The Baby Bucket List

I have mentioned our Baby Bucket List in previous blog posts but I haven't really been specific about what it entailed. If you have asked yourself whether or not this pregnancy was planned... well that's silly. Of course it was. I'm not saying that my planning can go beyond the Almighty's plan for my life but given what I can control, yes this was planned. Not many people have asked me that question but I have other married friends  that are pregnant who say they get asked all the time. Don't do that. What if the answer is no? Are you prepared to deal the the awkward silence spawned from asking inappropriate questions?
Speaking of inappropriate questions/comments it is my goal to write a non passive aggressive blog post about all the silly silly, uncalled for, and even irritating things that people have already said to me. I haven't figured that out yet so it may be a while. Or maybe I'll just have to tell you in person. That seems less tacky.

Anyway,
Matt could have been happy having a baby earlier in our marriage. If you know Matt personally, doesn't he have "Good Dad" just written all over him? But since the first few months of our marriage I had been commuting from Midland to Lubbock and then OKC to Lubbock so all that travel wouldn't have been safe with me pregnant. Plus I would have lost my mind with how tired I have been if I would have been trying to take classes and TA and travel and all the other odds and ends of life. No way. People also tell you all the time "You have no idea how much a child will change your life." Well, I have a pretty good idea. It seems pretty common sense that things are going to be different if another human being entirely depends on you for their survival, plus development and day to day functions. That seems like a rather large task. My imagination is powerful enough to suppose that it's going to be a stressful, expensive, time-consuming endeavor. Given that knowledge, early in our marriage I made a list of things I wanted to do before having a baby so I didn't have feelings of resentment that I had "missed out" on anything.

Here's the list:
1) Go to Disney World as an adult without children.
2) Go to Napa
3) Go ice skiing one more time
4) Surf one more time
5) See Venice


And here's how we did it.

1) Go to Disney World as an adult without children.

I had a conference in L.A. where my classmate Wes and I were presenting a paper on drought conditions impacting water usage at colleges and universities. Well, you know what's close by? Disney Land. It's not Disney World and in my creating of this list I had imagined going with Matt, but he said it would count as long as we could strike it off the list. Wes is largely a kid a heart so we had a good time, even if we had to watch the Star Wars demonstration for too long. I also got to ride the tea cups which my mom wouldn't let me do when I was 7 because she got sick when we she was little and she was afraid it would do the same to me.

2) Go to Napa

I actually didn't accomplish this one and it's high on the priority list post-baby. Maybe next fall when they do the grape harvest. But, I did get a wine country experience when Matt and I did a weekend trip to Fredericksburg, TX.

We rented a cute cabin and toured several wineries. We had such a good time together and came back with enough wine that it felt like a successful wine trip. This trip is one of my favorite married memories.

3) Go Ice Skiing Once Last Time

When I was in high school I went skiing every year. I also went one time in college. I loved it. I don't do things that are too life threatening but on the stuff I do go on, I have to say I am pretty good. Especially for someone who goes once every several years. Well for Christmas last year I opened up a box and there was a nice warm coat. And under the coat was the itinerary for the ski trip we were going to go on Valentine's day weekend. I was STOKED. It had been something like 7 years since I had been skiing.

Matt had never been. It turned out that it wasn't for him. Poor guy. 

Right Before Matt Took Out Some Kids

Lonely Skier

But he was a good sport and was just fine drinking beer while I went down runs by myself. It's just not fair to torture someone into hurling themselves down a snow and ice covered mountain if they don't want to. Hopefully this little one will take to skiing well and we can go frequently. It's actually kind of irritating how good kids are at skiing.

















4) Surf One More Time

When I did Study Abroad in Costa Rica in 2007 I fell in love with surfing. It's really hard but man when you get up on the board there's nothing like it. I wanted to experience that at least one more time before we had kids.

In 2012 we decided to go to Costa Rica for our anniversary trip which was actually my birthday weekend. We tried to make Italy work but the flights were outrageous. I figured I could take Matt around to check things out (I had already been twice) and he could have his own little tour guide. We had an awesome trip and he loved the country. It wont take much convincing to get him to go back.

 I didn't get a surfing picture from that trip but this was the beach the day before in Tamarindo. Matt did a really good job for a first time surfer. I would say he was better than I was my first time. I loved that he was willing to try it with me knowing how much I loved it. 

And then I got lucky this past year and got to go again when we went to the Dominican Republic. Matt didn't go but my friend Nicole did. She was a natural! I did get up on my first try which may have set the bar a little too high for the rest of the day... There are lots of wipe out pictures from where this one comes from...

5) And Finally, see Venice. 

I have wanted to go to Venice since forever. I thought this was going to take YEARS to accomplish. However, we put our mind to it, made a call to the travel agent, and made it happen. We actually went on a cruise and saw several countries but got to spend a day in Venice. It was a wonderful day with Matt. Of course we had the Gondola ride. We drank wine and ate Pizza and had dinner on the canal. We walked all over the place and took in all the beauty. I would go back in a heartbeat. 

As far as I am concerned, we met the criteria of our Baby Bucket List. You might be wondering how we did it or if we have some huge amount of cash at our disposal. In reality, it's all been a matter of a large amount of planning. We include a trip in our annual budget planning because we want to make it a priority to make time for each other--even post baby. What better thing can you invest in than your marriage? 

We also do things like throw money in a jar throughout the year and periodically put it in the bank. The year's trip to the Dominican was largely paid for by money we had been putting away at will. Birthday money, random reimbursements, a few extra bucks here and there. It really adds up. 

When you make a list of accomplishments, make them a priority, and pursue your goals, there's really not much that you can't do. Except the miracle of having a baby itself. I give that all to God and take only about 1% of credit for the planning part.

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Telling the Biggest News of Our Lives

I tell you, this baby business is something. I've been a pretty absent blogger for two major reasons.
1) I am too damn tired to blog. I have NEVER in my life been so tired. I miss the person I used to be.
2) It's really hard to blog without telling you that I am pregnant because my pregnancy does play a pretty big role in the events of my day to day life. Let me give you an example about my most recent blog post.
I mentioned that we spent the fourth of July weekend with Matt's parents. We found out we were pregnant on July 3rd. We went ahead and told them that night. They were so excited. We shocked them for sure.

The Day I Found Out I was Going to be a Mom

In the post I discussed the day I spent with my mom and saw the Little Mermaid. What I couldn't say at the time was that it was the day that I told my mom I was going to have a baby and her too perfect reaction.
At Love and Sarah's wedding it was the first major event we had. No one knew I was pregnant until later in the weekend... and my "Vodka Tonics with Lime" (minus the vodka) didn't fool many people.
And that girl's weekend in Dallas? I was such a downer. I couldn't drink (obviously) and I was so tired and suffering from food aversions. What a mess. It was still fun but I felt bad about not being my chipper self.
Then the weekend we went to see my parents (hay harvesting weekend) was entirely built around getting to tell my dad the news in person. An unforgettable moment in my life.
My birthday was a nice, yet sleepy event. And the windy roads of the mountain town were throwing me for a loop the whole time. Yuck.
And then our wonderful friends came to see us and once again I was so tired. And I don't mean like sleepy. I mean like sleep 10 hours and still feel like you've pulled an all-nighter studying for that test that you MUST get an A on to keep your GPA up. I once again felt bad for not being a ball of energy.

But like I said, this baby business is really something. How do you know when to tell people? At our eight week appointment we heard the heart beat and even saw it flicker on the ultrasound (another magical unforgettable moment in my life) our doctor (who I love-- and I am extremely hard to please) told us she would give our pregnancy a 95% chance of viability. But then you hear to wait until the 12 week mark to be really safe. Basically, at the end of the day the worst thing you can imagine as a pregnant person (and spouse) is first losing your baby but second having to tell everyone especially the entire internet that it didn't work out. Now as I say this, let me say that I have no judgment of those who decide to tell people early. It's your news and you should do what you want. And if you end up reporting that it didn't work out I still don't have judgment, just a prayer for your healing heart during such a difficult time.

My strategy so far has been to first tell our parents and grandparents. Then as I have spent time with friends in person if there is alcohol at the event I basically just don't even try to fake the whole thing. The jig is up! We're pregnant! It turns out we find ourselves in LOTS of alcohol-related settings. Especially considering it's the summer. The good news for me is that I don't crave alcohol at all. A lot of this already feels like a hangover so the thought of something that would contribute to a hangover is utterly repulsive. Note: I don't typically "crave" alcohol, but if we are in a social setting and there's wine, sure, I'll have a glass.

On Thursday we had an ultrasound with what I can only describe as a super computer. Our baby actually looked like a baby. It was moving and flipping around and rubbed its face and opened it's mouth. It was the most incredible thing I have ever witnessed. My little human was in there doing all that. Man oh man.

At that point we decided to tell the world...which means we put it on Facebook. We had a really wonderful out pour of kindness and love. Sometimes I wonder about the role of social media in our lives and whether or not that's ultimately positive or negative. Well in this instance, it was really heartwarming to see how many people were happy for us and this big news. There's so many ways to tell it, but now that you know it I ask that you pray for the continued growth and healthy development of our little one.

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A Little Update on Life

 Once again I open with my "It's been a while" comments. What can I say? Sometimes I have writer's block. Sometimes I just don't have time to blog. Sometimes my events or thoughts aren't worthy of a whole blog post. This summer has been a little unique. Instead of counting down the days (in a sad way) until I have to go back to Lubbock for the school year, I am here for good. One thing that remains the same is that I don't get nearly as much work done for school during the summer as I want to. I did teach an online course during the month of June that took up quite a bit of my time. That's my story and I am sticking to it.

We spent the fourth of July with Matt's parents this year. I don't really have any pictures except the one of the awesome trifle I made. If you want to see such mundane things you should follow me on Instagram. I am full of mundane things!

A few days later my mom came to the city to spend a couple days and we went to see The Little Mermaid put on by the Lyric theater. A few weeks earlier Lisa and I had gone to see Les Miserables. Both shows were fantastic.

Isn't my mom pretty? 

The next weekend we had Sarah and Love's wedding. Well, his name is Andrew but it feels really foreign to call him that. It was a nice event and we stayed pretty busy the whole weekend. I love when our friends get married because not only do we get to celebrate this special new chapter of their lives, but all our other friends come into town too. Win win!

And then the next weekend it was time to have our long-planned girls weekend in Dallas. Hasley (below) (also not her first name) came from Tulsa to pick me up and like an angel she drove all the way down because I have put a lifetime of drive time in coming back and forth from Lubbock so if I can avoid it I do. It was really nice to catch up with her. I miss her a lot.

 We met up with Anna & Megan. First night was in Dallas. We went to this store that only sold popsicles. It was amongst all the bars. What a neat concept. There was a line out the door. So... of course we had to try one. There are some really cool bars in Dallas. One was a little too crowded for my taste but it was on a roof and I could see why it was so popular. I am getting old and prefer a chair though. We went to another outdoor place that was some sort of trucker theme. It was super cool and I would happily go back.

 Then of course we did brunch on Saturday. I think there's something about crossing the 25 year old threshold that makes you totally turned on to brunch. I think it has something to do with being able to eat late and there's mimosas involved.  Then we went to this place that only sold pie. Holy cow it was yummy. But what I am learning is that we all need to open a store where we only make one thing and just make several varieties of that one thing and we will make a killing. Less is more is what I am finding out.

Saturday night we spent in Ft. Worth and what on earth is a trip to Ft. Worth without a visit to the Stockyards? 

 The next weekend we visited my parents. There are no pictures to speak of for the weekend we visited them. We did get to stay at the Hard Rock because my brother worked there this summer and got us a sweet discount. My parents bailed hay that weekend and I don't know why but I love hay bailing season.

Now that I think about it, I do have one picture. One of the best things growing up was that as an underage driver for a couple of days after the field was mowed down and the bails cleared a certain parent would let you drive their car across the field because you wouldn't be damaging next year's....crop? Gosh it was fun.

The next weekend was my birthday. You know me and you know that I love my birthday. We rented a cabin in Eureka Springs, AR because neither of us had ever been there before. The view was incredible. That was out our back door. Eureka Springs is actually a really neat little place. We would definitely be willing to go back.

We went down to the beaver lake dam to swim. We found a little spot where no one else was and just lifted the hatchback of my car and laid out towels and enjoyed the incredible weather. Matt chose to look like this in the photo. The water was really clear and perfect temperature. Hopefully for next year's lake trip we can talk our friends into traveling a little farther for a much prettier lake. 

 On our way back home we stopped at my parent's place. My mom made Indian Tacos due to my request. Moms are the best. And she made me a no bake cheesecake. She is an amazing cake decorator and I asked for a no-bake cheesecake.

And the last weekend Nicole and Steven came to visit. Remember our friends that went with us to the Dominican Republic? Well here they are being awesome again and down to hang! We took them to The Mule in OKC. We of course had to take them to Hideaway. I also took Nicole to Eskimo Joes while the boys played golf. We went to Tammy and Andy's new place to swim and grill out. We may have over programmed them, haha. We had to prove that despite what crazy Texas people think, Oklahoma is a pretty cool place.

 On Saturday we went down to Lake Texoma to ride around on Roger and Lisa's new boat. Matt and Steven were adorable. You could totally tell they were loving getting to drive a "big kid toy." I even drove for a little while when we were out in open water and there was next to nothing I could do to hurt anything.

Matt's has been in Houston for the week. I have been a total homebody and barely spoken to other human beings for the last 3 days. And for me that is well.. very strange. I am surprising him with a fancy date tonight because I just think he is worth it.

Some interesting blog posts coming.... or at least less of the same. Until then!

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Product Review: The Veggetti

If you’re on Pinterest then you have probably seen this product. You use it to make vegetables turn into a spaghetti shape. If you’re into reducing your carbs (which…to some extent we probably all should be) then this looks like a pretty cool product. Repinned!

I was shopping at Bed Bath and Beyond for the same reason that someone between the ages of 22-35 shops at Bed Bath and Beyond… to buy a wedding present. I was wandering around with the millions of coupons they send in the mail and I came across this Veggetti and it was about ten bucks. I said “What the hey!” and threw caution to the wind (and I had way more coupons than I needed).

The results? This thing is pretty cool. Now it’s not a miracle worker. Zuchinni just doesn’t taste like spaghetti. However, if you like the texture and happen to like the flavor of Zuchinni then you’re in! It’s really sharp and super quick to use. And the zucchini looks really strange after you're done. 

For the recipe I used go here. 

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A Nephew, A Book Club, A Reunion, and a Picnic

Note: This post is weeks old but I had completed most of it so I want to finish it.

It was another one of those weekends that finally comes along where Matt and I “don’t do anything” which means we didn’t leave the state but still did tons. Matt’s parents were watching our nephew Ian for a week and Lisa asked if I would come down for a day and help out. I agreed to head down the day after we got back from the Dominican. Although, as near as I could tell when I got there they were doing just fine without me. Grandad has the best place for entertaining a four year old with an affinity for moving vehicles.  They have a cute little four wheeler for Ian and he was riding it when I pulled up. Pistol also came and greeted me after not seeing me for a week. He loves going to “the farm” though. I doubt he really even  noticed we were gone. 

We spent a lot of time in the pool. Ian is a good little swimmer.

I stayed the night and enjoyed the visit. I had to head out early in the morning to get back to work though. As much as we have been traveling you may not believe that I actually work but believe it or not, I do. It just takes a lot of strategizing.

I also was in charge of hosting book club this month. There was a book I had been wanting to read and the person who hosts gets to pick. So I picked “The Story of Stuff” by Annie Leonard.

 I had watched several versions of her YouTube series and thought the book would be really interesting and it was already on my book shelf.  The book was indeed really interesting and reinforced much of what I already knew because ya know, I study this stuff.  But in picking this book I also learned a valuable lesson about book club.  I picked a book that I was especially interested in but it wasn't really a novel. I thought it was going to be more novel like telling tales of how she came about all of her knowledge of the process of “stuff” but it was more of a “Layman’s Terms for Understanding Production and Consumption”. That’s not necessarily interesting for everyone. It’s okay if you pick a book that turns out to be a dud but you should at least think the majority of people will think it’s interesting from the start. Furthermore, I picked a book that was largely based on my expertise (ish). It would probably make my friends feel uncomfortable criticizing a book that I could likely defend based on my own experience. Part of the purpose of book club is to discuss a book and even point out it’s weaknesses.  My  friends know how passionate I am on the topic so that doesn’t really leave the door open for a light hearted book club, even though I had my own criticisms of the book. All’s well that ends well, but I’ll keep these things in mind the next time I pick the book. I also really recommend the book—just don’t force it on people.

But to develop an eco-theme I did a few things.

I wanted to create a dish that celebrated the fact that most things are in season due to the summer(ish) weather, were bought as locally as possible, and even used some things from my own garden. And it was healthy. And it was delicious. So from scratch I made guacamole, salsa, and hummus.

And to make a point I wanted to use as little "stuff" as possible. So here are my recyclable items from my food making. 

Here are the compostable items which will eventually turn into nutrient rich soil for future gardening projects. 

 And this tiny little amount was the trash generated.

 Shanna for the eco win.

I also made a ton of the salsa and put it in jars that I had saved like old salsa jars or spaghetti jars or jams or whatever. Just glass jars with lids that I had thoroughly cleaned and taken the labels off of. I gave them to each of the attendees of the book club as an eco-party favor. No, book clubs do not traditionally have party favors, I just thought it was cute.


 10 Year Reunion

The time had come for my 10 Year Reunion. Notice I didn't say "The time had finally come for my 10 year reunion" because it is completely nuts to me that 10 years has already gone by.

We went to El Guapo's in Tulsa which is nice because I've always really liked that restaurant. It's also down town so there's plenty of places to stay and also go out. We had probably about 25% of the class show up which I think for reunion standards that's pretty good. This picture is actually really funny to me because it actually reminds me of the personalities of a lot of these people as I remember them.

And then there's me on the far left. One thing the sorority taught me was the ability to hold a smile endlessly while pictures were being taken for a long time by lots of cameras.

The only thing that didn't go so well was that we were ridiculously late. Which probably wasn't that shocking to the people I attended high school with. I was late there all the time too. It was entirely silly though. I totally thought it started at 7:00 and we got there at 6:45 and I told Matt that I was nervous because I didn't want to be the first ones there and have to stand all awkwardly greeting people that I haven't seen in a decade. I would much rather be fashionably late. That's a motto I tend to live by. Well we get there and go upstairs and there's everyone sitting down already with food in front of them. My first thought was, "My goodness these are some punctual people I grew up with. Look, they're already sitting down and this isn't supposed to start for fifteen minutes!" I kind of had a sensory overload when I saw all these faces I recognized but I was also looking for somewhere to sit, and say hello, and figure out what was going on because they were all so darn early. It wasn't until after Matt and I found a chair at the end and sat down and ten minutes later someone tells me this thing started at 6:00 p.m. Good grief Shanna. Can't even double check an invitation.

After dinner we migrated over to McNellie's across the street and had some drinks and caught up. Overall I thought it was a really good reunion and I had forgotten how good of a community I grew up in. I have always loved my tiny little town in Northeast Oklahoma but the reunion was a good reminder. The only downside was that there were several people that didn't make it that I would have really liked to have seen. Maybe at the 20 year?

Hillary and I at McNellies

The HOA Picnic

For the first time in my life I live in a neighborhood with an HOA (Home Owner's Association). I'm still not entirely sure what the HOA does and not to discredit the hard work of those who step up to leadership positions but my limited interaction with the organization is that we pay an annual fee (ick) and they make sure the common grounds are regularly tended to and land scaped and pay for the fountain to run and put up Christmas lights at our entrance. They also address when people are getting a little out of control with their lawn or have unsightly things in their yard.

So far the best things about the HOA was that we had a picnic this year and I thought that was adorable. We got to meet neighbors and have a sense of community. And then we went to elect new officers of the HOA. Some how Matt and I became the hospitality committee which is fine by me because I'm happy to throw together a batch of cookies and welcome someone to the neighborhood. This also comes with the assumption that someone is going to email me or something if someone moves into the neighborhood. I should look into that. Well, no one wanted to take over the president position. Matt feels pressure to do it but I however do not. I simply am not interested in the goings ons of other people especially if they do not volunteer that information to me. What people do at their own home is just not something I am interested in. I don't really care if someone is a week past being reasonable on mowing their lawn. I do not care if someone has their trash can in their driveway. It makes sense that there be someone to look out for these things for the greater good of the community, I just don't want to do it. Know what I want to do? Write my dissertation. And blog from time to time. And between those two activities and our overly scheduled lives I just do not have an opening for being a busy body. Which is how I will feel. I think the people who complain about all that stuff should stand up and take a leadership position but no one asks me what I think. Wouldn't the world be a better place if they did? I kid. I kid.

Anyway, it was a really  nice "calm" and "slow" weekend. Being home is great.

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Book/Movie Review: The Fault in our Stars

Matt and I have both had especially busy work weeks. I am teaching an online course for TTU for the first summer session (basically all of June) which means we take a whole semester of work and condense it down into one month. This also means that instead of about 2 weeks to grade assignments I have more like 2-3 days. I like to give students feedback so they can correct their mistakes for future submissions because I'm a not-yet-jaded professor for now. I will tell you that it really ticks me off when people put about 6 seconds worth of effort or plagiarize their submission and have the audacity to email me demanding to know why they got a bad grade. Comes with the territory I suppose.

Matt's schedule has been really crazy this week though. I feel bad or the guy. He has been leaving well before I even wake up and getting home after seven. Last night he had a minor catastrophe so he called and said he was going to be even later than he had intended. Since my dinner plans were out the window I decided I would go see The Fault in our Stars because I was pretty sure that he wouldn't be interested in it and I don't mind seeing movies by myself.

 We read the book for Book Club a couple months back. Its a quick and easy read. I just couldn't help but think it read like a 40 year old trying to narrate like a teenager. I did not cry during the book even though it was really sad. It just didn't really grab me like many other books do. It was also just such a sad topic (teenagers having a pretty strong grasp on mortality--and they have cancer). I wouldn't say it was a "bad" book--I just personally did not walk away saying "Wow, now I get why everyone in America is reading this book." Know what I mean?

I do get why teenagers would like this book. I don't really know how to expand on his more but my teenager idealistic self would have eaten this up. "I just put cigarettes in my mouth and don't light them... it's a metaphor." Good grief. My 27 year old says nope. "Okay." "Okay." Hand to forehead.
My 16 year old self... "Oh tell me more! You're so intuitive. Wordly. Someone I want to backpack Europe with. So dreamy." Cut to 10 year reunion: "So.... you sell vacuums, huh?"

 

But if you read the book you gotta go see the movie... right? 

The movie was...okay. Maybe even better than the book. They did a good job of leaving out the parts that I thought didn't really contribute much to the story in the book (like his former girlfriend). It seemed cast pretty well. Except Augustus. (And gah.. whats with the name? Augustus? Like Augustus Gloop?) I'm not crazy about that guy as an actor. Maybe I just couldn't get over them playing siblings in a movie I saw a month ago (Divergent). I thought she did a great job though. I also liked how they dressed her. Like... a normal person.
I didn't really cry in the movie though. I shed a tear. I didn't get super emotional though which movies often do to me. I think I was a little distracted by the lady like 15 rows up totally ugly crying though. I said a prayer for her during the movie because I can only imagine that she lost someone to cancer to have that powerful (and loud) of a reaction in a public theater.

I think I would have liked the movie more if I hadn't read the book. I think the parts that were emotionally gripping would have gripped me a little more if I didn't know what was coming. On that note--they did a pretty good job overall sticking to the book. I think movies are starting to get better about that as a whole.

I paid $7.50 to see the  movie (heck ya student ID!) and I felt at peace with my investment. That being said I think it's worth going to see. I just think you should see the movie first and then read the book because I think it will help maximize your entertainment overall.

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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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