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!



1 comment:

  1. Glad to hear you have enjoyed your time with loving guests and your new Jeep. I will be praying all goes well tomorrow with "discover scuba." Can't wait to read all about it.

    Love and Miss You!

    Maria

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