The Dominican Republic, Part Four: I'm Out of Puns So Insert Yours Here

Since our trip was almost forever ago and my tan lines are already gone {sad day}, I guess I should wrap up our trip.

This one is far more boring.

So sorry.

And now you get to look at lots of golfing pictures.

Y'all are so lucky.

I am not a golfer.

My athletic ability is about that of a newborn child.

Except the child is better.

But I got the drive the golf cart and read, so it was win-win.

The cheap course on the resort was nice for Tyrel to warm up his skills {he hasn't golfed since we moved to Minnesota, poor kid!}.

 And then we headed over to Punta Espada. 

The boys paid a pretty penny to golf this posh course, so they went twice that day, just to get their max worth out of it.

 And the view wasn't bad either, I guess ;)

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 Do you guys watch The Bachelorette?

We totally do {and are somewhat ashamed/not at all ashamed to admit it}.

So, last episode.

Remember how Andi and Nick took a helicopter to that nice, private island in the DR?

Yeah.

We totally took a catamaran there.

Saona Island was beautiful {even though the excursion was overpriced, like all of them really}.

We got to ride on our catamaran with a whole bunch of people getting tipsy {the crew were all shocked that we didn't want any rum in our Pepsi}, snorkel in the water, eat some yummy food, and cuddle with some starfish.

 

After we had gotten back on the bus, they announced that they had customized bottles of rum for sale and that they were going to hand around a few samples to look at.

On the entire charter bus, there were three white couples: Brandon and Kristen, Tyrel and myself, and a couple sitting in front of us.

And, of course, the three samples all had our pictures.

Because we were white.

And had money.

Too bad they wasted that on poor, college-debt ridden Mormons.

{And, while most Dominicans live with hardly anything, these tour guides/pushers do just fine, thankyouverymuch, so we didn't buy into their "We can't feed our families!" excuses}.

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 And that's the end!

We flew back home {in first class, booya! Thanks credit card points!} to cuddles our babies.

It was the best vacation in the whole world, seriously.

I completely urge everyone to do something like this.

Save the $20 a month until you have enough put away in a few years.

AND LEAVE YO KIDS AT HOME!

They are so cute when you come back to them ;)

Adios, DR!

27/52

Have you guys been crazy busy, or is it just me?

And with really nothing in particular?

I mean, we have had friends get married, some have babies, some come into town.

And then we had a holiday, went OUT of town, had an anniversary, and are getting Tyrel ready for his residency coming up.

So, yeah.

Busy.

I think I still have the last Dominican Republic post to do?

It came down to doing that or showering this week, and by golly I finally took a shower.

You are so welcome!

Tate: is all over the place. You can't keep him still or out of anything, and I seriously love it. This is one of the most fun ages ever. He is also getting two new teeth and is soooooo close to walking. He does just fine until he realizes you aren't holding him anymore and then freaks out. That boy.

Kemry: is such a good big sister. We often find toys in Tate's crib that she has given him throughout the night, just to make sure he is happy. Melt my heart!

26/52

Tate: Can you believe that this guy turns ONE next month?!?! I am going to have a heart attack. Also, he has started taking his first steps. Serious. It is nuts.

Kemry: was made to live in permanent summertime. She is all about summer {as are we} and asks daily if we can go to the beach yet.

Soon, little minnow. Soon!

The Dominican Republic, Part Three: Getting Local With It

Part Three!

Huzzah!

One more post after this, and you will have experienced the Domincan Republic with us.

Minus the sun, the pina coladas, the salty ocean, etc etc.

You know, all the good stuff.

Since our manly men lived in the country for a few years, we were certain we were going to spend a large portion of our time outside of the resort.
We hit up a mall, grocery stores, side-of-the-street vendors, etc.

It was crazy nuts and crazy fun.

Shall we talk about the driving?

There are essentially no laws {that are enforced, anyway} when it comes to the roads.
They are all paved, thank heavens, but that is about it.

The stoplights only work part of the time {when they actually have power}, pedestrians cross whenever they want, cars drive down the wrong side of the road, and one lane suddenly turns into four if the Dominicans feel like it.

It was so anxiety-provoking, guys.

I could hardly handle it.

Luckily, the T-man is an excellent driver, and Brandon is an excellent navigator {regardless of whether Google Maps was actually working or not}.

 

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El Conde, lined with shops and merchants.

It was so hard to actually find, and, thanks to the local police who escorted us there, we {Kristen} almost died via crazy Dominican driver.

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We went to several corner-shops {called Colmados} to grab some of the boys' favorite goodies.
I think one of the best parts of this whole trip was seeing the local's reactions when these two scrawny American boys started talking with the local slang and Dominican spanish.

I think that earned us a little more respect out and about.

Kristen and I were also privileged to try all the weird, bizarre foods that the guys also love.

Guanabana {which is literally like snot-fruit}:

Typical Dominican meal.

Chicken and rice.

Not the most exciting food, but it was cheap and filling.

We ate lots of Dominican candy, local fruits, fresh coconuts, juices, etc.

I had the best mango in the entire world as well as the larges avacado I have ever laid eyes on.

Delish.

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As for some of the safer driving we saw {when I wasn't about to pass out from stress}...

This dude was standing on a bumper about an inch wide and basically had a toe tucked under a piece of the tailgate.

And that's it.

Seriously, there were FAMILIES on mopeds.

As in a mother and her four children + baby on ONE moped.

Nuts.

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As for our kids, we were lucky enough to Facetime once a day {mainly to make sure my mom didn't have any questions regarding the small boy in her possession}.

And a few emails with pictures made the nerves calm down, too :)

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And, last for this post, a quick trip to the temple.

Actually, not quick.

We got so lost.

And so stuck in traffic.

But, via another tender mercy, we made it!

We also got to chat with Tyrel's mission president for a few minutes, and the boys both ran into people they knew while they were serving 10+ years ago.

The temple was beautiful, and our session was perfect.

After we finished, we started our long drive back to the resort.
We stopped at a McDonalds to grab some food, which is like fancy cuisine down there.
They don't really have fast food down there, so we weren't sure what to grab at 10 pm at night.
Luckily we found some "American" food to fill us up.
The meal was so cheap, and it was the cleanest McDonalds I have ever seen in my life.
It was nutso.
And, yes.
The food tasted the same.
I knew you were wondering ;)

25/52

Tate: Tricks are his new dig. He thinks clapping his hands is the coolest thing ever, likes to dance, and is starting to get pretty good at giving fist-bumps. Seriously.

Kemry: These storms that have passed through have been both awful and wonderful for her. Awful: stuck inside, scary thunder, worms all over. Wonderful: puddles to jump in, rainbows to look for, and rain to watch out the window.