Coconut Telegraph

It Was Supposed to be a 3 Hour Tour!

2012-01-31T08:57:00.004-06:00

Okay, so maybe not 3 hours but New Year's on Jost van Dyke was definitely NOT supposed to be an overnight adventure this year. Tim, myself and our friends Rachel, Coco and Josh headed over to Jost via Dolphin Water Taxi's round trip (ha!) boat transfer. Miller & Cruzan sponsored the free drinks on board and Greg was kind enough to give us 4 free spots. I like to think that was in honor of Coco's birthday but whatever! Anyways, we went over early- 1:00 PM- so we could spend the day on White Bay before heading over to Foxy's for their party. They were super organized with wristbands telling you what time you were coming home, drink tickets, etc. He also said if we had any questions he'd be standing by the Jost Van Dyke sign starting at 9:00PM. I was highly impressed- just not used to that kind of thing on STT!

We were on our own private transfer and I think this is where the day started to get interesting! Because we had all of our stuff with us (read coolers, clothes, cameras, phones, etc) we really didn't want to take a taxi from customs by Foxy's to White Bay so our Captain agreed to let us out over in White Bay. Problem was the water was so rough he wasn't able to get us close enough to shore for us to get out and touch to keep our stuff out of the water. What to do, what to do. Oh, I know! Drop us off on the trampoline set up in the middle of the bay! Honestly, whomever said it, it was a great idea except for the fact we were then no better off than we were on the boat. But at least our Captain was hightailing it back to St. Thomas to get the next group over, right? Oh, and did I mention he left us with NO instruction on where to pick up the ferry back at 2:30 AM?

The man that runs the trampoline was quite confused to see 5 people literally throw their crap on his livlihood and jump out of a boat onto it. And we were quite confused as to how to get our stuff to shore. I've never seen a West Indian move so fast as he did to swim out and yell at us to pay our $5 for jumping on the trampoline. We explained we didn't want to jump, we wanted off and could he help us. Somehow, someone convinced him (god knows how much money we actually ended up giving him) to go get his kayak and kayak our stuff in. Obstacle overcome!

We truly enjoyed our day in White Bay. This here is Coco trying to persuade this guy to give her his crown since it was his birthday. He let her pose for a picture but wouldn't let her keep it. I hope he struck out.

There was plenty of drinking and dancing and fun had by all. We ran into plenty of people and joined in a big group photo of everyone on Jost. Wonder what happened to that?

And then we saw this girl:

I'm sorry, are you 19 years old and wearing mom jean shorts over a tank suit??? This girl truly confuses me. She was young, would have looked just fine in a bikini but, the mom jean shorts? Really??

Moving on. Day quickly turned to night and we realized we needed to get our butts over to the other end of the island and have some dinner. Hmmm... no taxis to be seen and we weren't walking (by this point we had shed most of our gear by consuming it). Being the ever creative people we are Tim flags down the first local we see and we shove 5 of us into his Suzuki. I'm not 100% sure if he agreed or we just got in but regardless he took us over to the Foxy's side of the island and we gave him some cash. Turned out he had showed up at Soggy Dollar to pick up his girlfriend who was getting off work. Hope she wasn't mad that we kidnapped him...

We had a great time at Foxy's doing some more dancing and playing with friends. Here are some of our favorite St. Thomas bartenders imported to England for the night. I'm guessing the Jager was flowing behind the bar as well as on the other side from this pic :)

As we were on the 2:30AM ferry we started heading towards the ferry dock at 2:15. Now, I know we were a bit tipsy but there was NO boat there. This is a big yellow and black and white ferry that holds hundreds of people and was supposed to take 75 people back to St. Thomas and we CANNOT find it. We don't even see anyone walking towards the dock! It starts to rain so we go back to the customs dock and try to see if maybe we were misinformed or if we can find anyone. Remember Greg who said he'd be at the sign beginning at 9:00PM? Yeah... guessing he got on the 2:30AM ferry 'cuz he ain't there! It's official, we are stuck on Jost. We hung out on the dock with some friends whose engine stopped working and were stuck as well. Leigh Goldman fed me a hot dog- god bless you Leigh- and we chilled under some plastic tarps in the rain. One of our friends showed up for his last pick up of the night around 4:30AM and said he'd take us back... for $60/head. Yeah, thanks but no thanks. I understand this is your business and you're probably grouchy for being sober and taking drunks back and forth all night but a little sympathy or a deal would have been nice... Eventually all of our dock friends went home and we were left by ourselves. It's close to 5AM at this point. We are defeated. See the defeat in Coco here? Happy birthday lady!!

We decide to sleep in the ferry terminal. Now, if you've never been to Jost on the ferry the terminal is no more than a shack. The below picture shows the corner Tim and I slept in :) The sun woke us up around 8:00AM and we wait, with a large group of other people mind you, for the 9:00AM ferry. We pay our $5 departure fee and sit on the dock until the big boat comes. This time we found it. We try to board the ferry and apparently it's more than $5 and we are missing tickets even though we are on the manifest. It's not just us, it's about 1/2 the group. In the chaos of it all Tim at least is able to sneak on the ferry, the rest of us pay $50. Guess we should have just sucked it up and paid the $60 4 hours earlier huh?

All in all it was a great New Year's Eve and I enjoyed the adventure. However, the next day when Dolphin Water Taxi proudly posted they moved 220 people successfully to and from Jost on New Year's Eve I couldn't help but laugh and think, nope, you moved 215 successfully and clearly the other 70 people that were travelling with us at 2:30AM had no problem finding the big ferry...

She's Baaaaa-aaaack!!!

2012-01-04T13:38:00.004-06:00

Has it really almost 11 months since I've updated this blog? Wow, what the heck happened to me? I'm sorry!! Well, the important thing is- guess who's back? Mary's back! Back again! In many senses of the word. Not only did I take 11 months off from the blog, I took a 3 month hiatus from St. Thomas period. That time away gave me a lot of perspective. It's one thing to move here and take the good and take the bad (sing it with me everyone, you take 'em both and there you have... the facts of life) but it's another to go back to America, get all Americanized again and then reimmerse yourself in island living. So what am I feeling? Here goes...

I missed my amazing island family. I am SO lucky to have made the friends that I did. They were nothing but supportive when I left and I was a little nervous it wouldn't be the same when I came back. But in their amazing selves, it's been great. I haven't gotten a chance to see everyone I've wanted to yet but know that I will see each and every one and get/give an wholehearted hug!!

Right now I'm missing Starbucks. Hi, my name is Mary, and I'm addicted to Skinny Peppermint Mochas. For a girl who hoarded her Starbucks gift cards from Abbott suppliers for 5 years they certainly disappeared quickly once I discovered Skinny Lattes and Mochas! (Quick shout out to Fred Johnsen and Todd Minske with Advanced Media Solutions for keeping me properly caffeinated lately!!) I also miss their internet. I'm currently sitting at a coffee shop where I had to order a beer to get an internet code...

I missed hiking on St. John. For some crazy reason I got it in my head that part of my St. Thomas bucket list included completing all the trails on STJ. I had done a fair amount but have a LOT to do still. So Tim and I went over and did a bunch in one day- including Johnny Horn (Kate Atwell, if you're reading this, you are right- it's a bitch. I was actually thinking for awhile you were losing it, it was easy, then came the up part). Thank god Tara and I did Reef Bay already...

I miss Club Fitness. I never in my life thought I'd miss a gym but now that I'm here, I really miss my classes!! And the constant 65 degrees that place is kept. I'm not working out nearly as hard here at the gym and sweating twice as much!

I missed flip flops!!! You should never need to put those suckers away and I'm super happy to have them back in my life. One of my biggest adjustments to STL was putting on socks. I'm not kidding.

I'm already missing live sports but, given the time of year, that shouldn't matter. I was home when it counted- when my Cardinals won the World Series! I had never been to a playoff game before and suddenly found myself cheering on the Redbirds at the NLDS, NLCS and World Series live and in person. Heck, I even watched my Rams beat the Saints at the Dome before the Cardinals Victory parade. Yep, I was there for one of their two wins. What do you think STL, am I good luck? Not only did the weather hold on to unseasonable warmth from the MINUTE I got home (PS- the bottom dropped out New Years Day, coincidence I left three days earlier??? I think not...) but the Cardinals hung on to do the unthinkable this year! Just sayin'...

I missed running into people I know everywhere. Now, STL is pretty small and I ran into a lot of people during the post season and even now at Corner Pub, it's not the same as here! I'm wondering if this is a novelty though and will run off sooner rather than later? This also applies to word of mouth and helping people out (thanks Jessica Hume for getting me a bartending gig for your holiday party!!).

I'm sort of missing the reliability of the states and the little conveniences. I KNEW I should have ordered a glare screen for my Kindle before I left... and I've already grown tired of crappy internet service (see Starbucks paragraph, I'm here b/c Sprint BLOWS), dropped AT&T phonecalls and no water pressure. I've been lucky (pause, knock on wood) to not have experienced a WAPA blackout yet. I'm honestly not sure how...

I missed the water. I missed how it was so easy to go out on it or go to it. It was one thing I never took for granted and I certainly still don't. The views, the options, the good times had on it can never be erased or replaced.

I miss my stateside friends!! I'm lucky to have them in my life too! What another amazing group of people. I'm seriously such a blessed girl to have so many incredible people in my life. I miss my family. Nothing replaces your family and I am lucky to have such a large, crazy, welcoming one. My parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins- you are all part of the reason I am the person I am today and I can't express my gratitude enough!

Okay, now I'm getting sappy so it's time to end this post. Once I get my freaking Sony Cybershot software downloaded stay tuned for the big NYE on Jost post. Trust me, it's a laugh and a half!

No, Seriously, We ARE Part of the United States!

2011-02-18T06:54:00.005-06:00

Have you ever read the fine print on any TV ad? Yeah, me neither. Until one time last year when I saw a GREAT deal on a K-Mart commercial only to go in and find the item nowhere NEAR the price it was on TV. Thoroughly confused I went to find the flier, which is just a black and white copy by the way, only to see that no such deal existed. WTH? After that I really started paying attention to the fine print on ad, coupons, etc. Know what? With the exception of a FEW ads that state things are available to stores in the contiguous 48 states (Taco Bell!), most single places OUT specifically- Puerto Rico, Hawaii, Alaska, DC, etc. yet not ONE lists that the USVI is excluded. Still, however, we never get the deals or can use coupons. Boo.

Along the same lines, we don't get to participate in any sort of 'meal deals'. Subway's $5 Footlong? Yeah, after 5PM with the purchase of a 21 oz drink. Dominos 3 for $8.88? Not a chance but we CAN get a large 3 topping for the bargain price of $12.99! We don't even have the dollar menu at McDonald's :( and the prices are bordering on airport prices.

We also have quite an issue with online ordering. In the states I took it for granted I could just pick 'IL' in the drop down box and move on with my order. While there are a LOT of stores that make it super-easy (eBay, Old Navy, Victoria's Secret) there are several places that make it next to impossible! For example, Apple. They just refuse to ship here. Um, hello? USPS delivers here. So does FedEx, DHL and UPS. You just can't do it ground! We have a zip code for goodness sakes! Recently, I went on Chase.com to update our mailing address on our checking account, IRA, etc. since the post office is no longer forwarding our things. Well, there was no VI option under states so I tried to change the country from US to US Virgin Islands but it didn't exist. Now I KNOW it does because our savings account has been changed for MONTHS! WTH?

And then there's just people that have NO idea they are in the US. I actually had a table a few months ago that proves this to a tee. They were your average couple in their late 20's, looked pretty well-to-do. Their bill was $12, they gave me a $20, I gave them $8 back. They looked disappointed so I asked what was wrong. Apparently they were hoping to get change in 'St. Thomian' money. What? Really? I tried really hard to not saying anything too sarcastic back so I just replied, 'Um, I did. I gave you dollars. You're in the US.' I found that to be most appropriate for the situation, right? Today I had a table say they were surprised to see so many Americans working here. Again, even the West Indians are American!

I guess it's kind of like the Facts of Life: you take the good, you take the bad. And I believe that the good we get to experience here outweighs the bad. Most of the time, at least :)

What's It Like? Well It Doesn't Suck!

2011-01-28T13:24:00.013-06:00

One of the questions I get asked most down here is, 'What is it like to live here?' I'm a huge fan of how our friend, Lance, answers: 'Well, it doesn't suck!' That couldn't be more true! I usually also add something along of the lines of how growing up in the Midwest, and not around water, makes me appreciate it down even more. I still find myself amazed, day after day, how beautiful of a place this is. And the day I don't? Well, then I guess that's the day it's time for me to come home.

So WHY is it so beautiful? Well, I think I'll just let the pictures do (most of) the talking!

Rainbows a-plenty! In my life before moving here, I'd seen a handful of rainbows. Now, I can't even begin to count how many I've seen and caught on camera. Here are a few of my favorites. Fun fact: The first one was taken by me from work at the same time took a picture of one happening on the golf course (pictured).

The view of Trunk Bay on St. John from above....

... and from on the beach!

Crystal clear waters in Watermelon Cay on St. John, we spent our anniversary here hiking and snorkeling.

Drunk Bay on St. John (not to be confused with Trunk Bay). One of the coolest places because people go there to build 'themselves' out of rocks. Unfortunately, a lot of them (including the Byrne, Andersen and Dolendi families) were wiped out in Hurricane Earl.

The view from Drake's Seat of Magen's Bay on St. Thomas. THE beach to go to if you're getting off a ship. I've made the mistake of going when there are 5 ships in- never again.

View of Botany Bay from a boat. This was taken the day of the 2010 Chili Cook-Off when Murray, Jonathon, Lauren and I went around the ENTIRE island. So cool to do!

Lindquist- one of my favorite beaches on St. Thomas. No services- not even a bathroom- which means very few tourists :)

Tim's Home Away From Home: The Golf Course!

View from #13 Fairway

View of the course from my friend, Julie's, pool.

Waves crashing at the green on 13 (left) and before the tee box on 14

View of 14 from the water, again taken on the day we made the trek around the island!

This was my going away sunrise before leaving for my flight home in August. Kind if makes it easy to come back, huh? Hard to believe Hurricane Earl hit just 3 days later!

A couple of beautiful sunsets live from Paradise Point! I'm so lucky to have such a great view from my 'office'!

Another sunrise from my deck, not too shabby.

I could post hundreds, no thousands, of pictures to justify just how pretty it is but I think I get charged by megabyte so that's no good! Hope this helped put a smile on the face of some of you who are under snow vs. wanting to reach through the computer and hit me. Cheers!

Oh the Things I've NEVER Done!

2011-01-28T12:44:00.005-06:00

So we've been on St. Thomas for nearly 15 months now and, yes Mom, I KNOW it's 6-9 months longer than we had planned :) I'm sorry! It occured to me awhile back that there are things I used to do on a regular basis in the states that I have yet to do here!

Washed My Car: neither Tim or I have washed our cars in the 15 months we have owned them. I guess, to be fair, Tim has only had the Wrangler for 5 months but he never washed the Escort either. It's not that we don't HAVE car washes, I just don't know exactly how they work. It isn't your typical drive-thru automatic wash- rather people (workers?) bring their own cleaning supplies and vaccuums. No idea how much it costs either! I have been there to use the automatic vaccuums on the INSIDE of my car- lots and lots of sand gets transported in the Cherokee. It rains often enough that the outside hasn't really needed it. Although recently I parked under a tree and, what must have been, a very full bird went to town. No amount of rain has fixed it yet so I guess I may have to break down and give it a rinse.

Dry Cleaning/Tailoring: I used to go to the dry cleaners so often the little Asian lady knew my car and we were on the Christmas card list. Seriously. Granted, I know both of our wardrobes have been, ahem, downgraded shall we say? However, not an item?? I guess we really didn't bring anything down that is dry clean only! I do have a dress from Vegas night that is quite sticky from sitting in a drink.... As for tailoring? Well, I'm not exactly buying business suits or nice pants. No one really needs to adjust anything on my $9 shorts from Old Navy.com!

Haircuts: In all honesty, I got my first island haircut just a few weeks ago but, when I thought of this topic, I had not. It wasn't any reason in particular that kept me away from a haircut. I had one when I was in Chicago in June and in St. Louis in September. I guess it just kind of slipped my mind, fairly easy to do when you throw it in a ponytail everyday! However, things grow FAST - hair, nails, etc. and my hair was the longest it had been since high school! Julie from Erica's Salon in Frenchtown cut my hair and I can now check 'haircut' of the things I've never done list. Tim still hasn't. He's easy though- he trusts me enough to trim up a straight(ish) line in the back then he just shaves it all over. To be a boy!

Been to the Movies: Apparently it's the coldest place on the island: socks and a sweatshirt are required. I wouldn't know- we've never gone! We do Netflix and have never been BIG movie people so I don't feel deprived. In fact, I think we can count on my two hands how many times in the 8 1/2 years we've been together the number of times we've been to the movies.

I'm sure there are other things I haven't done but they don't pop into my mind because, well, obviously it's not a big deal!

Call Me Crazy, Call Me a Wuss... I Don't Care!

2010-12-29T07:22:00.002-06:00

Yesterday morning I woke up to bright, sunny skies and a slight breeze- a pretty typical morning. I was a little bummed to not be able to enjoy it, WAY too many errands and things to cross off my to do list was on my docket. However, as the day went on the clouds started to roll in, the breeze picked up and moisture filled the air. Suddenly I found myself putting on long sleeves and socks, turning off fans, closing windows and burrowing under a fleece blanket. I popped onto Accuweather.com sure to see that the temp had dropped somewhere in the 60's. I mean I'm from St. Louis and spent 8 years in Chicago where 99% of the winter is well below freezing and full of that fluffy white stuff you call snow!! Well, it was 75... with a Real Feel of 72. WTH??

I felt vindicated by seeing several St. Thomas friends post on Facebook about how chilly it is- at least it wasn't just me! Many of those back home called us crazy and said our blood had thinned and it got me thinking. You always hear that your blood thins in warmer weather but does it? And, if so, why? What else makes your blood thin? Well, it's not all in our head folks- living on this island DOES make your blood thinner- for several reasons!

* Climate: a warm climate means more water needs to be carried in your blood and when you sweat more water is lost. More electrolytes are needed in warmer weather, again, lost through perspiration. Body activity is higher in warmer temps, your blood needs to be thinner to be carried through your body.

* Diet: foods high in Omega-3 actually thin your blood- fish is the main source of this. Seeing we live on an ocean or two, I'm guessing a lot of us eat our fair share of seafood. I know I do! Lots of herbs and spices are high in salicylates which also thin your blood. What down here is NOT seasoned with all sorts of spices??

* Alcohol: Bottom line is booze thins the blood. We all know how much of that is consumed here... which leads to:

* Popping Pills: I'm sure we've all seen the Bayer commercial where some guy has a heart attack and was saved because he popped an aspirin? Well, that's because aspirin thins the blood which is key during a heart attack. Know what else does? Iburprofen (Advil) and Naproxen (Aleve) which I'm guessing most of us reach for during those head throbbing hangovers. (Sidenote: Acetaminophen (Tylenol) does not thin your blood)

So there you have it folks. Call me crazy, call me a wuss- I don't care because I have science on my side :)

Who's the Fat Kid in the Mirror?? Oh Wait... That's Me!

2010-11-29T11:48:00.005-06:00

Recently I went to Miami to freelance on an event and one of our evening events was a dinner cruise. The boat I was on was covered in mirrors- almost to the point of being creepy. Anyways, I happened to head down one of the stairwells, flanked by wall-to-wall mirrors, looked up and came face to face with a fat person. Correction: I was looking at a fat me! Sure I've noticed a bit of, um, extra weight in pictures or my clothes fitting a big snug but THIS was a big wake up call.

Several months back I wrote a post about the Island Fifteen, likening it to the Freshman Fifteen that so many of us were lucky to experience in college. It's a very vicious cycle of eating and drinking on this island and it's amazing how quickly it catches up to you here. Most of us work in the service industry which means we work odd hours and eat whatever/whenever is convenient. Then we head out for drinks after work and get up to do this all over again tomorrow.

There's a lot of 'I'll be better tomorrow' and 'no more being bad' promises but then something comes up, you fall off the proverbial wagon and vow to start again next Monday. That's the biggest problem here- there's always SOMETHING going on. Be it a boat trip, a visitor or a party of some sort- there's always a reason to slip up. Even when there's NOT a reason it happens. I routinely bring healthy food to work but once I get here it never sounds appealing and I end up ordering something not so good for me.

I've tried lots of crazy things since being down here to try and get back on the 'good' path. Let's see, there's been the Fruit Flush. Three days of disgusting, icky whey protein shakes and nothing but fruit. There was the 14 cleanse/detox which actually just lowered my alcohol tolerance and caused a very, very large hangover after the first time out. I did the Power90 Meal/Exercise Plan. Then there was the 11-day diet generator that requires you pick a large list of foods and it generates combos for you to eat. Let me tell you- eating shrimp and scrambled eggs for breakfast really isn't that bad, however, eating green veggies and frozen yogurt for dinner sucks. It probably won't come as a shock to any of you that these just didn't work.

So now what? Well, I'm going back to what I know works. Last night I sucked it up and rejoined Weight Watchers. 7 years ago I lost 30 lbs on the program. While I don't need to lose nearly that much (although I wouldn't care if I did!) I know it works. I know what I can and can't eat, what I can and can't drink (no more beer). I didn't exercise the first time around but I figure it certainly can't HURT seeing that I'm sure my metabolism has changed ever so slightly over the better part of a decade! Besides, I recently joined the gym AND have 8 Tuff Miles to train for again.

I know I need to be patient- it took me a year to put this on and it isn't going to magically disappear. There isn't a quick fix and I'm in this for the long haul! So if any of you on STT catch me drinking a beer, please take it away and replace it with a vodka/soda :)

My Thanksgiving ABC's

2010-11-25T07:42:00.002-06:00

Happy Gobble Gobble Day everyone! I hope that you all have a great day and get to spend it with friends and family over wonderful food and great drinks! Let's not forget what we are thankful for this year!!

Ability: to change, to adapt, to learn, to love, to forgive

Boat Trips: for good times and seeing more of the world (even if we tend to see Jost over and over)

Coke Zero: hey, I don't drink coffee but I certainly need my caffeine!

Dot Com Shopping: without it I'd be naked. Although Tim would argue we'd be rich!

Everday: if I wake up it means I'm alive and that's a great start! (Thank you, Julie, for that one!)

Friends, Family & Fun: This one was easy!! Without the first two I couldn't have the third.

Grandparents: we miss you all!!

Health: kind of self explanatory....

Iphone: for keeping me connected and entertained

Jagermeister: NOT! I'm on day 106 without it...

Kisses: from Tim, from Laddie. Who cares? :)

Laughter: for putting a smile on my face

Music: it's amazing how one song can trigger a memory, put a smile on your face or change your mood

Necessary Evils: for knowing which ones and when to use!

Ocean: growing up in the midwest I never had the privilege of living around water and to do so is amazing.

Parents: for the love and support they give us. Thanks Mom, Dad, Mike, Yvonne & Peggy!

Quiet: none of which I had today or this blog would have been posted earlier :)

Risk & Reward: I find that one is usually worth the other.

Sleep: glad to get much more than I used to when I worked in an office and had a commute!

Tim: thanks honey for everything you do, I love you!

University of Missouri- Go Tigers!!!

Vodka: not gonna lie, it's very nice after (or during) a long day!

Work: love, love, love what I do and who I do it with!

eXercise: kind of a stretch but I love the feeling after a good workout. I should do it more often... good thing training for 8 Tuff Miles starts ASAP!!

Youth: while I may not be one I feel like one and you're only as old as you feel, right?

Zinfandel: and all other varities of fermented grapes (thanks, Amanda, for that one!)

For Your Viewing Pleasure... Or Not!

2010-10-11T10:13:00.003-05:00

I knew moving here I'd face not getting to see live, professional/college sporting events and I was honestly okay with that. I was pleasantly surprised to find out St. Thomas hosts a pretty decent NCAA preseason basketball tourney- Paradise Jams. What I wasn't prepared for was not having the OPTION to watch my teams on TV!

Living the last 8 years in Chicago I got used to having to go to bars to watch the Cardinals during baseball season or Mizzou and the Rams during football season. Heck, I even looked forward to being forced out in a bar if it a) had a fantastic bloody mary bar or b) was The Spread for a Mizzou game. (Sidenote: if Mizzou HAD joined the Big 10 I may have gone ballistic to know that, after 8 years of suffering through crappy Big 10 games, Chicago would be getting Mizzou games delivered live to their family rooms!) However, there's a difference when you go out and STILL can't see your games!!

So what brought this about, you ask? Picture a couple- Tiger fans- wanting to go enjoy the Mizzou/Colorado football game with another couple- dirty Buffalo fans-after learning that Fox Sports Net is carrying the game! Due dilligence is done to determine that Direct TV in the VI's affiliate station is Channel 654- Fox Sports Net Florida. Yea!! Decision is made to go to Saloon to check out the game because we know they have Direct TV. Being the smart people we are we call first to just double check and make sure they'll carry it. To our surprise, they weren't going to be able to show the game. Okay, no problem, there's still a handful of places we could go! So we call Shipwreck. Um, nope- they weren't able to get it either. So now I'm confused- the channel listing for Direct TV IN ST. THOMAS has Fox Sports Net Florida on Channel 654 which has the MU/Colorado game on at 7 PM yet no one that has Direct TV can get it? Huh? Last resort we call Hooters- they get EVERYTHING- they can't get channel 654. Super last resort we call Woody's on St. John- I mean they fly the Mizzou flag, surely they'll show the game. Guess what? If Caribbean Saloon can't get the game then neither can they :( What the hell? PS- the Tigers absolutely embarrassed Colorado right out of the Big XII that game winning 26-0 and saying sianara to them and their silly Buffalo. Enjoy the PAC 10 suckers! (Can you tell I'm still bitter about that 5th down game in 1990? It didn't help that it was repeated on ESPN like ninety times this week.)

The very next day Tim and I go out to watch some football at Carribbean Saloon. Guess whose game is blacked out? That's right - the Rams/Lions game. (To be fair I really didn't need to watch that 44-6 buttkicking) Apparently, the NFL Network blocks one game a week and, for some reason, it's usually Detroit. Now I know normally your home game is blacked out due to local market television but our local market is New York. Bizarre!

Well, I guess it could always be worse. I could be a Cubs fan...

Who Says You Can't Go Home?

2010-09-19T09:17:00.002-05:00

Thank you, Bon Jovi, for my excellent title. While I'm sure someone more important than him actually coined the phrase, I prefer to give him my props. So, who says you can't go home? But what if you don't know where home is?

According to the Scrabble dictionary, which is the only dictionary I've used in recent times, 'home' is referred to as ones place of residence. Okay- that's pretty basic. Wikipedia says 'home' is a place of residence or refuge. It is usually a place where ones family can rest and store personal property. Hmm... I'm sensing a trend here. It goes on to say that 'home can also be a mental or emotional state of refuge or comfort. Ding ding ding! Bingo- that hits it on the head! So that being said, can one have multiple homes?

For the last decade or so I've always considered myself to have at least two homes. In college it was Columbia and St. Louis. When I moved to Chicago it was there and St. Louis. When we moved here it became St. Thomas, St. Louis and Chicago. Although we technically don't have a Scrabble-defined home in Chicago (well, one that we could enter without being maced and violating our tenants lease) I still considered it to be home. Besides, that property makes us pay IL taxes!! I had spent the last 8 years there, Tim 10, and we had built a life. Yet when we moved to the islands and had to determine where we would come back to we decided go 'home' to St. Louis. Technically we have a residence in Missouri, I mean, our storage unit stores all of our personal property! Moving here and knowing we were never returning to Chicago was a big decision for us. For those of you who have read the blog from the beginning you know how quickly that decision was made. For those of you who have not- just go read the first post. Had we made the right one? Well, after our first visit 'home' to both Chicago and St. Louis I think we have an answer: home is where your heart is and our hearts reside with the Saints- Thomas and Louis.

Don't get me wrong Chicago, I loved visiting but that's the key word- I felt like a visitor, not someone returning home. Chicago is a very transient city- lots of people move there after college and move home (or to the 'burbs) when they are ready to start a family. And, let's be honest, if you move to the 'burbs you may as well be in another state anyways. That being said, we've had a lot of friends take the plunge and leave the city so our core group of friends has changed quite a bit. While we got to see nearly everybody (thanks guys for coming out to Fernandos, The Boundary and Casa Bonita!) there were quite a few people who I thought would have made the effort that just didn't. And that sucked. It certainly helped put things in perspective- we had officially moved out of Chicago, physically and emotionally. Maybe part of the problem was that we had so much fun on Friday night when we got there we were drained for the rest of the trip!!

On the other hand, going to St. Louis, I couldn't get enough time there. I extended my stay three times! I was originally supposed to fly out the 8th but changed that about a month before the trip. Then I changed it to the 11th on the 7th and the 12th on the 9th. Thank you lord for AA not charging change fees on Frequent Flier tickets!! And I still feel like I didn't get to spend enough time with friends and family. I thought about where we'd want to live when we get back. I thought about all the fun times we'll have with friends and family. And while I'm not ready to do it anytime soon- I'm excited to know that we made the right decision in moving 'home' to St. Louis after our crazy island adventure.

And as for that crazy island? Man, it was good to get home... :)

One Week and Counting!!

2010-08-20T15:16:00.002-05:00

Exactly one week from right now my plane should (and I stress SHOULD) be landing in Chicago!!! We booked our trip quite awhile ago and I'm surprised that it is actually here. So much to do before we leave and even more to do while we are there! I have a feeling I'm going to need a vacation from our vacation when we get back! Thank goodness two days after we return to the rock we have Lauren's Birthday Boat Trip!! Although I'm guessing that isn't going to be exactly relaxing...

We have lots of plans in Chicago, Indy, St. Louis and CoMo. What exactly we are doing while we are in each place is still up in the air! We know we get into Chicago the 27th. We know we HAVE to be in STL by the Cards/Cinci game on Friday, September 3rd. Somewhere between those two we will head to Indy to see Matt, Becky & Allison and to meet our new niece, Abby. Tim flies out of St. Louis on the 8th and I on the 10th. Looking forward to some good quality time with friends and family on the trip.

I have ridiculously long shopping list and I think our 'places we need to eat list' is starting to rival it! Who knew we'd miss Taco Bell, Olive Garden and White Castle so much? And don't kid yourself- there's a lot more on there: Imo's, Cici's Pizza, Fernandos, etc. Also ridiculously long? My to-do list before we leave- lots of planning, laundry, packing and loose ends to tie up!

So not my most exciting post but that's okay! See all of you in Chicago/Indy/St. Louis/CoMo soon!!!

When Paradise Isn't

2010-07-25T17:19:00.007-05:00

For the most part, living on St. Thomas IS paradise. To steal a quote from a friend (Krisinta Ciolino- she moved to Aspen at the same time we moved here): My life is your vacation. I love that! So what, you ask, could make living here not so poetic? Well, it's been a rough few weeks on the rock.

Two weeks ago tomorrow, on July 12th, a teenage tourist was caught in gang crossfire and killed. Here is a link to an article http://www.aolnews.com/crime/article/gang-shootout-kills-teen-tourist-on-us-virgin-islands/19551521 . To sum it up, she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. The shootout was in retaliation for a murder that was committed in broad daylight at the mall. That murder was a retaliation for another murder. It's a vicious cycle. The crime rate on STT and gang violence is out of control. We've had 47 murders to date. While that doesn't seem high, based on our population it would be the equivalent of 4500 people being murdered thus far in 2010 in Chicago. Before the murders at the mall, crime had stayed pretty much out of my mind with the exception of what I read in the police blotter. I know where not to go and what to stay away from. I've generally felt safe. Do I still feel safe here? Yes. Why does this not get cleaned up? Because I moved to the one location more corrupt than Illinois! Who would have thought that was possible??

This past week we had more than 20 inches of rain. That's not a typo: 2-0. I've never, ever seen anything like it! We had 7 alone on Tuesday. It's affected both Tim and I's jobs. Tuesday the course was closed- you can see why below. That river on the left? That's actually the 12th fairway! The pond in the front? The pathway between 12 & 16 (not to be confused with the pond that is ACTUALLY on 16 as a water hazard). Surprisingly, the course was open Wednesday.... until about 3 o'clock when the next wave of rain came :(

Me? Let's see, Monday night our Wine Tasting was rained out. Tuesday, we had to close early which sucked because there was a late ship in. Wednesday we had to close before our sunset party even started because (a) the band wouldn't be able to play without being electrocuted and (b) it was pouring AGAIN. Tuesday, our office flooded. This is Julie trying hard to shop-vac the water out. Too bad it was coming in twice as fast as we could suck up. Finally we just moved anything that might get water damage to a higher shelf and went home :(

The first pic below was a storm coming our way shortly before I was supposed to leave for work on Tuesday. Lucky me! The next picture is the street when I went in at 1 PM- a main road through Havensight. When I left work the road was completely closed and impassable. The third picture, well- have you ever heard the saying 'shit runs downhill'? Look closely at the harbor and it should bring that saying to life. It's not supposed to be that color. Whenever it rains torrentially here, everything from the top of the mountain to the bottom is washed out to sea. Unless you are up to date on Hepititis and Tetnus shots it's recommended to stay out of the water for a few days!

Wednesday night we, both having been sent home from work, were sitting on the couch watching TV when, all of the sudden, the house moved. As in for 5 seconds for so the ground below us was rumbling. It was like a big truck had driven down the road and shook our house except we don't live on a road that would accommodate a big truck! We heard our neighbors ask each other if they felt that and kind of looked at each other. About 10 minutes later someone posted on FB that it was an earthquake. What??! Sure enough- 4.5 at 8:04PM on July 21st we had an earthquake!

What's funny about all of these things is that, through it all, none of them made big news in the US. The tourist shooting made the internet but I never saw it on TV. I only had one friend email me about it. It wasn't until the rain was past us that it picked up enough wind speed to be named Tropical Storm Bonnie. THEN people were all over it. There was no damage in the earthquake so no reason for a news report- it wasn't even in our local paper online! So it makes me chuckle that 45 minutes after the earthquake struck Haiti my mom was all over the phone making sure we were okay. After educating her on where we are in relation to Haiti we hung up. Point is, my mom is very vigilant about calling to make sure we are okay yet three major happenings and she hears NOTHING on it. Since she heard nothing on any of these things, I figure no one else has!

Oh, and if all those things aren't enough to lead me to believe that the world is ending I had the kiss of death Thursday: our repairman was 15 minutes early. This. Never. Happens.

So, see? It's not all fun and games down here. It's just that my FB posts will never show otherwise :)

A Few Late Additions..

2010-07-23T09:18:00.002-05:00

It's rare for me to re-open a post but, as I worked this week, I thought of a few more rules of restaurant/bar etiquette that need to be shared:

* Have You Made Up Your Mind or Not?: Don't flag me down as I'm running with food in my hands as if you have an urgent need to have me come over, ask if you're ready and then sit there while you ponder. Same thing goes for the bar- don't approach it if you don't know what you're ordering (slight forgiveness if you have a question). There are likely people behind you (and one in front of you- me!) that will not appreciate your hemming and hawing. Time is money people!

* Que Pasa?: Please don't speak to each other in a foreign language while I'm standing in front of you taking your order when you've just spoken to me in perfect English. It's just rude and makes me uncomfortable. Kind of like when I'm getting my nails done and the technicians are all speaking to each other in their language- are they talking about me??

*Watch Where You Stand: If the large number of servers getting drinks doesn't tip you off to the fact you are likely at the server bar then does the BIG SIGN ABOVE IT???

That is all :)

Just a Little Lesson!

2010-07-14T23:16:00.004-05:00

Trust me, I'm truly enjoying being out of Corporate America. Truly. However, there are things I would like to let people know about the restaurant/bar industry that maybe they've forgotten (because let's be honest- 90% of us have spent at least SOME time in it)- namely a little etiquette. To be fair- I spend most of my time behind the bar vs. waiting tables but I feel that I give 100% fairness to both. I'm also not gonna lie, I've been guilty myself. So here goes, in no particular order:

* Order Where You Stay: Unless you plan on sitting at the bar don't you DARE order a drink at the bar and then sit at one of my tables. Really? You couldn't wait to the 15 seconds it will take me to walk across the room to get your order? You do this then don't expect service out of me. I make my living on tips. If you order from someone else and give them that tip, what do I owe you? Nothing. Should you be ordering more drinks and dinner this will be forgiven. Oh- but don't play the 'I didn't know you had table service' game. I don't buy it.

* Take The Menu: Please don't let me offer you a menu, you say 'no thanks' just to have you ask me what I have to eat and/or drink. What?!?

* I'm Not an Animal: Don't clap, whistle or wave at me. I see you. I know you need something. I'm getting there. This goes quadruple for if you are doing these actions while I'm AT another table.

* I'M Your Waitress: This means ME. I understand if I'm slammed and you see someone else I work with walk by and you may grab them. Okay. However, if I was JUST at your table and you 'needed' NOTHING, now is not the time to grab the first person you see to get something. Please also don't look confused when you ask me for your check and your waitress is 5'10'' and blonde and I tell you I will let your server know- clearly we are not the same person.

* Push In Your Chairs!: You wouldn't get up from your dining room table and walk away without pushing in your chairs so why do you think it's okay to do so in a restaurant? Your moms would be so disappointed!

* It's Not An Insult: Ah- the autograt. Without it, Tim & I would be destitute. Without it, some days it might not be worth going to work for me (Costa ships, hello?!). With it, I'm a happy camper. It's impossible to 'read' a table. I've tried. I've tried the experiment of 'maybe they'll be super duper tippers' and failed (family of 8 from St. Louis with the Mizzou visor? Even though you aren't reading this, I'm looking at you! Really? $5 on $41 after I spent 20 minutes talking Tigers?!?) So please, please, please don't be offended. If you normally tip 20% and you get gratted at 15%, add it in! This is our livliehood, not a game and it's NOTHING personal. When you ask me if tip is included and I reply, 'Yes- but just 15%' that's a hint! Who really only tips 15% these days anyways? (Dad- should I be looking at you? Please tell me no!)

* Either You're Ready or You're Not: Do people not remember hide-and-seek? Ready or not, here I come? Then the seeker came to find the hiders? If you SWEAR you are ready to order then hem and haw over the menu I may kick you.

* When You Assume: If you mean a virgin pina colada, then say it. You're at a bar- I serve drinks with alcohol. If you mean sauce on the side, then say it. Just because YOU always get your wings with their sauce on the side doesn't mean I know that. It's not on the menu that way! Good thing to remember? If you assume- you make an ASS out of U and ME.

* I'm Not in it for the Exercise: Yes, waiting tables/bartending is a great way to keep moving. It doesn't mean for you to order things one by one by one.

I've always had the stance, since my first industry job, that everyone should have to wait tables for a day. Doing it 15 years after I first did has only reinforced my stance. I'm super lucky to work with an amazing group of people. We watch out for each other, can complain to each other and can laugh about all the things that happen to us. I welcome all the comments I know this will draw out of other industry folk. Well, the few I have that read this blog!!

Not So Much

2010-06-17T13:48:00.003-05:00

I know I've talked a lot about things I miss from home in these posts- to the point where even I didn't realize there were things I DON'T miss. Well, a recent trip to Chicago* made me aware that there are definitely things, outside of the obvious (weather, etc.), I don't miss! Who knew?

- Sales Tax: I kind of forgot that sales tax exists to be honest. If a soda is $1.49, it's a $1.49 down here. On the other hand, I bought a Sprite Zero in the Newark Airport that was advertised as $1.89 and cost me $2.04. Not a big deal but kind of annoying as I had $2.00 in my hand! It's very nice to not have to add that extra percentage to whatever I buy. Kind of makes paying ridiculous prices from groceries a little bit better.

- Grafitti: Strange, I know, but true. As I was riding the 'L' from O'Hare to Becky's place I seem to have forgotten how much tagging goes on in Chicago. There were colorful marks EVERYWHERE! Granted, some of the tags aren't that bad- almost pretty- but, for the most part, they suck. I forgot how many times we called 311 to have our building sandblasted. As I stood at the bus stop the following day, the city workers were cleaning tags off the structure. I can only recall seeing one tag down here on island and I just noticed it recently. I hope that it stays the only one!

- Paying for Parking: Ugh. I didn't even have a car but seeing those little payboxes everywhere made me remember how much the City of Chicago screws car owners. Places that previously didn't even have meters now have payboxes at them and that's just the beginning. The other day I got to delete my email from the city reminding me that my City Sticker is coming due. What a racket. You mean you want me to pay $100/year to have the 'right' to then pay a paybox or garage? Oh- if I can FIND a spot? And if we had lived in a residential zoned area then we'd have to pay even more for the right to park in front of our own house. That's larceny and I don't miss it!

- Drink Prices: Yikes! I forgot how much drinks cost! It's sad the Illinois law states that if you serve a drink at a certain price during the day it has to sell at that price all day because happy hour is a wonderful thing! Especially places that have all day or late night happy hours! Cheers!(Thank god we don't live in Alaska where friends who worked there last summer said if you charge a price on a day it has to be that price all week!)

- Lack of Bud Light: While I may miss draft beer I don't miss it enough to be forced to drink Miller products. (I'm exempting Coors Light here b/c it's not that bad) I still remember to this day one of my first nights out in Chicago, at Hye Bar, asking for a Bud Light and being told they don't serve AB products. As a native St. Louisan that is basically blasphemy and I was floored! I kind of felt that way again when I tried to order a Bud Light and got shot down. The Southern doesn't even serve Coors Light though and I was forced to drink Miller Light :( Although I do admit the Vortex bottle isn't half bad.

Wrigleyville: Maybe I just hit it on a bad day but it made me feel very, very old. Granted, I'm guessing my soberness did not help my impression. Most everyone in Wrigleyville for the Cubs/Sox game had come directly from the Blackhawks parade and was HAMMERED. Maybe I'm a fairweather Wrigleyville fan and only like it on Cards/Cubs game days? I don't know. All I do know is I wanted out and I never thought I'd be saying that.

McDonalds: True, we have McDonalds on the island but I haven't had it since before we moved. That's 7 months with no golden arches meals. I passed plenty in the airport and in the Chi but never felt the urge to go see if I like it. I think part of it is I want to see how long I can live without it. I mean, I've made it 7 months- I don't think I've ever gone this long without it before- do I ever really need it again? At least until we have kids that can be bribed with Happy Meals I mean.

Extreme Temperature Changes: It was 88 and humid (I heard the Cubs announcer say it was 'oppressive heat' and laughed because I thought it was quite pleasant!) on Friday but Saturday it was rainy and 60. Luckily I packed a pair of jeans and had a hoodie! I don't miss the days of using the AC and the heat in same day!!

While I did discover these things that I don't miss, some of the conveniences I do were made more obvious. My showers were amazing. I'd say they worth the price of my ticket... well, almost. It was very nice to have hot water, pressure and not have to turn it off and on! It was nice to have central air and be able to blow dry my hair without sweating AND to wear my hair down!

One thing that I found odd is I didn't feel as if Chicago is home anymore :( I guess not having a house there is a big part of it and we have a bunch of friends who have moved or are in the process of moving out of Chicago. It was a weird feeling and I don't know how I feel about it. It makes me wonder if I'll feel like St. Louis is home when we visit this summer or if the VI is home home. Things that make you go hmmm....

*Disclaimer: This was a very last minute (as in booked Tuesday and left Thursday) and very quick (as in got in close to midnight Thursday and left at 4:45 AM Sunday) trip. I told only one person in Chicago I was coming b/c I knew it would be impossible to see everybody. That is what August is for :) We will be in Chicago 8/27 - 9/1 and can't wait to see one and all!!

Say What??

2010-05-21T10:11:00.004-05:00

Even I can admit that when I go on vacation maybe I'm not thinking 100% of the time. I cannot say, however, I was prepared for all the things that come out of tourist's mouths. So as you read this, file it away for your next vacation. When you're tempted to ask/say any of the below- remember this post and DON'T DO IT!

- Do you work here? One of my friends used to tell people that he lost his wallet and is just working to make enough money to get home. Another one tells them that he missed the cruise ship and is trying to make money to fly to the next port and catch it there. Yes, I work here. I'm wearing a shirt that matches the bar name- that should be your first clue. Common sense- is it too much to ask for?

- Do you live here? Seriously- I cannot tell you how many times this question was asked. Um, where do you think I live? Tim likes to tell people that, no, he does not. Rather he takes the tunnel from Puerto Rico (or Miami) everyday. You have no idea how many people exclaim, "I had NO idea there was a tunnel, that's so cool!" I actually once had a guy point at the houses on the hills and ask if people lived in them. No, dude, it's just decor for you to look at from up here. Of course people live in them- they are HOUSES!

- Oh! We didn't expect you to speak English! Are you kidding me? #1 we are IN the US; I understand that the West Indian dialect may not SOUND like English but it is. I swear. #2 what do I LOOK like I speak??

- Do you take American money? I reiterate- we are IN the US. This may also go along with the couple that was dumbfounded we don't accept Canadian money and asked me multiple times to be sure. They only had $8 in American currency and no credit cards, I'm not sure how they made it through the rest of their vacation.

- Is it expensive to live here? or How much do you pay to live here? or Do you make enough money to live? I have no idea what your idea of expensive is. I'm also not getting in your pockets asking what you do and how much you make. Why do you think it's okay to do the same thing to me? I know you are just curious but let's have a little respect.

- Do you have to drive the golf cart on the left side of the path too? The course here is JUST like courses in the US- the path is kind of a one way type of deal. There is no left or right so, technically, yes, you have to drive on the LEFT side of the one way path. To be fair, we can tell the difference between tourists and locals by the way the go around the round-abouts (left vs. right) but it's not a life or death choice.

Miscellaneous Quotes (these are specific to STT and to us or our friends so you'd likely never ask them but they are so absurd it tells you just how far some people's minds drift on vacation)

- If no one lives on the island, why did they build such a pretty beach? This one was to Tim who was pointing out Hans Lolick. It is an island that you can see from the 14th hole on the course and owned by a resort company. As he was explaining that the resort company is selling it because it is only zoned for residential the man interrupted and asked the above question. Tim was dumbfounded.

- It's closer to get to the beach by from up here right? I work 700 feet above St. Thomas. The beach is at ground level. You do the math.

- The cat is attacking the dinosaur!! Again, this one is from Tim. It's pretty well known that we have iguanas running all over the island. The course also has a 'course cat' named Paris who hangs out on the back 9 (I think his owner lives somewhere in the condos). One day Paris decided the iguanas were too much for him and, I guess, showed them who was boss. The poor tourists watching this were very distressed and called the clubhouse to report it.

- How do the cruise ships find St. Thomas if it's always floating? I cannot remember who told me they were asked this so I apologize for not giving credit but it HAD to go in here!!

Don't get me wrong- I'm not really complaining. I find most of these to be very humorous and my livliehood is in the tourists. I sometimes just wonder what people are thinking!! If any of my STT followers have more to add, comment away!!

Six Months Already? Where Has the Time Gone?

2010-05-07T12:46:00.004-05:00

Today is our 6 month anniversay of arriving in St. Thomas and I cannot believe how quickly the time has gone by. Lucky for us we are truly enjoying this experience. I'm not going to lie- I have my moments when I really, really want to go home but they generally pass quickly. I couldn't do this life forever but I'm certainly doing my best to enjoy every minute of the time we have here.

A lot has happened in the six months we've been down here. Here's a quick rundown by numbers!

* 390 (approximate number of Jager shots consumed)

We are the Jager capital of the world. Seriously. I'm not kidding. We consume more Jager per capita than anywhere else in the world. I actually heard the other night that the heiress to the Jager fortune came to visit the island and was extremely shocked and disgusted at the way people drink her alcohol- as shots vs. an after-dinner sipping drink. Anyways, I came up with this number by taking the number of weeks we have been here (26) x the average number of days/nights per week spent out with friends (5) x average number of shots on said nights (3). Oh, and did I mention bars don't believe in 1.5 ounce shots? They are 3 ounces so I guess technically you should multiply that number by 2...Yikes, that's roughly 12 bottles!

* 264 (the estimated number of songs I was unaware were 'reggae')

Were you aware you can turn ANY song into a reggae one? I was not but I certainly am now! This also includes all variations of Christmas songs!

* 168 (the number of beers won by Tim in Monday Madness)

Monday Madness is a 9 hole game at the course where you play with a partner and a crazy rule every week. For example: play only with even numbered clubs or your opponents get to pick which ball, you or your partner's, has to be played. Everytime you win you get a case of beer, I'll let you do the math...

* 130 (the number of minutes I waited in line at K-Mart on Black Friday)

To be fair, based on amount of time I spend in a normal line at K-Mart, this really isn't too bad. What WAS bad about it is that I got in line at 10:15 AM and got up to the counter at 12:25 PM with a TV in my cart that was on special until 12:00 noon. This was only a few weeks after we got on island and my patience and tolerance weren't quite what they are now. When I was denied I, ahem, politely explained that I was in line long before noon and that she better get a manager over to resolve this issue as she was going to see it for the 12 people behind me who also had said TV in her cart. Surprisingly, problem solved!

* 26 (number of eBay items purchased since 11/7/2009)

We rely on eBay these days for just about everything. Heck, I just bought a Salad Spinner!! This number does not include the multiple purchases from Express.com, OldNavy.com and VictoriasSecret.com

* 23 (number of followers of this Blog)

Hey- I know a lot of you read this on FB but please, please, please become a follower :) Sorry for shameless plug!

* 17 (the number of visitors we have had so far)

We have been incredibly lucky to have had many of our closest friends come check out our new island paradise. I include my 3 friends who have visited St. John but since I got to see them they count. The more the merrier!! We've come a long way from when Tiffany came to visit 5 days after we got on island and knew zero, zilch, nothing about ANYTHING!

* 12 (the number of Jimmy Dean D-Lites in one box)

This may seem odd but, seeing they are a staple in my diet, a big part of our life. Tim and I were walking around Pricesmart shopping for our Superbowl party bickering about how he wanted to buy commercial grade chicken legs when I turned the corner to find them. It was like when the light shines on something with angels going 'ahhhh' on TV- that's how I felt. Immediately Tim could buy whatever he wanted because my life was complete- a CostCo favorite of mine had made on island. To this day, they are still there. Thank you Lord!

* 10 (the number of times our cars have had work done on them)

Seriously, Romeo our car guy is on my speed dial. There are only three people IN my speed dial: my mom, Tim and my car guy. This number includes today as I have to have my back wheels replaced. Who knew that tires too big for your wheel wells that are constantly scraping would eventually split in two? Well, I guess we did but it was just a matter of time...

* 9 (the number of W2's we had to track down for our 2009 taxes)

What. A. Pain. In. The. Butt. Some were extremely easy (thank you Abbott for being normal and having a portal to just print), some were extremely hard (comes as no surprise, it was our government funded unemployment ones). This would be the reason that we had to file an extension and I'm dropping our tax stuff off to our accountant this afternoon.

* 8 (the number of islands we have visited)

Okay, I'm not including St. Thomas in this one. Still, I think 8 islands in 6 months isn't a bad number. Plus we've been to at least 2 multiple times... sometimes multiple times in one week! We've hit Vieques, Culebra, Jost Van Dyke, Tortola, St. John, Virgin Gorda, Marina Cay and Sandy Spit. Must get to Water Island soon...

* 7 (the number in dollars a gallon of milk costs)

Hence why we now drink Silk Light Soy Milk at a bargain basement price of $4.99/gallon

* 3 (the number of times we have had to have our cistern filled)

Driest winter on record. Go figure. Couldn't be easy on us and rain like it normally does could it?

* 1 (the number of live sporting events seen since moving)

Yep, one drawback is no football, no baseball, no nothing. We were lucky enough to go see Paradise Jams and watch Tennessee (before they lost most of their good players to gun charges) play Purdue (before they lost their key player to injury) AND I got my picture with Gene Kady- the owner of the world's BEST combover!

* Countless (the number of times a day I realize how lucky we are)

Cheesy, I know, but it's so true. We're so lucky to have had amazing support from friends and family back home, have made incredible friends here and to have each other. Here's to the next year on the rock!

A Shopper's Paradise? Not So Much!

2010-04-26T15:36:00.003-05:00

Those of you that know me know that I love, love, love shopping. Of any kind. I don't care if it's clothes or groceries, I love it! While this may be music to Tim's ears it saddens me- I'm tired of shopping.

Shopping on the island just isn't the same as shopping at home. For one, I miss the convenience of going to one grocery store for my groceries. I never imagined that I'd have to go 3 or 4 places just to complete my shopping list. I have to go to one place for produce, one place for decent deals on staple items, one place I only trust for canned goods and then there's PriceSmart (our version of Costco). Then there's trying to hit all these places at the right time to avoid standing in 3 or 4 very, very long and slow lines. Planning the trip is almost as important as the trip itself. This island could make a killing if it got a PeaPod to do it for you... maybe I'll look into franchising that!

Then there's the matter of clothes. For someone who worked 4 (yes, 4) miles from an outlet mall, gettting used to not having 'real' stores is still something I'm adjusting to. I used to be able to leave the office and hop in my car to hit Banana Republic Factory Store, Gap Outlet AND the Bed, Bath and Beyond Outlet all in under an hour over lunch. Go another 8 miles and I could hit the Coach Outlet and J Crew Factory Store too! That required me to drive a bit faster though and know exactly what I was going to get. I lived in Chicago which had amazing shopping- so many boutiques in so many neighborhoods. I could hit one a week and never run out! Now I have K-Mart. Just K-Mart.... and I just can't bring myself to buy clothes there.

That leads me into something that was another passion of mine in my downtime at work- online shopping! I love eBay and before I moved here it was just a casual thing. Now eBay is our savior and quite possibly an addiction. We order everything from clothes to make up to kitchen gadgets these days. Right now I am anxiously awaiting delivery of a salad spinner! It's sad but it's cheaper on there than it is to go to K-Mart, even with the cost of shipping! We use Drugstore.com for items like razorblades and vitamins and stuff because it's so much cheaper. Talk about planning though- their shipping time to the VI is 21-45 days and it's usually much closer to the 45! I shop on OldNavy.com and Express.com and VictoriasSecret.com like it's my job. I search the clearance items and hope that everything will fit because it's probably cheaper to just keep the $5 skirt than it is to pay to ship it back! What I would give to just be able to try something on again! Then there are stores that don't ship here- Target, Bed, Bath and Beyond and Kohl's are a few that come to mind. I think I may make it my mission to get them to change that policy!

So those of you that have visited and had to do some stateside shopping for us- thank you. For those of you still to come, keep your eyes peeled for our lists :)

Seasonal Concepts

2010-04-19T18:00:00.003-05:00

No- I'm not talking about the furniture store (I actually think it's out of business) but rather how much the word 'season' means down here. Before I moved here season meant one thing- Winter, Summer, Spring and Fall. Okay, maybe two things- there are definitive sports seasons that I was a fan of: Baseball Season, Football Season and College Basketball Season. Now the word season defines our lives. How, you ask? Let me tell you.

Tourist season pretty much drives all of the other meanings of season so I'll start there. It's basically November-ish through May-ish. I use the 'ish' because everyone has an idea of when it begins/ends. Some say it begins when hurricane season ends (November 1) and goes until it starts (June 1). Some say it begins right before/after Thanksgiving and goes until May 1. Some say it's December - April or when Carnival ends. Regardless of everyone's varying definitions of season everyone can agree on one thing- when it ends, it affects just about everything.

It effects work- ships just don't come in as often. They switch their course or come every other week. Less ships = less work on an island that 100% revolves around the Cruise Ship industry. For me at Paradise Point, we don't even open when there are zero ships in- that happens even during season. I foresee more days off in my future!

We've had lots of different types of friends: work friends, friends that lived out of town and friends you saw almost every week. For the first time ever we have 'seasonal friends'. These are our friends who come at the beginning of season, work and go somewhere else at the end of season (probably that location's season) but come back at the beginning of next season. Lots of people have started leaving island and there are many more to take off over the next month. We are lucky that most everyone we work with sticks around AND a few people we thought were leaving island have decided to stay (yeah Potter & Kate!) but there are plenty of people we will miss until they return next season!

One positive aspect of season is many place's rates go down. Better deals at the golf course, hotels, flights, etc. So all of you who keep saying 'We're coming, we're coming' (Benos I'm looking at you) start looking at flights! I'll do my best to not have it hurricane during your visit.

The Easter Bunny Brings Puppies?

2010-04-05T14:33:00.007-05:00

Whatever happened to an Easter Basket or eggs? This year the Easter Bunny brought me a puppy. Well, technically the Easter Bunny would be Tim but still, I thought only Santa Claus brought people puppies.

Saturday afternoon I get a text from Tim to check my email, his text says he's kind of serious. What was the email, you ask? It was a picture of this little guy and one sentence, 'Do we need a puppy?' Excuse me? No! We do NOT need a puppy was my exact text response. Then one a few seconds later, 'Well, he is really cute....' Needless to say, Tim walks in the house with a crate and the cutest puppy EVER. I immediately name him Jack since he looks like a Jack Russell, we were assured he was not. Tim thinks it is weird to name him after my dad and just calls him puppy.

Where did he come from? Someone abandoned him, along with his mom and four siblings, at a dumpster :( Someone took him to one of the vets who plays golf at the course and brought him there on Saturday. Hence, Tim taking him home. He's roughly 7-8 weeks old and his brothers and sisters were already adopted (well, one had to be put down) but he had to have his tail amputated so he couldn't be given away yet. How can be people so cruel?? Still, we do not need a puppy! As much as I would LOVE to have one there are several factors not allowing us to: our lease, our time, our much-loved-dog Laddie who, for some reason, is terrified and runs away everytime Jack (or as Tim now calls him- Buddy) pounces up to her.

So now we've volunteered to try and get him adopted. I put a few posts on FB and decided to take him to Easter Dinner at Tara's. Tara also happens to live with our boss, Murray, who happens to have a thing for taking in dogs as I learn before dinner :) Tara and Jess took a picture with Jack and emailed it off to Murray. After waiting an hour they called him and Murray said yes! Jack has a home! We enjoyed a great dinner with great friends and a beautiful sunset. Another successful holiday in our new home :)

Jack will likely get a new name in a few hours. We've spent a great day together- mostly it's been him sleeping or peeing on the floor. He drug Laddie's toys across the family room- quite impressive since they are twice as big as he is! He's quite the sunggler too- he loves to be right up burrowed in your arm. Then he wakes up and tries to eat your fingers... or chin. Tara and Murray are going to love him! Thanks guys, we owe you!

Driving In My Car Beep Beep!

2010-03-11T20:29:00.002-06:00

Okay, so I've never considered myself a great driver. I failed my first driving test because I was so concerned with backing out of my space correctly that I didn't realize how much I had cut the wheel. Did you know that if your driving tester has to stop you from having an accident then you automatically fail? I learned the heard way. I've had my share of accidents ranging from rear-ending someone about 3 days after I got my license (passed the second time with FLYING colors) to backing over an Asian bicyclist. Disclaimer on the bicyclist: what kind of moron bikes in Chicago dressed in all black with no reflectors on her bike in the rain at 11 PM at night? Although I technically was at fault for hitting her it was TOTALLY her fault. Moving on...

So I get I'm not the best which is why I was pleasantly suprised to hear one of our visiting friends comment that I'm a good driver and how well I know my way around the island. Thanks, Lauren!! Anyways, despite the kind words, I'm not sure if it has anything to do with how well I drive vs. how BAD everyone on this island does! I lived in Chicago the last 8 years- I learned how to drive defensively. What I did there doesn't hold a candle to what I do here.

For starters, we drive on the left here but in American cars with the wheel also on the left. I haven't quite figured out why but I'm guessing it has something to do with being a former British territory? Driving on the left side of the road from the left side of the car leaves perspective on the 'center line' a bit cloudy. I use quotes b/c 75% of our roads don't HAVE a center line. Unfortunate since 75% of our roads also have pretty steep cliffs off the left.

Driving while talking on your cell phone? Ticket. Driving without a seatbelt? Ticket. Driving with a beer in your hand? Move right along! Since the drinking age is 18, we get no federal funding for roads. You Chicagoans think you have pothole problems? Think again! Some of these can swallow your car, literally. There is good reason we all travel with cans of Fix-A-Flat in our glove compartment.

Growing up in St. Louis I was used to left turns and right turns. Moving to Chicago after college I learned hard left/right and soft left/right turns at 6-way intersections. Moving here I learned the meaning of really, really hard turns. As in turns that are at least 270 degrees. No joke. You HAVE to be in two lanes- either the ones you are turning OUT of or the ones you are turning INTO. Bizarre!

Since I didn't have to take the driving test down here, rather I surrendered my license and $40 plus 5 hours of my time, I have no idea if they actually teach you how to signal before your turn with the actual indicators. My guess is no because nobody does it! Instead, people just (a) stop and turn causing me to slam on my breaks because why would I assume the car in front of me is going to just randomly stop? or (b) hang their hand out the window. I don't mean when they want to turn. No, that would be too easy to identify. They just hang it out the entire time they are driving and give a flip of the wrist or a finger or whatever to let me know they are turning. I hang my hand out the window all the time but not to signal- I wonder if I really screw with people behind me?

So while my driving may not have gotten better, my navigational skills certainly have. The island only has 5 main roads and none of them are named. They have numbers but no one, I repeat- no one, has any idea what they are. Directions are given based on landmarks and I use the word 'landmark' loosely. Here are a few of the main landmarks:

- The Hometown (gas station on north side)
- The Castle (actually a castle, not really sure if it's a restaurant or what)
- The Stop-Sign-Everyone-Blows (no explanation necessary, you don't know it's there you ain't stopping)
- The 270 Degree Turn
- The Post Office (automatically defaults to the one in Frenchtown. Not sure why.)

Once we learned these I felt good getting around on the island and giving directions on the island! It's still kind of surreal to me that I can't tell people to turn left at Ashland & Fullerton but rather go up Mafoli, turn right at the Castle, pass the hometown, stay to the right at the stop sign everyone blows and turn into Estate Harmony in order to get them to our house.

Island driving is quite interesting and I'm glad to know that people from Chicago think we have it down pat :)

Island Weather

2010-02-24T11:50:00.004-06:00

Weather has always fascinated me. I love thunderstorms. I loved when the meteorologists cut into the shows to give me the update and radar. (I say 'loved' because down here our 'local' news is out of NYC and, no offense, I just don't care about their weather.) I know- it's weird. I remember when I was little, my mom telling me a story of how it was raining in the front yard but not that back. That blew my 7-year old mind and, thinking it was the coolest story ever, told all my friends. They, as 7-year olds, also thought it was super cool. Something I've discovered on the island is this 'front yard, back yard' thing happens all the time!

The island is only 13 miles long by 4 miles wide yet the weather when I am at home can be totally different than the weather downtown. When I'm at work it'll be sunny but I look to the North side of the island and tell that it's pouring on Tim at work. It can be cloudy at my house but, as I look off the deck, completely sunny over on St. John. Totally bizarre to me that fronts can be that tiny! It is pretty cool to see them move across the ocean though.

Take as evidence these two pictures taken Monday from my deck. The first one is looking left and the other one is looking right. Drastic difference, right?

Now, all my friends dealing with winter weather and just wanting Spring to get here, please don't kill me when I say this. Sometimes I just want a stormy day! Maybe it's a day when I'm not feeling good or tired and don't want to feel bad if I skip doing something outside or maybe had a bit too much fun at a Princess Party the night before... Regardless, not having seasons is weird enough to me. Besides, rain = more water in my cistern which = a shower without turning the water on and off :)

Mold, Mold EVERYWHERE :(

2010-02-17T06:47:00.002-06:00

We had been warned before moving here that living on the northside = a ridiculous amount of mold. I had NO idea what 'ridiculous amount' actually meant.

For an anal clean freak like me, using cleaning supplies and having the house smell bleachy-fresh is actually very soothing. Problem #1- because our septic tank has leeches in it we can not use bleach or any cleaning products containing bleach. Boo. So I went out and bought some Mr. Clean with Febreeze in it (smells AMAZING) and some of those 'natural' cleaners. Problem #2- none of those kill mold. I've gotten good with cleaning things with a toothbrush and good old fashioned elbow grease but it's certainly not very fun. And damn that mold grows quick!

This leads me to Problem #3- mold grows on EVERYTHING. About a month ago I pulled out a black purse that was now suddenly mutliple shades of black and green and white- I nearly fainted. Luckily, with some scrubbing and OxiClean it's back to it's old self... for now. A couple weeks ago I pulled out a pair of capris that must have been put back on the hanger damp as they now have stripes of mold down the front. I have yet to decide if it's better to throw these away. The day before Superbowl, as I was getting the house party-ready, I picked up Tim's hat that had fallen off the mirror. I only hope this picture can do it justice:

I have yet to actually get this one to come clean :(

So that's the latest island adventure for us: mold. If anyone has any non-bleach ideas I'd welcome them with open arms. And, mom, I know you are reading this and freaking out since I'm allergic to mold. Don't worry, my lungs haven't collasped... yet.

It's Here!! It's Here!!

2010-01-28T08:54:00.006-06:00

Some of you may think I'm weird for saying this but I love to do laundry. I love the satisfaction of having everything clean. Of everything smelling fresh. Of an empty laundry basket. Then we moved here and laundry wasn't quite that simple and I hate laundry.

At home, our washer and dryer was on the third floor of our condo. Easy, accessible and ours. When we signed our lease we were told a washer and dryer would be delivered but it could be 8-12 weeks so we had to get creative. No longer was laundry a quick trip up the stairs but rather a three step process that has driven me to dread dirty clothes

1. Clothes that can be washed and dried were bagged up once a week and Tim would sneak laundry in at the golf course

2. Clothes that can't be dried are hand washed in the sink and let out to dry on the back deck (and sometimes got re-rinsed in an afternoon rainstorm and had to be blowdried to be ready for work) on a drying rack (that has had to be superglued back together a few times due to strong winds sending it slamming into things)

3. Sheets and towels had to be taken to a place I don't think I've ever really been- the laundrymat.

Yeah... the laundrymat. Luckily I found a very clean one with bright lights and not a lot of shady people. I'm not sure what it costs to go to the laundrymat in the states but holy crap is it expensive here! Thank god the bill changer works for 10's! I was a disaster the first time I went- couldn't figure out how to put quarters in the single load washers, how to close the double load washers and how to select the dryer. It got better and I got a system but it still took hours out of my day and I was not happy. Plus, people looked at me weird when I'd throw Laddie's toys in with our towels and they'd go round and round in the dryer. I guess seeing a stuffed animal pressed against the glass of a dryer isn't something they see everyday...

Today everything changed when a big present finally arrived- the washer/dryer! No more hording quarters! No more sneaking around at the golf course! No more laying clothes on the counter and scrubbing with a brush! It's European and an all in one- the instruction manual is currently my reading material of choice. I'm so excited I'm not sure what to do first- sheets? towels? clothes? Yes, I know, I'm weird... but at least I won't get weird looks when I wash Laddie's toys. However, she may just sit in front of it and watch like a TV until they are done! I think I'm getting my love of laundry back already!

Laddie Update

2010-01-21T19:31:00.001-06:00

**TECHNICAL NOTE: I HAVE ADDED AN EMAIL SUBSCRIPTION LINK ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE PAGE. ENTER YOUR EMAIL AND ANYTIME A NEW POST (AND ONLY WHEN A NEW POST) IS CREATED, YOU WILL RECEIVE AN EMAIL NOTIFICATION. I'M HOPING THIS WORKS, I HAVEN'T SEEN IT COME THROUGH ON MY TEST EMAIL YET THOUGH**

It's funny- whenever I talk to certain people one of the first questions they ask is 'How is Laddie?' Some people were shocked that we brought her with us to St. Thomas but how could we leave her behind? She's nine years old and Tim has had her since she was 6 months old- I can't imagine her NOT being with us. When Tim and I used to visit the Anti-Cruelty Society (why I'm not sure- to torture ourselves maybe? There were several times we almost came home with a second puppy!) I never understood the tags that said 'Reason for Being Given Up: Moving, Can't Take With.' Would you move into an adult-only community and give your kids up? Likely not. That is how I feel about Laddie.

So to answer everyone's questions- Laddie is doing great. She is adjusting to her new surroundings well- too well in some cases. She was sleeping on two pillows and a blanket so Tim and I felt bad and would let her into bed with us. It got to the point that no sooner had Tim gotten in the shower that she was in his spot- laying on his pillow like she was a people (I really think she thinks she is). Recently we were able to find a doggie bed at PriceSmart but she still jumps into bed and we don't have the heart to kick her out. We are such pushovers...

She's finally starting to shed- not a good thing for us but likely fantastic for her (with the exception of now it is very obvious when she is on the couch if we are gone)! She's not a big fan of the bugs and has licked away patches of hair 'scratching' at bug bites :( Every time I go to put Cortisone on her she just licks that off too. I'm thinking I can put it on, wrap her legs in paper towels and tape them in place. If that doesn't work- next stop is the cone... but then her doggie friend, Rue, would make fun of her! I'm hoping the former works first.

She's getting used to us giving her a bath and even clipping her nails but we haven't quite gotten to brushing her teeth. God how I miss PetSmart. That was the best $26.99 I spent a month. Drop her off and pick her up in three hours clean, clipped and with a cute bandana that she finally stopped fighting and wore just to appease us. Not so much the case anymore...

Laddie still has her quirks. She's terrified of the vaccuum- even though what we now own is just basically a stick. She carries her stuffed animals around in her mouth and shakes them like she's caught something (speaking of, I am looking forward to Buxton bringing me a sewing kit so I can sew the Tiger's head back on). She still loves cheese and can hear any type of wrapper- American, BabyBel, String- being opened from any part of the house and will come running. She knows that when the TV goes off, it's time for bed and runs ahead of us. And, for some reason, she finds it fun to kick her (full) food bowl around the room and into the corner. I caught this picture the other day when she kicked it too far and had a dilemma. Apparently not much of a dilemma to her, she just stuck her head between the barstool legs and ate away.

So to all of you who wondered- she's doing just fine. And for those of you that didn't- I'm sorry this post may have been boring but now you know :)

You Take the Good, You Take the Bad

2010-01-16T10:29:00.005-06:00

Okay, so I know a lot of you think that it's always sunny in St. Thomas and life's a beach but it's just not always true. When a cold front comes through- watch out. And when a cold front stalls over the island, as one has right now, it's downright miserable!

The Good: Tim and I are both off. On the same day. At the same time AND want to do the same thing: golf!

The Bad: The cold front started to come through on Thursday at 11 AM. How can I pinpoint this so exact? Well, Tim and I happened to be on the 5th hole at the golf course. We decided that if we were paying customers we'd likely stay out but since it's free we headed in to the clubhouse. Good thing we did- in the hour and a half that we hung out having lunch we got an inch and a half of rain! That was enough to make the call to turn the course cart path only and where's the fun in that? We went home, took a rainy day nap and then both went to work at night where it proceeded to rain cats and dogs.

The Good: It was cool enough to sleep with the windows open.

The Bad: It was so windy it made it hard to sleep AND the roosters kept waking me up (see FB post 1/15).

The Good: A daytrip to St. John on Friday with my friend, Tara. We had planned to take the 8 AM ferry over, hike, have lunch, hit the beach with my new snorkel gear (Thanks AMS for the Dick's Sporting Goods giftcard!) and go to Happy Hour at Woody's.

The Bad: When I woke up at 7:30 it was still rainy and windy as hell. The Accuweather ap on my phone said the winds were only 13 MPH. Crap- if what we had was 13 MPH I will hate to see this place in a hurricane!! We decided to postpone and take the 10AM ferry, assuming that it would clear up like it normally does. Negative on that plan as well :( So instead of having a fun day on St. John I spent it running errands in the rain which is just not fun. I've shown you all multiple pictures of the great view from my deck so I feel it's only fair to show you what it's like when it's crappy, check out the video:

The Good: Later that night I met the girls out for sushi and drinks. Before meeting them I was able to treat myself to a long, hot shower. (In case I haven't explained before all of our water is collected from rainwater on our roof that runs into a cistern below our house. We have to be very conservative with water because it's stupid expensive to have a water truck come refill it. My normal shower consists of getting wet then turning the water off while I suds up. Turning it on to rinse and off again to shave. Then on once more to do a final rinse.)

The Bad: I wore jeans, tennis shoes and a long-sleeved hoodie. No joke. It may have been 73 and I know everyone back home would have whipped out the shorts and flip-flops but I was sporting full fledged fall gear!

The Good: It was bright and sunny at the golf course this morning!

The Bad: Not so much at my house... or the beaches. It's amazing how it can be bright and sunny on one side of the island and a disaster on the other.

Things looked hopeful as the sky began to clear when I was running the remainder of my errands. No sooner did I get home and put away things did it start to rain. So here I am, with a list of chores to do in the house as soon as this post is done :( I know you folks with cold and snow feel no sympathy but try- just a little, please? :)

The Island Fifteen

2010-01-06T09:50:00.002-06:00

Does everyone remember the dreaded 'Freshman Fifteen'? I'm beginning to think there is also an 'Island Fifteen'.

The similarities are definitely there- weight gain brought on by drinking and eating not-so-good-for-you food at all hours of the day/night. To be fair I can't blame this ALL on the Island. I have to put some of the blame on the unemployed time in Chicago when we were going out to eat and drink much more often than when we had jobs and routines. I mean, it was hard to find an excuse when a friend would call wanting to go out any night of the week since we didn't exactly have to get up the next day...

I also can't say there really has been an 'Island Fifteen' because we don't own a scale but things are fitting a bit differently for sure! Thank god I work in a job where I run my butt off for 5-8 hours at a time or I probably wouldn't fit in any of my clothes!

This week I decided to do a 7-day cleanse I saw on Yahoo. It's not your normal starve-yourself- and-get-bitchy cleanses (I did one of those once, bad idea!) but just a back to basics with lots of veggies, grilled chicken and seafood and little carbs after mid-day. Oh- and no drinking... Apparently, in addition to empty calories, drinking causes you to want to eat crap after you do it and the following day. Who knew? :) I made it all of four hours before cheating on the drinking. I was golfing and it was beautiful- who wouldn't drink a beer? Besides, I burned the calories while golfing! Yesterday was a non-stop day at work and I rewarded myself with a few drinks after. Seeing that I never had time to eat my lunch salad (and forogt the chicken that was supposed to go on it) and ran for 9 hours behind the bar I feel that evened out.

Antoher thing I've decided to do is 8 Tuff Miles on February 27th, a 10K across St. John. ( http://www.8tuffmiles.com ) It's not just any 10K, 8 Tuff Miles reaches elevations equivalent of the Empire State Building. It's likely going to kick my butt yet it forces me into the gym to prepare! I'm going to do it with some girls from work and some other friends- should be a blast. Plus, you get a T-Shirt and you all know I'm a sucker for things with a shirt!

So that's it for now- getting back to the way things used to be by eating healthy, working out and drinking vodka b/c it's low in calories :)

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2010-01-02T18:54:00.010-06:00

Wow- where has the time gone? I cannot believe we have been down here for nearly two months- not to mention through three major holidays!

This was the first year in my ENTIRE life that I have not woken up at my parents. That didn't hit me until mid-day at the bar and it kind of weirded me out. I'm 30 years old and have always been at 'home'! Even as recent as last year I made my mom wait until I went to bed to put out the Christmas gifts. Now I'm long past believing in Santa but there's something magical about going to sleep when the tree has nothing under it and waking up when it's got all sorts of fun wrapped presents underneath it! This year was also the first year we opened gifts on Christmas Eve :( I cannot say I want either of those things to become tradition. Laddie didn't seem to mind though, she loves opening her presents regardless of the day!

Tim and I were lucky enough to both be off NYE night and New Years Day and we made plans to go to Foxy's on Jost Van Dyke in the British Virgin Islands. Foxy's is known for their New Year's Eve Party- it's ranked in the Top Ten in the world- so we were really looking forward to it. Then Wednesday came along and it rained ALL day and ALL night and was still raining Thursday morning. Oh- and while I know anyone in the Midwest reading this will curse me for saying this but- it was cold! I was beginning to get concerned that our trip to Jost was going to be a washout. Lo and behold though right before we had to leave to catch the ferry the sun started to come out. We got off the ferry, cleared Customs (which was in a tent by the way, they were not open to me taking a picture) and headed to meet our friends. We had a great night but, to be honest, I'm not sure WHAT makes the party in the Top Ten! Maybe it's the hundreds of yachts and boats, or the fact that it's on an island and outdoors under the stars (and full moon this year!) but it kind of seemed like any other bar. What made my night was getting to talk to our Chicago friends that we've spent the last 8 NYE's with when we got home. Granted it was 4 AM our time and we were a little... tired... but it was so great to talk to them!

So that's it for 2009. I can't wait to see what 2010 is going to bring. Right now I know a few sets of visitors that it's bringing and I CANNOT WAIT to see you all!! As you can see- Tim and Laddie are resting up for all the fun to be had!

Do They Know It's Christmas?

2009-12-22T19:15:00.001-06:00

If by 'they' Band Aid meant 'Tim and Mary Byrne' the answer is a resounding NO this year! It's extremely bizarre to live somewhere warm after a lifetime of celebrating Christmas somewhere that has seasons.

I'm sure some if it has to do with not having a 'normal' work routine. Any other year we'd have been looking forward to 'Christmas Break'- taking off the time right before Christmas all the way through the New Year- and making plans for it. Any other year we'd have gone Christmas shopping at malls annoyingly packed with people. Any other year we would have gone to holiday parties, all dressed up and been SO sick of Christmas music by now. Any other year we'd be in St. Louis visiting with old friends before returning to Chicago to celebrate New Year's Eve with our friends. Any other year we'd have put up our tree, wrapped the presents and put them under it, decorated the condo and made Laddie wear the Santa hat she so dearly hates. Any other year we would have certainly shoveled a snowstorm or two by now.

This year we both work on Christmas- there are three cruise ships in so it's a busy day in St. Thomas. This year Christmas shopping was done almost entirely online or over the phone- I mean, do any of you really want something from K-Mart? Yeah, didn't think so. Besides, that place is annoyingly packed any day, any time, all the time. This year I've worked OTHER people's holiday parties and have heard very little Christmas music. This year we are spending the Christmas holidays away from our families and friends. This year we have no Christmas decorations because we really don't need to add to the items we are accumulating here and Laddie's santa hat is in storage. Our gifts sit on an end table under our bugzapper :) This year- snow? Right... This year is just kind of bizarre!

I'm not looking for sympathy because we really do love what we are doing. It's just that Christmas 100% snuck up on us because we didn't have our normal routines prepping us that it was coming. I'm guessing the other 'holidays' we celebrate (St. Patrick's Day, March Madness, etc) will hold the same kind of surprise!

Aw man!

2009-12-16T14:26:00.000-06:00

Okay, so it's happened: I'm homesick. How did it happen you ask? I got my mail. Yep, that's right. All the Christmas cards and care packages have made me homesick. Don't get me wrong- I love, love, love getting mail!! However, it makes me miss everyone!

Right before we left on our boat trip I picked up a care package from my mom that was all homemade Christmas cookies and fudge (note to mom: chocolate does not make it in the mail, sorry!) as well as a few things she picked up for me. I left it in the car while we are gone but I did have oatmeal cookies for breakfast today. That has to count just like a bowl of oatmeal, right? Maybe a bowl of oatmeal sprinkled with a bit of sugar...

This morning I stopped by our PO Box and we had two more care packages from my mom, a small package from my friend Buxton and a BUNCH of Christmas cards. I was anxious to get home and open everything! I couldn't hold out on the small package so I opened it. When Chicago first got snow we asked Jen and Michael to send us some- so they did! It's in the form of a snowglobe with a picture of Chicago on one side and a picture of the four of us on the other. It literally about melted my heart. I wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. We have the bestest friends ever, I miss you all!

I waited until I got home to open the rest. Lots of cards from our closest friends and family plus those infamous Christmas letters. Normally I tend to skim these (sorry guys!) but this year I read every word- I didn't want to miss a thing. Tim's dad and stepmom sent us pictures from this years Thanksgiving at the farm. I'm not going to lie, it got me a little choked up. The kicker though was a music card from my parents that sings 'Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas'. At that point I did cry. It wasn't helped when I opened the care packages from my mom (thanks Uncle Larry for shipping them!) and found she had wrapped everything we asked for in Christmas paper. I really want to put on the slipcovers but I feel like I need to wait until Christmas morning to open them so I think we will! PS- that means you all have to wait for Thank You cards because I believe they are wrapped in one of the packages!

I love it here but I'd love it even more if we could have wrapped everyone up and taken them with us. Don't worry- I will be fine. Keep the mail coming- I've listed our address again in this post hint, hint ;)

The Byrnes
9715 Estate Thomas, PMB #127
St. Thomas, VI 00802

Kate's Birthday Boating Bonanza

2009-12-15T12:20:00.000-06:00

For Kate's birthday she wanted to do a boat trip to Culebra, an island just off the coast of Puerto Rico. Nine of us headed out late Saturday afternoon for a three day adventure on Cameron's 65' catamaran. Unfortunately, Tim was going to be in Florida for some PGA stuff so he couldn't go :(

After a sunset sail to Culebra we anchored in the harbor and sat around talking/eating/drinking. After going to bed in the wee hours of the morning we got up the next day to figure out what to do next. Kate and I dingy-ed ourselves ashore to walk around Culebra. We learned quickly that we have no idea how to tie a knot and learned the phrase 'If you can't tie a knot, tie a lot' so we did and crossed our fingers hoping the dingy would be there when we got back. Being Sunday and early at that, not much was going in Culebra so we decided to set sail to Culebrita which is basically one big, beautiful beach. One side of the beach is totally calm and the other is rough, it's so amazing!

Instead of going back to Culebra, we decided to head to Vieques which is another island off the coast of Puerto Rico. It was a ROUGH ride into Vieques and we were bouncing all over the place- literally. I wish I could have taken video with my camera because it was insanely funny! The ocean definitely owned us! We headed into Vieques for some dinner. It was at this point that I determined I was a little seasick. Who knew? I guess it's different being out in the ocean vs. at the Lake of the Ozarks! We had a great dinner and were trying to find an open bar to watch the Phillies/Giants game at. The closest thing we found was an open bar showing the Food Network. Oh well- we got half of it covered!
Monday we woke up and headed back to land to rent Jeeps so we could drive around the island. It's such a beautiful place- so much of it has been undiscovered and is just lush and overgrown. Or maybe it's because the US Navy had control of it until 2003 and used to bomb it! We ventured out to several beaches, trying to hit as many as we could in the time we had there. We had planned on leaving around sunset and getting back into St. Thomas around mid-night. While sitting at Lazy Jack's bar, we decided we really wanted to try the Bio Bay excursion. Basically, there's this bay there that glows. You can read more about it here- there's a lot of big words that I'd likely misuse and mispell!

http://www.viequestravelguide.com/mosquito-bioluminescent-bay.html

Catch is that you have to wait until it is pitch black to go see it- the tour we were looking at would be over at 8:15 PM which wouldn't put us sailing until 10 or so, getting us into St. Thomas around 4 AM. We decided to go for it and I got Laddie covered (thanks, Amy!). The Bio Bay tour was amazing! I must admit, it was a bit different that I thought. I kind of pictured it Simpson-esque and glowing instead it glows when anything moves in the water. We kayaked out to the center and got out and swam for about half an hour. Poor Dawn got stung by a jellyfish :( That was definitely not mentioned as a possibility and likely a good thing I wasn't aware until then! The picture below was taken at night yet it looks like the water is clear as day- that's the organisms glowing!

After the tour we set sail home :( What should have been a 5-6 hour sail back hit a little snag when we snapped a chain that steers a boat. Luckily, Cameron knows his way around boats a little. He sailed the boat all the way from Maine to St. Thomas by himself. He actually knows more about his boat than anyone I've ever met (sorry, Mike!) and it's amazing. We finally pulled into Yacht Haven around 9AM - just a few hours late! We were certainly given the full sailing experience and I can't think of a better weekend here so far! Great times in great locations with great friends!

Deep Breaths...

2009-12-11T20:55:00.004-06:00

Okay, I'll be honest. I love the lifestyle here- laidback, relaxed, etc. But sometimes I just want things to WORK and to HAPPEN! The last 24 hours has been a whirlwind of just crap. Does anyone remember the 'terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad day' speech from grade school? I know some of you do b/c/ I saw it posted in your Facebook status! Well, that has been my last 24 hours.

First, last night while bartending a private party, ice cubes found their way to where my phone was and melted rendering my iPhone (note: 2 months old) useless. Grrrrr... I had JUST saved it from water 2 days earlier when a bottle of water I had in my purse became uncapped. You don't realize how much you rely on your phone until it's gone. AT&T has given me a phone to use until they can get a new iPhone in from St. Croix for me and it is totally old school. Oh- and they will have it after 2:30 PM.... I leave on a boat trip at 9 AM... I think. At least I am back on the grid!

This morning I left the house without several things: (1) a key for Amy to walk the dog while I'm in Calebra and Tim is in Florida (2) the phone number for my Jeep guy (since he was in my phone...) and (3) black clothes to wear for the private party we were having up at work tonight. Luckily I'm married to the world's best guy and he stopped at home and got all of them for me. (He also braved hellish St. Thomas traffic to get to the AT&T store to get my phone, thanks honey!)

Then, the private party at work just wouldn't leave! It was supposed to be 5-7 and they didn't leave until just before 9. Not good for someone who hasn't packed for a 3 day boat trip and has no idea what time they are actually leaving. Oh and did I mention I spilled a good deal of Bushwacker on me (Kaluha, Bailey's, Amaretto, Vodka, Rum, Creme de Caco and Coconut Cream drink) as the party was starting rendering me a sticky mess??

To top it off, Romeo picked my car up to do some inspecting and to change my oil. When he brought it back he said that it was being sensitive about reversing and it's likely we need to rebuild my transmission. Great! Just what I was looking forward to paying for! Oh- and he was right. My car did NOT reverse when leaving work. Luckily I was parked on an incline and I just kind of coasted backwards until I could pull forward. However, it is now parked at the top of the driveway and I have no idea if it's going to work tomorrow....

As if this wasn't enough- the cable is out. The only channel we are getting is the TV Guide Channel which is showing the Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights movie. Blech. Let's just say I'm glad this 24 hour period is almost up because I really have nowhere to go but up!!

Timeline of an Island Car

2009-12-08T08:51:00.004-06:00

Finding a car down here? Not so bad. Actually receiving it, making it work, etc. Not so good. Here is a look at how we came to own our cars!

Saturday, November 7th: We land in STT and rent a Jeep to get all of our crap from the airport to Kates.

Sunday, November 8th: We return the Jeep and rent a bright blue Dodge Calibur for a week so we can run errands and look for cars. It is due back on the 15th.

Monday, November 9th: We drive past a house that has two Jeep Cherokees in the front yard for sale so we call the number on the car and are told one is a '99 for $5K and one is a '97 for $4500. We say thanks and ponder.

Wednesday, November 11th : We drive past again, pull over and call. Antonio says he can be there in 5 minutes, we wait 20 with the family that lives in the house- clearly not related to Antonio. He comes, tells us the '97 is alread sold but we can take the '99 out for a test drive. At this point he realizes he only has the keys for the '97 and we decide to meet the next day.

Thursday, November 12th: We drive to meet Antonio at 11 AM, he decides he can't meet us then, ,how about 530 PM? So we have 6.5 hours to kill... We meet him at 530 (correct keys!) and Tim goes to start the car and it won't turn over. Antonio goes away somewhere and returns with the keys for the '97, switches the battery and we drive the car. It drives just fine for an island car and we tell Antonio we will call him tomorrow.

Friday, November 13th: We call Antonio and ask him to meet us at the 'lot'. He pulls up in a green Ford Escort we had seen around the island. It is also for sale. Tim asks him how much he wants for it and he says $2800. Tim offers him $6K for both cars, he thinks for 30 seconds and says okay. There are a few things that need to be done on the cars- Escort needs a new tire and the Jeep needs a mirror. Oh- and let's not forget titles, plates, etc. Antonio says 3 business days- Wednesday- so we follow him to his shop and give him a $500 deposit. Then we extend our rental car through the 18th.

Wednesday, November 18th: First things first- we are trying to figure out how to drive three cars with two people and make it to our jobs when we need to. Guess it doesn't matter because when we call Antonio- he doesn't have the paperwork. Oooookay. So we call and extend the rental car until the 19th.

Thursday, November 19th: Yeah! We get the Jeep (complete with tags, plates and insurance) and I follow Tim to return the rental car. We leave the rental car place only to find that the car is pulling like we have a flat. Really? I've had this car all of an hour. Luckily we are right by a tire place so we pull in. He replaces the stem. Okay, $20 fix. No biggie. Oh yeah- and the Escort isn't ready yet. Maybe tomorrow.

Friday, November 20th: We go back to Antonio who gives us the keys to the Escort. While Tim is writing the check I happen to ask where the title is for each car. He said in the glove compartment. I go back and check the Jeep- yeah... it's in his name, not ours. So, we have to leave the Jeep with him and keep our check with us. At this point, you can tell he's getting frustrated with his guy who did the licensing. Luckily he gives us his Trailblazer so we have two cars and tells us to come back on Monday.

Monday, November 23rd: We call Antonio, not ready.

Tuesday, November 24th: Jeep is not ready still. Tim's car won't start. Buy a new battery and still won't start. Some cords are loose according to a guy Tim works with. They jimmy it as a quick fix.

Wednesday, November 25th: Jeep is ready! We give him the Trailblazer, have him fix the battery cord issue in the Escort, deduct the cost of the battery and are on our way.

Sunday, November 29th: Tim's car has a flat tire at work which he alleviates by filling with air from the golf cart air supply!

Wednesday, December 2nd: Busy car day! We drive to Stumpy Beach, rough road to say the least, and the same thing that happened to my tire (pulling right but not looking flat) happens again. It occurs to us this happens when you switch out of 4WD into 2WD- great. Put Fix a Flat in it and it's fine. Text Kate to get her friend's contact info who works on Jeeps. Take Tim's car to Western Auto for an 'inspection' of sorts to see if anything is wrong and to figure out his tire situation. He has a screw in the wall making it unpluggable. Buy tire. I go to work, security goes to move my car- it no longer reverses! Call Romeo, my new car guy, he comes up to me and magically makes it work. For now he says- transmission fluid was burnt. He will try and flush it in hopes that will fix it and I won't need to rebuild my transmission. We make arrangements for him to come get my car on Friday.

Friday, December 4th: Romeo takes my car and does a transmission flush. He said all is good and I tell him he can have the car again next week to look at the tire/4WD thingee, wondering if this will ever end!

All quiet on the car front.... for now!

Laddie's Day at the Beach

2009-12-05T17:33:00.004-06:00

Sigh... it's been two years or more since the last time Laddie tried to eat another doggie. Well, that streak is over and I'm the one that has the battlescars. Kristin- I now know EXACTLY how you felt that night, except I'm not getting married next week!

On Wednesday, neither of us had to work until the evening so we decided to join Kate, her friend, Mark, and his dogs at a place called Stumpy Beach. It's very secluded and we were looking forward for a place to run Laddie around. Unfortunately, since the terrain around our place is pretty steep she doesn't get out much. Even her trips to the bathroom are short- just down to the bottom of the hill. We try to through her ball in the breezeway but it is only so long!

(For those of you that don't know Laddie's background I'll make it short and sweet or you are going to think we have a monster dog! She was adopted from the Anti-Cruelty Society when she was about 6 months old. They thought she was abused or a bait dog or something along those line. She was terrified of most things bigger than her and water. Yes, we own possibly the only labrador who hates the water. We used to take her to the dog park and dog beach in Chicago until, around 2 years old, she started not liking other female dogs. So no more doggie interaction for Laddie! That lasted until about 2 years ago when, suddenly, she really didn't mind them anymore. I'm sure it's because she's older!)

So anyways, back to the story. We thought it wouldn't be a problem with Mark's dog. Yeah, not so much. The minute we got there she and one of them went at it. In her defense, she didn't start it. She was put on her leash for a little time out and then we tried to coax her into the water. She got sooooo close! She would run at the shoreline, get her feet wet and then run away from the ensuing wave. It was absolutely adorable! At one point she got all the way up past her stomach. I'm really thinking she has no clue how to swim though... After about an hour, I was on the shore with her and the other dog when all of the sudden she was nipped at and it was Round 2! This time I was literally in the middle and able to grab both collars except as I did that Laddie was lunging at the dog and got me. I now look like a wife beaten heroin addict.

On a positive note, for the first time, we gave Laddie a bath! She's been a PetSmart bathed dog forever but that is just not an option down here. She was very good and the Pert Plus left her fluffy and smelling good! Now, on to brushing her teeth and clipping her nails ourselves...

Thanksgiving- Island Style

2009-11-27T18:41:00.004-06:00

Ah- Thanksgiving. Our normal Thanksgiving plans involve getting up at the crack of dawn to drive from Chicago to Gerald, MO in order to get to Tim's stepgrandparents farm before noon. There we eat amazing food and drink wine, go on a hayride and round the day out by playing hearts. The following day my mom and I typically hit some Black Friday sales while Tim and Brandon watch football. The night is filled by the annual 'Everyone's Home for Thanksgiving So Let's Get Drunk' Soiree I started 5 years ago. Saturday we would head back to Chicago so we were refreshed for work on Monday. I was curious what was going to be in store for us this year as we celebrated our first island Turkey Day.

The day started off a little different namely because instead of 35 degrees it was a sunny, beautiful day. Tim had to work in the morning so I took advantage of the great weather and headed to Magen's Bay for a little relaxation. I laid out for a bit, read for awhile (Cheryl- your book may return to you with a bit of sand, sorry!) and swam some laps so I could indulge later guilt free. After leaving the beach I went home to make my standard potluck dish- cucumbers and ranch spread on individual multigrain bread- for the Thanksgiving dinner we were going to at Betsy's Bar. Yep- you read correctly, we were doing our dinner at a bar!

We picked up our friend Kate, who was returning from visiting family in Chicago, and headed to the bar. Betsy's husband spent all day cooking turkeys and there were plenty of people there bringing side dishes. The spread was FANTASTIC! It had all the staples: turkey, ham, 3 kinds of mashed potatoes, tons of different kinds of stuffing, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce and pecan pie. In addition to all that there were other things like cheesecake, pumpkin chocolate chip bread, cream cheese salami rolls and taco dip. I couldn't wait to attack those tables full of food. After ordering some wine and someone saying a short blessing we were let loose. I filled my plate with a little bit of everything- I wanted to try it all! Of course, we all overindulged a bit and had to wait to go get dessert. We filled that time with more wine and more friends met up with us.

After leaving Betsy's we decided to go out for some 'nice' drinks. We figured it was Thanksgiving and we should treat ourselves to a martini or two at Grand Cru. We had the bar to ourselves and filled the time with just hanging out talking. It was a very nice way to end the night.

Today, I spent two hours in line at K-Mart in order to get a great deal on a 32" LCD TV. Seeing that the line at the K-Mart here is usually 45 minutes I feel that I still won! It wasn't quite the Black Friday shopping I was used to but that's okay! I'm sad that we are missing the Soiree tonight but know that Shamel and Becky are being amazing hosts. We're laying low because tomorrow, you guessed it, we both have to work. I think I'll take making money over that drive from St. Louis to Chicago anyday!

It's the time of year to give thanks. I'm thankful for the support of our family and friends in our big adventure. I'm thankful for the great group of friends we have made here. Our island Thanksgiving gets two turkey legs up!

Pictures of the House- Finally!

2009-11-22T19:13:00.003-06:00

Sorry for the delay but being without a camera was quite annoying. About as annoying as being without internet to be honest! I know I could have used my iPhone but it wouldn't have done nearly as good of a job. I've put these on Flickr- you don't need to sign up or do anything unless you want to comment on the photos. I'm not 100% sure how you USE Flickr but you should see the pictures lined up with their titles. If you double click on the set (to the right) that says 'Our St. Thomas Home' you should be able to enter more of a slideshow. Enjoy- and come visit!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/marybyrne/

Career Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes!

2009-11-21T20:05:00.002-06:00

Okay, so obviously this is not the career path I envisioned a few years ago. However, the change is surprisingly welcome. My eyes have been opened to a few things surrounding the 'then' and 'now'.

Career Then: Creating, Managing and Reconciling a Multi-Million Dollar Budget
Career Now: Counting Down the Drawer

I guess they both involve money. While the budget sounds like a lot more responsibility, I'm coming to think the drawer is. If my drawer is off it comes out of MY pocket. If my budget was off, I was always able to move money around to balance it.

Career Then: Business Casual with heels
Career Now: Short, T-Shirt and Tennis Shoes. Or flip-flops if desired.

I think this one is pretty self-explanatory!

Career Then: Never leaving work at work
Career Now: Always leaving work at work

My biggest worry about work now is do I have my schedule right and did I set the alarm correctly? It's an amazing feeling to not be tied to a Blackberry. I thought I loved it- the pace, the necessity of 'me', the job. Maybe I just needed something to do! Now I have plenty to do but it doesn't revolve around work!

Career Then: Busywork
Career Now: Sidework

Sidework- now THAT is a task I thought I'd never do again! I don't mind it though and would trade doing it anyday vs. doing busywork in order to do the 'facetime' of being in the office. After all, I'm a DAMN good silverware roller!

Don't get me wrong- I truly miss event planning. I loved the job, the people, the pace. I am enjoying my new role as a server and bartender though. I get to meet people who are happy because they are on vacation and drinking in an amazing environment. While my career changed was not planned, it is welcome and appreciated!

Lessons I've Learned So Far

2009-11-20T19:07:00.003-06:00

Here are a few things I have learned in our 2 weeks in St. Thomas:

1. Creepy Crawly Things: they are EVERYWHERE! Take a look at the picture here and look at the size of that... moth? I'm not even sure if that qualifies to be called that! Compared to the size of the real moth in the picture that thing is a freaking teradactyl! Last week Tim found a tarantula in a water bucket. I understand they can't hurt humans but if I woke up to one anywhere near me I may have a heart attack. Not to mention there are lizards of all sizes running around and not all outside. We are routinely placing glasses over them and letting them go outside. I don't want them to die because we need them to eat mosquitos. That leads me to...

2. Mosquitos: wow. I have NEVER experienced bug bites like this. We bought the electrified paddle and enteratined ourselved by swatting them and watching them light up but that didn't do the trick. It has gotten to the point that we bought a bug zapper and it is hanging in our family room- no joke. Laddie gets freaked out everytime it zaps something. Luckily, it sounds like after a few months our skin will change and we will be less likely to be bit. Something about sun, salt and rum although I think the rum part is just for fun :)

3. Contracts?: today we bought MiFi from Sprint- it's basically a portable hotspot. Like any cellphone/internet carrier you are supposed to (a) pay a ton for the equipment to go without a contract or (b) pay a lower fee for the equipment and sign a contract. Well, we paid the lower price yet signed nothing. Am I missing something? People are very trusting. We were able to 'buy' two cars by putting down 1/12 of what we owed. We were even allowed to take them both without paying. Granted we went back and had to leave one b/c they messed up the title but it's not like they left us hanging. The guy gave us HIS car to drive!

4. The BMV: You think the DMV in the states is bad? You have NO idea how lucky you are. I will never, ever speak badly of them again. It took us over 2.5 hours today to get our USVI Driver's Licenses and that's because people kept going on their lunch breaks while we were in lines!

5. Time: Everything is flexible. If you say 6, people show up closer to 7. If someone tells you they'll have something for you on Wednesday don't even think about expecting it until Thursday. Speaking of, we are STILL waiting for our cars. Well, one of them at least!!

6. Midwesterners: People FLOCK here from the midwest. I cannot tell you how many people I have met from Mizzou and St. Louis. Not to mention Chicago, Michigan and Indiana. It's actually pretty cool and I love it! It was so great to have someone look at my application and know where Nerinx Hall is, where Mizzou is, what S&P Oyster Co. was. Ironically, that was Jessica (my now boss) who apparently grew up 5 blocks from me, went to Parkway South and had Tim's stepmom for English. Seriously- this is a SMALL world!

7. TV: just because we get to see the ads from the continental US doesn't mean they apply to us :( We went to K-Mart today all excited because they had a 32" LCD TV for $379. Yes, they do have one on sale today and tomorrow, just not here! Plus I'm getting tired of seeing the Kohl's and Sonic ads- it's almost torture!

I'm sure this is just the tip of the iceberg, more lessons to come!!

Wow- Those Are Some BIG Boys!

2009-11-18T23:41:00.000-06:00

Tonight at work we hosted a private party for the NCAA Men's Basketball Teams participating the Paradise Jams Tournament that starts Friday. The teams that are in the tourney this year are: Boston College, Purdue, St. Joe's, South Dakota State, Tennessee, Eastern Carolina, DePaul and Northern Iowa. Here are a few things I learned throughout the course of the evening:

Bruce Pearl does not like cheese
The Tennessee players use Febreeze. I like it!
The Northern Iowa people did not want to eat our corn on the cob. Apparently, living in Iowa the corn doesn't get much better than that!
South Dakota State's Mascot is the Jackrabbit. I am rooting for them in the tourney purely for that reason
One of the Eastern Carolina players didn't appreciate my answer to him telling me they play Tennessee in the first round. All I said was, 'Wow- good luck!' I'm guessing it was my tone...

I'm very much looking forward to going to the final round games on Monday! It was a fun night and I'm looking forward to next week when we do the same thing for the Women's teams. Again, I'm sure I'll feel very, very short!

Technically We Went to Europe Today!

2009-11-15T22:25:00.000-06:00

We decided to do the Breakaway Boat Excursion today. It takes you through several British Virgin Islands and people say it's a great way to find out where you want to spend more time. We left bright and early but luckily these things always include alcohol. Before we left the dock Tiffany, Tim and I already had a Bud Light in hand and were making friends. We met a great couple from Chicago- ironic huh?

Our first stop was about an hour and a half away at Virgin La Gorda to see the Baths. Don't worry- we were given Painkillers the entire way there in sippy cups. Painkillers are Rum, OJ, Pinapple Juice and Coconut Milk- yummy!!! The Baths are greatly considered to be the 8th Wonder of the World and are AMAZING. What's not so amazing about them? My camera decided to meet the ocean :( so I only have a few pictures of the excursion. Please explain to me what Tim and I were thinking when we packed the condo in putting the waterproof camera in storage versus bringing both with us? Thank you to Tiffany for being the photographer from this point forward.

Next we headed to Marina Key for some lunch and, you guessed it, more drinks. Marina Key is a beautiful little island and the home of Pusser's Rum. It also has the Red Box- several locations that have webcams installed and take pictures every 15-30 seconds. The picture on this blog is the picture taken from the Red Box camera before we boarded the boat again.

After lunch it was off to snorkel at Diamond Reef, the second largest living reef in the Caribbean. Nothing like getting in the water after a big lunch and lots of drinks. Luckily they gave us all noodles to float on because I think I would have surely sunk!

Our final stop was in Jost Von Dyke- the home of the Soggy Dollar Bar. Here, there is no way to get to the shore except to drop anchor and swim in. The bar got the name because, you got it, everyone pays with soggy dollar bills. They actually hang them up behind the bar to dry! This bar is also the inventor of the Painkiller. It's amazingly beautiful here- the water is clearer than I can even explain. I definitely plan on spending more time in Jost! We actually can see Jost from our back deck but apparently not the side with the bars on it. Probably for the better- we don't need Tim getting in the water and trying to swim there!

We headed back to the dock exhausted but so glad we did this trip!

The Most Dangerous Part of Driving? Our Driveway!!

2009-11-14T23:57:00.000-06:00

So tonight, Tim nearly killed us. Well, maybe not killed us but certainly nearly backed off a cliff and ruined a rental car. Our driveway is a gigantic slope with a steep drop off on one side and a stone wall on the other. I wish I had a good picture of it but I don't. It's difficult to back in, difficult to pull in and requires a three point turn regardless. It kind of sucks but what can you do?

We were leaving to go to a Belgian Beer Tasting Dinner at Pie Hole in Frenchtown. Tim got in to drive, I in the front and Tiffany in the back and we were on our way... sort of. As Tim got to the top of the hill and started the three point turn the wheels caught on dirt and, being a front wheel drive rental, spun until we were obviously very close to backing off the cliff. Oh- and did I mention I was on the phone with Tim's dad at the time? (Mike- if you are reading right now, this is why I abruptly hung up on you, sorry!) Getting out of the car, I see he didn't have much room- maybe 3 feet, but I gave him the go ahead to back up JUST a bit to try and get out of the dirt before going forward again. He did and then tried to go forward which just caused him to slide backwards and give himself about 1 foot to work with. At this point, Tiffany has fled the car and I can't say I blame her.

Tim's million dollar fix it idea? Let's put rocks behind the wheels to chalk the wheels. My answer? No way in hell. What's to stop the large, heavy metal car from backing OVER the rocks? While Tim gets to work on this idea, I ran into the house to get Raffi, a local who was tiling our shower, to come out and help. I figured that this was NOT the first time someone on the island had been close to backing off a cliff and I was right. Raffi put some more rocks behind the car and then told me to sit on the hood. Oh, okay! Wait, what??? Excuse me??? He said we needed to sit on it to put more weight over the front tires so they'd grip. All I could see was the car going backwards but figured I could bail before it went over the cliff and got on. Tiffany, likely smarter than I am, stood by and watched. Tim put the car in drive and up the hill we went, yea! Raffi saved the day and I am so happy he was here. Otherwise I can imagine the bright blue Dodge Calibur would have been front end up leaning on our shed.

We made it to dinner about 15 minutes late, which in island time is still early. Thank god it was a 6 course pairing- we all needed each and every one of those beers.

All Good Things Come in Twos?

2009-11-14T12:52:00.002-06:00

Moving day!!! So yesterday was great, exhausting but great. From the time we got up at 8:00 AM until the time we went to bed after midnight we did not sit down. Well, except for all the time spent in the car!!

After dropping off all of our stuff (4 checked bags and two carry ons, not that much!) we were all about getting the most out of our day. I'm pleased to report that our first appointment of the day resulted in me getting a job!! You are now looking at a new server at Paradise Point. Or bartender, I'm really not sure! Anyways, Paradise Point is the #1 tourist attraction in St. Thomas. It's a tram ride up to the very highest peak (at the low discount price of $21.00 per person, of course!) where there's a bar and cafe. It totally caters to the cruise ship business so I can kind of gauge my schedule based on when they are in town. Plus, they are only open at night 2 days a week- sweet! Check it out at:

http://paradisepointtramway.com/

We learned that our landlord's idea of fully furnished and our idea of fully furnished vary a bit and were in need of a couch or two. We found a great deal on the local paper, the Island Trader, and headed to check out a sofa and loveseat for sale. We got there, we thought they were okay (I mean they have a fish print on them, who doesn't love that in the islands??!!) and told the girl we'd take them. She was kind enough to throw in her end table and coffee table as well as transport them to our new house. I love the people we are meeting here!

On to talk to someone about another job for me in town at a place at Cafe Amolie. They are looking for me to do a swing shift, a 12-5 during the week. Until I get my schedule at Paradise Point it is a tentative job!!

From there we decided to do a little shopping. You all know me- a 'little' shopping? Come on! There were a lot of things we needed to get- a TV (apparently not part of fully furnished either?!), mattress covers, towels, cleaning supplies, etc. We headed to PriceSmart which is basically a Costco. I don't know if I've never seen Tim so happy. It really does make you feel at home- especially the food court (see picture)! We both took guesstimates at how much we spent and were pleasantly surprised at the outcome. While things may be a bit more expensive here the bonus of paying no sales tax is quite worth it on big ticket items like the TV!

We dropped off the stuff (still not so sure on how I feel about leaving ANYTHING in the car) and headed over to meet a guy about buying a Cherokee. Oh yeah- to backtrack- we had a 1997 Oldsmobile Bravada all lined up from the guy we were renting our car from only to get a call yesterday that said to stop by and see it as the last guy to have it gave it a bit of damage. Yeah- he basically backed down a wall so we were back to square one. Anyways- we test drove the Cherokee and Tim liked the car he drove up in so we made a deal to get both. It's going to be another few days though b/c they handle getting the plates and registration. If they want to wait in line and deal with the BMV- more power to them!!

So here we are, about to go grocery shopping before grabbing the dog at our old place to drop her off at the new place before going to get our first visitor, Tiffany, at the airport. Oh- and did I mention most of this entails crisscrossing the island a couple times and we only have a couple hours? Yikes! Somehow we got this done and managed to get Tiffany just a few minutes late. We were very excited to see her for two reasons: (1) who doesn't love visitors? and (2) I used her as a packmule to get me King Sized Sheets, Blister BandAids and a few other things. I'm already missing some conveniences....

So that's our day! 2 homes, 2 jobs and 2 cars!!

Laddie the Houdini

2009-11-12T18:56:00.006-06:00

So we've been here all of six days and Laddie has already managed to escape the house to try and follow us down the mountain. When I say mountain guys, I mean MOUNTAIN. To get to where we are living you drive about 3 miles straight up and down and up and down until you get to the top of the 'hill' as locals call it. I mean- where did you think that amazing view comes from?

Anyways, Tim was test driving a scooter and decided it was best to drive it from where we met them, up the general road and then up to our property to make sure it worked. If it did he could grab money and we could buy it. Tim gets up, grabs some cash and walks out of the house. Now, I should preface this with the fact that it's fairly isolated up here. No keys to the place and, if we are home, we don't close the wooden door- just the screen. For some reason, Tim forgot to close the wooden door as he left. About 1/3 of the way down the hill (remember- it's 3 miles!!) Tim hears 'cling cling- cling cling' and turns around to see Laddie chasing him! He immediately stopped but she kept going a bit to go to the bathroom, unaware that it's a pretty steep drop off the side of the road. She fell a few feet, struggles back up and Tim takes her home by riding and her following.

Needless to say, Tim learned his lesson about closing the door. Even though we move tomorrow I'm sure she will find a way to chase us out the door at the next place too!! I promise to have more to write and more pictures as soon as we are moved in and settled. We miss you all!

PS- she did all this with a goofy grin on her face. Maybe the Benedryl is having delayed effects?

PPS- oh, we didn't even take the scooter. It doesn't do so well going DOWN the mountain!

We Made It!

2009-11-08T19:26:00.002-06:00

It's official- we now live on an island!

After a great night with friends in Chicago on Friday, we flew out bright and early on Saturday morning. A special thanks to the Hardwick's for letting us crash there and taking us to the airport :) By the way- I have a newfound respect for all of my friends with kids after travelling with all our luggage and the dog. How in the world do you get through security on a regular basis with all your stuff?!? Luckily the United people were (suprisingly) very, very helpful. Laddie got in her crate, we ziptied her in (quite an escape artist that one is) and was wheeled all around O'Hare. It was SO sad when we finally had to let them wheel her away and she pawed at the cage door like she was saying bye :-(

Anyways, we did the whole flight thing and landed in beautiful St. Thomas, collected 1, 2, 3, 4 bags but no Laddie. We waited a bit and the guy at the counter said they ususally bring them to him. All of the sudden we turn to the luggage conveyor and there was on dog riding on it!! She seemed okay so we cut her out of the cage and we were on our way.

We headed to Mojos, where our roommate works, and then on to our home! Honestly guys- I don't have much more exciting news to report! We did some K-Mart shopping, had dinner and came back to unpack.

Today we got Tim's job secured as the Assistant Pro on Mahogany Run Golf Course and drove around the island looked for cars to buy. We headed out after that to watch some football and are back at home for the night. Tomorrow we get to apply for our health cards and I don't even want to tell you what that requires. Let's just say I had to eat a lot of food today...

More to come!!!

Moving is...

2009-11-03T21:08:00.003-06:00

... I can think of several words- exhausting, emotional, frustrating and a few more that I probably shouldn't type because I know my family is reading this! However, the most important word right now is - DONE!

Thursday we moved all of our stuff out of the condo and into a 53' semi. These guys were amazing. I have to admit I was a little worried when they got there- two of the three of them probably weighed 150 pounds soaking wet. However, they were picking up multiple boxes and putting it on their backs like they were empty. Where DO they hide those muscles? The third was named Vladd and he looked like a Vladd- he did not worry me. You'd think since we hired movers this would be an easy experience, right? I mean, we aren't moving a thing- just watching. Well, I swear that took just as much out of me! I was so drained on Thursday night that one margarita, two beers and a glass of wine actually caused me to kind of hurt on Friday!

Friday night we had our going away party. What a fun night! To anyone reading this who was there- thank you! We were so lucky have such a great group of friends. I was shocked at how many people came out to say goodbye- it makes me teary just to think about it! We had a great time and, based on the way people we talked to Saturday felt, it sounds like everyone else did too! We've made a great friend base in Chicago and it makes me so, so sad to leave everyone. I sincerely hope everyone comes to visit :-)

We left for St. Louis before 8:00 am on Monday to meet the truck at our storage unit. Let me preface this by saying all three of the movers who quoted us said a 10 x 15 storage unit would be sufficient. That being said we got a 10 x 20- we wanted to be safe rather than sorry. Upon opening the unit, looking in the truck and looking in the unit again- I knew we were going to be sorry. They did one heck of a tetris job but not even a Nintendo wizard could have made all that fit. My parents are now the proud owners of a desk and chair, the top of our treadmill, random boxes and my bicycle. Tim's dad got the good end of the deal- the Harley. Still -watching them load all of that out of the truck was just as exhausting as watching them move it out of the condo and, again, I didn't do a thing!

So that's it- all of our earthly possessions now lie in a 10 x 20 storage unit, 4 checked bags and 2 carry ons. Now- it's off to catch up on sleep because I'm STILL tired!

We've Created a Monster!

2009-10-28T18:16:00.002-05:00

Laddie is 9 years old and hasn't been in a crate since she was two. So crate training her has been... interesting. Let's just say that our methods will likely not work with children!

We started her training with the top off the crate, a convertible so to say, and a blanket in the bottom. We put her food in the back of the crate expecting her to walk in and eat it. Not so much- she stood with her front paws in and back paws out, stretching her head to reach the bowl. Odd, but we weren't deterred. We started putting treats in the back and giving her another one when she went all the way in to eat it. Within a day she was getting in and staying in- making us think, "What's so hard about this?" Ha!

We wanted her to get used to it for nighttime so I decided to sleep next to her, in front of the crate 'door' (keep in mind there is still no top on her crate) so she can't get out. To be fair, this idea came to us after getting home from a bar. So Laddie falls asleep in the crate, I fall asleep outside the crate. Again- yea! I wake up three hours later to her jump over the side of the crate and right into my spot in bed. Boo. Needless to say we ignore the crate for the next two weeks.

We put the top on the crate yesterday and have been using treats for EVERYTHING. A treat when she goes in, a treat when she lays down, a treat when she stays in. Now, every time we head upstairs, she rushes past us to get in her crate and claim her treat. We are moving tomorrow, do you have any idea how many times we are up and down the stairs?!

We may have created a monster begging for treats every 3 minutes but at least she learned! She may not fit IN the crate by the time we leave though....

Ever Try Fitting the Next Year of Your Life in 2 Bags and a Carry On?

2009-10-23T16:01:00.003-05:00

Seriously, everything I need for the next year has to be packed in two checked bags (not overweight, of course) and a carry on. Ever tried that? I doubt it, but if you have- please give me advice! One of my friends, Brendan, said it's kind of like packing for an extended vacation and I totally agree. Except (1) I don't get to come back and get anything I forgot and (2) anything I have to replace needs to be bought at K-Mart. Granted, Tim gets 2 bags and a carry on too... maybe I can encrouch on his space? Oh- and not to mention we have to fit Laddie's stuff in ours. She travels light but still, every inch counts!

I've managed to get all my clothes in with just having to give up a few pairs of shoes to the STL boxes. I'll tell you though, when I got bag one done and looked in the closet at what I had left, I thought there was no way. Somehow, it fit! My carry on, right now, has all my clothes for the next 2 weeks in Chicago/St. Louis. Luckily I can leave most of those at my parents when we are there and transer some of my summer clothes into it so I have room for liquids in the checked bags! All in theory of course, I may end up losing some shirts to an express shipped box to St. Louis before we leave on the 7th!

The movers come in less than a week and, as I look around, I think we are going to be okay. Although we have yet to tackle the garage, storage closet or entire 3rd floor. Sigh... maybe we'll win enough money at the casino tonight for Beno's birthday to buy all new stuff!!

Things That Make You Go Hmm....

2009-10-20T10:04:00.002-05:00

So we officially have our condo rented- lease and deposit check are in hand with our management company! The new renters are in a building that does not allow them to move on Sundays which means they want to move in on the 31st. No biggie- what's one more day? Well, in order for the management company to get things in order (patch holes, paint, clean carpets, etc.) we need to turn it over to them on the 29th. What?!?! That's just DAYS away! Time to turn this thing into overdrive. Where to start? Hmm....

Last night I began packing. For three straight hours I wrapped and boxed up the bar, our china, DVD's and such. I was exhausted and still looks like I haven't touched a thing! I did discover while packing our wedding china that, somehow, I have 10 water glasses and 14 wine glasses when I thought I had 12 of each. How did that happen?? Hmm....

I'm extremely confused on how to pack my clothes. We are leaving on the 7th but moving out of the condo the 29th. We will be in St. Louis the 2nd - 5th and living with friends for the other days we are in Chicago (thanks Hardwicks!). So that means I need 10 days or so of Chicago/St. Louis that will NOT be packed for St. Thomas. Oh, did I mention we are going to the Bears game on the 1st? Please, please let the 15-day out forecast be SOMEWHAT right! Hmm....

On a bright note, our fantastic new roommate, Kate, got us our PO Box so you can send us mail if you want. Address is:

9715 Estate Thomas
PMB #127
St. Thomas, V.I. 00802

Okay, it's off to pack many, many more boxes and wait for moving companies to come tell me how much we get to pay them!!

Official Move Date: November 7th!

2009-10-16T12:30:00.002-05:00

Not that the move wasn't official, but we booked our tickets today! Prices skyrocketed from less than $200 a week ago to more than $600 for the target date of November 5th/6th. That's one way people, one way! I found a decent deal on United for the 7th and the biggest plus is that it is a direct flight. No layovers, no connections, nothing. This puts my mind at ease when it comes to Laddie, whose 'ticket' was only $15 less than ours to ride in the cargo area of the plane!

Now it's on to pick up boxes and start packing. Not that we can set a move out date yet- we haven't heard anything from Nate about our condo and that makes me sad :( Keeping our fingers crossed that everything will be fine on that end and just plugging on down the to do list in the meantime!

Place There: Check! Condo Rented Here: Partial Check!

2009-10-13T13:51:00.003-05:00

It's amazing how much can happen in 24 hours! Yesterday we got confirmation that we have a home in St. Thomas! We are going to be living with our new friend Kate who is old friends and roommates with our friend Bill (thanks again Billy C.!). It is such a huge relief to (a) have a home and (b) be living with someone who knows much more than we do about the island. Laddie is even going to have some playmates- 2 kittens and a Retriever that live upstairs. Check out our pictures- they are the ones that have 2BR under them (the 3BR is the other unit). They are on Facebook though so I don't know if you can see them if you don't have an account.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=55717&id=749948276&l=97cec0c49a

It does occur to me that I have NO idea what our address is nor how to get to the house!

Secondly, we've shown the condo twice. The couple that came through today gave a verbal definite to their leasing agent for a 2 year lease! One catch- it begins November 1st! Can't decide if I should be jumping for joy or curled up in the fetal position with panic. If they can give us just a few more days- say November 3rd- we'd be in great shape. That way we can move out of here November 2nd and head to St. Louis for a few days before we fly out of Chicago at the end of that week. Granted, nothing is a done deal until the paperwork is signed!

It's actually all coming together!

Breaking Up Is Hard To Do...

2009-10-11T22:30:00.002-05:00

So I've kind of come to the realization that moving is like breaking up. Instead of a specific person I feel like we are breaking up with our condo, Chicago and, most importantly, our friends. It sucks we can't just take it all with us. Knowing that we are never coming back to Chicago to live, rather moving directly to St. Louis at the end of this adventure, makes it that much harder to go. Whomever said a clean break is easier is a big, fat liar.

I love, love, love our condo. I always have and I always will- even when it's no longer ours. It's a great place to hang out with friends- especially in the summer. Such a unique layout for a place in Chicago. Tall and wider vs. the standard long and narrow. So many memories here- too many to even begin to name and I promised no ridiculously long posts!

There is so much that I have not done in Chicago in my 8 years here that I need to fit in over the next 3 weeks! I've never ridden the Ferris Wheel at Navy Pier, been to Brookfield Zoo, Chinatown, Greektown and so much more. Tim and I never biked down to the lakefront and took a picture of us with the city as a backdrop. We've done the ride and a picture but never them combined, not sure why! And why did I wait until it's 50 degrees to start doing these things?!?

And friends. Wow, not sure where to even start. I have the bestest group of friends- several groups actually! It's hanging out with them, doing things like we did today (Pumpking Farm/Apple Picking followed by making chilli, apple pie and carving a pumpkin) that make me realize how lucky we are to have such great people in our lives. I'm so bummed that I won't be to another Blood Thanksgiving or "First Friday of the NCAA Tourney" party again. No more Fernando's on Friday or McGee's on Football Sundays. It's weird to think about all the traditions we have been a part of up here!

I know, before I get too sappy, I have to think about this amazing opportunity we have. And whenever one door closes a window opens. So maybe I'll close the windows on Chicago so I always have a door to walk back through!

Condo, Meet Rental Market

2009-10-09T12:34:00.003-05:00

One very long to-do list has been made and I was able to check a few things off already!

1) Yesterday we met Nate with TriView Property Management. He's hopeful he can have this place rented by December 1st which makes us very excited. At the same time we have friends that may want to move in AND have us leave some of our furniture! Either way, the place hit the rental market officially this morning. Check it out:

http://www.triviewproperty.com/rental-properties/property-information.aspx?sTYpe=2&pType=&max=2500&min=2000&bth=2&br=2&zip=60657&pkn=&shl=&pg=87&return=9&srt=2

2) Laddie got to go to the vet (I know, like it's a privilege) and get shots that city dogs don't need to get plus flea/tick medication. We learned they highly discourage her being sedated (damn) during a flight and guess we'll resort to Benedryl to at least make her groggy. Now to find her a crate and get her used to spending time in it. I have a feeling that's going to be a lot easier typed than done...

3) We MIGHT have a lead on a place to live. No details, don't want to jinx anything!

Decision Made: Now What Do We Do??

2009-10-07T10:07:00.001-05:00

It's more like what do we NOT do? Where do we even begin? We have to get a storage unit but how big? We won't know how big until we find out if we can rent our place fully furnished or not. We have to get movers to move our stuff to the storage unit but can't do that until we know what we are moving. We can't schedule movers until we know what date we are moving but can't move without a place to live in St. Thomas. We can't schedule a trip to St. Louis to hang out with the fam and leave our cars until we have a move date. I feel like I'm running in circles!

Okay- deep breaths. What CAN I do? I can make to-do lists, I'm very good at those.

You're moving WHERE?!

2009-10-06T16:11:00.001-05:00

So this is blogging, huh? We figured this was the best way for everyone to be able to follow us if they wanted to know how we were doing. Many of you are probably wondering how we got here and that's what I'm going to tell you! Bear with me- I promise I won't ever do a blog this long again but I have a lot to explain!

When this whole economic crisis thing happened, we felt very fortunate to have not been affected. We both had great jobs and nothing had changed in our lifestyle. Little did we know that over the next 4 months our lives were about to be very, very affected.

Late in March, my husband, Tim, lost his job. We decided to wait on the job search until we got back from a wedding in Cabo the second week of April. I mean, why bother to apply to jobs when no one can call you back because you're on the beach celebrating with the best of friends? We get back and I'm crazy busy with a program for work that is taking place in Dallas the last week of April so we push back any decisions until after I get back.

So here I am in Dallas, having a good time working (I LOVED my job) and get the startling news that my department is going to be evaluated and outsourced by the end of June. What?!? Seriously, my deparment was CREATED for the sole purpose of avoiding outsourcing. Guess some people will do anything to climb that corporate ladder. Anyways, I'm getting off track. Once again, we decide to wait until June when I find out for sure whether or not I will have a job.

During those 60 days, one of my friends at work and I begin joking that we should move to the islands and become bartenders. Her husband, a pilot, can fly puddle jumpers while Tim can work on the golf course. It made sense- it's a US territory, I had a good friend who did it and timing was perfect. I mean- why not take off for 6 months or a year? Eventually I sold Tim on this idea and, when the axe came down June 24th, we said we'd do it. But saying and doing are two very different things....

We enjoyed our summer of unemployment together- lots of pool time, golf and road trips. It takes us over three months to get down to St. Thomas to visit but we finally go for a 5-year anniversary/exploratory trip at the end of September. Armed with information and many people to talk to (thanks Billy C.!) we go visit the island for 4 days. I come back dazed, confused and unsure of whether or not I want to leave my security blanket that is Chicago. On the flip side, Tim was gung ho and ready to go! It took a few days, a few fights and a few promises before we were on the same page but on Tuesday, October 6th, we made our decision: we are moving to St. Thomas in 4 weeks.

Let the adventure begin!