Roosters Don’t Just Crow At Dawn (Another Lost Post from March 2014)

And they don’t just crow once either. These mofo’s crow all day and all night. Literally, all day and all night.  As a matter of fact, I think they may actually crow more at night than they do during the day.  And, to top it off, they have these crowing competitions with other roosters, or at least that’s what it sounds like. Maybe they are trying to see who can crow the most, or the loudest, or whatever. I’m not sure, but don’t let the cartoons fool you. These mothers go in. It’s distracting, but it doesn’t bother me so much, however, the kid doesn’t seem  to be handling it too well. He’s not yet settled into his nights and I’m sure the roosters are to blame.

When we finally arrived on island, our caretaker Allan welcomed Braedan and me warmly. While he’s not my caretaker specifically, he’s the caretaker for the property and he’s done an amazing job getting me acclimated. He even helped me find Braedan’s Nanny, Ms. Debbie, who is a perfect grandmotherly type woman with the biggest smile. Braedan seems to have taken to her quickly. I’ll admit, I’m a little jealous. I still want him to want only me. On my first day of work, I visited him at lunch and he didn’t seem to care at all. I’m showering him with kisses and he’s pushing me away. Sad face. At least I found someone he can be comfortable with while I’m out working for the man.

We arrived on a Saturday and Allan took us around Frederiksted (the city I live in) a bit. We went to the grocery store and though in my research, I read up on how expensive things are here, I wasn’t prepared. I’m already making a list of things I’ll need to order online or buy and bring back when I go home. If you’re planning to visit me here, don’t be surprised if I ask you to bring me some provisions. I’m just saying.

Allan is a jewelry maker and a former yoga instructor. He sets up a tent at the pier when the cruise ships come in and sells his jewelry. Braedan and I spent some time with him there on Sunday and although it was rainy, I could tell it was a nice lifestyle, if you’re into that relaxed, take-it-easy, laid-back, chill, life’s-a-beach kinda thing. We enjoyed spending time at the waterfront and I was able to meet a lot of really great people, Allan’s go-to women on the island. Later I ventured off to Christiansted (technically, the only other city on St. Croix) on my own (with Braedan) just to say that I did; and I can tell there’s a difference in income on that side of the island, or maybe it’s just my perception. Maybe I should spend more time there and find out (*wink).  On my first day of work, I asked our security guard/receptionist (really, he’s both) where the rich people on the island lived. He said that he didn’t think there were any (sad face), but the people who had a little bit of money lived on the Christiansted side (actually, I think he said the east side, to which I asked, Christiansted? And he said yes. I’m not typing east side now, because I actually don’t know my east from my west here unless I’m looking at the map and I don’t want to be wrong, just in case Christiansted is actually the west, but rest assured, I confirmed it’s the Christiansted side).

So, my first day of work was interesting.  After all my travels to get here, they had no idea I was coming. It would be funny if it wasn’t sad. I’m not upset, they all seem pleasant and welcoming, but it would’ve been nice to have a little more time at home.

Things I miss:  Peanut butter m&m’s; ice.

Warm Nuts Are Completely Underrated (A March 2014 Post)

Below is what should've been my very first post about St. Croix, but alas, I got way to busy and never actually posted it.  So, here you go:

So, I decided to move to St. Croix to take a job.  It did seem like it came on suddenly, as I was in a mad dash to get things ready to go and I told everyone with mere days to spare, but the truth is, I knew about the option for a little over a month and I was pretty sure I was leaving for at least two weeks.  Yeah, I know, that’s still not much time.

Anyway, I decided on a Thursday to leave the following Thursday.  Since I was already pretty sure I was going, I’d spent the previous Sunday going through my storage unit with a few girlfriends.  That wasn’t nearly enough preparation, as I realized I owned way too many things.  My life was full of stuff.  I think I just bought things to fill up my 3/2.5 house and once that was rented out, I kept it thinking I’d move it to another house, maybe.  I don’t know.  So, I called in reinforcements to completely clear the unit for Saturday.  What a day, but thanks to fabulous friends, we got just about everything done.

I spent the rest of the week getting my bedroom in moving condition and saying good-bye to my friends and family, including a family dinner Sunday and a friend dinner Wednesday.

I woke up Wednesday morning at 6:00 am to Braedan’s cackled cry, with a LOT to do.  I realized I wouldn’t be able to do it all alone, so I called a moving company to help me pack and move my things off to my storage unit, where they will be picked up and shipped to me.  Having the help was great, but I now realize I wish I’d been more strategic about what I packed.  I could really use the Medela Quick Clean Micro-Steam bags to sterilize my breast pump and Braedan’s bottles.  Oh, well.

I spent about 3 hours with the movers packing my things and getting it locked away in storage and then I spent the rest of the day tying up loose ends for the Atlanta job.  After “finishing” at 6:30, I made a mad dash to the going away dinner I set up to meet friends at 7:30.  I left dinner at 10:30 only to get home and realize, I had a lot left to do and more things to move to storage.  Unfortunately, storage didn’t open until 6:00, so my desire to be on the road by 5:00 am was out the window.  I organized my room until 2:30 am and then went back to the office with my luggage to leave things neat and tidy for the crew.  While there, I walked past a white board that I passed by everyday, and got my dress caught on the edge, which ripped a hole in the but.  I sat at a desk I’d sat at a million times and I got the Tory Burch emblem of my flats caught on some hook I didn’t know it had and it ripped the emblem off as I stumbled to the floor.  Imagine how I looked.  Unfortunately, I finished up at about 4:30, leaving no time to change, only time to head home to grab things to take to the storage unit and make sure the room was ready to go.  I got to the storage unit around 6:30 and luckily, for me, my good friend Erica was able to meet me there to grab the key.  I then went back to the office to notarize some documents (I’d left my notary stamp in the storage unit originally) and pick up my luggage and was finally on the road by 8:00, with a hope and a prayer to make it in time to drop my car at the pier and make my 3:40 flight.  Did you notice that I had not been to sleep since I woke up Wednesday morning and it’s now Thursday and I have to drive five hours with an infant?  Please don’t let that little nugget slip by you.

This is how you turn a 10-hour travel day into three days.  Clearly, Braedan and I got off to a late start.  That was our first problem.  My second problem was driving alone.  I’m not sure how I expected to drive five and a half hours to Jacksonville with a two-month old and no one to feed him, but me.  Needless to say, I had to pull over a few times to feed the kid (30 minute delay each time) and get back on the road.  Oh, and did I mention, in order to ship my car, I needed permission from my finance company, in the form of a letter, which required a signature from me, which had to be notarized, which wasn’t sent to me until 6:00 Wednesday night after all of the businesses with notaries had closed.  Awesome.  So, I had to stop at a bank on the way to Jacksonville to have the document notarized and sent back to my finance company in hopes that they could get it to the booking agent to get to the shipping company, before I made it to Jacksonville.  Good stuff.  That was another 45 minute delay, but it got done.  Props to everyone who did their jobs well that day.  Really.

So after all that, I realized I’d be pushing it, so I called the shipping company to find out how much time they’d need to get my car settled.  15 minutes they said.  SWEET!!  The airport was 25 minutes away from the pier so if I really booked it, dropped my check-in baggage off first, I’d just make my flight, so that ‘s what I did.  I got to the airport at about 2:00, dropped off my luggage and flew to the pier, and everything seemed on track…

What the shipping company didn’t tell me, is that the 15 minute window only applied to one step of the process and there are four steps.  First, you arrive at an office building where you fill out paperwork and wait for and escort.  Second, the escort, escorts you to the shipping company.  Third, you fill out more paperwork and wait for an inspector who has to note details about your car and approve it to ship.  Fourth, you have to wait for yet another escort to take you back to where you originated.  This second escort can also serve as a taxi to take you wherever you want to go.  By the time I was at step two, I realized I would never make my flight so, I called to see what my options were and American told me that all flights were booked until Saturday.  It was Thursday.  What?!?  I contacted my new company and they pulled a First Class rabbit out of a hat.  Literally, first class.  They booked me for the same flight for the next day, with a first class upgrade, thank you very much.  But the overnight stay in Jacksonville for Braedan and me was on us.  Oh, and I’m so smart that when I packed our luggage, I put all of Braedan’s clothes in the checked bags and had nothing for him to wear in my carry-ons.  Off to the mall we go.

I woke up Friday morning determined to get to St. Croix in time to take care of much needed things, getting a post office box (the only way to receive mail on the island); finalizing registration with Braedan’s daycare (and making sure I liked it; no website; who does that); and beginning the search for a nanny.  Since I didn’t make my flight Thursday and my car wasn’t scheduled to go out until Friday, I kept it so Braedan and I could get around Jacksonville Thursday.  So, Friday morning, the pier was my first stop.  The car needed to be in by 10:00 am.  Armed with accurate timing for all of the processes, I made it with time to spare.  Realizing that, the taxi driver decided to take me along as he picked up and dropped off two other people.  Braedan and I didn’t mind, but I feel like we deserved a discount.  Anyway, I made it to the airport by 12:00 with plenty of time to check our bags and make the flight. Yeah, I repacked my luggage and checked more bags.  I was flying high, or I would be soon.  Until…my flight was delayed.  No sh!t.  Delayed.  No big deal you’d think, until you realize that I had a connecting flight in Miami to St. Croix and since my Jacksonville flight was delayed, I wouldn’t make my connecting flight.  You really can’t make this stuff up no matter how hard you try.

My options:  stay in Jacksonville another night (at least this time American Airlines would cover the stay) or continue on to Miami and stay in a hotel there.  MIAMI!!!!!  But here’s the thing, when I realized my job prepaid all of my checked bags, I reconfigured my bags on Thursday to have less carry-on’s since I had Braedan and his stroller.  I thought it best to be as unencumbered as possible so he and I could move around easily.  So this means that ALL of our clothes were checked.  His and mine.  We had nothing to wear.

I arrived in Miami at 6:30pm.  Plenty of time to make it to the mall and get us some duds.  American Airlines gave me my voucher for my hotel, dinner and breakfast the following morning (I would’ve been satisfied with a room and a ride).  The attendant then directed me to the exit where I would “see the bus” for the hotel.  Following her instructions, I saw the bus right away and managed to catch him before he pulled off.  Good thing too, those buses only come once an hour.  I got to the hotel, only to find, it’s the wrong Courtyard by Marriott.  Apparently, there are a million; my voucher was for the Courtyard Coral Gables, and I caught the bus for the Courtyard Airport South.  Before you ask, no it wasn’t marked.  Not to worry, they contacted the Coral Gables location and they promised to send a van for me.  It was only 7:00, still plenty of time to get to a mall to get us some clothes.

So, it’s 7:45 and no van.  I call the Coral Gables hotel myself and, you know that van that was supposed to come get me?  It went to the airport first and he was too full to come get me, so I’d have to wait for his next return trip from the airport.  What?!?  I let them have it, so they agreed he could come get me first, within 15 minutes, but then he’d go to the airport before taking me to the hotel.  I tried to reason with them that I just HAD to go to the mall, but  they wouldn’t budge.  This left us no time to get clothes.  By the time we would finally make it to the hotel, everything would be closed.  So being a resourceful woman, I did the only thing I knew how to do.  I prayed the driver was a man and when I saw that he was, I used my feminine charm to get what I wanted.  It worked.  He picked me up and took me straight back to the hotel.  It’s good to be a woman.  Don't judge.

We got to the hotel at 8:15, I immediately asked them to call me a cab, which I was informed, would be there in five minutes; and then I ran upstairs to put down anything I didn’t need to take with me.  I got back downstairs at 8:25, no cab.  They made a second call (again I was told five minutes) and finally at 8:44, the cab showed up.  Fortunately, I used the down time and my handy dandy iphone to find a Marshall’s because they’re typically open to 9:30 (thank you Marshall’s).  Now it was important for me to be in and out of Marshall’s because that voucher American Airlines gave me for dinner, was only good for the restaurant at the hotel, and it closed at 10:00.  To God be the glory, I got clothes for Braedan and myself and made it back to the hotel in time for dinner.  Finally, I get to sleep.

I woke up Saturday finally ready to begin my adventure in St. Croix.  The hotel bus left for the airport every hour on the hour, so I managed to get breakfast and be the first one on the bus.  I was not going to let any factor that was within my control prevent me from making my flight.  We got to the airport with hours to spare.  I walked around, bought a shot glass, got my sunglasses tightened, fed Braedan, fed myself and waited patiently for my flight to St. Croix, which was DELAYED!!!!!  When they finally did let us on 45 minutes after the original time, the pilot informed us that we were delayed another hour, but he wanted us boarded and ready, in case we received the signal to go early.  I told you, you can’t make this up.  It’s cray!!

Dear GOD, please don’t let all of this be an omen!!  But then, as I sat in my seat in first class, while still on the tarmac, cleaning my hands with my delightfully hot cloth given to the patrons of the first class cabin, by the attentive flight attendants, the first thing placed before me…nuts; mixed nuts; warm nuts; delicious nuts.  Cashews, almonds, pistachios, all warmed for my eating pleasure.  Suddenly, everything was everything.

Things I miss:  The entire Babies ‘r Us.

Out With The Old

My blog was originally titled, "Atlanta Is My Runway" because it was, but considering I've been living in St. Croix for a little over a year now, I don't think I can claim that throne anymore. "A Peach in Paradise" is much more fitting, as I'm a native Atlantan and a true Georgia peach, and this is paradise. Right? Maybe, maybe not. I'll let you decide.

The great thing about my life right now is I've found a way to fit travel into my demanding schedule. Between being a mom, working crazy long hours at work and getting ready to start school in a dual Masters program, I have a lot on my plate, but traveling somehow keeps me sane.

I hope you enjoy my stories about island life, travel with and without that crazy kid of mine, and my adventures in dating. If my future is anything like my past, you'll certainly be entertained.