She's Baaaaa-aaaack!!!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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

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!)