The Other Side of 45

This is a brief story on how my husband and I first started dating…we met at a gym in North Carolina in 2005.  I laughed at him when he told me his age…nearly 10 years younger than me.  Like me, when he knows he wants something he does whatever it takes, he’s just much more patient than I am.

Our friendship continued with consistent conversations and occasional visits.  He was persistently patient in keeping in touch and letting me know he was interested in something more.  Having an issue with the difference in age, after about a year I said to myself, “why not”, and from that point it flowed perfectly.

Moving right along…once I “caved” he shared that he knew he always wanted to be with me.  A bit skeptical but good with the relationship I occasionally asked him how he knew.  He shared with me he would take me home with him to St. Thomas and that he has never taken anyone home…again…he was only just out of college so I didn’t think much of that situation.  I am very results driven so I inquired about a timeframe to visit St. Thomas…I was there within 6 months of us starting to date.

St. Thomas, a.k.a. “The Rock”, because there are no rivers and lots of steep roads and hills. This place is truly an access to paradise for anyone that lives in the states because you don’t need a passport. Surrounded by turquoise waters, tropical plants and fruit trees and so much green, it is truly a beautiful island.

Since this is the first time my now husband has taken a “tourist” home, he took me to all the tourist hot spots.  We went to Mountain Top where the drink special is a banana daiquiri and you get a great view looking down at Magen’s Bay, one of the best-known beaches on the island.  On the way to Mountain Top we stopped at Sir Francis Drake’s chair, where this famous pirate sat to view incoming ships to rob.

Magen’s Bay…according to my husband it’s not as nice of a beach as it used to be back in the day.  However, it is truly a tourist hotspot and a beautiful beach to me.  On the way, there we stopped at Udder Delight to grab an alcoholic milkshake…a little shack at St. Thomas Dairies, that has the best milkshake I have ever had. This place is a must stop hidden gem on the island.

I grew up in Ohio and going to Myrtle Beach, SC was a treat for a beach vacation…that was until I went to St. Thomas.  This was the first time I could be in the sea water to my chin and look down through the water and see my toes.  It was incredible and I am now skeptical to go into the Atlantic again outside of diving.

Havensight, a major port for most of the cruise ships, is a great place to shop and eat.  Right across the street you can take a tram up to Paradise Point where you can enjoy the famous bushwhacker beverage.  You can do some shopping, eat and have a great view of the port overlooking Havensight.

Next stop, St. John.  My soon to be new family was loading up the car with chicken, dough for johnny cake, fish and all the makings for an Island cookout on the beach.  Just a ferry ride away you can visit another beautiful U.S Virgin Island.  We were headed to one of the most pictured beaches in the Virgin Island, Trunk Bay.  There was about 10 of us unloading the car and headed to a shelter with a grill right near the beach.  Venturing out through a small path to the beach I soon entered white sand, clear blue water and pure Zen.  It was so beautiful and like nothing I have seen before…until I went to White Bay, Jost Van Dyke…White Bay is a mile of beautiful sand and clear aquamarine water.

The famous Soggy Dollar Bar is there…why is it called the Soggy Dollar Bar?  You can’t port a boat there so you have to anchor and carry what you want to take on land over your head to shore., therefore all of your money in your pockets is soggy.  There you can get the famous Painkiller in any flavor of your favorite rum.

Welcome to the Islands!  Enjoy the early sites captured on my first visit with many more from future visits to come.  Please take the time to view the links and pics of all the places I have mentioned in this blog post.