Vacation-Dominican Republic

Matt and I planned our wedding date really well. You see, our wedding anniversary lands right around Memorial Day Weekend every year so we can go on an "anniversary trip". We had originally thought about taking Highway 101 from San Francisco to Vancouver  but it turned out that Matt didn't have enough vacation time left this year due to other trips for us to be able to do that trip with any reasonable amount of time at the stops we wanted to make.

There was a couple in Midland that we really liked. There were several couples we liked, but we really liked these people. We started to hang out with them sort of frequently and Matt and I decided they were going to be "our couple" (assuming they liked us as much as we liked them). Well of course shortly there after Matt got a job offer to move back to OKC. We were going to miss our new friends! These friends are named Nicole and Steven.

Not long after they actually ended up moving to Houston so I guess it worked out that we came here. From time to time Matt and Steven will email each other and check in. About 5 weeks ago Steven emailed Matt and said we should all plan a trip to Costa Rica because we had all been there (separately) before and all loved it. We had already booked a trip to the Dominican Republic (which was sort of a random choice) but we told them that if they wanted to they should totally come with us. There's a lot of people in this world that will hypothetically totally agree to go on a trip with you. There are few that will actually go. Even fewer that will leave the country. And nearly no one who would four weeks prior to departure. We have those friends.

Despite taking different airlines and flying out of different airports, we arrived within five minutes of each other. It turned out that they had a better room than us and so with some negotiating and $120 we were able to upgrade our room to be near theirs and get the better amenities (better beach, private alcohol pickup, nicer room, closer to the pool and beach). We always laughed at this sign. First they called it "privileged" which had to make the people who didn't pony up the extra cash feel like total crud (even though it wasn't really widely advertised) and "Because you deserve it". Deserve it? How 'bout paid for it. Geez.

Oh- and in case you're planning a trip and want to know about resorts, we stayed at the Hotel Catolonia Barcelo

The first day we just hung out at the resort and caught up. We also ate a good dinner at their Italian restaurant. Of all the country themed restaurants at the resort (there were four) the Italian tasted the most like the country to me. Or at least the most Americanized version of the country.

Lunch. They had everything at a buffet. Everything.

On day two we golfed. Well, the boys golfed and Nicole and I rode in another cart and had fun and watched. 

 And we also stole all the beer from the VIP room. They kept getting mad at us but that leads me to ask two questions. 1) Why isn't there a beer cart for golfing? Hello! Propinas!  2) Why did they only refill the beer in the VIP room 8 beers at a time????

 Nicole and Steven. They're so fun. And nice. Rare combination...at least at the level they are at both.

And when we got back they left some champagne and chocolate in our room for our anniversary. 

 They had cool cabana type beds all over the place.

 The sushi and Japanese food left something to be desired. Not bad just not... great.

 But at least I got a huge plate of sea food. Mmm!

Day 3 We went off shore fishing. It turns out I knew nearly nothing about what off shore fishing was going to be like.

And Matt no likey how much the boat rocked. poor guy. 

 And the bathroom situation. Whoa. Whole new world. This is my brave "I am going to see the bathroom now" face.

And if you look close in the water you can see the Mahi Mahi we "caught"

And Steven reeled it in!

 And later at the end of the trip Nicole helped reel in the bait like a boss.

 And the group with our catch.

Day 4: Macao Beach

If you go to Punta Cana and do not go to Macao Beach I won't be able to respect your trip. It is the most beautiful beach I have every seen and I am starting to wrack up some beach views. It was incredible. It's a public beach but the rumor from a local was that it had been bought by Westin and development will start soon. So go see it while it's perfect while you can.

This isn't even a good picture of it.

 William my surf instructor. Really good guy.

 Post surfing pic. LOOK AT THAT BEACH! The waves are tiny and the temperature is perfect on top of everything.

 And some man came by with a lizard. Matt's about the last person that would want some stranger to put an iguana on him. Yes, I realize it's an iguana.

 What a trooper.

 And some local fisherman came in and caught way more fish in their tiny boat than we did on our huge one.

 And I talked to the jefe and we negotiated a lunch from a fish that just came in. This was the fish preparing station. I am happy to report that none of us got sick.

 Guy in the grey shirt was the jefe. I remembered and used way more of my Spanish knowledge that I thought I could. Way to go Spanish minor!

 Check out these cooking stations for the fried food!

 Our spread. 3 lbs Mahi Mahi. 1 whole lobster. 1 lb Capitan fish. Salad. Plantain. Rice. French Fries. $57. Served 7 people. Mmmmmm hmmmm. Afternoon of beers for 7 people $56.

 Holy cow it was delicious.

After we got back from Macao Beach Nicole and Steven went to another hotel because they were staying several more days and we had to leave the next afternoon. I would have liked more time because a 5 day trip really isn't enough in another country. However, I am stoked that we went and it was a lot of fun. It was so great to catch up with our friends...and in paradise! Punta Cana is really nice and I recommend going. Our travel agent said it was a hot destination right now. Don't forget to check out Macao Beach!

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No Cost Anniversary Celebration

Matt and I had originally planned to go to Bricktown for dinner and probably a movie or something for our anniversary. That seemed like an anniversary thing to do. Well we have some cool stuff coming up and we had talked about costs and decided maybe we should just hang at home to save some dinero. I still wanted to feel like we were actually celebrating and not just another night at home. 

So I got creative with what I had. I challenged myself to not spend any money at all. For entertainment? We went back to the beginning. We met over a game of Monopoly so why not?

 

I won the centerpiece at the Salvation Army Luncheon that Matt's grandma took me to on Tuesday. Decorations? Check. I got out the wine glasses from our winery tours in Frederickburg for spring break 2012. I also got out the champagne glasses with our name and wedding date etched onto them from our wedding. I used them for sparkling water which we drank all the time during our Mediterranean cruise. I even used cloth napkins (fancy) that Savannah and Jaben got us as a wedding gift. 

 I put together an appetizer plate. I included the olives we bought in Greece and I had some Boursin cheese which we discovered on our honey moon in St. Lucia. Don't worry, this isn't three year old cheese. I used it in a recipe recently.

 We also  have been to New Orleans a couple of times together and I had bought this Beignet mix a long time ago meaning to use it several times by now.

 And we had bought this pasta in Italy. Funny story. At the same pasta shop they had pasta shaped like penises-- for what reason I'll never know. Well we thought it was hilarious so we bought some for Matt's parents. They never noticed but Lisa did put it in a casserole for her bridge group.

And I made a salad from our garden including authentic Greek feta cheese that Anna bought for us. I also used the bowl we bought on the beach in Costa Rica.

 And for dessert I warmed up chocolate chip cookies I made earlier in the week and topped it with the home made ice cream from Easter (it was still good--actually delicious).

And we opened a bottle of wine that we bought in Malta. If you know how to convert Euros to dollars you can tell that we're big spenders.

 And another bottle from a winery we visited in Lubbock.

 And like every year on our anniversary we watched our wedding video while tears stream down my face when Matt tells me his vows. Oh man. That's what life is made of.

I say it was a great anniversary. Everything turned out delicious. I made good use of things I already had and I HATE to waste food. We sat still and paid attention to each other without distractions. It was a wonderful night indeed. 

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I Hope You Find Your Matt

Today is Matt's and my 3 Year Anniversary. If you were at our wedding you're probably asking yourself, "Has it really been that long?" Yep, my friends it has indeed. The photo above is from my Tulsa wedding shower. Aimee & Josh had this made for us and I was kind of emotional about all things wedding. The whole experience was so beautiful and I was continually overwhelmed with the kindness of those wanting to celebrate such an exciting time with us. 

Anniversaries are a good time to reflect on our time together thus far. I think reflecting on all aspects of life is important because it helps you evaluate whether or not you're meeting your goals, or if you need to redefine your goals based on the new variables in your life. I spend a lot of time in the car so I get a lot of good thinkin' time in. On November 5, 2007 I had no idea I had just gone on my last first date. 

The first picture we ever took together. And yes, I invented the selfie. 

The OSU Football Game Leading to our First Date

Our First Trip- to San Antonio and South Padre Island (with his parents)

 When Matt and I started dating we were inseparable. I knew that he must really love me when he agreed to be Mickey and Minnie Mouse for Halloween that year.

I was so excited for our first airplane ride together to Las Vegas. I knew then that Matt would be a great travel partner. 

February 2010

 When we got engaged I felt very excited about the lives we were going to build together. Even if that meant I had to move to Midland. He was just the person I wanted to spend my life with.

Engagement Shoot- September 2010

Our Engagement Party September 2010

My mom made us a cake based on how we met

 On our wedding day my friends commented on how calm I was. I knew I had planned the event down to the last detail and I had no doubts that Matt was it. I didn't have anything to be nervous about. It was a perfect day.

 And since then we have had so much fun together. We've seen a lot of the world and the US in a short time. We have lived in two homes (and states!). We have invested in our friendships and hosted several parties. We have grown closer to our families and now enjoy the opportunity to see them more often. We have worked on our careers to evolve into the professionals we envisioned ourselves to be when we started college. We have watched our friends get married and start their lives together as well.

Scott & Larissa Wedding

Bryan & Jessica Wedding

Marrik & Bryan Wedding

Na'Cole and Jordan Wedding

Adam & Michelle Wedding

Heather & Bryan Wedding

I was visiting with some friends a few months back and we were talking about dating. I was contributing to the conversation about my ideas of dating (I'm totally pro on-line dating) and one of my friends politely said something along the lines that I was married and my dating ideas were invalid. I'm trying to think of a nicer way to rephrase this and get the point across because this may sound a little rude and she wasn't being rude, mostly joking. I nodded my head and said something along the lines of well you have a point. 

Then I got to thinking about it and dating in general and what kind of advice as a married person I could give to my unmarried friends if they are indeed at a point in their life where they want to find a lifetime mate. I don't think there's a thing in the world wrong with someone saying "I'm not looking for anyone right now, I just want to focus on myself and my career." That sounds like someone who will probably stay married after they do get married because they have their priorities straight. I also don't find anything in the world wrong with someone saying "Ya know what, I just don't think marriage is for me" for whatever reason. Don't put yourself or someone else through that if you're not a monogamous person or just have commitment issues. 

As I was thinking about this topic all I could really come to was that whoever my friends ultimately end up with, I hope they find their Matt. And those who are already married, I hope they have found theirs. Matt would probably love it if I said everyone should look for someone just like him to marry because he's just so perfect everyone should want one. Well while that may be a close description for me personally, that would actually be horrible advice. 

I hope that everyone I know ultimately finds that person to build a life with that gives them a sense of security that I get from my relationship with Matt. I hope everyone finds someone who appreciates each other's sense of humor. Who travels or doesn't travel. Who has the same hobbies or prefers time apart to pursue their own endeavors. Who makes up where the other lacks. I don't hope that everyone finds the perfect mate because that's silly and nonexistent. I do hope that everyone finds someone that they want to be better for. Someone worth apologizing to. Someone who you'll actually want to spend retirement with. I feel like we're all given horrible advice about who to pursue. I don't have all of the right answers. Not for myself and certainly not for anyone else. While I find Matt very attractive, extraordinarily intelligent, very handy, and so much fun, that's really not the glue that is holding us together. It's more like fringe benefits. So with that being said, if I can offer at least some advice--find someone that you appreciate a little deeper than that. 

Whether you see us like this-- sophisticated well rounded happy couple

 Or like this: A couple of drunks having an illogical conversation

I hope that we are a couple that our friends and family feel confident that we are really happy and more importantly, really good partners. 

No matter what qualities you use to define your "Matt," On your third anniversary I hope you have a sense of peace and joy about the person you picked to spend your life with.

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