Happy Holidays!!!

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.

My car and my goodbyes...

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...

I said goodbye to some of my co-workers who I will not see for at least a year. I started to get all teary-eyed and sniffly. I have spent the last 4 years with these people, some of whom I have worked with closely and many of whom have become very good friends. Awww hell, I am getting misty just thinking about it. Gosh darn it, some of you better come visit me!

I am having a going away party this Saturday at my friend Eileen's house, I am looking forward to the party, but I am already getting soppy about the saying goodbye. Also, I will be in Ohio next week to say goodbye to my family...I bet I will be a'sobbin then too.

I hope everyone has a happy holiday!!!!

Accommodations

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

21 days remaining...

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.

time flies!

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.

The long weekend...

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

Today we updated Wilkes' phone because our carrier has to change from Verizon to AT&T for the island. We got him the Blackberry Bold for his Yule and Birthday present combined and for the first time he is officially out-geeking me with his technology -- I am totally jealous! :o)

Verizon (just fyi) does not office service on STX, well they do but apparently it runs at over $1 per minute (yikes!) so my company is switching me over to an AT&T account, but we have still kept our 618 area code numbers. :o)

It occurred to me today that I have a TON to do before I leave in a mere 34 days (holy crap!!! 34 days!!!) I still have to figure out what to bring, what to leave, what to ship, etc. If anyone has any good ideas feel free to leave me a comment.

Also, should anyone be planning on a visit, try to let me know as soon as you can, I will set up a calendar for couch space.

Hugs to you all!!!

-Heather

Happy Thanksgiving!

I have way too much to be thankful for to list out, however I wanted to say thank you to all my friends, family, and co-workers for all of your love and support during this St. Croix trip planning. I would not be where I am today without you and I love you all.

I hope you all ate well today and are resting happily.

Goodnight!

My Apartment '09

Okay, so it is not much, but it will be my home for the next year. Below is my living room and for those of you visiting, that is your couch! :) Well, your futon anyway. It is a one bedroom sort of apartment, although my "bedroom" is really a loft.

My "bedroom" is below.

This is the view down from my bedroom (loft?) thing...

And now we get to the really good stuff. This next photo is the view from my bedroom.

And here is the view from my little concrete patio--for those of you visiting, this will be where the rum happens. :)

So, there is just a quick view of what I know so far. I will keep you updated!

-Heather

First Posting

This is a weird experience, writing for the masses. They say not to give out a blog address until you have a good stock of reading material for people to view. I have never been too good at listening to "They" so read and enjoy and hopefully this will be a good experience for us all. :)
As some (or all) of those who are reading this know, I am moving to the United States Virgin Islands (St. Croix to be exact). For the sake of typing, from this point on I will probably refer to it as STX. My flight leaves in the morning of January 2, 2009 and arrives later that evening in the balmy breezes and mild hurricanes of the tropical isles. :) I am being sent their by my company and I am excited (and nervous) to work at the second largest oil refinery in the world. I will be performing Industrial Hygiene work as well as some laboratory work. Industrial hygiene is a profession that is a hard thing to explain to those who are not familiar with it. Think health and safety stuff, but less about ear plugs and fall protection and more about benzene, hydrogen sulfide, and what kind of respirator to wear. Although we are big fans of both hearing and fall protection. :)
Right now I do have an apartment, my car has been ordered (no idea what kind), my plane ticket is purchased, and I learned how to perform the lab work that I will doing. So, all in all I am in good shape.
I shall write more soon!
-H.