The Next Days

Tuesday, Feb. 10- The sun came out!!! Yeah. Kyle slept in later, well, he got up and had breakfast with me and then I went to enjoy the sun and he hung out for a while. The guys had plans to play golf that morning, but all the golf carts were in use so they waited until the afternoon. The ladies and I decide to hang by the pool and enjoy the sun while it lasted and then after a nice lunch of salmon we changed and headed to town for some fun shopping.

We asked the front desk for a recommended hot spot, we wanted high quality stuff, and a save place to go mainly. Well we took a cab, which the driver spoke no English, on a 15-20 drive through two very poor towns to our destination that was not the mall, but huts with vendors of all kinds. The cab driver escorted us to his friend's hut where we felt compelled to buy from him. He had nice stuff and his English was very good. The cab driver waited for us, which was almost two hours and then kindly drove us back. You won't find that around here, a cabbie to drop you off to shop or eat without paying.

I purchased a shirt for Ella and a cute drum. I got some coffee for me and for my Dad's birthday. I also purchased some jewelry for Katie, a native stone of the Dominican, it was a beautiful blue.
Once we got back to the resort it was time to shower and decide for dinner, we had no set plans for the evening, and the big group made the decision based on it raining again to head into another town and hit the Hard Rock Cafe for dinner. I was game for this. Well, we go jump into another set of cabs and head out and end up at the mall I wanted to go to in the first place!!!

They had super nice stuff and it was like a outdoor mall next to a high end resort. Oh well, I did get to see part of the Dominican going to the original huts and purchasing from those vendors!
Dinner was fun, but I was tried and took a earlier cab back with our group, while many, including Kyle, stayed for a band that was about to play for a while. I am glad I went back, since it was later than I thought when they got back.

Wednesday, Feb. 11- The sun was out all day and not a cloud in the sky. It was a bit windy but we headed to the beach for some fun and sun. The sand kicked up a little bit. Have I mentioned yet the amount of boobs I have seen on this trip, I mean bare boobs, the women are topless all the time, flashing the world with pride. New ones, old ones, real and fake ones- EVERYWHERE.
We ate lunch by the beach and had a lazy day all together, it was so nice. Kyle played some games with the guys and I just layed out and enjoyed the sun and sand.
That night we went with a group to a Japanese restaurant and it was very interesting, one to see a Dominican trying to appear to be Japanese and they had the hot plates in front of us to cook. I got the shrimp and they were very good.
Later we went back to the casino, and one of the ladies, Lisa, had beginners luck and won over $100, lucky lady. I was up for a while and walked away with a $2 profit, but had a lot of fun, and saw a lot of money leave the other guest pockets and not return to them, so I was proud of my $2 in the end.

Thursday, Feb. 12- Two couples from our group were leaving early today, so we spent time with them at the pool and hung out. Later the afternoon and ventured down to the ocean again and took a stroll along the beach, it was so peaceful. The wind was much calmer today and the water was so warm and clear. I loved it. A small group of us decide to head back to the shopping center were Hard Rock Cafe was and try another restaurant and check out the shopping. I found a ring I loved and wish I had my $60 winnings back to purchase it! I decide on another ring, more reasonably priced. The ladies shopped while the husbands enjoyed stronger drinks from the bar! We ended up at a rib and steak restaurant that was very good. It was a fun evening and nice to be off the resort for a while.

Friday, Feb 13- One more day! Time to take advantage of our last day of paradise. I am half ready to go home and attempt to back some of my clothes into our suitcases and the other half of me just wants to enjoy the day. We have a breakfast at the buffet with another couple and then stroll down to the beach for a while. It is a beautiful day with only a few clouds and a light breeze. The other half of the day we spend at the pool with a big portion of the group. Everyone is enjoying themselves and seemed very relaxed. We check in with a couple of people to determine dinner and tonight, we are with a new group for dinner at the resort steakhouse. It was a very nice evening, and the meal was great. The waiters wore mini-cowboy hats that made me laugh. Following dinner, we went to a fun show of dancing and entertainment. And of course then to the bar for a final drink and then the disco for some dancing!

Saturday, Feb. 14- What a awesome day it is, warm and sunny. I opt not to lay out prior to leaving and instead have breakfast with Kyle one more time and then take a stroll around the resort. We figure we will be sitting for a long time, so we might as well get some exercise in now. We walked along the golf course and checked out a part of the resort we had not been to earlier that week, we were so focused on the pool and beach, we hadn't explored much! We later go back to the room and back our bags, I know mine is going to be over 50 pounds, I just know it.

We took a van to the airport and waited in a long line, but this time I have plenty of water and a full tummy, no fainting this time. Once we made it through check in, my bag weighing in at 57.5 pounds, and through security we wait, and wait and wait. Our plane is delayed and we get to walk the length of the runway, well not really but it was a long walk, to our plane. We board and get in line to wait, and wait and wait to take off. We ended up 1/1/2 hours behind schedule and the flight was 5 1/2 hours, so total we were in the plane almost 6 1/2 hours.

I finished one book and made it half way through another one, I could not sleep on the plane and we were seated in the first row behind first class, but could not use their facilities. So I got to walk like 30 rows to get to the bathroom. Fun times. I packed in my carry on some winter clothes to change in, I boarded in shorts and flip flops. Once back in the states, we made it through customs and baggage with no problems. We took a cab back to the hotel we had stayed at the following week, it is now 9:30. Kyle and I load the suitcases into the truck and start towards home. I check my Blackberry for a while and get caught up the best I can on emails from the week before and Kyle talks on the phone. We stopped with another couple that live one town over from us, half way home for a quick bit, then back in the car. I sleep the remaining of the way home and Kyle is on the phone with another person from the group driving to Sioux Falls.
We roll into the drive way just shy of 1 AM, poor Katie, I feel bad that we got home so late! She fills us in on Ella and after Katie takes off, both Kyle and I go in and check in on Ella, she looked so peaceful, part of me wanted to wake her up and the other part knew not to wake a sleeping child.

Sunday, Feb. 15. I am greeted to the biggest hug you can imagine. Someone missed us. Ella just kept looking at us and the hugging us both. Melted my heart! I could feel the love! What a great homecoming!