Last Day

Yesterday after the spa, we ate lunch, rested, then took a long walk on the beach in the light rain, Mom holding onto the umbrella in the wind sure she would completely melt in the rain or blow away in the wind, me enjoying every single moment. We walked to some dominican shops with pushy sales men. We looked at scarves and dresses, t shirts, paintings, jewelry and statues. We popped $40 on a dress and a scarf ($20 of my money) for mom because our bargaining wasn't so hot. At another shop, I picked out a wooden statue of two people kissing and mom picked out a cat statue. We talked him down to $20 for both and then I only had $15. He was angry but let me have my statue for $15. We got out of there and walked back along the beach to the hotel. We rested some more and then went to a late dinner at Gabi beach bar. It was fancy again, sauces and unrecognizable things and not enough light to eat it. I guess you go for the ambience which was beautiful and elegant. I think I've had my fill of fancy food. I did like the dessert, though, of course, chocolate tart and vanilla ice cream. Yum. We went up to the room early--8:30 and read in our beds until sleepy time. It rained all day and evening but that was ok--our skin probably didn't need more sun.

This morning it was still raining lightly when we got up so our plans to get our last beach and sun were shot. We ate our last breakfast in the open air restaurant then I went for a super long walk in the wind and clouds. Mom went back to the room. I decided to sit and nap in the wind and as I did, the sun came back out so I got another hour or so of sun on my legs and arms. It was delightful. Came back to the room for a bath and now we are waiting to go eat lunch (enough eating already!) and then our long, long, day of travel and waiting and travel and waiting. We will get to mom's about 1 am. Then off to get Rexie and home!

spa thursday

Woke up this morning to hard rain. It is still lovely as much of the hotel is open air. We had breakfast then lounged and read on some splushy couches in the lobby. We called for a spa opening as mom kept after me to get a pedicure. I wouldn't have except diana from canada said the spa experience was amazing. I couldn't talk mom into it but she did tag along. This was an amazing experience. I think I'll smile all day long now. We got a carteria (a fancy golf cart) to take us along the brick roads lined with palm trees and rose bushes to the spa. We were introduced to my helper, her name started with a D. She showed me where to put my cover clothes ( I wore my swimsuit). She showed me to an outdoor shower where I showered and washed my hair, then she took me into a steam room. There were girls there when I first arrived then I sat alone. I could barely see, it was so wonderfully steamy. At one point she opened the door and threw some aroma water on the floor--eucalyptus. It smelled wonderful, not too strong. After 10 minutes or so she showed me to another shower, this one with a bucket to pull the chain. Cold water! Then she had me walk down into a hot pool and had me lean on a thing in the middle while she hot hard streams of hot water all over my back for about 2 minutes. Then she had me go to the other side where she did the same and then to a third side where a water stream that looked like glass poured over me. She had me get out and go to another pool and walk into it. A freezing plunge. She said to sit down. I could barley breathe and barely stood it so she had me get out and go back into the warm pool. My skin had prickly tingles all over it. She then had me walk over wet rocks, about 6 feet, three times. She rolled up mom's pant legs and had her do it, too. Then she led me to a sauna that didn't feel hot at first but warmed up. I was so incredibly relaxed at this point. Then she had me sit in a jacuzzi for about 10 minutes. I loved it. She brought me water to drink then took me to a changing room where she had me get out of my wet swimsuit and put on a robe and little slippers. She then took me for my pedicure. When I was done, she had mostly dried my swimsuit so I got dressed and she led us back out to our carteria to come back to the hotel. I am so glad I did this--I wonder if I will ever do anything like it again. We had lunch and now we are resting and hoping the sun will come back up. A lovely rainy, spa day in Punta Cana.

Wednesday in Punta Cana

Today was windier in the open air restaurant and I started my day with oatmeal and bacon and pineapple and cafe o lait. We went to the beach again and laid in the sun and played in the waves. The waves were bigger and stronger today but still fun. Just after we went to the pool area, they started merigue lessons so we joined in. I danced with a woman close to my age from Canada named Diana and Mom danced with the big, black dominican man. She looked so cute! Five minutes after we got done, they started water aerobics so I had to join in. It was led by a chubby fellow and another guy, eye candy, co-taught. It was a pretty good work out--I probably worked off a few peices of bacon. We took a nap in the wind under one of the huts on the beach for an hour or so after that. It sprinkled and mom didn't even notice! We took pictures of the ocean and then mom went up to the room. I laid out by the pool and drank a coke even though my skin had had enough. I went back to the room at about 5. I took a jacuzzi bath and we got dolled up again for dinner. We sat on the beach and took a cool pic of our feet and then waited near the dinner show as it got dark. We sat at dinner with a couple who didn't speak english from Venezuela. She was venezuelan and he was italian. They were fun to try to talk to. We had a huge buffet dinner, coffee, and dessert, then watched the Le Cirque show. I liked it except the part where they had the dog that looked very much like Rex way up high in the air. The dog enjoyed it but it made me nervous and kind of sad for it. Now we are in the room ready for beddy by. I hope I can sleep after afternoon coke and coffee with dinner. No such thing as decaf here. I am starting to feel sad we are leaving and not looking forward to the trip home. I'm trying to talk mom into the spa tomorrow--she wants me to go alone. The gal at the pool said it was very cool in there. Goodnight.

Tuesday in Punta Cana

Today started with breakfast buffet in the open air ocean view restaurant again. Cafe o lait, omelet and bacon and delicious pineapple that we now have with every meal. Then a quick change and sun and ocean. We sunned and read and played in the waves some. We put on dry suits and ate lunch in the same place as yesterday--actually had a similar meal--cheeseburger and today, tortilla chips and cheese sauce. We rested then showered then took a short golf cart ride to a shopping center. It was very nice, very upscale, too expensive, but we did find a Life is Good store where we bought t shirts and stickers. Mom bought a Punta Cana tote bag in one store and I got a braided bracelet. I got some super cheap earrings and we got a neat dominican republic scrapbook. We caught a ride back to the hotel and I changed and took a long walk along the beach while mom rested. Then we got fancied up and sat by fountains. There are many places to just sit and chill with fountains and art nearby. We got bored so we went into the game room and played a set of wii bowling. Mom won :). We then caught another ride to the hotel nearby and ate at an italian restaurant called aqua. The food was waaaay too fancy for me. I had the smoked salmon for an appetizer and it seemed raw so he brought me scallops. Yipes. I think he laughed at me while I was tasting them. Then they brought a New York steak. I don't think so. But the restaurant was beautiful. I even took a picture of the restroom it was so gorgeous. There was amazing statues and fountains everywhere. Hannah would be really interested in the art. We are now in our pjs sitting on our balcony. See you tomorrow.

Monday in Punta Cana

Breakfast at 9:30 in an open air cafeteria, bacon and eggs, cafe o lait, light ocean breeze blowing through, fresh squeezed orange juice.... Chatting, internet (made my scrabble moves). Then ocean and sun. Lovely. Mom was restless, in the sun she wanted shade, in the ocean she wanted pool, sitting she wanted to go, walking, she got tired. We decided she was tired still from the trip. Lunch in the market grill--a very american cheeseburger and fries--yum. Then mom went back to the room to rest and I sat by the pool. Read The Descendants--very, very good book. I started to feel the sun, so moved to a shady hut nearer the ocean. Went back to the room and took a nap while the maid tip toed around me. Then we came back out, got afternoon cocktails and played in the waves and laughed and laughed, letting the waves knock us down repeatedly. Fun. Then we showered and changed. I put on a sun shirt and white jeans. We tried to go to Gabi club for dinner but they had a private party. We were disoriented. We went to the asian restaurant and they gave us a hard time about not having reservations. We couldn't find an appetizer that we liked so we just had our entree--sweet and sour pork. We didn't linger, were tired so went to the room early again. We read late but I couldn't sleep for some reason so read til late. I was, believe it or not, a little homesick, well, missing Scott and wishing he were here....

Good Morning from Punta Cana

Our day yesterday was long and tiring, about what could be expected, but no delays or hitches:). We arrived in the late afternoon. Our room is fantastic--huge--actually several rooms. We have a full kitchen and dining table, a living room, a bedroom, a bathroom and a separate jucuzzi tub. The shower and toilet are in little rooms, too. It is all marble floors, very plush. The pull out couch was torn so they brought me an entire twin bed and there is room for that, too! We slept 10 or 11 hours. We aren't exactly sure what time it is. I guess we had one hitch--they locked my suitcase which used to belong to my dad and jean and I didn't have the code! I quickly figured out how to gt on the internet and sent a help email and then I prayed and tried their birthdays and voila! It was Jean's birthday that opened it. So we unpacked and walked around and were overwhelmed with the sheer size of this place and the beauty. We walked to the pool and the beach. Beautiful! And then tried to figure out the restaurants. We found one and got our food--must have been latino food, I didn't love it.... and then went a sat by the beach in lounge chairs as it got dark. Then we came up and got the bed made up (room service) then crashed. It was probably 8:00. :). Right now I'm sitting on our balcony while mom gets ready. I got up before her and went to check on my snoring little mama who was sound asleep! She's up now! We are ready for our day in the sun!

Life Stage

I always hesitate to put too personal of stuff on here but it also helps me to process stuff. I don't have anyone to regularly do that with. I've learned that Scott is a person who needs to process things aloud so traditionally, when we spend time together it is I listening. I suppose he might feel differently. It is never enough, I know.

Lately we have truly struggled due to the life stage we are in. Our marraige has had many of these such struggles and they always bring you closer in the end, with the Lord's help, but they are hard to go through. I suppose marraige is a series of difficult life phases that you go through and work through together.

Anyway, we are two selfish people with huge needs and right now, our needs are in exact contrast to each other. Scott is lonely since he retired. He sits here alone all day with the dogs driving him crazy and no one to talk to. And he's in an online grad program. If you are a social person who needs to process things aloud, do not enroll online. He has tons to process and no one to process it with. I, on the other hand, have been with people all day long and have processed the holy hell out of every issue in meetings and emails and conversation all day long. It is a particularly difficult time of year and I feel like I'm fighting to put one foot in front of the other every day. I live for the quiet weekends. In the evenings, I nap and rest and do avoidance things like facebook and pinterest and tv. I work out every day which takes a huge chunk of time. I am terrible, terrible, at putting my needs aside to listen to Scott. And on top of that, he wants me to give him his full attention, at the time he needs it (even if I'm trying to cook or get out the door for my class or go take a long waited for nap or go to bed), and he wants specific feedback at the right time and in the right way. He deserves better attention than he's getting and it comes across as totally disrespectful when I keep one eye on my computer or say, "hum" or something. Even if we totally try, it is impossible to have both of our needs met. So with God's help we will get through this. Scott's soccer season starts next week so that will help. I guess. Your prayers are appreciated.

I want to add here for anyone who worries (and I know kids naturally do and moms naturally do and those are my main followers, ok, my only followers and readers): Scott is my best friend and we are truly enjoying this time without kids in the house and we are having fun together and are reconnecting. Its just this difficult life stage on top of it. So don't worry. But do pray us through it.