tried them all! Still bummed they were out of the banana conch fritters by the time we got there though. Wednesday night went to Blue Moon for jazz ... and it has quickly become another one of my favorite restaurants. I ended up ordering the crab cakes as an appetizer, then another order as my entree! Was a big night as they had a going away celebration for the former owners ... my friend Eric and his wife are the new owners, so I've requested they keep at least the live music and crab cakes!
Had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Kirby and Kim graciously invited us over to their condo where we celebrated with about 20 others. Felt like home - lots of folks from the Carolinas, Georgia, Virginia, Tennessee, and Illinois - and we had deep fried turkey, baked mac and cheese, pan fried corn, sweet potato casserole, and all the other traditional holiday goodies. I finally had some luck baking and introduced my pumpkin bars and peanut butter pie. Seemed to go over well =) Called home and had my brother pass around the phone - was so good talking to my family! Since we couldn't video chat via phone, I texted him some pictures to pass around ... maybe not the best idea, as my family was sitting around trying to stay warm, while I was showing off pictures of the beach! After stuffing ourselves silly like you are supposed to on Thanksgiving, Kirby, Lisa, Jeff, Griff and I headed to Hamm's Bluff where we hiked to a lighthouse to watch the sunset - great way to work off that turkey with a beautiful view! We were all exhausted by the time we got back - and surprisingly hungry. We decided a slice of greasy pizza sounded good, but no restaurants were open. Kirby, Griff and I found that the grocery store was open, so a Totino's frozen pizza and few boxes of pizza rolls later, we sat down to eat and watch football in true Thanksgiving fashion.
Friday morning got up and checked out a house for sale - didn't take Griff too long to decide he could live here too! Then we FINALLY sat on the beach for about an hour and a half ... sadly that was our only beach time all week! Headed over to Christiansted that afternoon - walked around town, caught some football, finally found conch fritters, then strolled through the "Jump Up" street festival - what a blast! All sorts of street vendors and performers - enjoyed the steel drum band and mocko jumbies. And I'll know better next time to go hungry, though I did manage to make room for 'peanut punch' ... the best drink ever!!! Basically a combination of peanut butter and sweetened condensed milk. WOW!!!
Saturday we got up and drove to Point Udall - Griff has officially seen the entire island! Stopped at a great little place called Good Spirits for lunch ... then met up with friends to go sailing! My friend Eric and his family invited us to join his friend Orris on a sail over to Buck Island. It was absolutely beautiful ... but let's just say next time I hope the sea sickness doesn't hit me =( Stopped back by Good Spirits for a snack (Sprite, and I managed to eat 1/2 piece of chocolate peanut butter pie), but then I was done for the night. It was a long day - just hoping next time I can truly enjoy the experience!
Sunday I let Griff go for his daily walk/run/hike/swim as I headed to the grocery store (not ideal vacation time spent running errands I would assume). We met up with Kirby for lunch at Rhythms, then went up to Normas in the rainforest. Didn't drink with the pigs this time, but they aren't kidding when they claim to have the best banana daiquiris on island! An instant cure to sea sickness =) It was a good, low key, chill kind of day - watched the sun set (and kept up with football scores) from Coconuts, stopped in the Lost Dog for a snack, then the entire crew met up for Griffin's farewell dinner at Sandcastles. A great way to finish off the week!
Amazing that it was a jam-packed week, but we still didn't have time for the Cruzan Rum tour, sugar plantation tour, moonlight kayak, LEAP mahogany shop in the rainforest, and I'm sure I'm missing a few. Griff - I had a blast, thanks again for a great visit!
Caught up over a nice dinner at Sandcastles that evening and was fun to have Kirby join us. I had to work Tuesday and Wednesday, but was able to break for lunch - one day Kirby met us at Coconuts as they had live music (Matt Vrba - originally from Chicago, spent some time in Nashville before moving down); the other day a swarm of bees joined us at Turtles. Tuesday night we met up with Lisa and Jeff for beach bingo, then we all went over to Rowdy Joes for dinner and met up with Kirby, Kim, and her friend Chuck. Still raving about the food there ... and the ice cream! Last week's flavors were cookies and cream, chunky monkey, espresso macadamia nut, and chocolate reeses pieces. DELICIOUS!!! And yes I tried them all! Still bummed they were out of the banana conch fritters by the time we got there though. Wednesday night went to Blue Moon for jazz ... and it has quickly become another one of my favorite restaurants. I ended up ordering the crab cakes as an appetizer, then another order as my entree! Was a big night as they had a going away celebration for the former owners ... my friend Eric and his wife are the new owners, so I've requested they keep at least the live music and crab cakes!
Had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Kirby and Kim graciously invited us over to their condo where we celebrated with about 20 others. Felt like home - lots of folks from the Carolinas, Georgia, Virginia, Tennessee, and Illinois - and we had deep fried turkey, baked mac and cheese, pan fried corn, sweet potato casserole, and all the other traditional holiday goodies. I finally had some luck baking and introduced my pumpkin bars and peanut butter pie. Seemed to go over well =) Called home and had my brother pass around the phone - was so good talking to my family! Since we couldn't video chat via phone, I texted him some pictures to pass around ... maybe not the best idea, as my family was sitting around trying to stay warm, while I was showing off pictures of the beach! After stuffing ourselves silly like you are supposed to on Thanksgiving, Kirby, Lisa, Jeff, Griff and I headed to Hamm's Bluff where we hiked to a lighthouse to watch the sunset - great way to work off that turkey with a beautiful view! We were all exhausted by the time we got back - and surprisingly hungry. We decided a slice of greasy pizza sounded good, but no restaurants were open. Kirby, Griff and I found that the grocery store was open, so a Totino's frozen pizza and few boxes of pizza rolls later, we sat down to eat and watch football in true Thanksgiving fashion.
Friday morning got up and checked out a house for sale - didn't take Griff too long to decide he could live here too! Then we FINALLY sat on the beach for about an hour and a half ... sadly that was our only beach time all week! Headed over to Christiansted that afternoon - walked around town, caught some football, finally found conch fritters, then strolled through the "Jump Up" street festival - what a blast! All sorts of street vendors and performers - enjoyed the steel drum band and mocko jumbies. And I'll know better next time to go hungry, though I did manage to make room for 'peanut punch' ... the best drink ever!!! Basically a combination of peanut butter and sweetened condensed milk. WOW!!!
Saturday we got up and drove to Point Udall - Griff has officially seen the entire island! Stopped at a great little place called Good Spirits for lunch ... then met up with friends to go sailing! My friend Eric and his family invited us to join his friend Orris on a sail over to Buck Island. It was absolutely beautiful ... but let's just say next time I hope the sea sickness doesn't hit me =( Stopped back by Good Spirits for a snack (Sprite, and I managed to eat 1/2 piece of chocolate peanut butter pie), but then I was done for the night. It was a long day - just hoping next time I can truly enjoy the experience!
Sunday I let Griff go for his daily walk/run/hike/swim as I headed to the grocery store (not ideal vacation time spent running errands I would assume). We met up with Kirby for lunch at Rhythms, then went up to Normas in the rainforest. Didn't drink with the pigs this time, but they aren't kidding when they claim to have the best banana daiquiris on island! An instant cure to sea sickness =) It was a good, low key, chill kind of day - watched the sun set (and kept up with football scores) from Coconuts, stopped in the Lost Dog for a snack, then the entire crew met up for Griffin's farewell dinner at Sandcastles. A great way to finish off the week!
Amazing that it was a jam-packed week, but we still didn't have time for the Cruzan Rum tour, sugar plantation tour, moonlight kayak, LEAP mahogany shop in the rainforest, and I'm sure I'm missing a few. Griff - I had a blast, thanks again for a great visit!
Nov 24, 2010
A special thanks to ...
all of my visitors. I am truly grateful for the amount of support I have received on this journey. It means the world to me that so many family and friends are visiting, whether in person or in spirit. I am excited to share this wonderful experience and beautiful island with you!
Thankful for ...
New friends - so excited and lucky to have them in this new chapter of my life
Old friends - got me to where I am today and supported me every step of the way
Family - believes in me no matter what, even if I'm thousands of miles away
Faith - seeing God work in my life and the lives of others and knowing it is all in His plan
Job - providing the flexibility and potential stepping stone to what may be next
As I reflect today and every day, I am incredibly thankful for the many blessings in my life.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:8-10
Old friends - got me to where I am today and supported me every step of the way
Family - believes in me no matter what, even if I'm thousands of miles away
Faith - seeing God work in my life and the lives of others and knowing it is all in His plan
Job - providing the flexibility and potential stepping stone to what may be next
As I reflect today and every day, I am incredibly thankful for the many blessings in my life.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:8-10
Nov 21, 2010
One Month and Counting
I can't believe I've been here over a month already! It has flown by!
Had a fun rest of the week celebrating and tried out some good new restaurants. Wednesday night is live jazz at the Blue Moon - great music and great food! One of my friends ordered the 2lb lobster caught earlier that day - looked fabulous! Thursday was trivia, and I ended up meeting Lexi and her fiance Brian, from Fort Mill. I was sitting in between them and Kirby's mom Kim, who is from Rock Hill. What a Charlotte connection! Friday night tried out an awesome sushi place in Christiansted with live music - a fun band in Marisol y las Drunk Dumplins (who we saw last Saturday as well). And making progress ... I drove home without my GPS!
Lisa and Jeff had their friends Kelly and Aaron visit over the weekend, who are friends with my friend Shelby as well. We had fun hanging out at Dashi on Friday night, then went hiking on Saturday. Started at Carambola Resort (now we know, Andy and Candida!), and it probably took about an hour to get there. Ended up at a pebble beach, where it is fascinating to listen to the water rush over the rocks. We could see the tide pools, but could not get to them. The waves were too rough to make it over there, so I will definitely have to go back. A beautiful trip! And as we were hiking, Kelly reminded me, "You live here!" =) Still hard to believe some days!
Lisa and Jeff then introduced us to the Chicken Shack - 1/2 rotisserie chicken and 2 johnny cakes for $5.50. Gotta love it! Obviously a popular spot for both the locals and mainlanders alike. Then Kirby and I went to Rhythms where they were hosting a benefit for a woman with cancer. Great turnout for a great cause. And to Aunt Rita, loved Hudson and the HooDoo Cats - band from St Louis!
My friend Griffin flies down from Charlotte tomorrow. Look forward to having another friend visit and celebrating Thanksgiving with the rest of the 'misfits' down here!
Had a fun rest of the week celebrating and tried out some good new restaurants. Wednesday night is live jazz at the Blue Moon - great music and great food! One of my friends ordered the 2lb lobster caught earlier that day - looked fabulous! Thursday was trivia, and I ended up meeting Lexi and her fiance Brian, from Fort Mill. I was sitting in between them and Kirby's mom Kim, who is from Rock Hill. What a Charlotte connection! Friday night tried out an awesome sushi place in Christiansted with live music - a fun band in Marisol y las Drunk Dumplins (who we saw last Saturday as well). And making progress ... I drove home without my GPS!
Lisa and Jeff had their friends Kelly and Aaron visit over the weekend, who are friends with my friend Shelby as well. We had fun hanging out at Dashi on Friday night, then went hiking on Saturday. Started at Carambola Resort (now we know, Andy and Candida!), and it probably took about an hour to get there. Ended up at a pebble beach, where it is fascinating to listen to the water rush over the rocks. We could see the tide pools, but could not get to them. The waves were too rough to make it over there, so I will definitely have to go back. A beautiful trip! And as we were hiking, Kelly reminded me, "You live here!" =) Still hard to believe some days!
Lisa and Jeff then introduced us to the Chicken Shack - 1/2 rotisserie chicken and 2 johnny cakes for $5.50. Gotta love it! Obviously a popular spot for both the locals and mainlanders alike. Then Kirby and I went to Rhythms where they were hosting a benefit for a woman with cancer. Great turnout for a great cause. And to Aunt Rita, loved Hudson and the HooDoo Cats - band from St Louis!
My friend Griffin flies down from Charlotte tomorrow. Look forward to having another friend visit and celebrating Thanksgiving with the rest of the 'misfits' down here!
Nov 16, 2010
Connections
Now I know this is a small island. Heck, even in Charlotte, I loved making connections. But this is ridiculous down here ... and I love it! Decided to venture out tonight for some pizza - the problem with working from home is that by the end of the day, I am going stir-crazy and ready to get out. So I headed down to the Lost Dog - walked in and didn't recognize anyone, grabbed a seat at the bar. Immediately the couple next to me offered to buy me a drink and share their pizza. Again, natives of St Croix, but the woman spent the past 20 years living in Winston, NC! The guys to my left all work for the oil refinery here - originally from Philly and Houston (where I spent 3 months working) - and one of the guys used to live in the Chicago suburbs. Then made a new friend Jason - who happens to live in the house next door to me. We both recognized each other from other outings around the island - he's originally from Iowa and has since been living in Georgia!
Today at work I was chatting with my friend Sarah who remembered that her husband has a friend who lives in STX ... well come to find out, I haven't met her yet, but I frequent the beach bar that she works at quite often! Jason said he already knows her after living here for 2 weeks and said I'll have to hit the day shift to see her there. I told the story to my friend Kirby as well, and of course she already knows her too!
Then sounds like another small town IL girl is out here, originally from Lomax (about 20 miles from where I grew up). My friend Bryan said she is a friend of our mutual friends from home (granted, Bryan and I met in Charlotte, but have connections in IL and SC and seemingly everywhere in between!). He's going to get back to me with her name, but given she's a dive instructor, she surely knows my friend Jeff or landlord Michele - or probably both!
Just got home and sitting here listening to my Bradley Braves. Sam Maniscalco just hit a 3 to tie up the game - reminds me of when I was in a bus in Sydney, Australia earlier this year. Heard some other Americans talking, and when the one mentioned University of Illinois, I asked where she was from - Chicago. I said Peoria, and her response was "my best friend plays basketball there for Bradley" - that's right, he was even the Missouri Valley Conference player of the week that week back in the states - and I'm sitting in a bus in Australia with his best friend from childhood. My brother just called me on Skype, so got to see him in his red housecoat at our townhouse, putting up Christmas decorations. Made me think of one of my all time favorite movies, Christmas Vacation. Love feeling not so far from home =)
Today at work I was chatting with my friend Sarah who remembered that her husband has a friend who lives in STX ... well come to find out, I haven't met her yet, but I frequent the beach bar that she works at quite often! Jason said he already knows her after living here for 2 weeks and said I'll have to hit the day shift to see her there. I told the story to my friend Kirby as well, and of course she already knows her too!
Then sounds like another small town IL girl is out here, originally from Lomax (about 20 miles from where I grew up). My friend Bryan said she is a friend of our mutual friends from home (granted, Bryan and I met in Charlotte, but have connections in IL and SC and seemingly everywhere in between!). He's going to get back to me with her name, but given she's a dive instructor, she surely knows my friend Jeff or landlord Michele - or probably both!
Just got home and sitting here listening to my Bradley Braves. Sam Maniscalco just hit a 3 to tie up the game - reminds me of when I was in a bus in Sydney, Australia earlier this year. Heard some other Americans talking, and when the one mentioned University of Illinois, I asked where she was from - Chicago. I said Peoria, and her response was "my best friend plays basketball there for Bradley" - that's right, he was even the Missouri Valley Conference player of the week that week back in the states - and I'm sitting in a bus in Australia with his best friend from childhood. My brother just called me on Skype, so got to see him in his red housecoat at our townhouse, putting up Christmas decorations. Made me think of one of my all time favorite movies, Christmas Vacation. Love feeling not so far from home =)
Nov 15, 2010
Calendar Updates
Color me red, my mom booked her flight! So excited!!
I've also made some other recent updates. Katie - will miss celebrating with you this weekend, but you will be here in spirit - I'll try to make my own version of the "JC" in your honor! TW and Amy - hope to see you guys in December! Fully anticipating the remaining 3 of my "Fab 4" girls to hit the island with a bang in January - Shelby will show you how it's done after New Years! Then the rest is first come, first serve =)
I've also made some other recent updates. Katie - will miss celebrating with you this weekend, but you will be here in spirit - I'll try to make my own version of the "JC" in your honor! TW and Amy - hope to see you guys in December! Fully anticipating the remaining 3 of my "Fab 4" girls to hit the island with a bang in January - Shelby will show you how it's done after New Years! Then the rest is first come, first serve =)
Thoughts from the hammock ...
Well, I don't think this balcony is the ideal spot for my hammock, but it will work for now!
Quiet weekend here. As I wrote that, I just realized that it might have been considered a busy weekend for the islands, but quiet compared to my pre-island life! Friday night I decided to venture out by myself to the Caribbean Community Theatre in Christiansted. Between a map, GPS, handwritten directions per the website, and some help from friends, I made it! Only had to turn around once and still not sure how I came in from a different direction than I would have anticipated, but luckily I found it. Great play called Fences - basically relating life to baseball, which was right up my alley. James Earl Jones won a Tony award for Best Actor for his performance during the 80s. Of course he was not starring in the show himself - a pretty small budget production, but it was good and I really enjoyed it. Ironically one of the characters was a guy we met at trivia the night before (which was unfortunately not our first win of the season).
I got home and decided to watch tv before calling it a night. Granted, I've seen plenty of those little lizards (geckos) running around outside which thankfully don't bother me at all. I hadn't yet seen one INSIDE ... and then I looked up ... above my tv was a little gecko scaling the wall! So I decided to open up the screen door, go get the broom, and encourage him to run outside. Meanwhile, I had a pair of jeans air-drying in front of the door ... and you guessed it. Little lizard went right through my jeans on his way out the door. All I could think was, "I HAVE A LIZARD IN MY PANTS!!!" Not something you hear everyday! I mean, guys sure, but nothing you'd normally hear from the ladies =)
Saturday was another one of those get up early and have nothing to show for it hours later type of days. I must have jinxed myself by cleaning the windows of the Jeep - prepping it for a beautiful picture at the beach. And by the time I got back outside, it started raining (again - enough already!) and when I drove to this new beach I hadn't been to yet, the road getting there was flooded!
Ended up having a fun girls' weekend. Unfortunately, Andy's grandfather passed away so he flew home to Australia for the funeral, and Jeff hasn't been feeling well. Saturday night went to dinner with Kirby and her friend Kate (also from Australia) at Rowdy Joes - delicious meal and some of the best ice cream I have ever had! Key lime pie, apple cinnamon brown sugar, and chocolate with chocolate covered peanuts - to die for!!! Now when I'm comparing to Ben and Jerry's - that's got merit!! Then we met up with Lisa at the place next door for some live music - such a fun night!!
Yesterday had a lazy day at the beach - FINALLY! Sad that I've been here four weeks already (time is flying by!!), and that was the first time I've spent an extended amount of time at the beach! And finished a book! Met up with Kirby and Kate again for dinner at Rhythms - definitely one of my favorite places so far on the island. Kirby gave me a job posting she found in the paper for an accountant. As much as I appreciated her looking out for me and should be interested in checking out this job after my time with the Bank, I had to admit that it's not what I am passionate about. If I could do anything at all, especially while I was here, I would work in a bakery - ideally my own. So all of a sudden my repertoire of recipes came out, and Kirby suggested taking samples to local places and leaving a card just to see if it attracts any business or setting up a booth on cruise ship days. The Cake Lady of St Croix may have just arrived =)
Given all the "free" time I had this weekend, I was able to reflect over the past few weeks to see what I have learned about myself on this journey. I mentioned this before, but I really need to change my definition of "productive" (and thanks, Jeff, for reiterating that "I was told long ago to expect to accomplish one thing a day. Anything more is a bonus."). It's okay to spend a few hours on a Saturday and not have anything to show for it. Then during the week, I need to learn to take a break from work (how sad is that?!?). I forced myself to walk to the post office today over lunch, just to take a break from my computer. Given the now hour time difference and especially if I do not have plans at night, it is way too easy to stay logged on ... or check emails a few hours later just because they are there. Something to work on ...
Other things I've realized about myself, no matter where the location: you can take the busy away from the girl, but you can't take the girl away from the busy! I am still trying to make plans left and right ... on Friday, it killed me not to have plans this weekend ... but by Sunday I realized how nice it was to just go with the flow and have some quiet time. Same thing with work - it is easy to still stress over a job regardless of the beautiful backdrop ... but then again, maybe that is me. Maybe that is the Bank. Or maybe a little of both. Though seems kind of ironic writing about being stressed out while laying in a hammock ...
Quiet weekend here. As I wrote that, I just realized that it might have been considered a busy weekend for the islands, but quiet compared to my pre-island life! Friday night I decided to venture out by myself to the Caribbean Community Theatre in Christiansted. Between a map, GPS, handwritten directions per the website, and some help from friends, I made it! Only had to turn around once and still not sure how I came in from a different direction than I would have anticipated, but luckily I found it. Great play called Fences - basically relating life to baseball, which was right up my alley. James Earl Jones won a Tony award for Best Actor for his performance during the 80s. Of course he was not starring in the show himself - a pretty small budget production, but it was good and I really enjoyed it. Ironically one of the characters was a guy we met at trivia the night before (which was unfortunately not our first win of the season).
I got home and decided to watch tv before calling it a night. Granted, I've seen plenty of those little lizards (geckos) running around outside which thankfully don't bother me at all. I hadn't yet seen one INSIDE ... and then I looked up ... above my tv was a little gecko scaling the wall! So I decided to open up the screen door, go get the broom, and encourage him to run outside. Meanwhile, I had a pair of jeans air-drying in front of the door ... and you guessed it. Little lizard went right through my jeans on his way out the door. All I could think was, "I HAVE A LIZARD IN MY PANTS!!!" Not something you hear everyday! I mean, guys sure, but nothing you'd normally hear from the ladies =)
Saturday was another one of those get up early and have nothing to show for it hours later type of days. I must have jinxed myself by cleaning the windows of the Jeep - prepping it for a beautiful picture at the beach. And by the time I got back outside, it started raining (again - enough already!) and when I drove to this new beach I hadn't been to yet, the road getting there was flooded!
Ended up having a fun girls' weekend. Unfortunately, Andy's grandfather passed away so he flew home to Australia for the funeral, and Jeff hasn't been feeling well. Saturday night went to dinner with Kirby and her friend Kate (also from Australia) at Rowdy Joes - delicious meal and some of the best ice cream I have ever had! Key lime pie, apple cinnamon brown sugar, and chocolate with chocolate covered peanuts - to die for!!! Now when I'm comparing to Ben and Jerry's - that's got merit!! Then we met up with Lisa at the place next door for some live music - such a fun night!!
Yesterday had a lazy day at the beach - FINALLY! Sad that I've been here four weeks already (time is flying by!!), and that was the first time I've spent an extended amount of time at the beach! And finished a book! Met up with Kirby and Kate again for dinner at Rhythms - definitely one of my favorite places so far on the island. Kirby gave me a job posting she found in the paper for an accountant. As much as I appreciated her looking out for me and should be interested in checking out this job after my time with the Bank, I had to admit that it's not what I am passionate about. If I could do anything at all, especially while I was here, I would work in a bakery - ideally my own. So all of a sudden my repertoire of recipes came out, and Kirby suggested taking samples to local places and leaving a card just to see if it attracts any business or setting up a booth on cruise ship days. The Cake Lady of St Croix may have just arrived =)
Given all the "free" time I had this weekend, I was able to reflect over the past few weeks to see what I have learned about myself on this journey. I mentioned this before, but I really need to change my definition of "productive" (and thanks, Jeff, for reiterating that "I was told long ago to expect to accomplish one thing a day. Anything more is a bonus."). It's okay to spend a few hours on a Saturday and not have anything to show for it. Then during the week, I need to learn to take a break from work (how sad is that?!?). I forced myself to walk to the post office today over lunch, just to take a break from my computer. Given the now hour time difference and especially if I do not have plans at night, it is way too easy to stay logged on ... or check emails a few hours later just because they are there. Something to work on ...
Other things I've realized about myself, no matter where the location: you can take the busy away from the girl, but you can't take the girl away from the busy! I am still trying to make plans left and right ... on Friday, it killed me not to have plans this weekend ... but by Sunday I realized how nice it was to just go with the flow and have some quiet time. Same thing with work - it is easy to still stress over a job regardless of the beautiful backdrop ... but then again, maybe that is me. Maybe that is the Bank. Or maybe a little of both. Though seems kind of ironic writing about being stressed out while laying in a hammock ...
Nov 11, 2010
Island Time
Well, I'm officially on "island time" - and I mean that both figuratively and literally! They do not "fall back" for daylight savings time down here, so as of Sunday, I am an hour ahead of NC and two hours ahead of IL. And the goal is to do a better job of enjoying island time - in the figurative sense!
Enjoyed a day off work today, thanks to all the Veterans! I was still up bright and early, as my friend Jeff had offered to teach me to scuba dive, but the effects of yesterday's storm put a damper on those plans. Yes, I am just fine - thanks to everyone for your care and concern. Luckily my apartment is at the top of a hill, so no flooding, but sounds like lots of damage to much of the island, especially on the West end not too far from my place. I am thankful to have only suffered a few power/internet/phone outages as my only inconvenience. Jeff said the water looked like chocolate milk, and as much as I love chocolate milk, it sure doesn't seem like what I want to be diving in! So I really had a free day - all this time on my hands, with no plans. I decided to tackle my to do list - starting with an oil change and laundry (seemingly simple and quick chores, right?!?).
To be honest, I can't even recall all the stops I made this morning - and at one point ended up back at the apartment to make lunch - at which point I had not succeeded at either of my errands a few hours into the day. I did learn a lot about my Jeep, though - which was probably good for me. I've never changed my own oil before - back home, you just pull into the service shop, and 20 minutes later you drive home. Well I had to go to one place to buy the filter, another to buy the oil (thanks Jeff for answering that phone call!), then finally back to the service station. The guys were great and Jeep is in good shape - but wow, what a process!
Went to the laundromat a few weeks ago, but one of my neighbors also told me about the hotel down the street with a coin-operated washer and dryer. Let's see, I can go sit in a warehouse and more efficiently do my laundry ... or I could do one load at a time and sit on the beach / lay in the hammock / go for a walk in between cycles. I'll choose door #2 please! Funny how at first it bothered me not to feel very productive, given how early I was up and running and took me ALL DAY to only get two things done, but it also forced me to slow down and just enjoy it - and that's not a bad idea at all =)
As I was waiting for my laundry, I went for a walk on the beach and ran into the couple who lives in the apartment next to me, Nadine and Randy. We are always very cordial, saying hello every time we see each other, but I have not had a chance to get to know them better than that. They spotted me and hollered my name, so I walked over and we had nice little chat. They were both born and raised here, but have spent the past ten years in North Carolina! And Nadine used to work for Bank of America! Crazy! A few years in Durham, then most recently in Mebane. We got talking about the Panthers, Bobcats, Carowinds, UNC, Duke, etc. - ah, how cool is that?!? Small island ... small world =)
I also met my neighbor Bill who lives downstairs. His car is in the shop and he did not have a ride to work ... so I graciously offered to take him as I was heading that direction anyway. And I'm especially happy to return the favor after not having wheels for the first few weeks!
Off to trivia tonight ... and we are on pace to win ... stay tuned!
Enjoyed a day off work today, thanks to all the Veterans! I was still up bright and early, as my friend Jeff had offered to teach me to scuba dive, but the effects of yesterday's storm put a damper on those plans. Yes, I am just fine - thanks to everyone for your care and concern. Luckily my apartment is at the top of a hill, so no flooding, but sounds like lots of damage to much of the island, especially on the West end not too far from my place. I am thankful to have only suffered a few power/internet/phone outages as my only inconvenience. Jeff said the water looked like chocolate milk, and as much as I love chocolate milk, it sure doesn't seem like what I want to be diving in! So I really had a free day - all this time on my hands, with no plans. I decided to tackle my to do list - starting with an oil change and laundry (seemingly simple and quick chores, right?!?).
To be honest, I can't even recall all the stops I made this morning - and at one point ended up back at the apartment to make lunch - at which point I had not succeeded at either of my errands a few hours into the day. I did learn a lot about my Jeep, though - which was probably good for me. I've never changed my own oil before - back home, you just pull into the service shop, and 20 minutes later you drive home. Well I had to go to one place to buy the filter, another to buy the oil (thanks Jeff for answering that phone call!), then finally back to the service station. The guys were great and Jeep is in good shape - but wow, what a process!
Went to the laundromat a few weeks ago, but one of my neighbors also told me about the hotel down the street with a coin-operated washer and dryer. Let's see, I can go sit in a warehouse and more efficiently do my laundry ... or I could do one load at a time and sit on the beach / lay in the hammock / go for a walk in between cycles. I'll choose door #2 please! Funny how at first it bothered me not to feel very productive, given how early I was up and running and took me ALL DAY to only get two things done, but it also forced me to slow down and just enjoy it - and that's not a bad idea at all =)
As I was waiting for my laundry, I went for a walk on the beach and ran into the couple who lives in the apartment next to me, Nadine and Randy. We are always very cordial, saying hello every time we see each other, but I have not had a chance to get to know them better than that. They spotted me and hollered my name, so I walked over and we had nice little chat. They were both born and raised here, but have spent the past ten years in North Carolina! And Nadine used to work for Bank of America! Crazy! A few years in Durham, then most recently in Mebane. We got talking about the Panthers, Bobcats, Carowinds, UNC, Duke, etc. - ah, how cool is that?!? Small island ... small world =)
I also met my neighbor Bill who lives downstairs. His car is in the shop and he did not have a ride to work ... so I graciously offered to take him as I was heading that direction anyway. And I'm especially happy to return the favor after not having wheels for the first few weeks!
Off to trivia tonight ... and we are on pace to win ... stay tuned!
Nov 10, 2010
Gracious Guests
Well I was hesitant to log onto my computer tonight, as all I've been doing the past few days is sitting with my laptop, working. For those of you asking about work, yes, I was originally supposed to stay on through last Friday. Given the ease of transition and not feeling like work was taking away from my experience down here, I offered to stay longer, so they approved my remote access through mid-February. And this week as I was working until midnight last night, I finally questioned if I had made the right decision =) Actually yes, I am still very grateful for the opportunity with the Bank overall - I keep telling myself it's just "this week" that will be this busy (granted I've said that three weeks in a row now). Ironic that tomorrow is a bank holiday, and I will have put in just as many hours, if not more, than I would any other week. But yes, this week I've been working late and wearing jeans and rain jackets - not quite what I had in mind when I first set out to move to the Caribbean!
I really enjoyed my time with Andy and Candida, though hate that I was busy with work and sorry the weather did not cooperate! I hope they are close to being home by now - we had quite a storm this morning - the flight out of STX was delayed so they missed their connection in Puerto Rico and ended up having to fly through JFK instead of MIA en route to Raleigh. Oh, the joys of travel! And go figure, finally got to see a sunset tonight after they left (sorry!). At my apartment, the power was on and off, internet connection in and out, phone service here and there - ironic my phone would work when my internet would not, so I used several different modes of communication trying to get in touch with my co-workers - and actually had my first team meeting via Skype! As I was searching for the Weather Channel on all 10 of my channels, I saw one of my least favorite people from Charlotte on my tv. Are you serious?!? I'm living in the Virgin Islands - wouldn't you think that is far enough away?!?
Anyway ... Andy and Candida were the most gracious guests ... I felt that they were the ones hosting me! We had a great time cruising around the island over the weekend, then they went exploring during the weekdays. Unfortunately it was so cloudy that their early morning on Monday did not result in them getting to see where the first sunrise in the United States should hit. But I was glad they got to see the rest of the island ... sure doesn't take long, and they've probably now seen as much of it as I have! I did take a break last night for some dinner and bingo - unfortunately none of us came out lucky winners, but I was glad they got to meet the rest of "my crew". They spent a lot of their time cooking and cleaning (and hopefully relaxing in between!), and when they asked to use the Jeep one last time to go to the beach, they came back with a welcome mat for each door, cutting board, gallons of water, and a MICROWAVE! I guess they saw how I was just trying to make do with what I had, but I could not get over their generosity and thoughtfulness! And this was in addition to the gifts they gave me upon arrival! Just another reminder of how truly blessed I am for the wonderful people I have in my life! So a big THANK YOU to my great friends Andy and Candida!
We already have plans for their next trip - met some friends who do a 3-day sail to the British Virgin Islands, then seaplane to St Thomas, ferry to St John, and of course the Cruzan Rum factory tour back here on St Croix. I liked Andy's mentality that he didn't want to do everything on the first trip - got to save some for next time! I've been following Andy's blog as well, as he set off for his around the world trip back in January. I told him that I'm kicking myself for not blogging during my journey through New Zealand, Australia, and Hong Kong - there are so many little things that I have already forgotten about. I'll be sure to follow his blog in the coming months, as they are planning their trip to Brasil for early 2011 (and add to my list of places to visit!).
Just as of today, looks like I'll have two more visitors in December ... as Andy and Candida can tell you, these are no luxury accommodations, but I certainly enjoy the company!
Got to catch up with Shelby tonight - she will be my first visitor of the new year, as she arrives on New Years Day for a belated birthday celebration. Given the sounds of the holiday hoopla around here, I promised her plenty of festivals in her honor! Now CLT girls, I expect a full report after tomorrow night's girls' dinner ... and Shelby might tell you I'm working on some updates of my own ;) Ironically, we started talking about baseball (okay, we were talking about Rick Ankiel - and for those of you who don't know, he's my future husband, used to play for the Cardinals) - and it's amazing that Rick may be the deciding factor of when I come home! (I was also thinking about him today when my Aunt Connie asked for my address since my cousin Dan has my name for xmas ... I gave her the mailing address, but will give Dan my physical address just in case of any surprises - hint hint!) I only have a two month lease on this apartment, but one of the units above me is opening up, so I already told my landlord that I would take it through April 30 - signifying the end of my 6 months down here. However, I just found out that the STX IronMan (as a spectator!) is Sunday, May 1, so my next thought was to fly back on Monday the 2nd. Well, just as (un)luck would have it, the Cardinals play the Braves in ATL the weekend of April 30. And after our last trip, Shelby and I learned (a few hours late and a few dollars short) of the batting practice experience offered at Turner Field - which I am determined to make it to next season if Rick is still there (my cousin Dan is also the one who gave me a framed picture of Rick that is well traveled but yet to be signed ... a little obsessive, maybe?!?)! Funny how Shelby knows me so well; she doesn't anticipate me staying too much longer past the start of baseball season! If I could just move my family, friends, church, favorite restaurants, and some sports teams down here, I don't think I'd ever leave =) Though I'm hoping to go to a play this weekend called "Fences: A drama about love, relationships, life and death ... and the fastball on the outside corner" and also found out about the UVI college basketball tournament next weekend, featuring Alabama, Xavier, Clemson ... just bummed it's on the St Thomas campus and not St Croix. Though that might be a fun trip for my first seaplane to the other island!
Wish me luck tomorrow in my first attempt at "discover scuba". I'm the girl who hyperventilates while attempting to snorkel, so this could be a quick outing ... I'm living in the Caribbean, so I've at least got to give a try!
I really enjoyed my time with Andy and Candida, though hate that I was busy with work and sorry the weather did not cooperate! I hope they are close to being home by now - we had quite a storm this morning - the flight out of STX was delayed so they missed their connection in Puerto Rico and ended up having to fly through JFK instead of MIA en route to Raleigh. Oh, the joys of travel! And go figure, finally got to see a sunset tonight after they left (sorry!). At my apartment, the power was on and off, internet connection in and out, phone service here and there - ironic my phone would work when my internet would not, so I used several different modes of communication trying to get in touch with my co-workers - and actually had my first team meeting via Skype! As I was searching for the Weather Channel on all 10 of my channels, I saw one of my least favorite people from Charlotte on my tv. Are you serious?!? I'm living in the Virgin Islands - wouldn't you think that is far enough away?!?
Anyway ... Andy and Candida were the most gracious guests ... I felt that they were the ones hosting me! We had a great time cruising around the island over the weekend, then they went exploring during the weekdays. Unfortunately it was so cloudy that their early morning on Monday did not result in them getting to see where the first sunrise in the United States should hit. But I was glad they got to see the rest of the island ... sure doesn't take long, and they've probably now seen as much of it as I have! I did take a break last night for some dinner and bingo - unfortunately none of us came out lucky winners, but I was glad they got to meet the rest of "my crew". They spent a lot of their time cooking and cleaning (and hopefully relaxing in between!), and when they asked to use the Jeep one last time to go to the beach, they came back with a welcome mat for each door, cutting board, gallons of water, and a MICROWAVE! I guess they saw how I was just trying to make do with what I had, but I could not get over their generosity and thoughtfulness! And this was in addition to the gifts they gave me upon arrival! Just another reminder of how truly blessed I am for the wonderful people I have in my life! So a big THANK YOU to my great friends Andy and Candida!
We already have plans for their next trip - met some friends who do a 3-day sail to the British Virgin Islands, then seaplane to St Thomas, ferry to St John, and of course the Cruzan Rum factory tour back here on St Croix. I liked Andy's mentality that he didn't want to do everything on the first trip - got to save some for next time! I've been following Andy's blog as well, as he set off for his around the world trip back in January. I told him that I'm kicking myself for not blogging during my journey through New Zealand, Australia, and Hong Kong - there are so many little things that I have already forgotten about. I'll be sure to follow his blog in the coming months, as they are planning their trip to Brasil for early 2011 (and add to my list of places to visit!).
Just as of today, looks like I'll have two more visitors in December ... as Andy and Candida can tell you, these are no luxury accommodations, but I certainly enjoy the company!
Got to catch up with Shelby tonight - she will be my first visitor of the new year, as she arrives on New Years Day for a belated birthday celebration. Given the sounds of the holiday hoopla around here, I promised her plenty of festivals in her honor! Now CLT girls, I expect a full report after tomorrow night's girls' dinner ... and Shelby might tell you I'm working on some updates of my own ;) Ironically, we started talking about baseball (okay, we were talking about Rick Ankiel - and for those of you who don't know, he's my future husband, used to play for the Cardinals) - and it's amazing that Rick may be the deciding factor of when I come home! (I was also thinking about him today when my Aunt Connie asked for my address since my cousin Dan has my name for xmas ... I gave her the mailing address, but will give Dan my physical address just in case of any surprises - hint hint!) I only have a two month lease on this apartment, but one of the units above me is opening up, so I already told my landlord that I would take it through April 30 - signifying the end of my 6 months down here. However, I just found out that the STX IronMan (as a spectator!) is Sunday, May 1, so my next thought was to fly back on Monday the 2nd. Well, just as (un)luck would have it, the Cardinals play the Braves in ATL the weekend of April 30. And after our last trip, Shelby and I learned (a few hours late and a few dollars short) of the batting practice experience offered at Turner Field - which I am determined to make it to next season if Rick is still there (my cousin Dan is also the one who gave me a framed picture of Rick that is well traveled but yet to be signed ... a little obsessive, maybe?!?)! Funny how Shelby knows me so well; she doesn't anticipate me staying too much longer past the start of baseball season! If I could just move my family, friends, church, favorite restaurants, and some sports teams down here, I don't think I'd ever leave =) Though I'm hoping to go to a play this weekend called "Fences: A drama about love, relationships, life and death ... and the fastball on the outside corner" and also found out about the UVI college basketball tournament next weekend, featuring Alabama, Xavier, Clemson ... just bummed it's on the St Thomas campus and not St Croix. Though that might be a fun trip for my first seaplane to the other island!
Wish me luck tomorrow in my first attempt at "discover scuba". I'm the girl who hyperventilates while attempting to snorkel, so this could be a quick outing ... I'm living in the Caribbean, so I've at least got to give a try!
Nov 7, 2010
Muddy Tires and Drinking Pigs
Andy and Candida arrived yesterday, and we have been having a fabulous time! They spent the past week island hopping between St Maarten, St Barts, and Saba - with St Croix as their last stop before returning to NC. When moving down here, I was so looking forward to NOT traveling like I had the past two years (I was out of town 38 weekends in 2009 - and "only" 33 in 2010, even counting my last two months in STX - was I really that crazy last year?!?). However, from their experiences and pictures, sounds like I definitely need to add at least Saba to the list - amazing place! Plus, how many other times will I really only be a 40 minute flight away from so many other Caribbean locations?!?
We started with my favorite lunch spot yesterday, Turtles Deli, then walked around downtown Frederiksted. Then we decided to do a little sight-seeing. They told me about the tide pools they saw on one of the other islands, and I said that I hadn't been to the tide pools here yet, and I knew the directions were programed into the GPS. That sounded easy enough =) Well that sure made for an interesting experience - nothing like going muddin' in my new Jeep after just a couple of days! None of us knew quite what we were getting into, but I had to remind myself, "this is why I have a Jeep"!
Long story short, after driving through the rain forest on not really what I would call roads and lots of mud, we never found the tide pools and found out later that even though there are a few "trails" that you can technically access with a four-wheel drive, the majority of folks take the 90 minute hike - one way! Oh well, lesson learned that I will definitely save the tide pools for a day with someone who has already been!
We stopped at Coconuts on our way back to town. They had a lion fish competition that morning - I guess the lion fish have become quite a predator and are eating all of the other fish in the Caribbean. The official weigh-in was that evening ... and the lion fish soon became lion fish fritters - delicious! Talk about fresh!
I still can't get over how rough the waves have been since yesterday. In the almost three weeks I've been here, the water has been incredibly calm - so much so that I try to go swimming a couple of times a week - so relaxing and refreshing. I woke up to the pounding rain at 2am Saturday morning, and it has been on and off since. We are definitely getting hit by some storm weather - the waves are so strong that we could even hear them from my apartment - the first time I have been able to hear them this far away. And yes, I promise pictures of the Jeep as soon as I can take and LEAVE the top off and windows down!
This morning we started at Pollys on the Pier for breakfast. We met the owners - from Sullivan, IL and Clinton, IA - love it! Then this afternoon we met another couple originally from Iowa and Minnesota - yeah for the Midwesterners! And what is more Midwestern than drinking beer with pigs?!? We went to Norma's Mt Pellier Domino Club - home of the drinking pigs! Andy got a nice action shot of me being sprayed by one of the pigs. I also finally found where to get Johnny Cakes on the island (shout out to my friend Joyce in CLT - we have been talking about those delicious island treats for years!!) =)
Candida whipped up an amazing dinner tonight, so we had a nice relaxing evening at home on the balcony. Hope this weather clears up tomorrow. Bummed that I have to work, as Andy and Candida are leaving at 5am to drive to Point Udall in time to watch the sunrise - will be anxious to hear about their experience and see their pictures!
We started with my favorite lunch spot yesterday, Turtles Deli, then walked around downtown Frederiksted. Then we decided to do a little sight-seeing. They told me about the tide pools they saw on one of the other islands, and I said that I hadn't been to the tide pools here yet, and I knew the directions were programed into the GPS. That sounded easy enough =) Well that sure made for an interesting experience - nothing like going muddin' in my new Jeep after just a couple of days! None of us knew quite what we were getting into, but I had to remind myself, "this is why I have a Jeep"!
Long story short, after driving through the rain forest on not really what I would call roads and lots of mud, we never found the tide pools and found out later that even though there are a few "trails" that you can technically access with a four-wheel drive, the majority of folks take the 90 minute hike - one way! Oh well, lesson learned that I will definitely save the tide pools for a day with someone who has already been!
We stopped at Coconuts on our way back to town. They had a lion fish competition that morning - I guess the lion fish have become quite a predator and are eating all of the other fish in the Caribbean. The official weigh-in was that evening ... and the lion fish soon became lion fish fritters - delicious! Talk about fresh!
I still can't get over how rough the waves have been since yesterday. In the almost three weeks I've been here, the water has been incredibly calm - so much so that I try to go swimming a couple of times a week - so relaxing and refreshing. I woke up to the pounding rain at 2am Saturday morning, and it has been on and off since. We are definitely getting hit by some storm weather - the waves are so strong that we could even hear them from my apartment - the first time I have been able to hear them this far away. And yes, I promise pictures of the Jeep as soon as I can take and LEAVE the top off and windows down!
This morning we started at Pollys on the Pier for breakfast. We met the owners - from Sullivan, IL and Clinton, IA - love it! Then this afternoon we met another couple originally from Iowa and Minnesota - yeah for the Midwesterners! And what is more Midwestern than drinking beer with pigs?!? We went to Norma's Mt Pellier Domino Club - home of the drinking pigs! Andy got a nice action shot of me being sprayed by one of the pigs. I also finally found where to get Johnny Cakes on the island (shout out to my friend Joyce in CLT - we have been talking about those delicious island treats for years!!) =)
Candida whipped up an amazing dinner tonight, so we had a nice relaxing evening at home on the balcony. Hope this weather clears up tomorrow. Bummed that I have to work, as Andy and Candida are leaving at 5am to drive to Point Udall in time to watch the sunrise - will be anxious to hear about their experience and see their pictures!
Nov 5, 2010
Going Topless
I got my Jeep! So I can't officially say I've taken the top off yet, but that's my next project. It's been a hectic week! (And why am I even using a word like 'hectic' down here?!? I've got to slow down this schedule - my friends weren't kidding when they told me not to burn myself out!)
Luckily funds transferred on Wednesday, so Gerri and I met yesterday morning to exchange ownership of the Jeep (thanks again to Kirby and Andy for my last official ride - so much appreciated!!). Interesting process they run around here ... Gerri and I had to meet at her insurance agency, as they would not cancel her insurance until they had proof that someone else was insuring the Jeep. But even more, after I set up my coverage, she still had to go the DMV with me as proof of the buyer (I could have taken a copy of her drivers license, but she graciously offered to go with me - in case they needed any other documentation AND to navigate since I didn't know where it was!). Luckily she is a sweet little lady, since we spent almost the entire day together! We had to go to 4 different stations at the DMV ... let's just say not the most efficient process I've ever seen run. After the DMV, we had to go back to the insurance agency so they could officially cancel her insurance (and I made the mistake of asking one more question which took 25 minutes to answer), then I drove her back to her house on the East end, then back to mine on the West end - I left my place at 7:45 am and didn't get back until 1:30. But at least we finally got everything taken care of, and I'm the brand new owner of a Jeep Wrangler!
Ran into Kirby's mom, Kim, at the DMV. We had never met in person, but immediately both recognized each other from pictures. How many times will I say this, small island!
Busy week at work, so it's been pretty quiet other than that. I did have a chance to catch up with some friends and my Life Group girls on the phone. Then last night Jeff and Lisa joined Kirby, Andy and me at trivia ... and in three weeks, we've gone from last, to 3rd to 2nd! Watch out for the BI's next week!
My next round of visitors fly in tomorrow - my friend Andy and his friend Candida have spent the past week island hopping around St Maarten, with STX being their next stop. So excited to see them, though I haven't made any plans for us yet. One of the last times I saw Andy was for dinner in New Zealand - ironically we see each other more often in other parts of the world than our homes in North Carolina!
Luckily funds transferred on Wednesday, so Gerri and I met yesterday morning to exchange ownership of the Jeep (thanks again to Kirby and Andy for my last official ride - so much appreciated!!). Interesting process they run around here ... Gerri and I had to meet at her insurance agency, as they would not cancel her insurance until they had proof that someone else was insuring the Jeep. But even more, after I set up my coverage, she still had to go the DMV with me as proof of the buyer (I could have taken a copy of her drivers license, but she graciously offered to go with me - in case they needed any other documentation AND to navigate since I didn't know where it was!). Luckily she is a sweet little lady, since we spent almost the entire day together! We had to go to 4 different stations at the DMV ... let's just say not the most efficient process I've ever seen run. After the DMV, we had to go back to the insurance agency so they could officially cancel her insurance (and I made the mistake of asking one more question which took 25 minutes to answer), then I drove her back to her house on the East end, then back to mine on the West end - I left my place at 7:45 am and didn't get back until 1:30. But at least we finally got everything taken care of, and I'm the brand new owner of a Jeep Wrangler!
Ran into Kirby's mom, Kim, at the DMV. We had never met in person, but immediately both recognized each other from pictures. How many times will I say this, small island!
Busy week at work, so it's been pretty quiet other than that. I did have a chance to catch up with some friends and my Life Group girls on the phone. Then last night Jeff and Lisa joined Kirby, Andy and me at trivia ... and in three weeks, we've gone from last, to 3rd to 2nd! Watch out for the BI's next week!
My next round of visitors fly in tomorrow - my friend Andy and his friend Candida have spent the past week island hopping around St Maarten, with STX being their next stop. So excited to see them, though I haven't made any plans for us yet. One of the last times I saw Andy was for dinner in New Zealand - ironically we see each other more often in other parts of the world than our homes in North Carolina!
Nov 2, 2010
Hotel STX
I've only been here two weeks, and I am blown away by the number of visitors I am anticipating! I will be busy running a full-service hotel here, but it really makes me grateful to have so many friends and family wanting to visit (okay, you can all say that it's not really me you're visiting, just the location. Whatever, I'll take it!). Makes me feel not so far away from home seeing friends almost every week!
For those of you who are interested in visiting and have not yet penciled in dates, no worries. Several of the dates in yellow are two week blocks of time for a one week vacation, where friends have said "either this week or that week", so I have marked both weeks as tentative until they know for sure. I will update the calendar with official dates as often as I receive them!
But seriously, if you are thinking about making a trip, please let me know! I would love to have you!! Just want to make sure no one is double-booked =)
Love and miss you all. Can't wait to see you and show you around this beautiful place I am temporarily calling home!
For those of you who are interested in visiting and have not yet penciled in dates, no worries. Several of the dates in yellow are two week blocks of time for a one week vacation, where friends have said "either this week or that week", so I have marked both weeks as tentative until they know for sure. I will update the calendar with official dates as often as I receive them!
But seriously, if you are thinking about making a trip, please let me know! I would love to have you!! Just want to make sure no one is double-booked =)
Love and miss you all. Can't wait to see you and show you around this beautiful place I am temporarily calling home!
Nov 1, 2010
Isn't it ironic ...
don't you think...
I was gearing up for my big trip to the bank today. I had been warned of the various horror stories of trying to open a new account down here - definitely sounded like I needed to bring every form of identification possible, block off a good few hours, etc. Last night, I was also told that the banks may be closed today and tomorrow given a VI holiday and election day. So I called again to check on hours and checked online for a schedule of VI bank holidays. Given no other sign of closure, I woke up early and planned my trip to the bank, to be there before they opened so hopefully I would be the first in line. Well ... no one was in line and there was a nice sign on the door - closed, of course!
I wouldn't have been so concerned and originally wasn't even going to open an account here, but given my upcoming purchase, I needed to pay Gerri for the Jeep and she preferred a certified check. Of course I worried about the time it would take to transfer funds from my Bank of America account (do they even do wire transfers down here?). Well, those options now seemed slim, so I suggested to Gerri transferring the money online between our two stateside accounts. It's usually a click of a button - easy, convenient, and secure. So Gerri and I walked through the steps together, but the transaction would not process. After two hours of Bank of America customer service, we finally got it. So ironic how I planned on spending a few hours at the bank today, just didn't think it would be my own!
I pick up the Jeep on Thursday - note to self, stay on the left and swerve to avoid crabs walking in the road!
Sunday was a full day - woke up bright and early, and again with no plans until later, decided to take that long walk on the beach I've been looking forward to. I walked all the way down to Sandy Point - on the southwest point of the island. I'm guessing it was 4 miles roundtrip ... but the entire walk in the sand added quite a level of difficulty. It was absolutely beautiful, very secluded. I couldn't believe that once you turned the corner and faced the south beaches, the water was significantly rough in comparison to how calm the west side is. I also had someone point out turtle tracks and nesting area - see pictures below. I put my shoe in the pictures to scale - amazing! Really hope I have the opportunity to see them live someday!
It was way too nice of a day to stay inside and watch football, so I walked down Coconuts. Before I even found a chair, the bartender (who I had never met) walked up to me and said "Hey Jen, Eric wants to buy you a drink. What are you having?". Nothing like walking in solo and getting a free drink first thing! Then grabbed a seat next to another guy, Tim, who I had met the first night there - he works with Jeff. Had the Texas BBQ ribs (fall off the bone delicious!), then decided to check out Rhythms for the rest of the afternoon (had only been there on Thursday nights - this place was at Rainbow Beach and supposedly a hot spot on weekends - fun time but so much of the beach was washed away in the last hurricane that the volleyball court is no longer there). I was catching up with Shelby on the phone as Keith (one of the guys who works there, from Chicago) asked what I was drinking - so free drink #2! Not too shabby for a little day out by myself!
The Halloween party in the Rainforest was a blast - finally got to introduce Lisa and Jeff to Kirby and Andy - my island friends have now come full circle! And Jeff's costume really was one of the best I've ever seen. Quickly realizing that you can't go anywhere without running into someone you know - everyone knows everyone around here, and I love it! And most people greet you with a kiss on the right cheek.
I mentioned my friend Kristen earlier - I've still yet to meet her in person, but we've talked via email and phone. She is moving fromCLT to STX - flying down on the exact same flight as my friend Griffin
I wasn't kidding when I said Off bug spray is the scent of choice around here - I don't leave the house without it. So much for scented lotions and perfume! But I obviously had an allergic reaction to something else, as I broke out in hives. Woke up this morning thinking I had 1500 new bug bites (thank goodness for nurse friends!). Just got back from the store with some Benadryl. Would have gone over lunch had it not been for my time on the phone with customer service.
Good thing I have no plans to leave the house tonight - phone date with Christel (we both have Ben and Jerrys in the freezer ... I even found oatmeal cookie chunk in the little supermarket walking distance from my apartment), then watching the baseball game. And probably going to sleep early since I took that medicine!
Speaking of desserts, I attempted baking for the first time this weekend ... let's just say I ended up calling them "ghetto scotcheroos". They still tasted okay, but were horrible looking. I blame Hersheys that the mini kisses do NOT melt the same as chocolate chips. I even tried on the stove since I don't have a microwave (which has also made heating up leftovers interesting), then again in Kirby and Andy's microwave. The store was out of chocolate chips, so I went with the next best thing ... so I thought. Will try another time!
PS - I never get tired of the sunsets around here =)
I was gearing up for my big trip to the bank today. I had been warned of the various horror stories of trying to open a new account down here - definitely sounded like I needed to bring every form of identification possible, block off a good few hours, etc. Last night, I was also told that the banks may be closed today and tomorrow given a VI holiday and election day. So I called again to check on hours and checked online for a schedule of VI bank holidays. Given no other sign of closure, I woke up early and planned my trip to the bank, to be there before they opened so hopefully I would be the first in line. Well ... no one was in line and there was a nice sign on the door - closed, of course!
I wouldn't have been so concerned and originally wasn't even going to open an account here, but given my upcoming purchase, I needed to pay Gerri for the Jeep and she preferred a certified check. Of course I worried about the time it would take to transfer funds from my Bank of America account (do they even do wire transfers down here?). Well, those options now seemed slim, so I suggested to Gerri transferring the money online between our two stateside accounts. It's usually a click of a button - easy, convenient, and secure. So Gerri and I walked through the steps together, but the transaction would not process. After two hours of Bank of America customer service, we finally got it. So ironic how I planned on spending a few hours at the bank today, just didn't think it would be my own!
I pick up the Jeep on Thursday - note to self, stay on the left and swerve to avoid crabs walking in the road!
Sunday was a full day - woke up bright and early, and again with no plans until later, decided to take that long walk on the beach I've been looking forward to. I walked all the way down to Sandy Point - on the southwest point of the island. I'm guessing it was 4 miles roundtrip ... but the entire walk in the sand added quite a level of difficulty. It was absolutely beautiful, very secluded. I couldn't believe that once you turned the corner and faced the south beaches, the water was significantly rough in comparison to how calm the west side is. I also had someone point out turtle tracks and nesting area - see pictures below. I put my shoe in the pictures to scale - amazing! Really hope I have the opportunity to see them live someday!
It was way too nice of a day to stay inside and watch football, so I walked down Coconuts. Before I even found a chair, the bartender (who I had never met) walked up to me and said "Hey Jen, Eric wants to buy you a drink. What are you having?". Nothing like walking in solo and getting a free drink first thing! Then grabbed a seat next to another guy, Tim, who I had met the first night there - he works with Jeff. Had the Texas BBQ ribs (fall off the bone delicious!), then decided to check out Rhythms for the rest of the afternoon (had only been there on Thursday nights - this place was at Rainbow Beach and supposedly a hot spot on weekends - fun time but so much of the beach was washed away in the last hurricane that the volleyball court is no longer there). I was catching up with Shelby on the phone as Keith (one of the guys who works there, from Chicago) asked what I was drinking - so free drink #2! Not too shabby for a little day out by myself!
The Halloween party in the Rainforest was a blast - finally got to introduce Lisa and Jeff to Kirby and Andy - my island friends have now come full circle! And Jeff's costume really was one of the best I've ever seen. Quickly realizing that you can't go anywhere without running into someone you know - everyone knows everyone around here, and I love it! And most people greet you with a kiss on the right cheek.
I mentioned my friend Kristen earlier - I've still yet to meet her in person, but we've talked via email and phone. She is moving from
I wasn't kidding when I said Off bug spray is the scent of choice around here - I don't leave the house without it. So much for scented lotions and perfume! But I obviously had an allergic reaction to something else, as I broke out in hives. Woke up this morning thinking I had 1500 new bug bites (thank goodness for nurse friends!). Just got back from the store with some Benadryl. Would have gone over lunch had it not been for my time on the phone with customer service.
Good thing I have no plans to leave the house tonight - phone date with Christel (we both have Ben and Jerrys in the freezer ... I even found oatmeal cookie chunk in the little supermarket walking distance from my apartment), then watching the baseball game. And probably going to sleep early since I took that medicine!
Speaking of desserts, I attempted baking for the first time this weekend ... let's just say I ended up calling them "ghetto scotcheroos". They still tasted okay, but were horrible looking. I blame Hersheys that the mini kisses do NOT melt the same as chocolate chips. I even tried on the stove since I don't have a microwave (which has also made heating up leftovers interesting), then again in Kirby and Andy's microwave. The store was out of chocolate chips, so I went with the next best thing ... so I thought. Will try another time!
PS - I never get tired of the sunsets around here =)
Oct 30, 2010
Hangin' with the locals
When I went to bed last night, I had no plans today. I was looking forward to a nice relaxing day, maybe a walk to the grocery store, definitely a trip to the beach. I was excited about finally enjoying my surroundings. Hard to believe I have been here almost two weeks already and running around the entire time!
So I woke up nice and early - perfect I thought, I'll get my grocery shopping out of the way, then spend the rest of the day at the beach - walking, reading, napping, etc. Sounded pretty wonderful (as my cousin Dan said, "think Corona commercial"). I decided to check my email just before I left ... and there it was ... a response to a Jeep Wrangler for sale! I had been anxiously awaiting a reply from the seller. I have had my heart set on getting a Jeep since I planned my move down here - of course there are plenty of Jeeps around the island; I just haven't had any luck finding one for sale. I wanted to call immediately, thinking that since I had nothing else going on, I would definitely plan my day around checking out this Jeep. I didn't want to call too early (this was 7:45 on a Saturday), but given she had replied at 7:30, I assumed she was awake. I waited until 8 to call (in the meantime, I got the exciting news from Shelby that US Air has started offering non-stop flights between CLT and STX ... I love that we have single-handedly increased demand!!). Talk about two exciting pieces of news to start the day!
I called Gerri about the Jeep, and luckily she was free all morning. Perfect, I said - me too! I told her I'd be there around 10. Now at this point it doesn't sound like anything might get in the way of this little excursion, but I didn't have a ride!!! Great - I finally found the vehicle I've been looking for, but I have no way to get there! I called my landlord to see how reliable getting a taxi or taking the bus would be. I thought about calling the car rental agency to ask about a last minute day rental. I also sent a text to my friend Kirby, hoping I was not waking her up on a Saturday morning. Kirby and Andy are staying just down the road while they are doing work to their house closer to the East end (where Gerri also lives). And just as luck would have it, Kirby called and said they were actually on their way to the house and would be happy to give me a ride - WOW, talk about perfect timing!
So we met Gerri, I test drove the Jeep and it didn't take long to decide it was exactly what I was looking for. I didn't want to keep Kirby and Andy from their work, so I told them I would find a way home (ideally in the Jeep), since they had been so gracious in getting me one way. Gerri and I made our deal, but she needed the Jeep until Thursday. Okay, no problem - I brought my book and some sunscreen with me, so I would just hang out on the East end beaches since I hadn't spent any time there yet and I was planning to read and relax anyway. In the meantime, Kirby called to say that I must have just missed her mom, who was driving from the East to West end. Ironically, she asked what my dad's name was - her mom went to elementary school with a guy named Chuck Grant - also my uncle's name (though not the same person)!
Gerri dropped me off at the Buccaneer - one of the top resorts on the island. I walked down to the beach which was lined with palm trees and lounge chairs - perfect! I sat down and read for about an hour - now this is how I had intended to spend the day! And then it started raining ... and raining. Luckily there was a beachside cafe that all of us hung out at during the rain ... and I ended up ordering lunch considering how long the rain lasted. At this point I realized I should probably head back - as long as I was away from the apartment, I might as well run some errands. So here is where my adventure with the local taxis and cabs began.
It was quite easy calling a cab from the Buccaneer - the driver was friendly and helpful, and I had him drop me off at the shopping center. He then told me where the bus picked up, as it was only $2.50 for the rest of the ride vs $12 taking another taxi. So far so good. I walked all around the shopping center as it started to rain again, picked up some things from Kmart, and looked for a grocery store. None within walking distance (especially in the rain), so I decided just to find the bus stop. Luckily the folks waiting for the bus were all very friendly in helping make sure I got on the right one ... ironic that the bus was EXACTLY the same as the taxi (except FULL of people - all locals), so I'm not sure how I would have known the difference! Whatever, anything to save a dollar =) One of the next stops happened to be a grocery store so I debated whether or not to get out - given that I would still have a bit of a walk home, especially with my hands full of groceries. What the heck, this first 'bus' seemed so easy, I'm sure the next would be just the same right?
I stocked up at the grocery store (thinking later I probably could have waited on a few of those items until I had my own car) and made my way back to the bus stop. And waited ... and waited. I guess this is what people meant about the bus not being the most reliable form of transportation. Finally it came, so here I was lugging my backpack full of stuff plus bags in both hands. We then drove into Frederiksted ... at which point was about an hour after I left the grocery store (and I'm guessing it was 10 miles max). The driver dropped me off about a half-mile from my apartment, and I decided to use the rest of the trip as my exercise for the day, after politely declining multiple offers from a very friendly Raul, who stopped in the middle of the road and insisted to take me home. So a very interesting experience - one that I'm glad I got to share, but let's just say that I'm more than excited to have my own wheels on Thursday!
Getting ready to head to Kirby and Andy's for a cook-out, then tomorrow sounds like it will be busy as well ... Sunday Funday. Checking out Rainbow Beach (where they play sand volleyball), then there is supposed to be a huge Halloween bash at Normas - the place with the drinking pig - also where the local musician plays the last Sunday of every month. Looking forward to the fun ... and I'll find some time to relax later!
So I woke up nice and early - perfect I thought, I'll get my grocery shopping out of the way, then spend the rest of the day at the beach - walking, reading, napping, etc. Sounded pretty wonderful (as my cousin Dan said, "think Corona commercial"). I decided to check my email just before I left ... and there it was ... a response to a Jeep Wrangler for sale! I had been anxiously awaiting a reply from the seller. I have had my heart set on getting a Jeep since I planned my move down here - of course there are plenty of Jeeps around the island; I just haven't had any luck finding one for sale. I wanted to call immediately, thinking that since I had nothing else going on, I would definitely plan my day around checking out this Jeep. I didn't want to call too early (this was 7:45 on a Saturday), but given she had replied at 7:30, I assumed she was awake. I waited until 8 to call (in the meantime, I got the exciting news from Shelby that US Air has started offering non-stop flights between CLT and STX ... I love that we have single-handedly increased demand!!). Talk about two exciting pieces of news to start the day!
I called Gerri about the Jeep, and luckily she was free all morning. Perfect, I said - me too! I told her I'd be there around 10. Now at this point it doesn't sound like anything might get in the way of this little excursion, but I didn't have a ride!!! Great - I finally found the vehicle I've been looking for, but I have no way to get there! I called my landlord to see how reliable getting a taxi or taking the bus would be. I thought about calling the car rental agency to ask about a last minute day rental. I also sent a text to my friend Kirby, hoping I was not waking her up on a Saturday morning. Kirby and Andy are staying just down the road while they are doing work to their house closer to the East end (where Gerri also lives). And just as luck would have it, Kirby called and said they were actually on their way to the house and would be happy to give me a ride - WOW, talk about perfect timing!
So we met Gerri, I test drove the Jeep and it didn't take long to decide it was exactly what I was looking for. I didn't want to keep Kirby and Andy from their work, so I told them I would find a way home (ideally in the Jeep), since they had been so gracious in getting me one way. Gerri and I made our deal, but she needed the Jeep until Thursday. Okay, no problem - I brought my book and some sunscreen with me, so I would just hang out on the East end beaches since I hadn't spent any time there yet and I was planning to read and relax anyway. In the meantime, Kirby called to say that I must have just missed her mom, who was driving from the East to West end. Ironically, she asked what my dad's name was - her mom went to elementary school with a guy named Chuck Grant - also my uncle's name (though not the same person)!
Gerri dropped me off at the Buccaneer - one of the top resorts on the island. I walked down to the beach which was lined with palm trees and lounge chairs - perfect! I sat down and read for about an hour - now this is how I had intended to spend the day! And then it started raining ... and raining. Luckily there was a beachside cafe that all of us hung out at during the rain ... and I ended up ordering lunch considering how long the rain lasted. At this point I realized I should probably head back - as long as I was away from the apartment, I might as well run some errands. So here is where my adventure with the local taxis and cabs began.
It was quite easy calling a cab from the Buccaneer - the driver was friendly and helpful, and I had him drop me off at the shopping center. He then told me where the bus picked up, as it was only $2.50 for the rest of the ride vs $12 taking another taxi. So far so good. I walked all around the shopping center as it started to rain again, picked up some things from Kmart, and looked for a grocery store. None within walking distance (especially in the rain), so I decided just to find the bus stop. Luckily the folks waiting for the bus were all very friendly in helping make sure I got on the right one ... ironic that the bus was EXACTLY the same as the taxi (except FULL of people - all locals), so I'm not sure how I would have known the difference! Whatever, anything to save a dollar =) One of the next stops happened to be a grocery store so I debated whether or not to get out - given that I would still have a bit of a walk home, especially with my hands full of groceries. What the heck, this first 'bus' seemed so easy, I'm sure the next would be just the same right?
I stocked up at the grocery store (thinking later I probably could have waited on a few of those items until I had my own car) and made my way back to the bus stop. And waited ... and waited. I guess this is what people meant about the bus not being the most reliable form of transportation. Finally it came, so here I was lugging my backpack full of stuff plus bags in both hands. We then drove into Frederiksted ... at which point was about an hour after I left the grocery store (and I'm guessing it was 10 miles max). The driver dropped me off about a half-mile from my apartment, and I decided to use the rest of the trip as my exercise for the day, after politely declining multiple offers from a very friendly Raul, who stopped in the middle of the road and insisted to take me home. So a very interesting experience - one that I'm glad I got to share, but let's just say that I'm more than excited to have my own wheels on Thursday!
Getting ready to head to Kirby and Andy's for a cook-out, then tomorrow sounds like it will be busy as well ... Sunday Funday. Checking out Rainbow Beach (where they play sand volleyball), then there is supposed to be a huge Halloween bash at Normas - the place with the drinking pig - also where the local musician plays the last Sunday of every month. Looking forward to the fun ... and I'll find some time to relax later!
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