>so I land, I get the rental car which turns out to be a jeep wrangler which I have always thought I wanted. Turns out it is really hard to fit all my crap including a dog in a crate. But we did it and then I followed my landlord around and up a mountain to my new home.
I live way in the middle o’ nowhere. I am about 30 electic polls past a paved road. Or 30 poll past the pave. 🙂 however you wanna say it.
The apartment was a little disappointing at first. I had that panicky I am alone in the middle of nowhere and I have nothing feeling. So I called my
husband and cried at him (poor bastard) and sent some gloomy texts out to my family. my mom and my sister cracked me up. My mom immediately sent back–get bleach, start in the bathroom and do the rest tomorrow. My sister immediately got one
of her friends who will be out here in a few days contact info to me. What can I say, I am loved!!! 🙂
Now, here is where it gets kinda funny. So my landloard offers to go with me to the grocery store, which is good cause hell, I don’t know where I am and it was dark.
So we are driving down the steep, rocky, crazy hill that is my home and we see a tiny little woman trying to hike it in flip flops. My landlord states that is your neighbor.
So we pick her up, she is a bartender, who was left by her jerk of a husband, and her car is totalled. Oh yeah, and she was SLOSHED. It suddenly occurred to me that 1. My problems are few. And 2. My neighbor drama here is going to be WAY better
than I could have hoped for. 🙂 🙂 🙂
Oh. And it took me a little while to realize that her car was totalled a couple weeks ago immediately after the car was totalled. Well, I’m not positive about the timing, but any which way, it was interesting!!!
I am sitting on my deck, 2 exhausted black dogs at my side, my neighbor just went back to work, all is peaceful, and my view is freaking stunning. 🙂
That is it for now, I will write more when I can.
*hugs*
-H.

>I just wrote a crapload of words and can’t get that one to post. I am here. I am safe.
I will write much more later today.
*hugs*

>First off, I am here and I am safe. I know the majority of ya’ll were worried!
Secondly, wholy moly do I have stories… And I have only been here 1 night.
Beginning with the travelling: I set my alarm for 4:30 AM CST on Friday but that was really unnecessary as I
didn’t go to sleep the night before. Insomnia kicked in really bad and I ended up with no sleep. However my sainted (this week :)) husband
stayed up late and got up early with me. Wilkes and I arrived at O’Hare a solid 2 hours prior to flight time flagged a skycap, kissed goodbye (not the skycap, the husband),
and away I went to paperwork hell, I mean the ticket counter. Much shuffling later we dropped Teak (small dog 66lbs) at the luggage security. I had to take him out of his crate
(For searching). Thankfully he balked only slightly about going back in. Then with a prayer, 2 carry-ons, and Life (bigger dog 112lbs) we set off for human security. I will be
honest, it could have all gone wrong at this point. I had to take Life’s collar and leash off and walk her through. No, not kidding. Thankfully she is a very good dog and after
getting everything searched except body cavities Life and I made it to the gate where we slumped in a puppy pile and waited for boarding.
Boarding the plane went fine. We were in a normal seat row where Life took up the floor. She slept and was perfectly behaved. We arrived on time in Miami and I tried to get Life to pee
in the planter in the outdoor smoking area but after a look at me like I was nuts we went off to our gate. It was hot and crowded so I slumped to the cool tile floor and Life lay in my lap.
Many people enquired, petted, smiled and chatted and Life was her usual charming self. I was drained, I just wanted plane (where I knew we were bulkhead seats) and sleep. An older
gentleman started asking about Life and chatting with me about the island. He said something about how I must have a nice landlord. That is when the voice clicked and I realized HE was my
landlord. His wife works for American Airlines and was able to get him on the same plane (same seat row) as me. So much for sleep, but Life immediately took to him and slept with her head on
his foot the whole way, well, except for when the 1st class flight attendant brought her a steak. Oh, me? Yeah, I had some $4 chips, I was fine, thanks for asking. 😦 stupid spoiled dog. :):)
So I picked up the rental car
(where, btw, they do not take debit cards, at all, so I had to do some fancy money shifting on my blackberry–thank God for technology)

>Well, today is the big day. You may be asking yourself, “gee Heather, why are you writing at 3:40 in the morning on the day you are leaving?” the answer is unfortunately, I can’t sleep because in less than 2 hours I will be leaving for the airport with 2 suitcases, 2 carry-ons, and 2 dogs. I am not going to lie, that is a lot of things. We can barely fit it all in the car. Needless to say, I shall be tipping some skycaps during my travels this day.
I am all packed up, have about 10 boxes to ship (once I get a mailbox–there is no home delivery mail, I have to get a P.O. Box kinda thing), and Wilkes has to pack up about 5 more.
So, yesterday was New Years Day, (oh yeah, Happy New Year everyone!!!) and disturbingly there was a LOT of stores open. I don’t know if I just noticed more this year because I was out and about (didn’t go out the night before, minimal drinking, no hangover–lame new year’s eve but I accompolished a lot more on the day after 🙂 ) but I found it both incredibly convenient and yet kind of sad that almost every store had people working, I was able to get the dogs groomed, buy groceries, go to a bookstore, and go out to breakfast. It was as if there was no holiday to be celebrated and no real “rest” from the holiday rush that the new year is supposed to bring.
But then again, I had a lot of crap to do and was able to get it done, so I am mixed on the whole topic. I still felt the need to appologize to everyone who was working…
Sorry, I am rambling. Right at this very moment at 3:51AM CST (or 5:51AM St. Croix time) it is 68 degrees F in St. Croix. Whereas here in Chicago it is 26. The weather is something I am really looking forward to.
Alright, everyone have a lovely January 2. I shall (hopefully, if all goes smoothly, and there are no problems) arrive in St. Croix at approximately 4:30PM St. Croix time which is 2:30PM CST.
*hugs*
-H.

>Well, here I am in the limbo between Christmas (Yule) and New Years–my bed is full of un-made cardboard boxes, I have a new (bigger) set of luggage, and have the airline rules memorized (for example, it is $15 for the 1st checked bag, $25 for the 2nd, and $100 for the 3rd (I’m only bringing 2) It costs $150 for the dog that is going as checked baggage and that doesn’t count as one of my bags and my service animal’s backpack does not count as a carry-on) I think I could work as a travel agent after this one.

I have completed my timesheets but I still have a few things to wrap up at the office, I also have to meet with my mother-in-law for lunch, get the travel certificates for the dogs, pack up the shipments that will be sent after I leave, refill some prescriptions, find the tv remote (okay, this has nothing to do with STX but it is driving both my husband and I NUTS…), find my tea strainer (this has to be shipped :o) ), and figure out if we are going out for New Years Eve.

Whoooo-Hooo!!! My husband just found the remote!!! Don’t know why it was upstairs but I have been fairly certain elves have been moving our stuff around for a while now. 🙂 Okay, that’s one thing done on the list.

I fly out on January 2nd at 8:30 AM from O’Hare Airport on American Airlines. Think of me on Friday, I will not have a chance to write until I get internet up and running at the house. And since things there are on island time…well, that will probably not be quick.

Hugs to all, I will update as soon as I can!
-H.

> Okay, I have some St. Croix news, I know what kind of car I will be driving. I am quite excited! I have never had a new car before. Okay, so it is not mine, and I only get it for the year I am there–but gosh darn it, I am still excited. I don’t know what color it will be but it is a Mazda Tribute which per the internet looks like this…

>For anyone caring to visit who does not find my futon/fold out couch to be the best place on the island (although why anyone would not want to wake up with my 115lb service animal spooned up next to them I do not know, her breath isn’t too bad…) there are a suprising number of other options. The hotel closest (although there isn’t too much that far away on an island) to me is called the Carambola. This is a stunning hotel basically in the middle of nowhere next to the best beaches.
Note bene: there is NO cell phone reception at this hotel as of last year (when we were there), in fact, my coworker used to have to drive down the mountain to take his calls. There is a certain beauty in being unreachable.
No, don’t worry, I will be reachable. 🙂 🙂 🙂

http://www.carambolabeach.com/St_Croix_Hotels.htm

>A mere 3 weeks before I leave my cozy little home in Chicago. It is almost overwhelming. Today, however I had a disturbing flash of reality–there was a slight contract hiccup (resolved now) which almost cancelled or at the least postponed my island adventure. Thankfully it is still going forward but it certainly makes me wary of feeling too secure.

My next 21 days are filled with meeting up with friends and family before I leave including going home for the holidays. My days have become filled with packing, wrapping up loose ends, making plans, and endless other craziness.

This weekend I have 3 close friends coming to visit, I am very excited to see them, in fact, I am going to run home and finish up the guest room before they arrive.
Have a good night everyone, and I will update more soon!
-H.

>My calendar is filling up rapidly, and as of today I only have 23 days until I leave (eek!). I have packed 2 Rubbermaid totes full of clothes ready to ship, I have a place to live, I have a way of getting the pets down there, in theory a car has been ordered, and I am now just trying to survive the holidays before I get out of town.
I will be in Ohio visiting family from the 22nd through the 25th of December and staying with my sister. I am looking forward to seeing everyone before I disappear into the tropics for a year or so.
I hope everyone is having fun before the holidays, in case you are wondering what I am up to in this glamorous life of mine the answer is LAUNDRY. Pounds and pounds and pounds of laundry. I do not know how it all piles up, but it does. So, between now and when I leave when I am not running around seeing friends and family I will be in my basement, washing load after load. *sigh*

Take care!!!
-H.

>There is nothing better than a long weekend! I am sad that it is almost over. :o(