Living from the Heart

Kim and I have a little inside joke about having adventures. She likes to have experiences she's never had before as do I so it's a great match for traveling. The two of us are both easy going for the most part but sometimes I may be slightly "too nice" as she likes to put it. Case in point, when the Charlotte flight attendant tells us to come with them because the plane has brake issues and she is going to redirect our flight plan through another island.  I just say, "Sure, ok."  Kim meanwhile is reading Heads and Beds, a Reckless Memior of Hotels, Hustles, and So Called Hospitality, she's certain the flight attendant is using "the language". The attendant tells us we have to move quickly for this to work so we jump up slightly bewildered and gather our bags. All attention is on us. She explains we are the only two aboard headed to St. Croix; we are the only two being escorted off, that's for sure, and its nerve-racking.  We follow her t...

Wasting Away Again... Waiting for it to warm up in Virginia is like waiting for the apocalypse.  It is 36 degrees in the middle of May, ridiculous.  I need some warm weather stat. Alas, the time has come and I am returning to my second home in beautiful St. Croix.  With this trip comes the blessing of some much needed 'girl time', family time, and husband time.  My friend Kim will return with me to the island and my mom will follow shortly.  We have lots of plans for beach time, yoga, and a trip to the Captain Morgan's Rum Factory.  I can't remember the last time it was just girls and I'm really excited about it! The following week Rob will bring the boys and we will enjoy a much needed refresher.  The boys were a little reluctant to return so soon, I think it's strange, I mean who wouldn't want to go to a beach where the weather and the water is warm? Right? Lastly, the boys will return to the states and Rob and I will have one week all alone,...

"Hello Starshine, the Earth Says 'Hello'!" I love that line from the remake of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, it has such a pleasant vibration to it and always makes me smile.  Smiling is something of great importance too, it's something I was having trouble doing over the last couple weeks.  Now that I've worked through the problem and found the solution I'd like to share it in case someone is feeling the same way. I've mentioned before how the transition back to Virginia from St. Croix took a little time and patience.  It was cold for the initial weeks that we've been home and Rob has been working hard and long hours with the upcoming mowing season at hand.  We went from being together all day everyday to spending a considerable amount of time apart.  His support with the boys day to day is certainly missed. Jack of All Trades  The next thing that I struggled with was the change of pace.  Boy things in the states move fast!  People a...

It is Cold! We arrived home about 3 weeks ago and I've pretty much been in hibernation mode.  Fortunately, the first few days back in Virginia the temperature was in the 60's.  I managed to get out and walk my newly adopted grand dog, open my windows to air out the house, and make the rounds to visit my family. Around the third or fourth day the weather took a turn and the temperature dropped into the 20's and 30's with light snow.  That's when things got tough; it's a difficult transition to go from 80's everyday, plenty of sunshine, and an open house with fresh air to cold, dry, wet, and stuffy.  It has taken me a couple weeks to regulate. Staying Well I needed to flow back into my old winter routines which proved a little difficult under the slight seasonal depression I felt coming on so quickly.  I immediately had a profound diet change; gone were the fresh fruits and veggies, the fresh fish, and the need for a cold beer!  I'm now eating sou...

Celebration time, c'mon! This week has many reasons to celebrate; on Monday my honey and I celebrated our 13 year marriage, and my baby boy turned double digits today, we are settled in our new home, we have planted good seeds,  safe travels, and countless blessings.   I can't believe the transformations we have been through in the last 10, I can't believe the transformations I've been through in the last 3 months! There were a lot of good times with cherished family and friends, new and old.  St. Croix is very hospitable, the people on island are all connected if only that we chose St. Croix.  When you find the select few that you can experience this island in all of it's forms, accept each other's uniqueness and individuality, and have a good time...that's when you know you've had a good time! Water The dry season is making it's mark, the roads are dusty, there is a haze in the air somedays, mosquito's are hungry, rain is cherished.  ...

House Projects Rob has worked hard the past few days on his "honey-do-list" and it's coming along.  He loves to paint and has put oil on our teak furniture that came with the house.  The porch will be b.e.a.utiful after they dry, he also power washed the porch yesterday; there is a lot of mildew because of the constant humidity.  It's so nice and clean that I wondered why we didn't do this the first week.   I'm not sure if it is true of all men, but mine feels that a trip to the hardware store is necessary before any task.  This is not the most productive idea seeing that the nearest one is a 20 minute drive and Home Depot is nearly 45 minutes! I talked him out of it...and that is how the porch got finished.  He has however made 2 trips in the painting of oil on the outdoor furniture.  Hey, I can't control everything!  Survivalist Training Rob took the boys to Mount Victory Camp and participated in their Wilderness Skills Worksho...

Yoga Class....at last I finally took the opportunity to go to a local yoga class and it kicked my butt! I've practiced on my own since we arrived on the island so it was so nice to be in a group.  The class was more Ashtanga style so needless to say my shoulders and arms hurt for a few days intensely! It was challenging, I realized how much I like taking class with different instructors and it's good for me to get a push at times.  It's definitely something I'm going to continue when I get back to Virginia. When I had my studios in Va. I taught so often that my private practice consisted of gentle movements and poses keeping my muscles warm enough not to hurt so durn bad.  I'm really looking forward to getting out more into the yoga community! Absinthe, the Writer's Drink I had a shot of Absinthe the other night.  Rob and I went to pick up a pizza and while we waited decided to have a drink to pass the time.  It was like a mini-date!  There was only...