Last week we celebrated the 100th anniversary of the United States purchasing the U.S. Virgin Islands from Denmark. The day was a territorial holiday and the Prime Minister of Denmark as well as the Secretary of Interior were on St. Croix to commemorate the event. We even had fireworks, and it's always an event here when fireworks are involved. Overall, it was a nice celebration with parades and lots of people filling the usual spots. It was nice to see everyone come together and celebrate. Not everyone was happy but you can't make everyone happy all the time and that's okay, especially here.We're happy when our electricity is working and when our internet is on; everything else is a huge bonus. There are days on this island where everything works out and everyone says yes and those days are amazing. Then there are those "no" days when nothing is possible and you have two flat tires all at once. Thankfully, the "no" days are far fewer than the amazing days, and all days include amazing views of the ocean and really good people always ready to help.
When I moved here, I lived alone and I handled most of my island issues alone as well. My days were filled with endless trips to the gas station to get air for my tires (I haven't met a pothole I didn't want to know on an intimate level yet). Then I met my fiance and life became so different and in such a great way. I was so used to doing everything on my own that I never really thought about how life changes when there is someone else in it to go through everyday challenges with me. We now go through every day together and it's nice not to have to get my air all by myself all the time. I know I still can but it's nice to know someone else wants to do it for me.
It's nice not to have to do everything by myself anymore. Especially living on an island, when there are certain challenges that go way above what I can handle sometimes, it's nice to know there is someone next to me that can do those things that I cannot, and that we can get through everything together. I do think that my overall island experience would be so much different if I was still on my own here. It doesn't mean that I wouldn't live here anymore but it would definitely be a lot more challenging and I would be full of a lot more frustrating tire stories. My fiance makes my life easier and more fun, and it's better than I ever thought being with someone forever would be.
Recently, I've been thinking about the things I miss since moving here. I really miss water slides. There aren't any here and we can't just drive to a water park or hotel that has them. We also don't have Starbucks or any coffee location that is open past 5 pm. I remember going to these places to decompress on a bad day with friends. Here, we have to find different ways of filling these voids. One of them is to go to our brand new movie theater or taking really long walks on the beach. I still miss the slides though...
