midweek in the caribbean

so our tuesday and wednesday were pretty low key "island time" days...

made breakfast in the condo (eggs and toast - purchased from KMart, the 'best' grocery store in the area....and well, that ain't saying much!)

we decide to spend the day that the pool of our neighboring resort - as our pool is under construction. fortunately, we're there early enough in the day to secure chairs under a big umbrella, cause being in the sun is just plain killer. the humidity is overwhelming, but having the pool nearby to cool off is great...and in fact, necessary.

we enjoyed some mango rum drinks (go figure) from the pool side bar, and even ate lunch at the poolside restaurant.
one thing for sure on st. thomas...food is expensive. it doesn't matter what it is or where it's from...it's 3 times the price of home. even hawaii was no where near as expensive...it was more, but not totally inflated. HOWEVER - we have gotten some great meals - with portion sizes being enormous. our salads for lunch from the pool-side restaurant are an example...i ate maybe half of mine!


we hung at the pool for several hours, headed back to our condo to clean up for dinner, and then took the short (but still winding, steep and scary) car ride into town for dinner - at a very nice restaurant situated in one of the 'cruise ship shopping areas' - w!kked. we had some delicious lobster rolls for an appetizer, with seafood pasta and cuban sandwich for dinner...followed by our first slice of key lime pie for dessert (every restaurant here has key lime pie for dessert - and a drink on their menu called a 'bushwhacker' - a frozen drink with baileys and whatnot...we each had one of those, too!) our table overlooked the harbor and town, so the lights from the houses up the mountain make for a cool effect.


wednesday brought a 'two ship' day on st. thomas,

so we opted to hit the road to neighboring St. John....we took the car ferry (once again not wanting to be dependent on the very expensive taxi service)...the car ferry was an interesting experience....coupled with the drive, it left me wanting a barf bag...

we land in st. johns and head up the coast to the world famous trunk bay...

supposed to be one of the best snorkeling spots in the world...complete with an underwater snorkeling trail with signage to point out fish types, etc. upon arrival, we're informed that the trail is, in fact, closed for the day and that they are not advising even swimming in the water, as a result of the large swells. we opt to pay our admission (it's national park land) and check it out...

it is, in fact, a gorgeous beach and we finally take our first swim in the ocean on this trip.



there are passengers from one of the ships that have made the trip here, and one of them goes snorkeling, but isn't impressed with the sites. there are plenty of people in the water, as it's quite fun to be tossed around a bit in the swells, but i can certainly see why they were advising against it. one woman arrives and says "ah, it's much calmer than yesterday....yesterday, a woman broke her nose, and another one had to be pulled from the water...." crazy. we later find out that the woman who broke her nose is someone we met here at our resort during our session with our personal concierge! she was looking a little rough, but in pretty good spirits....

since we were really hoping to take in some snorkeling, we opted to find ourselves another location that might be a bit calmer...we head up the coast a bit farther to cinnamon bay....not any calmer and totally deserted. so, we decide to head to the other side of the island to locate the burger joint we've heard we should enjoy for lunch...we run across some mongooses on our way, as well as donkeys just hanging by the side of the road...

we pass some great views of coral bay, a harbor,

and locate the restaurant nearby - skinny legs...once here for a few days you learn to look for the right places for signs to find what you're looking for...this one was hanging from a tree at the 'entrance'.

we seat ourselves in the quaint little shack (that is only open from 11am- 4 pm every day) and notice the 'lost soles' decor...

we're interrupted at one point in our meal by a couple with two small children that finally get our attention by calling to jason "hey, ORANGE GUY! what's with the orange toe nails?" they presumed (given the orange rash guard, orange toe nails and orange flip flops) that jason must be a hard-core fan for clemson or what not....we simply indicated no...he just likes orange...and everyone in our household usually has their toe nails painted, even the boys...i'm not sure what they made of that...but they did end the conversation with bon appetit, so they couldn't have thought we were all THAT bad :)

the burgers at 'skinny legs' were definitely delicious,

and we made note that the popular condiment holders around these islands are 6-pack containers. amusing.

we leave lunch and head back to the north end of the island to try to find some more remote snorkeling. we stop by and tour some sugar mill ruins,

and to catch a glimpse of the british virgin islands in the distance.

across the street from the ruins site is a three-quarter mile long trail that leads to a great snorkeling beach...we decide to load up our stuff and give it a whirl....

so we trek about 1/2 a mile...in our $2.50 each old navy flip flops....across a trail made of rocks and coral...we decide we've gone far enough and find a good, calm place we can enter the water to check out some reef.

it is fantastic, and essentially becomes a private snorkeling spot for us...as only 2 other couples even walked down the trail past where we were.

we spotted many colorful fish, but even more so, the coral itself. the reef is in excellent condition in comparison to what we saw in hawaii, and it was a great stop to snorkel for a bit.

then it's back to the car for the return trip to town - we visit the 'cruise ship shopping area' on st. john, known as mongoose junction, and hunt down the tap room, a little restaurant serving the virgin island brews on tap...

we enjoy some good beer and do some window shopping, and take in the greater st. john cruz bay area (it's MUCH smaller than st. thomas, and the island time feeling is twice as strong on this island...) we heard tale of a good bbq joint from friends who honeymooned on st. johns,

so we stop in to get some take-out to eat back at the condo and get directions to the car ferry dock (which was definitely needed, as we were totally turned around with where we were and how to get back there!) the ride back is a bit calmer, and the view of st. john as we depart is spectacular...

monday in st. thomas

we met with our 'personal concierge' and got some info on the island (most of which i already head...planner that i am....) and to have him set up some reservations for us at the restaurants where we want to eat...

we decide since it's a 'one ship day' here that we're going to take the water taxi from the next-door resort to downtown to do some shopping today...you have to go to town when the ship(s) are in dock, or the stores aren't open...but better to go on a one-ship day so that the place isn't totally overrun with cruisers...

so we take a little stroll over to our neighboring hotel - and on the way, we catch glimpses of some great things - piles of coral, shells and various flora washed up on the beach...

and we snap a few shots on the dock...that's our resort behind us...

and right at the entrance to our property from the beach....sea turtle nesting area...i'm totally reminded of my experience with the sea turtle in hawaii (you can read about it again - or for the first time - here and here) ...and i'm hoping we get to have a similar expereince here...and the sign is a good sign!

and it is absolutely unavoidable to have an encounter with an iguana....they are EVERYWHERE. there were easily a half dozen hanging out on the dock...and some, clearly, pose for pictures...

we catch the water taxi and head thru the harbor, past today's ship (the Carnival Victory) and right up to the sidewalk in the downtown shopping area...we encounter some great salespeople (HA!) on our way to a back alley restaurant we've heard about and order lunch at Gladys Cafe (and we were seated by Gladys herself)

we have rum-filled drinks (i think they find a way to put rum in everything here!) and some great curry chicken, homemade guacemole and chips and conch fritters.


despite my begging and pleading for a pair of diamond earrings from one of the hundreds of jewelers here in st. thomas, we only did a bit of shopping in a couple of shops (though i did get jason to at least walk into tiffany & co. with me) and we loaded up on some duty free liquor (so at this point, some of your christmas presents may not come as a surprise!) we did also round up some yummy belgian chocolates.

on our ferry ride back to our resort area, we caught a half-way decent glimpse of blackbeard's castle (we decided it was too hot and humid to climb the 100+ steps to see it today...) and the ship in port.


the heat took its toll and we took advantage of our air-conditioned villa until we were ready for dinner...at which point we braved driving...not just driving on the left...on roads you sometimes are going up so steep or down so steep that you cannot (literally) see the road in front of you...or turns so sharp you swear you're not going to be able to turn the car that way...oh, and all of this with on-coming traffic that is seemingly driving at 60mph (despite the fact that the island speed limit is like 35mph - but you more realistically cannot drive any faster than 25mph!)...but we did all this IN THE DARK. to a restaurant that we only had a vague idea of where it was (there are really no well marked roads or anything around here...truly adventurous!)

despite having white knuckles the entire car ride, we arrive at the restaurant without incident and are seated in a cute little caribbean seafood bistro. it is literally on the beach and quite delightful. drinks are good. food is good (incredible shrimp and clam stuffed mushrooms for appetizer...and jason got a grilled salmon topped with blackened shrimp and artichokes...i got shrimp and crab on pasta with lobster cream sauce...)

unfortunately, the trip was hampered by little biting bugs (bigger than no-see-ums, but smaller than mosquitos...) we were constantly scratching and slapping and it got so distracting by the end of the meal that we opted out of dessert there (in favor of those chocolates we bought earlier) when we were back at our villa, i counted over 50 bites on just my left leg...fortunately, it seems as though the itching is a short-lived phenomenon...and, it also reminded us to buy bug spray before we head out for a late night dinner again!

getting there

it was a usual fall soccer saturday around our place...included sound of music rehearsal...and then the annual company picnic...

then we dropped the kids off at grandmom and grandpop's house...grandparents who are once again willing to host our 4 children for a week while we gallivant around the globe for some sightseeing and sanity-reclaiming time. (and mind you, that's not just caring for them for a week...it's taking them to dance, choir and three soccer players worth of practices and games, too!) god bless grandparents :)

we head south, basking in the view of the latest balloon festival launch

to join our airport taxi drivers for sushi dinner...

and then check into our hotel near the airport for a few short hours of rest before taking off early in the morning.

our flight from detroit was pretty uneventful...we caught the shuttle with a grumpy pilot who apparently overslept...glad we weren't flying delta!

we get checked in and thru security with little trouble and wait at our gate for an on-time departure (how rare!) we land in charlotte, nc, on-time and walk thru the airport in search of a breakfast spot...being just after 10am, we have missed most breakfast hours at the restaurants, minus one place that has a line 15 people deep. we ended up there, nonetheless, and settled into our gate for our breakfast.



the gate area is full of people who are clearly tourists, and ready for caribbean vacations. the guy behind us runs a dive shop on the island. he's trying to sweet talk a group of pilots (who are still in pilot gear, but are departing for vacation) into take a dive with him. one of them is afraid of sharks.

we board with just a small delay (one of the older men with his younger arm candy companions had an issue with his ticket). we are told that there are empty seats on this flight (and when has THAT happened recently!?) we are thrilled to discover that that means that our row has an empty seat next to us.

we settle in to our long flight, kindles in hand, dozing on and off as the flight allows (there was a couple in the row behind us watching something HILARIOUS, apparently, because her laughter through the first 2.5+ hours of the flight was "LOL" literally...)

it wasn't long before our flight was well over the ocean, and when the clouds below us parted enough for us to even look down, all you could see was a sea of blue. occasionally the pilot pointed out an island (like, um...the bahamas...cause that's about all we flew over!) as you may know, long distance flights are at altitudes above the clouds...so your flight is almost always through bright blue, sunny skies...and then it comes time to land. and that's when you discover what the weather is really like at your destination.

in our case....it was storming. it got quite turbulent, but i'm used to that. the ocean was dark and full of waves. you could tell by the surface that it was very windy.

and as we continue our descent, the turbulence increases to a level that starts to make me uncomfortable. most of the time when flying and then landing, you can clearly see the airport and runway as you approach. however, on an island the size of st. thomas, the runway literally begins at the edge of the cliff and continues into the island...but only so far, because there are mountains. therefore, as you are approaching landing, it appears as though you are going to land in the water.

i'm squeezing jason's arm (as i typically do during take off and landing...it's that paranoia that something terrible will happen to us when we're traveling without our children and someone will be left to care for them and...well, you know...) i make a remark about how dark and stormy it is. and how it looks like we're going to land on the water.

and suddenly, it is so incredibly stormy, and dark and foggy...we can no longer see anything out our window. and just as i start to become even more concerned, the plane engines roar into full speed and the pilot pulls us up so hard and fast that the carry-ons i have carefully stowed under the seat in front of me slide out and hit my feet. i push them back and glance out the window....rain is everywhere...and we can only barely see the wing...and we're going up...we hope...because all you can really see or hear is the engines roaring...there is no landmark out the window to confirm that we are indeed getting out of this mess. i bury my head into jason's arm/chest and wait...the inside of the plane is seemingly silent. engines roaring....turbulence, and then, we're above up into the clouds again and there is that blue sky.

silence for a moment. i'm sure it was a minute, maybe two that we were going up. but goodness sakes, it felt like ten.

and then the captain comes on. and basically says - as you may have noticed...we are unable to land. we're just gonna hang out up here for a bit until that blows through.

okay, great....let's just keep flying out over the ocean. we fly and fly. the captain comes back on and says a couple more turns and we're going to try again. goodness sakes...i'm hoping i survive the attempt again (in more ways that one - one of them being literal survival!)

it is turbulent...but we can actually see something as we approach to land. it is still pouring rain. our nerves are shot. but we land. and without too much issue, though with a soaking wet runway and a huge jet, rain and A LOT of wind, i know it was no small feat.

a flight attendant comes on the radio and simply says "our pilot rocks" as we're all clapping. whew.

and then the kicker...the pilot tells us that the st. thomas airport does not have jetways and that we will all be exiting the plane via stairs. in the pouring rain. please hold the rail.

we're all very grateful to be on land. but are SOAKED after de-boarding and walking OUTDOORS through a long corridor to baggage claim.

we get our rental car, baggage and remember to drive on the left...taking only one small detour (i'm sure it was the scenic route) to get to our hotel....we are clearly in the caribbean...and if you've been here, you know what i mean by that...and if not...well, you should find out!

we arrive at the hotel, have to wait to check in, as the storm took out one of the computers...but the front desk manager tells us about when the hurricane just went through and they lost power for 3 - 4 days...and it dragged a lot of beach sand out with it...we're content to wait a few minutes to check in, knowing that our situation isn't that bad. but...i'm very queasy from our flight (and, quite frankly, jason's driving on these roads).

we get lost in our building trying to find our room, and a nice staff member helps us drag our suitcases back into the elevator for the 3rd time (my fault) to get us to the right floor and the right villa...he gives us a tour, and a little caribbean smile as he realizes that the two of us are in this full two-bedroom condo ourselves...so when he shows us the 2nd bedroom with 2 queen beds...he says "you have as many beds as you like!"

the views to the left and right from our balcony...



we're too tired to venture into town for dinner, so we opt to check out the on-site restaurant...advertising 2 for 1 drinks during happy hour...of which we have about 15 more minutes to make to down...and since this resort was built into a cliff, there are different levels of building complexes and it takes us 3 different elevators to get to where we want to go. we find out from our friendly waitress that because the pool is currently closed for renovations, it's happy hour all day everyday - our day is improving! 2 for 1 drinks at all hours!

we have some mango tango margaritas

and an incredible serving of calamari...(we'd already eaten 1/2 by the time i took this picture!)


we enjoy the dinner time entertainment, and cap off our adventurous day at the sunset grille.

puppy dog eyes

we're headed on vacation tomorrow...and so tonight, i loaded up the children on 'extra' kisses...one for each night we're gone (a whopping NINE!)

after giving the two older girls their extra kisses, they asked if i had done that with porter...i said no...so i headed back into his room to do that...

i climb up on his bottom bunk to be able to see him on the top bunk.

i ask him if he wants extra kisses.

he says yes.

(mind you, he was a total &@$#&@% today and ruined our evening plans...but still...)

i give him extra kisses.

he looks up at me....with his long eyelashes and his little porter look and says

"can i have hugs, too?"



when relaying this story to jason - his response - "there's a reason we don't kill our young"

this thoughtful girl

we're driving home from doing a bit of work at the dance studio tonight, and lilly takes the opportunity to share with me (love it when she does that...hope it continues!)

she's a big 5th grader...and she's always taken a lot of responsibility in school, and this year is no exception. she's a safety patroler. and we're into our second week of school and she was sharing some concerns with me.

so i shared what i thought might be a way for her to share her frustration.

she said it sounded like a great idea. she said she liked that she was helping her community. she said she felt proud.

she wrote a letter to the editor:

My name is Lilly Baker. I am a Safety Patroler at S****t Elementary. I get pretty frustrated when people don't turn their turn signals on. I'm just trying to keep people safe and it's kind of hard for me to do my job when people don't let me know that they're turning. Sometimes I tell kids they can cross, and then all of a sudden, a car turns and I didn't know. I would like to remind people to please turn their turn signals on when they are turning. Thank you, Lillian Baker 5th grade

i'm proud of her, too. not because she wrote a letter to the editor. but because she cares so much about those kids and her job that she gets frustrated. and because she shares her frustration with me.


she's a good kid.

and i love her.

kqotd

porter: mom, can i pretty please sleep with you tonight?

me: no, porter...you have your own room.

porter: but i get really scared.

me: you've got spiderman. he'll protect you.


porter: he's a sticker, mom. he does nothing.

first day of school

it started all over again today....

we're only 2 houses in from the elementary school...and the traffic on the first day...oy. everyone and their brother (and sister, and at least one parent) all come on the first day...we're fortunate to not have to park!

and this year is a bit different....when we moved here, there were 12 'neighborhood' elementary schools. and this year, there are only 7. a great decision as far as i'm concerned (at least for the moment!) our school is now up over 600 students in kindergarten thru 5th grade...225+ or so more than last year.

it's our third school year here...hard to believe!

and this morning, i reminded molly, that next year is her turn. NEXT year.

next year, you will find me in the fetal position in bed...rocking back and forth...unsure of what to do with my time...then i'll remember that molly is only gone for a few hours...and there's still cleaning and laundry and dishes and cooking and... and... and... stuff to do...

but enough about next year....THIS year...big things...

porter - all day, every day. 1st grade. learned to tie his shoes. after one quick mom lesson. and this morning, he had them packed in his backpack (as gym shoes have to be kept at school) and he decided that he wanted to wear them...because tying his shoes was his second most favorite thing to do in the WHOLE WORLD (right behind playing Wii). it SHOCKED the girls...and then someone mentioned 'what about eating mac and cheese' - and he still chose tying shoes as #2. he is so ready for first grade....on fire with reading and math. it's awesome. here's hoping he can keep his tackling and 'extra noise' to a minimum in the classroom. (and by extra noise, i'm mostly referring to the near constant light saber and shooting sounds....)

many people have mentioned to me about how tall porter is...how much he's grown. well, of course, i can always tell by the length of his pants...and how deep the flooding would have to be for him to safely come out dry....but as a point of reference...here is LAST year's FDOS picture:

now, because of the angles of the pictures, etc, it's hard to get a completely accurate measurement of growth...but roughly....last year...his chin was level with the bottom of our mantel...now scroll back up to see where it is one year later. sheesh. what do we feed this kid (other than mac and cheese?!?)

maya, maya, maya papaya. actually nervous for 3rd grade. not sure. perhaps it's missing her bff. perhaps it's the male teacher (though lilly had a male teacher last year and loved him. and grandmom pointed out last night that any man who teaches elementary school has to have a sense of humor and she'd be just fine...) but of all the kids...i think maya was the most nervous this morning. she even stopped walking outside her classroom door and said she wasn't going in.

and lillian. started safety patrol duty this morning. rules the roost. she left earlier than the other kids to be 'on her post'...and we met her at her classroom when she was done. can i just hear a 'holy crap' for having a kid in 5th grade? she's so ready, too. great friends. great learner. great kid. i'd like her to stay that way. and, ironically enough, she mentions frequently that she doesn't want to grow up. i think i ought to video tape that...(video TAPE...hmm...what's that?!)

and just look at that post-braces smile. again, a point of reference...last year's FDOS picture...


and here's the three who were headed out the door...

and then little ms. wannabe hopped in....she starts preschool again tomorrow (3 days a week this year) right after this picture snapped, lillian ran out the door - she loves to be early to her 'job' and i have to remind her that there actually are rules about HOW early she can be...and that leaving when i told her to was really enough time. honest.


i love their summer tans. summer was good to us (despite sanford lake being disgusting for most of august....)


lillian at her post...the rest of us head out the door (maya's backpack so full of stuff for her classroom that her lunch box wouldnt' fit...sheesh.)

we capture lillian at her post....clearly looking busy. HA. (the next picture i took showed her fixing her hair and headband....lol.)

no picture with the principal this year...couldn't see/find her...but with so many extra kids around...hard to do!

i do enjoy the energy around the school on the first day. kids are nervous and excited. teachers...rejuvenated after a summer break. many changed classrooms and/or schools this year. lots of changes. they feel good.

if i'm still living in this house when my children are 'gone'...and it's the first day of school...i wonder how i'll feel. will i be grumpy about the traffic? and cars using my driveway as a turn around (even though we're on a CUL DE SAC?!) or will i have a vision...of my kids in motion...with all those feelings that only the first day of school can bring...

excitement (seeing friends, new clothes, new things)

and so much nervousness (what will my teacher be like, who is in my class, what if i don't know anyone)

and pride (in showing off new clothes and talking about summer vacation experiences)

and in the end...coming home to mom with a motor mouth.

no...i already know. i will see those kids years from now - climbing out of their cars with overstuffed backpacks and shiny new shoes - and wish that they could tell me all the answers to

"how'd it go?"
"did you make new friends?"
"how was lunch?"
"who's in your class?"
"do you have homework?"

and i will remember days like today. and i will miss them.

kqotd

in the rest room at tim hortons this morning...

me: you go in and i'll hold the door

*pause*

molly: mom, did you hear me go potty?

me: yes

molly: what did i do?

me: tinkles

molly: YOU'RE RIGHT! you win the gold medal!

just kidding...i don't have any.

but maybe if porter does, he can give it to you and you'll be the champion of potty guessing.

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kqotd

it's a working day here today...so i have the tv set to a music station - basically a 'kidz bop' type thing...

maya heads downstairs to add something to the donate pile...

she goes running back upstairs...

"OH - i can't listen to it! Justin Bieber is on - OH THE HORROR!! THE HORROR!"

kqotd

i send maya to the garage fridge to fetch a beer so i can boil up brats for tonight's dinner...

maya: here it is...bud light*

porter: beer...the bestest thing in the world

maya: you've never tasted it!

porter: that's what the tv says!

*beer disclaimer* the only reason bud light is in our fridge is for the purpose of boiling brats....

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chores

one of the kids' chores is to set the table...and we're working on incorporating clearing the table into that routine...

so this morning, it was porter's job to clear all of the ingredients for breakfast burritos off the counter...

and then he whined that he didn't know where things went...

jason "so...if you were a jalapeno, where would you live in the fridge?!"

porter stares. and then points to a shelf...

jason "you'd live with your cousins the relish and the pickles?"

porter "yes"

jason "then you'd be right!"

made me laugh. and jason said it felt like a sesame street morning.

kqotd

driving thru town today...see an older lady walking her chihuahua...

molly: aaawwwww...is that a dog or a chipmunk??

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the nerd

driving to day camps this morning, I hear the girls in the back of the van ...

"I'm going on a trip ..and I brought an apple, a ball..."

and I resisted screaming "a map of the area!"

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ulterior motives

the boy comes downstairs this morning and declares...

"i wish this shirt said I love Mom"

"awww....how sweet...my mama's boy..."

and then my brain quickly switches gears to:

"i wonder what he did while getting dressed upstairs that requires sucking up..."

that's life with a son.

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kqotd

while sitting on my lap watching some nick jr. this morning, molly turns around and gives me a hug:

"I wanna be with you every day."

me: "molly, you ARE with me every day."

molly: "well, not when I'm 16.... I'll be an old lady."

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kqotd

maya : mom...molly just opened and closed her door (on her side of the van) and then came out this one.

me: okay.

maya: she's weird.

lilly: maya...get this straight. our WHOLE FAMILY is weird.

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