My fairy tale and an island

I'm still on St. Croix but I haven't written in a while. A lot has been going on and the blog took a back seat. In the last three months, my then boyfriend broke his arm, we both went to see one of my best friend's get married in Chicago, and he asked me to marry him (thus the "then" boyfriend and now fiance)! That's a lot to digest, even here, and I honestly couldn't be happier.

Watching an adult break his arm and watching him go through everything that comes after was not fun at all. The good news is that St. Croix has all the facilities needed to treat broken bones and all the physical therapy facilities needed to slowly get those bones working again. It was honestly no different to go through that here than anywhere else stateside. The main difference was that we were able to go to the hospital, get medications, see a specialist and take the dog to the vet all before noon because everything is so close to everything else here. Did I mention that Bill Clinton was giving a speech and my aunt and uncle were coming to visit the day after this all happened? Well, all worked out and my aunt and uncle seemed to have a really nice time visiting.


And then after everything calmed down a bit, my fiance and I took a trip to my hometown of Chicago and we watched two really nice people get married. It was so sweet and nice, and Chicago was actually pretty nice from a visitors point of view. Then we came back to St. Croix and we went for a walk on the beach with our dog. And then my life changed forever.

It was really like a fairy tale. A lot of what I've seen and experienced on this island has been pretty magical (apart from seeing actual fairy dust in the bioilluminescence bay) but this was pretty much what every woman dreams of when thinking of someone asking to marry her. When I first came to St. Croix, I was so relieved to have less stress and to just be happy that I didn't really think about getting married any time soon. It was such a stressful thought back in Chicago that I was just happy to be happy and I accepted the fact that it may not really be in the cards for me. Then I met my boyfriend and it has been exactly like I dreamed it could be someday ever since. It was like once I didn't need it, I got exactly what I always wanted.

We went for a walk on the beach. The tide was high and there was a voyeur sea turtle nearby. Everyone loves sea turtles so it was a great day already. Then my boyfriend pointed out a piece of sea glass in the water and I went around it as I was almost certain tetanus would be imminent if I touched it. He told me to not to touch it so I obviously haaaaad to pick it up then. I saw that it said "Mar..." through the sand and I picked it up and it said "Marry me." I thought it was so sweet that someone had asked someone else to marry them in that same spot so I turned around to show my boyfriend and he was on his knee in the water with the ring and the sun setting behind us. I'm pretty sure that turtle was nearby watching everything as all voyeur sea turtles do. I was shocked and my hands were shaking and it was the best feeling I have ever had. It just felt right just like everything since I met him has felt right. You really do know when it's the right person because it feels so different with anyone else.

So now we're in the midst of planning a wedding. They don't tell you this if you're not engaged yet, but after the engagement comes this not so fun part of actually planning every minute detail of your upcoming wedding. This is especially tricky on an island because while we have every facility necessary for a broken bone, we do not have ever store necessary for everything that goes into a wedding. Thus, we are now going to become very creative in order to make this work because like everything else since I've come here, it's definitely going to work and it's going to be amazing.

I gave up everything and I moved to an island, and I found the perfect person to spend the rest of eternity with. The best part of this is that this isn't just a story, it's my life and it's real and I couldn't be happier.

1 year

Two Roads, and I took the one less traveled by

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

In 1995, my seventh grade teacher, Mr. Palmisano (who I had a huge crush on) handed out poems to our English class. One of these was written by a guy named Robert Frost. It was called The Road Not Taken. I never really enjoyed poetry very much but Mr. Palmisano had this effect of making me fall in love with this one. And as I was grew up, I firmly believed that by becoming an attorney, I actually had taken the road less traveled. This was a popular thought because by the time I was a licensed attorney, there were way too many attorneys available for the demand necessary in our society. Along with the invention of the smartphone, being an attorney became a 24/7 hijacking situation of which in 2015, I decided I no longer wanted to be a member.

This road to St. Croix is definitely the road less traveled and many times, not taken (and I think my parents still wish I hadn't taken it although they love the beach at Hotel on the Cay so that's something :)).  It's been almost a year since I set out on my big move that I dubbed "New Beginnings" and while I can't believe I actually did this, I'm so glad I did. In the last year, I learned that you know you live on St. Croix when you have no water when the electricity goes out, and when killing a 4 inch gigantic cockroach is no longer worthy of a Facebook post. In the last year, I found a job in management that I really wanted, I made many new friends and I found someone to have a relationship with who loves me even though "Ancient Aliens" is one of my favorite shows on TV.

I started writing this blog because I wanted to keep in touch with my friends and family back home, but I have received so much more from all the people who ready it everyday. Last month we broke 10,000 page views and I have made friendships with many of my readers and I have even had the cool opportunity to meet some of you who will be moving to the island very soon! During this whole experience, I began to really appreciate the world around me. I can be driving down the road and see piggies on the side of the road and cows in the pasture, and I can go into a very indoor type of store and see wild birds going up and down the aisles looking for their favorite products. I can also see goats, horses and chickens everywhere. And my favorite part is that I am almost devoid of having advertisements shoved in my face. St. Croix isn't Little House on the Prairie and we still do very much live in the 21st Century with plenty of online advertisements (I live with someone who really had to have the new Samsung Galaxy s7 and I get woken up to a literal "Mooooooo" sound every time a new text message is received) but we select when we're exposed to them and it's nice to have that kind of control.

After a year, I'm not really sure what the future holds but I know that there is a really happy future ahead. When I made this move I read a lot of blogs about attorneys who gave up very successful careers because they wanted a better quality of life. I needed the support of others like me to be able to know that taking this leap didn't make me completely crazy. It made me think back to that first year after law school when I quit my job and became a magazine editor. I went back to a law firm after the relationship I was in lead me into that direction again. The irony about my current move professionally and location-wise is that I would have stayed in the law profession for a relationship again but my life didn't have that plan for me and I'm so glad I didn't stay because I found exactly what I needed here. Every day is a new adventure here and I can't wait to get to know my new friends better and to make amazing memories because I took the road less traveled by and that has made all the difference.

And for all of you who have been asking for a picture of our dog, here she is. She's the sweetest and the first thing I see in the morning (literally, as she pushes her wet nose into my face to wake me up for a walk) and the giver of endless hugs and licks.

My perfect island Sunday...

Sunday is one of my favorite days. The weather is usually perfect and there's nothing to do all day but to relax. And you'd think we'd be at the beach all the time but we haven't gone in weeks, and being at the beach today and smelling the salt in the air was so relaxing and perfect. We are so lucky to be here and to to be able to do all these things that most people have to go on vacation to experience, but life and work are a reality when you live in paradise so sometimes things just get busy. Even if you're not working 40 traditional hour work weeks or traveling an hour to and from work, somehow things get busy and the beach and other island outings seem like something that can be done anytime and thus, not very often.

But I remember why I moved here and it wasn't necessarily because I loved the beach. I wanted to have less stress and I wanted to relax more. But there is something about the saltwater and the sand and just sitting  and smelling the beach air that is very relaxing. I can come home and eat twinkies on the couch while watching Dateline on TV any day but that isn't necessarily the same relaxation that I moved here to experience. I can have that type of relaxation anywhere. I moved here to take pictures of pretty ocean water and to to be able to take in the outdoors and to share my outdoor space with chickens and all kinds of animals. I moved here to talk to people on the street who know who I am. And most of all, I moved here to have a better quality of life on a daily basis than I had before.

The people I met here have given me the ability to have a better quality of life. My life is better every day and I still have to do my part by going out and experiencing everything that this island has to offer. So I am going to be make it my goal to go to the beach more often, to talk to more people on the street and I will be more patient as I embrace "island time." There are so many people that wish that they could have this type of life that I can't waste it by trying to rush through it.

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter from St. Croix! Yes, we still have chocolate bunnies and peeps and egg hunting contests, but we don't have any commercials for any of these things! Actually, St. Croix has very few advertisements on the whole island, even for things that tourists would probably like to do. And this is one of the reasons that everyone who lives here loves this island versus maybe some other islands that are very commercial. I remember being in the Bahamas one summer and there was a man going up and down the beach advertising his "booze cruise" and there were women walking up and down the beach selling trinkets. There are few people on the beaches in St. Croix much less anyone walking up and down advertising anything.

There are cruises here and trinket stores as well but they get advertised online or by word of mouth. Even television commercials don't advertise local events and the things that are advertised are not available here. It almost feels like the way life used to be 30 years ago. When we go to the store here, we buy things based on what we need and not what we saw on television 30 minutes earlier. It's refreshing to be less commercial here and maybe that's why we don't buy a lot of stuff here period. Young kids here spend their Friday and Saturday nights outside on the beach rather than in front of a television or a computer and they spend their days outside with animals and with other kids their age. This type of life isn't for everyone but I liked the way things were 30 years and I like the way things are here now.

Back on schedule and living in the moment...

I spent my whole life planning for the future but being here has allowed me to live in the moment and enjoy the now rather than always thinking about how I can enjoy what's to come. I think everyone needs to plan to a certain point or you never really get to achieve what you set out to do but you also have to learn how to enjoy what you have planned. There is a fountain outside my window and I can hear the water streaming and I can hear crickets, but otherwise it is silent and that sound is magical. It's dusk right now and I am just able to sit here and write and not think about anything else that has been done or that I still need to do. I get to be here now and I have spent years trying to figure out how to do this.

I'm not sure what it is about this island that gives me the opportunity to live in the present but the absolute beauty and perfection of the nature around here definitely helps. We have stores and movie theaters (just one) and all those places and things that we become so accustomed to but here all those places are superseded by the natural surroundings of the beautiful sea water and the hills and "what is" and not what will be in the future.

I was playing miniature golf today and at first it started out just like any other activity that you would do on a Sunday afternoon, but then I looked out and I saw the background of where I was and I couldn't believe how lucky I was to just be there. I began to think about all the people who come to visit and never leave or those who have been visiting for years and I was wondering what makes them stay. This isn't the most glamorous island with the most activities and it may not even be the prettiest (although there are some very beautiful parts that are probably prettier than most other places), but I think it has a combination of all those things that people have a very hard time finding anywhere else. Somehow everything comes together here and makes it the perfect island to just be on in the present.

Activity Review:

Divi Carina Bay Resort Miniature Golf

I don't have any great pics for this activity but it is the only miniature golf on the island and it's very easy to find. It's located across from Divi Carina Bay Resort right across from East End Pizza. They are open seven days a week from 2 pm to 9 pm and cost is only $8 for adults. The course is a bit challenging if you are a beginner with some elevated greens at some of the holes but overall, it's fun and you get a great view of the Caribbean Sea if you go during daytime hours.

There is also a driving range here and air hockey tables and party rooms for those who want a little more to do than just miniature golf. This activity is fun for the whole family or for those who just want to get away from their families or surroundings for a few hours!

On island time!

Yes, I'm late, about two days late, even though I have tried unsuccessfully to make this a three-week blog (thanks to all of your emails and it's been great to get them!!!). There is also a puppy adorably burrowing herself into my keyboard and trying to do everything possible to keep me from typing anything every time I try.  Sometimes being here feels like being anywhere else, just with perfect weather. Some days I go to work and I go to the store and do the everyday stuff I used to do before I moved here and I forget where I am.

But then I go inside the grocery store and I can't find half the stuff I wanted to get and I remember that I'm in St. Croix. And then I go outside and my car is literally 50 shades of Dirty and I remember exactly where I am. Ironically, my car is also 50 shades of grey because it happens to be a grey colored car and extremely dirty right now. And then when I can't just go to a drive-thru car wash, I remember that I live on this amazing island where things are far from perfect but where I can't imagine not being because unlike some people, I do have a choice and I choose to be here.

Life has gotten busier on the island. Apparently I love to work. I started out taking it easy with no job and bumming it on weekdays on the beach, and then working about 10-20 hours a week, and now I come in early and I leave late and put in actual stateside timed work weeks. I don't really mind that much though because my job allows me to stay here and I love it here. I also found that I love to clean. I have lived in many different apartments in my life and I have never loved cleaning any of them. I did, however, love having other people clean my apartments for me. In the past, I have also always lived alone and in a way, wherever I lived never really felt like home but it does now,  and I love keeping our home clean.

Our floors are stone tiled and I really like having clean floors. Back in Chicago, I would never dream of not having carpet because it was really cold but here carpet is not a good idea with lots of bug-like creatures trying to cohabitate with you and a puppy who hasn't yet learned to wipe her paws before entering. I never understood why my mom never wanted to have anyone clean our house but now I kind of get it. We'll see how long it lasts though because the more time I spend cleaning, the less blog posts so I'm guessing my newfound enthusiasm for floor mopping may wear off.

The last few months, the weather has also changed a lot here. I used to spend everyday in the summertime and in the fall here being drenched in sweat and I haven't sweated outside in months!!! It's an amazing feeling once you know the difference and here, everyone knows the difference! It's still beautiful, I'm still having a great time and it's starting to feel more and more like home every single day.

Restaurant Review:

Toast

Toast is one of my new favorite breakfast and lunch places. It's very quaint and cute inside, and we spent the morning eating and playing tourist after coming here. The food choices, while not many, are different than many other breakfast places on St. Croix. With choices of grits and arepas, you get a different breakfast experience than just eggs and bacon (and I love both!). The waffle fry nachos are also amazing and the whole meal is topped off with iced coffee which makes for a perfect morning in St. Croix any day.

Toast is located behind Purple Papaya among all the tourist shops. So, after lunch, it's always fun to explore even if you've lived here for a long while or if you're just visiting for the very first time. This place is also a stone's throw away from the boardwalk so it's convenient regardless of where you start off.