A Long (and much anticipated) Update!

I'm finally getting a chance to update after the weekend! Jeff is off on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday so we had a jam-packed weekend doing tons of stuff.  Here is a serious run down of what we did over the weekend!

Thursday Worm Day
Technically, this wasn't the weekend yet, but it was a CRAZY day! Jeff and his roommate, Kevin, leave around 7-8am and then I'm home alone all day.  (I spend these days 'Risky Business' style...just kidding!) But on Thursday, I was totally planning on getting domestic and making dinner and some baked goods that day.  Well, let me tell you, THAT was completely stopped when I found a huge worm on the stove top.

You can imagine how loudly I was screaming!!

So after a desperate call to Jeff, who told me to just pick it up (YEAH RIGHT) I had to deal with it.  I tried many different solutions.  First, I tried to get one of the dogs to eat it off the stove by putting a piece of cheese over it.  Then, I tried to suck it up with the vacuum cleaner hose.  Finally, I called Lauren who talked me though it and listened to my blood-curdling screams over the phone as I put a towel over the worm and got it into the trash can using two spatulas.  Finally, the ordeal was over and I cracked open a beer or two to de-stress.  (Shout out to Lauren for helping me...you da best, homegirl.)

With the ferocious worm out of sight, I did some cleaning and then made brownies.  Jeff was a little bit delayed because of some weather, so I ended up putting off making dinner.  I really just assumed that I would make dinner, eat some, and throw the rest of it in the fridge and then Kevin and Jeff could heat it up when they got home.  Well, Jeff called and told me he was on his way and invited another pilot over for dinner.  Just as they were both pulling in the drive way, Kevin came home, too! We had a full house but overall, my first time making dinner went well. (But I mean, it's three guys who were hungry and didn't have to make dinner.  I don't really think they'd complain.)

Thursday was an early night, which was a-okay with me after that horrible worm incident earlier in the day. 

Friday Fun Day!
Friday was seriously SO busy, but so much fun! We woke up late and made breakfast burritos.  (I'm legitimately already craving Mexican food, so you gotta do what you gotta do to get by!) Finally, we made a plan and a list of what we needed to buy and set out for the day.

Here was our plan for the day. We needed to go to K-Mart to buy a dresser/nightstand, needed to go to Cost-U-Less to pick up some random groceries and then we wanted to go to the Botanical Gardens since we'd be in that direction anyway. This is ACTUALLY what happened:

We looked up where the Botanical Gardens was located and started out to see the flowers! Jeff noticed that we were RIGHT by the Cruzan Rum Distillery and since it's free for St. Croix residents, how could we pass up that opportunity?! You literally take a 10 minute tour of the distillery and then you get free rum.  It's a pretty sweet deal. We did the tour last time I was here, but this time was especially cool because one of the trucks that brings in the molasses was finishing up so we got to taste the molasses that they bring to the factory! We also were asked if we were on our honeymoon while at the distillery.  Jeff and I laughed and said "no way" but talked about how it might be a good idea because maybe we'll get some cool free stuff. (It was noted to try it out the next time.)

We had a great time at Cruzan and the tour guide recognized Jeff and said that next time he would give the tour since he probably knows everything about it now.  I'm totally cool with this idea...I love it there! The rum is amazing!!

Just hanging out with all the rum barrels...no big deal.

Our favorite part of the tour...free drinks!

So we decided to get a move on but we were starving so we went to this restaurant on the side of the road, got a Corona and fish and chips.  It was probably enough to feed 25 people, but Jeff and I devoured it.  We also made a friend with one of the people sitting at the bar, so he helped us to finish off the fish and chips.

Finally, we set out to the Botanical Gardens.  It was GORGEOUS and I loved it there!! It was so peaceful and relaxing, not to mention all of the cool plants.  We also saw the Ground's Keeper's old house, which is literally just the ruins of it.  Inside, you look up and there are BATS all over the top of the roof.  FREAKING BATS! I've never seen them that close and I was so excited about it! I mean, I wasn't trying to cuddle with them or anything, but it was pretty cool to see!

Jeff's the junk in this tree's trunk.

Such a cute kitty in the Botanical Gardens!

Of course, I found a cat and was obsessed.

Finally, we made our way over to K-Mart and bought a dresser.  I just wanted a plastic three drawer storage thing...you know, just like the ones we bought for college? Um, how about those are like $50!! So we opted for a real dresser and spent the better part of Saturday morning assembling it! I'll spare you the boring details of our shopping trips to K-Mart and Cost-U-Less. (You're welcome!)

We came home, got cleaned up, and went to Rowdy Joe's for dinner.  We had amazing macaroni and cheese...I mean, seriously AMAZING.  It was pepperjack cheese and it was to die for! I would've taken pictures, but I just had to eat it as soon as it was in front of me! They also had a really fun band playing! It was a great time!

Saturday
We were pretty laid back on Saturday, just trying to get rested after the craziness of Friday! We set up the dresser, which took the most of the morning and then went to The Bistro for lunch/breakfast.  This was also my first experience with driving.  Now, I can definitely drive in Phoenix no problem.  But here, they drive on the other side of the road, and I like living, so I was terrified.  Needless to say, we practice before going out on the main road, and I drove to The Bistro, Home Depot, and the Airport! (Of course, I had no idea where I was going, but Jeff took care of that. I was just concentrating on trying to remember to stay on the left side of the road!)

We went to the airport for a few reasons.  Jeff talked to one of the guys who works in the control tower and so we got to go up and see how that works.  (Obviously, he knows what goes on up there, but I didn't so it was really cool!) I got the run down what they do and although I'm still pretty confused, it was so much fun to be up there and see the planes take off and land! Sorry, no pictures because I wasn't sure if I could!

Finally, we went to a party at the airport that was kind of a fundraiser, but more or less just an excuse for everyone who works at the airport to get crazy! We had awesome food and watched the karaoke contest.  I'm pretty sure Jeff wanted to sing, but there wasn't enough alcohol for that to happen for me. It was a really fun time and I'm really glad we went!

Sunday
I drove AGAIN on Sunday! We decided to go to a restaurant on the boardwalk called Angry Nate's to have brunch.  You can order anything on the brunch menu and you get champagne with it.  Ummmm, yes please! It was great to sit right on the water and have a great brunch!

I was also in the market for some souvenirs so we went to the Purple Papaya where I did some SERIOUS damage. We just walked around for a while on the boardwalk and then decided to go home.  We hung out with the puppies for the rest of the day, just watched movies and made dinner.  It was the perfect way to end the weekend!


Monday
Today Jeff and I went to the beach and played in the water.  It was our first time going since I've been here and it was nice to just relax and hang out.  Here's a picture of a little yellow bird that landed on the mirror right as we parked at the beach!

Jeff had to go to work so I'm trying to get everything ready for the week! We're leaving for San Juan, Puerto Rico on Wednesday to celebrate the 4th of July! We're staying for the weekend, so you know me, I'm desperately trying to figure out what to wear!

Until next time!
xoxox
-Chelsea