Boats!!!

We have had quite the nautical past couple of weeks, which has been fantastic. It’s a whole different good time when you are out there on the water.

The Saturday after my parents’ visit, we had rented a boat with our neighbors and friends. One of our friends drives a boat here for work, so he was able to act as our captain for the day. We stocked up on munchies and beverages and made it on over to White Beach on Jost van Dyke and then we headed to Willie T’s- a ship with a bar and restaurant in the middle of a bay. It was gorgeous weather and we had a ton of fun!

This past weekend, we were invited to join our friends, Susan and Bill, on their boat, which is big enough to sleep on, which we did. This weekend was the annual Blues Fest in St. John and we went over in style. We headed out bright and early on Saturday morning to Coral Bay in St. John to anchor up and hang out on the boat with an array of boat drinks and snacks. Kind of like tail-gating. Then, we headed over to Island Blues where we got some late lunch/early dinner and got to listen to a blues band. Then off to the concert where we set up shop on the field and saw an array of talent. By midnight, we were beat and headed back to the boat.

The next day, our friends had heard us rave about the hike we do on St. John where we can look down at the boaters in Waterlemon Cay with jealousy. They decided that they would let us finally enjoy the experience from a boat. We tied up in the Cay and enjoyed a verrrry relaxing and leisurely Sunday. We were able to jump right into the water from the boat and there was some pretty cool snorkeling a bit of a swim away. All in all it was a lovely day and we are very grateful that we got to live like boaters for a weekend!

This weekend we plan to take it easy and revitalize ourselves so that we can show our next visitors, Katrina and Jackie, an amazing time. Can’t wait!

Adios for now,
Kasey


He's on a boat!


Our weekend boat hosts


Looking up to the spot we usually look down from in envy

Parent Visit 2010!!!

So, my blog is a bit delayed due to a lingering gift from my mom- her cold. However, now I’ve finally gotten the energy and wit back to write down our adventures. As expected, it was wonderful to see my parent’s smiling faces last week and we had a grand ol’ time. Sunday night we picked them up at the hotel to try to take them to Yacht Haven Grande for the ambiance. However, the weather was rainy and too cold- not only for us, but also our hardy visitor’s from arctic New England. That was downright abnormal for St. Thomas. So, after a short two restaurant drink crawl, onto the Shipwreck Tavern we went for some indoor shelter from the weather. We dropped Mom and Pops off early to get some rest and get ready for the week.

Monday, again, was touch and go with the weather. When the sun decided to peep out intermittently from 11am on, it was decided that the pool would be the place to stay for a bit, since the forecast was for rain ALL WEEK. BBCs (banana, baily’s colada) made their debut. Yum. The afternoon warranted a quick visit to downtown for shopping, much to my dad’s dismay. Fortunately, shopping was short-lived and we headed back to the Marriott to head out to dinner at Havana Blue.

Once again, they treated us well there. As usual, they service was great and the food delicious, but they outdid themselves this time. At the end of dinner, when we thought we were stuffed to the gill, we were told by our waiter that they had a “small” surprise for us coming up. Well, that “small” surprise turned out to be a HUMONGOUS platter with an array of desserts. I couldn’t even tell you how many. There were sherbets and crème brulee, churos, carmelized bananas, and etc. Two minutes before we thought we couldn’t eat any more but, we could. And did. Almost all of it. Yowsers!

Early the next day we were off and running to the “staple” tour of the Baths and Jost van Dyke. The trip with New Horizons was great and my parents thought it was extremely well done and fun. Contrary to the weather forecast, it was a decent day. We had enough overcast cover to protect dad from the sun that had attacked him with a vengeance the day before. Poor guy was no match for the Caribbean sun. But we also didn’t have to deal with rain, wind or cold. Perfect!

Wednesday was a trip to beautiful Magan’s bay and then off to our place for some home barbequing.

Thursday was a nice and relaxing day at the Marriott pool and then we proceeded to a very enjoyable sunset cruise on the Fury boat out of the Marriott. Finally, we topped off the trip to the obligatory dinner at Iggie’s. The trip went by so quick, but with a lot of fun and a lot of laughs.

PS- considering how sick I felt this week and how sick my dad is feeling, I give my mom MAD PROPS for being the trooper she was last week while fighting the same cold. If it wasn’t for her cough, I would never have known she was sick. Well played, Betty!

Love to all, Kasey


Dad, admitting defeat to the sun


Bathing beauty in the Baths


Sunset cruise and cruise ship


Iggies! You bet your bippy this would make the blog!


Fun in the Sun!

Weekend and Bday

We had quite the fun and food-filled weekend. We’ve gotten to know our neighbors pretty well and have really clicked one other couple and we got to see them a lot over the weekend- dinner Friday night, brunch Saturday and then beach, brunch again on Sunday and then dinner on Sunday night! We might have to purchase two seats for each of us on the flight home.

On my birthday, Chris surprised me by taking me to Room with a View- the place we were supposed to go on Valentine’s Day but we ended up flying back to MA instead. The food was delicious and we had a lovely time. I also have a massage booked on this Saturday, courtesy of my birthday gift from Chris. He is getting one at the same time, too, since he has a gift certificate left over from Christmas.

Next up- we look extremely forward to seeing my Mom & Dad and their two friends when they come to the isle on Sunday. I hope to show them a fun week!

Can’t wait to see you, Mom & Dad!!!

XOXO,
Kasey

February, Part II

Okay, so where were we? I think we had just bid adieu to Brad and Diana. Life went back to the normal routine for just a bit and then we received some sad, but expected news that my Nana had passed away. However, this was for the best, since she was not living with quality anymore and I am sure she’s much better off now.

So, off to Boston we flew for the wake and funeral. Along with returning to pay our last respects, we also managed to have a lovely few days with my family, whom I’ve missed. Everything went smoothly and the funeral was very well-done. It was a great way to say goodbye. We were amazed by the amount of support we received through dear friends and family and it truly makes you realize how important and wonderful those close to you are. Feeling as though the family did well by Nana (many thanks to my parents, my Aunt Pat and my Uncle Bob and Marilyn), we flew back to St. Thomas.

Since whirlwind seems to be our preferred existence this month, we were home for an evening and out bright and early the next morning for our “mini-vacation” to St. Croix. We took a 1hr. and ½ ferry over at 7am. Not too bad since I napped on the way over.

Unfortunately, Chris had to work that Friday so, after a quick lunch at Rum Runners, I left him to work (at least it was by the pool) and did some window shopping. We were staying in Christiansted and they have some very cute shops. When Chris was able to put his laptop away, we went out for a lovely dinner at a cozy little restaurant called Bombay and then for a night cap at the hotel.

The next day, we ventured all over the island. One thing about traveling with Chris is that you have to be prepared to circumnavigate any island that we travel to. His goal is to see every bit of it. Fortunately, our islands so far have been manageable. We hit the faux “Rainforest”, but managed to miss the beer-drinking pigs. They were very highly spoken of and we are sorry to have been unable to locate them. We stopped for a bit at Sandy Point beach, where the rough waves gave us a great amount of entertainment. Next, we went on to the Casino, where we both managed to score some $$ off of 25 cent slot machines. Then we returned to the hotel for our evening excitement. Since we were torn between several dinner spots, Chris suggested a first for us- an appetizer crawl. We picked 3 places and shared apps at each. I loved it and hope to try that again sometime!

On Sunday, we had some time to kill before the ferry, so we checked out Fort Christiansvaern. Quite a cool little fort and I actually found it much more interesting than I anticipated. The ferry ride home was a bit rougher than I would have liked but, all in all, not a bad way to travel.

Oh and, did I mention that the kitchen is done? As in, the whole place is done? Hold on… is that a chorus of angels I hear singing? Yes. It’s true. We no longer have any more condo work to do. Well, anticipated condo work, that is. Photos below.

Cheers,
Kasey


Savant- one of the places on our food crawl...


Chris loves cannons!


Me. In Jail. Again. Just kidding Mom & Dad! Lock-up cell in Fort Christiansvaern


Cruise Ship in St. Croix- Paula and Joe Metivier were on this ship!!!! Found out after...


Beer drinking pig


Kitchen!!!!! Yay! Kitchen!!!

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!