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!
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