Leaving Island and a Giveaway

It took months to make the decision, but my husband and I have decided to leave our beautiful island and move back to the mainland. Do we want to? Heck no! We love it here!

 

I will miss the people here the most. Big smiles. Very polite. Honest in their emotions. I have loved living here. 

I will miss the warm temperatures as much as the people. 80-90 degrees every day is exactly what my body likes.

I will miss the beach. So many sunny days. Such warm water. Gorgeous sunsets into the ocean with an occasional green flash.

I will miss this perfect house. Just the right size. So close to the Caribbean Sea. Lots of wildlife to watch.

But the cost to live here has become too much. Food costs have risen. Gas prices have risen. Our electricity bill has doubled in three years to over $600 a month. And flying to the mainland for book signings has become very expensive.

But it is not all sad news. 

By moving back to the mainland, I will be able to write full time and for that I’m very excited :-)

By moving back to the mainland, I will get to see my family on a yearly basis instead of every two years.

By moving back to the mainland I will be able to afford to take my husband out to dinner so he can get one day off from being my personal chef :-)

By moving back to the mainland I will be able to build my log home that I have always wanted.

While we are sad to be leaving our island paradise, we are excited by this new chapter in our lives. So now the countdown begins. In two months and 10 days I will leave the island for good, but I’m pretty sure I will be back to visit :-)

Always, Lexi

P.S. Leave a comment below for a chance to win one ecopy of your choice of my books :-)

My Island Life: A Crucian Christmas

My adventures living on a Caribbean island. Welcome to my monthly, or not so monthly adventures. We try not to commit too soon here on island :-)

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

First Impression #2:

After living on island for over a year, I've discovered that Christmas is a little different here than it is on the mainland.  On St. Croix, Christmas is focused on People, Parties, and Presents.

There are a few traditions that aren't as popular here. For example, Christmas lights. Very few homes bear any Christmas lights at all.  My guess is that this is due to the WAPA bills. WAPA is the electric company here and a big issue for everyone.  For my husband and I, our WAPA bills have run $300-$500 a month. Remember, we don't need to heat the houses here either. So my guess is, Christmas lights are not a priority because of cost.

On the other hand, people on the island highly prize each other at this time of year. Christmas parties abound, mostly potlucks. Getting together is the reason for the season. I'm guessing that presents are also important because the K-Mart parking lots (we have two) are completely full, 7 days a week between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

But the biggest difference here in relation to the mainland is that Christmas doesn't end on December 25th. Nope. In fact, the Christmas Festival doesn't even open until December 29th! This Carnival event, which is one long party for everyone, goes until January 8th, 2012. The actual Carnival Parade happens on January 7th. And you have never seen a parade quite like this. Unfortunately, to see the entire parade, a person would have to watch the parade go by for 8 hours.  Yes, 8 hours for about 48 entries.  But they are spectacular entries for sure, planned and created from the day after last year's parade. Here's a link if you want to see some photos or learn more. http://www.stxfestival.com/

Lesson #2: Island Life means I can't take the Christmas tree down until mid January, and I should plan to celebrate the season with as many people as possible. I will do my best to keep up with the crowd :-)

For a chance to win one of these wonderful gifts, leave me a comment about your Christmas. All commenters will be eligible to win each gift, but once you win one, you are not eligible for others. Winners will be drawn for gifts in the order they appear below. Winners announced Wednesday!

Gifts:

Tsunami Blue by Gayle Ann Williams (Futuristic Romance)

Lord of the Shadows by Alix Rickloff (signed - Historical Paranormal)

Chances Are by Shelly Stevens (Erotic Romance)

Everything I Know about Love I Learned from Romance Novels by Sarah Wendell (Nonfiction)

$10 Gift Card for Amazon.com

My Island Life: The Bank Account

My adventures living on a Caribbean island. Welcome to my monthly, or not so monthly adventures. We try not to commit too soon here on island :-)

First Impression #1:

I already had a part-time job teaching at the University before I moved "on island," so that was one task completed, but I knew I would need a bank account to have my checks direct deposited.  

I reviewed the banking situation and found four banks here: Bank of St. Croix, Banco Popular, First Bank, and Scotia Bank.

Shortly after moving to the island, I went to the bank of my choice on a Friday, because I have Fridays off, and I walked in and waited for a representative. I had cash in my pocket and my license from Arizona ready. 

When it was my turn, I told the Bank Representative that I was there to open a checking account. She smiled and said she'd be happy to help me. "When would you like to come in to do that?"

I guessed from her expression that "Now" would have been the wrong answer. So I suggested next Friday.  Whew! Chalk one up for not making a fool of myself.  

Still a little surprised by this turn of events, I made to leave, but she quickly stopped me. She handed me a list of all the documentation I would need to open the account.

Exactly as listed I needed:

•  2 pieces of Valid Identification
• Proof of Mailing Address
• Proof of Physical Address
•  Employment Letter or check stub
• Social Security Card

Needless to say, I was taken aback. But I thanked her and left.

The following Friday I returned at my scheduled time with all my documentation and after almost an hour I was the proud owner of a new checking account. I have moved many times, but I have to say that this was the most complicated process for setting up a checking account I have ever encountered. But as I soon learned, that wasn't all.

Main Street Frederiksted

I used the cash card the Representative gave me often to withdraw money when needed. Three months after opening the account, it stopped working.  Unbeknownst to me, it was only a temporary card. I had to go back to the bank in person to obtain my permanent cash card! Luckily, my license and my non-working cash card were enough for me to receive the permanent one :-)  Now, I am set with direct deposit into my official checking account and a permanent cash card.

View from the bank

Lesson #1: Island Life means processes are a little more convoluted and complex than living on the mainland, but I still wouldn't trade the warm temperatures and crystal blue waters for shorter time at the bank. 

Uh-ah, no way :-)

Alexis