Long time, no post

Well, hello again! I know it has been a while since my last update, but we have had quite the month. I will try to give a (brief) overview, but I tend to get wordy and can't promise anything. In fact, I think I will cover the month in a couple of posts.

The month started with our first official visitors of 2010- Erik and Candice. After long anticipation of their arrival, we had a whirlwind couple of days. Due to inclement weather in the Southeast area, their flight was postponed and they had to do hoops (including an overnight stay during a connection and their flight returning to the airport due to a passenger's health)to get here. With only a small window of time on the island, this set back would have been enough to discourage any travel. But these determined travelers pressed on. They arrived with big smiles and were eager to begin their holiday. Upon arrival, we took them straight to a tiki hut called Mojo's for some smoked wings and tasty boat drinks. We moved onto Casa de Edwards to enjoy the sunset and finally headed out to Mim's for some ocean side dining. To keep the party going, we headed on over to Iggy's later for some Karaoke. To watch- not sing.

The next day, our logistically challenged travelers suffered another set-back. We intended to take them to St. John, but only one ferry was running and the line of cars was too long to waste a precious moment. So, off to Magan's Bay for a just as nice beach experience. We took it easy that night and bbqed at home for the 2nd and final evening here.

On Monday, we sent Erik and Candice off home to a wintry wonderland and then welcomed in Brad and Diana- Chris' cousin and her husband. We had a fantastic time, once again. They were yet another very easy and fun couple to hang out with. In their time here, we showed them Water Island, Magan's Bay, Lindquist Beach, St. John and a day trip to Virgin Gorda and Jost van Dyke. In the span of their 1 week here, they hit 6 islands, including 3 of the 4 USVIs!!!! Of course, Iggy's and Mim's made a showing.

Another highlight of the week, at a restaurant that I will not name, I looked down at my chicken and a giant, yes GIANT, spider (think nickel sized body and total 3" in diameter with it's toothpick sized legs) was chillin' on my chicken. If you don't believe me about how big, Chris and Brad will vouch for it at least being an uncomfortably large spider. We packed much more into that week- too much to name. Among our adventures, we were able to hike that new trail we found in St. John and show them our new found place of serenity. I think they enjoyed it as much as we do!

Okay, everyone- that's it for now. I will post with the rest of the month soon.

XOXO


Erik & Candice- happy Newlyweds!!!


Chris & Erik together=Trouble


Me & Diana having fun in the sun


Diana & Brad enjoying the trip to Jost van Dyke


Cousins-in-law conquering the Gorda

Happy 40th Birthday, Jay!!!!

Lost in Paradise

Happy Friday to you all! Okay, so I wrote this on Monday, but never got to post it until now. So, past weekend re-cap: We had a very lovely and yet still action packed weekend. I went on a “girls’ night” on Friday with a new friend, Melissa, who is a traveling nurse here until May. She’s my age and very nice. Nothing crazy- we just went out to a couple of different restaurants (bars) and were home pretty early. Chris enjoyed some quality alone time that probably was quite nice.

On Saturday, we went on over to St. John to try a hike we had noticed the last time we were on the island. It was supposed to only be about a 3.2 mile hike, but we got a little bit lost (I swear- we followed the signs) and we ended up hiking another hour and ½ or so extra. Somewhere along the line I decided that each wrong turn we took would equal an extra BBC (Banana, Baily’s Colada) drink when we got to dinner. I think I was up to 4 by the end of the hike. To add to our excitement, since we had been catching up on some episodes of “Lost” lately, I was able to pretend we were part of the show with the threat of polar bears and other menacing diversions around every corner. It keeps life interesting. The hike was well worth it, though, since it took us up to some ruins that overlook an amazing view of Maho Bay. It was a completely unexpected, but very gratifying, surprise. Hike photos at the end of this.

Once we got back to the car, after following a road back the last mile and ½, we went to go to an early dinner at a restaurant that we heard had good pad thai. That wasn’t open yet and we had to catch the last car ferry back to St. Thomas, so we ended up at Margarita Phil’s for some great Mexican eats and a Margarita that was big enough to replace the 4 BBC’s that we had earned from our hike.

Sunday, we decided to take it easy and hit the beach and the pool for a bit and then went out to dinner at good ol’ Havana Blue with one of my co-workers and her husband. Dinner was great, as always, and we had a lovely time. One of the bonuses of eating at the place where you work is that you get some fantastic treatment. What a great crew of people work there!

This weekend coming up we have Erik and Candice coming for a couple of days. Then, on Monday, Chris’ cousin Diana, and her husband Brad will be on the island for the next week and staying a casa de Edwards for a couple of nights. We can’t wait to play host and once again show off our lovely island.

As is proving the trend lately, I have one other person in my thoughts in which I am hoping for a quick recovery. My brother Chris’ girlfriend, Jackie, is laid up with a knee problem due to some cartilage breaking off and floating around. Looks like she’s got surgery on Tuesday to get it removed. Ouch! So, Jackie- I am wishing for you a speedy and painless recovery. Although, I know there is pain, so I hope it’s at least speedy.

Hugs to all,

Kasey


Chris can barely hide his enthusiasm for this trip.



Talented little hermit crab, ay?


We're not sure, but in our head these are fire ants.


The jury's still out- piece of coral or...skull?


What made the hike all worth it.


Love this guy!

Social life is picking up!

Hello, everyone! Well, we are starting to get to know more and more neighbors and had a fun time hanging out the last two weekends. I met a nice new woman who is a traveling nurse and will be here until May. She seems really sweet and I look forward to getting to know her more. We also went out to dinner and drinks the weekend before last on Saturday night with some neighbors and then on Sunday, Chris and I provided bbq and fixin’s at the pool for the same neighbors and another couple. Then, that other couple invited us to a pork dinner at their place the next night. Yes- pork roast. And I ate it. And I liked it. It will take a while for me to make that a norm in my dinners, but it was good. We played Cranium and had a great time and Chris even ended up with a guitar, since our neighbor never used it and was planning on getting rid of it. Win/win! This past weekend, we socialized some more. We went on over to Iggy’s on Saturday night with a few of the same people from the weekend before and then on Sunday, we had some chicken wings smoked up for us from one of our (tall) friend’s special southern recipe. It was delicious!

Getting to know people here makes a world of difference, as well as being 99.9% complete with the condo. Woo-hoo!!!! All we need is to get the tile backsplash for the kitchen and we are GOOD TO GO! I have been cookin’ some yummy food up and just thriving on not living in clutter. Even if the tile is not here for when our first visitors come, we can fully function comfortably without it.

This weekend we are taking a weekend to ourselves and heading on over to St. John for a hike, some beach and a new Mexican restaurant we’ve heard about and then perhaps some diving on Sunday. A full weekend!

On a more somber note, we would like you to put in your thoughts and prayers for Chris’ grandmother, Lillian, and my nana, Barbara. While they have both proved themselves tough cookies and pretty resilient in the past, it now looks as though they both may be ready for the end (or a brand new beginning- depending on how you look at it). Every person’s time must come and we can be very grateful that they have both lived very long and full lives. Of course, it’s not over yet for either of them- both have pulled through some rough patches in the past, but we just can’t be too sure. I think of them often.

So, as not to end on a sad note, I will post some pictures. Sorry- none of the kitchen. Not until it’s done. Be patient, my friends!


Love you!

LIVING ROOM BEFORE:



Wow- I sure miss that safari-themed painting!



LIVING ROOM AFTER:



"Holmes on Homes" on in the background- Chris' favorite show besides American Idol and Cake Boss. He's a multi-dimensional man, that love of mine!






Look at how happy Chris is now that he's got a guitar!!! I get serenaded often. It's quite nice. :)

A Thoughtful Prayer

In lieu of my weekly update, which at this point seems petty and superficial, I want to say a prayer for all of the people and families affected, endangered, and killed by the earthquake in Haiti. This is a terrible tragedy and words cannot express how deeply sorry I feel for all those involved. I pray that the healing and recovery begin immediately for Haiti as a whole and that humanity can come together and help them get through this as quickly as possible.

Happy 2010!!!!

Well, we have been settled back into the island from our whirlwind, but extremely enjoyable, trip home. We came home to an internet that is still slow and is very frustrating for Chris and knowledge of our condo being the cause of another leak- this time encroaching on not one, but two of our neighbors. But, 2010 is starting to look pretty good. I think they finally found and fixed the source of all leaks here, although we might owe an apology or two to those neighbors of ours. I’m thinking a home cooked meal, maybe, when the kitchen is done. The counters will be put in tomorrow. After that, just sink, dishwasher and tile need to go in and we are DONE! Yay! And, internet should be taken care of this week. Woo-hoo!

I have been a bit M.I.A, but we haven’t really had too much to report on. Right before we came home for Christmas, Chris and I went to Blackbeard’s Castle since I thought he would enjoy it. And we did. They have changed things a bit and we missed the place where the rum tasting was, but I think we can survive with a little less rum in our life. We had fun hamming it up for the camera, so I will post some of those pictures.

NYE was a fun time! We met up with our new friends (as Chris calls them, our tall friends) and went on to Yacht Haven Grande for the outdoor concert. We ran into some other friends there, Trish and Mark, and had a rocking good time despite the rain and the fact that the main attraction, Bunny Wailer of the famous Bob Marley Wailers, never made it to the island. His band made it. Here’s the rumor: apparently there were a couple of rocky landing attempts on his flight that were not able to be completed and they had to land in Puerto Rico. Bunny got shook up and refused to fly in the next morning. Alas, no Bunny.

This weekend we returned to one of our favorite beaches on Water Island- Honeymoon Beach. It was a lovely few hours and beautiful weather. Coincidentally, Joe Biden was (is?) staying on Water Island this week, but we did not catch a view of him.

This morning we went diving. I am still trying to have it become second nature to me, but my body is trying to make it as difficult as possible. We first went to French Cap Island, since today’s glassy, smooth ocean allowed us to go to this mostly inaccessible dive site. It was 80-90 feet and I got kind of anxious going down, but was fine once I was down there. However, coming up, I got a nose bleed. Thank goodness we were on our safety stop when it was noticed. Chris saw it before I did, so I think he was a bit more traumatized by seeing the blood in my mask then I was. But, when I saw him signaling the dive leader to go up and then pointed to me, I looked down in my mask and saw blood. However, I knew I felt fine and the surface was very close, so we got up there and I washed myself off.

After my declaring that I would sit out the second dive, I was talked into it by the crew and the husband and decided that if I let my shakiness get the best of me, it would get harder to get out there the next time. And that ain’t my style. I was glad I went. We did a dive site called Cow and Calf at Cow Rock, which I guess has been mentioned in dive magazines. We saw a barracuda, a sea turtle, an octopus (and saw him change color many times!), as well as swam through a few rock formations. Don’t worry, mom, I could see light on both ends of the tunnels.

So, that’s it for now! Check out the pictures and we’ll talk to you soon enough.



Oddly enough, this big guy happens to be on our Blackbeard tour. I've yet to figure that out.




Chris asked this guy to "pull his finger".




I totally thought "finder's keepers" on that bag of gold I found. The authorities disagree.




This, too, could be considered one of our "tall friends"




And our NYE crew- Susan, Bill, Chris (clearly a different one), Mark and Trish

Sick Ricky, Internet Meltdown and CABINETS!!!!

Okay, where do we begin? Maybe a weekend re-cap, although nothing too crazy. We spent a lot of the day on Saturday at Home Depot and other stores trying to tie up some loose ends. We enjoyed the last hour or two of sun drinking boat drinks by the pool and then headed down to Iggy’s for some drinks and dinner. We received a warm welcome by both the hostess, who I used to work with when I was at the Marriott last year and whom I like very much, and by our waitress who we’ve known for a long time LOVES Chris. She’s a local islander who seems no-nonsense and intimidating at first, but she’s got a soft spot for Chris and now, due to association, I think she’s warming up to me!

Sunday was lovely- we hung out by the pool and met a very sweet woman who lives in our villas with her husband and 2 ½ year old. We were introduced because she mentioned re-doing their condo and she was happy to quiz us on many things. We shared some tips and troubles we’ve had and exchanged contact info, so hopefully new friends we have made! We ended the day having some drinks and appetizers down at Iggy’s (again) with a neighbor and a local couple he is friends with. We had a great time and might even have people to hang out with on New Years! We sure felt popular this weekend.

The rest of the week has had its ups and downs. I will get the downs over with first. Our internet has been shoddy for about a week and you can’t rely on it to send out what you are trying to, so Chris has been very frustrated. We found out this morning that the problem lies somewhere in the wiring of the building, so it is not up to the DSL company to find the problem, but for the condo association. Other than the goodness of their hearts (and they are nice people), they really have no incentive to light a fire under their butts and fix the problem, since it really only affects us right now. We’re hoping they will take pity on us. Also, yesterday, our trusty Slick Ricky (our car) went kaputz on us and didn’t want to start. So, Slick Ricky is a Sick Ricky and has been towed to get fixed today.

On the upside, our cabinets went up in 4 short hours on Tuesday and look fantastic! The countertop people came in first thing on Wednesday to measure things, so we hope to get those in soon enough, too. We are excited that this chapter is coming to a close. After this, we just need some plumbing and a tile backsplash and we are DONE!

Well, this is probably my last blog until after the holidays and I will be seeing some of you soon enough. I look forward to seeing familiar faces and am excited to be sharing Christmas with our families.

Happy Holidays!!!!