Ok... sorry this took so long

  St. John, Virgin Islands US
Sunday, April 26, 2009

Hello to everyone!  Sorry for such a long break.  I can attribute it to two things: after the five month mark it began to feel less and less like we were on a trip that we should be keeping log of and more and more like being back in the regular grind of life as it would be anywhere else (which seems to amaze tourists); the second being that just when the first was taking place everything seemed to start getting complicated and things not only got busy but confusing.   Let me elaborate, end of Dec. I (Dustin) take the Restaurant Manager position at Crazy Cracker's- a decision based on the  opportunity of a higher level management title( mas $$)  and ownership in the next five years.  Well, that was not part of the original plan but if you remember there was no true "plan."  So now were toying with the idea of living here five to ten years, doing some traveling in the off season and then reassessing after we have a taste of being business owners.  The beginning of March brings a conversation and some changes in the operation of the restaurant that points towards things not being as we (I) had thought, so we start to re-think our plan again.  My mom, dad and youngest brother came to visit at the end of March so I hold off on making any drastic decisions till I get some of  Dad's trusted advise.  Also an other element is thrown into the mix- Freddy Mills ;). After a brief introduction and a trip across to St. Thomas, Freddy is thought of as a friend.  Another sail and he suggests that Ash and I accompany him up to Bermuda and on to New York.  That all happened very fast, and I had to talk it over with my better half.  So we kick around the idea, and a decision was made during the St. Thomas International Rolex Regatta.~ sailing is something that needs to be in our future.  So after my parents leave we confirm our spot on crew up North, and put in our notice at work.  And that brings us to late April, planning on leaving with in the next two weeks and not too sure in the coarse after NY.

With my husband's wonderful recap I feel as though we're up to date on the logistics. Looking back on our time here, I've realized we've only been to the beach maybe half a dozen times together, and we've missed out on countless boat trips because of Dustin's work. Although I must say this has been a fantastic learning experience in many ways. We've come to better understand what owning and running a business entails, and ways to succeed or fail in such an endeavor. I'd say we have made some wonderful friends and come up against some very interesting adversaries-understanding more of ourselves in each encounter. As Dustin said we've found we share a love for sailing and a motivation to live on a boat. I had no idea how many people actually do it, but this area is a haven for live aboard sailors. We spend hours obsessively browsing yachtworld.com looking for just the right vessel for us and entertaining fantasies of circumnavigation. Dust has developed an astounding sailing vocabulary while I tend to focus on floor plan and color scheme. (Gotta have both sides of the coin right?)

I feel that we've become slightly jaded to the beauty of this place,
and then I remind myself that's simply the work talking. Whenever we venture out we are reminded why so many people from the states have made their homes here, and why it's considered one of the most beautiful places in the world.
One can never forget the crystal clear bright blue waters of the Caribbean, nor can they forget the demeanor of its people-an interesting mix of intensity and social abandon. I've come to feel uncomfortable more often than not, and getting use to that is a process I've not enjoyed. Perhaps that helps explain our reasons for not writing another blog as well, since both of us have trouble putting into words social experiences here that caught us completely off guard. It is so very different from "home" in so many ways, such is the intention of travel, to-to experience all the world has to offer. Now we're off to a different part of the world for a while... just not sure where.