The first thing we did when we got there was eat, of course (I have decided that is the favorite Dominican past-time) I was so excited because the buffet had...vegetables!! Yes, vegetables! Here, vegetables aren't necessarily a favorite food, and when they are served they are always, without fail, drenched in vinegar! I don't think I have ever been so excited to be eating garden salad and steamed broccoli as I was that day at lunch. After lunch, Josh and I got to enjoy a piña colada by the pool before making our way to the beach where we proceeded to eat another food I miss quite terribly...Chips and pico de gallo. I think that everyone assumes that if a country is Spanish-speaking they will have lots and lots of Mexican food...that is most definitely an incorrect assumption!! We all played in the pool for awhile and then we got ready for dinner, but the getting ready part was even wonderful because I got to take a shower with running HOT water!! It was incredible :) We went to the buffet again for our first dinner and then about 2 hours later, we went to the resort's Mediterranean restaurant set on the beach for our second dinner! After dinner we caught the end of the show, and then spent time walking on the beach and hanging around the pool area...Josh and I also started working on saying goodbye for the next month-and-a-half :/
The next morning at 6am, mi papa and I took Josh back to Santiago so he could catch his flight back to the US...I will admit that there were a few tears on my part, but I have a feeling the second half of my trip will fly by faster than I expect! When we got back to the resort, I was greeted by my extremely loving family who all wanted to see how I was doing and who also wasted no time at all getting me to do a water aerobics class with them where I think I got more exercise just from all the laughing I was doing :) We also did a lot more eating, sunbathing (a little to much...I'm now a teensy bit crispy...But mi familia continues to say that being burnt is a good thing because now I look more like them...hehe!), sleeping, and just spending time together! I again had two dinners....one at the buffet, and the second at an Oriental restaurant-- I am thinking that this weekend I may have gained back the weight I lost when I got sick!! Woohoo!
The last day (which was yesterday), we had a mini-church service in the hotel's little outdoor theater, and it was awesome! I feel like God is really trying to make me aware of the fact that He works in my life and speaks to me...He may not always speak to me about the things I think I need answers to right now, but I think He wants to make sure that I realize that He is an active part of my life and I can trust Him to speak to me clearly about everything in HIS timing, not mine! The day before, I had been reading Luke 11:9-13 where Jesus says that if you ask, it will be given to you and if you knock, the door will be opened...and how earthly fathers, even though they are sinful, give their children what they ask for, so how much more will the heavenly Father give his Holy Spirit to those who ask. It was awesome, because that same passage (from Matthew 7:7) was used in our church service, and it was just so incredible to me that God would be so intentional with me...to ensure that I am paying attention to the words that He's giving me, and that I realize that He is speaking to me. I really want to learn (and I think I am learning) what it means to really seek God and be persistent and perseverant in seeking Him even when you don't necessarily "feel" what you think you should. I really want to figure out what being filled with the Holy Spirit looks like, because I want Him to be living out of me...I'm tired of being the one living this life of mine! A bit of a tangent, but I figured it is important to let you all know how I am developing spiritually, so you can continue to pray for me as I try to work all of this out!
After our church service, we spent more time in the pool, eating, and on the beach...When we were at the beach, my brother-in-law, Audi, asked if I wanted to go kayaking with him, and I was all about it! So we started out going straight out against the waves...We got quite a rhythm down, so we were super far from the shore in no time. He kept asking if I wanted to go further and every time I said, "Por supuesto!!" (Of course!!) Finally, Audi decided that he wanted to start going parallel to the shore, so we could explore another part of the beach...Bad decision!! Going against the waves is one thing, but when you decided to place your long kayak parallel with them, they have a habit of knocking you over! The second we turned, the kayak flipped...most would expect that this would be the point that little Bri Bri would start crying, but instead, I started to laugh hysterically! I thought that the ridiculousness of our situation was absolutely hilarious! The laughing continued when every time we tried to get back on, we would flip all over again...we didn't realize until later, but apparently our kayak was missing a plug that it needed, so it was filling with water, making it harder and harder to flip back over, and also making it impossible to keep balanced once we tried to jump back on. Luckily, a motorboat full of people saw us, and the driver said he would take the cumbersome kayak and oars off of our hands and back to shore. You may be thinking that this still left us in the middle of the ocean quite far from shore, which is the correct assumption! Luckily, a little sailboat saw the predicament we were in, so they came by and picked us up to take us back to shore! There was an English woman on board who had paid to rent the boat and have the guide, and we just got to join for free!! Definitely an incredible memory, and it just goes to show you that the unplanned-for mishaps can be the most fun :)
Yesterday, we made the 2 hour ride back with 4 sunburnt people jammed in the backseat, but all was well because we had an awesome weekend!
Lots of kisses and hugs to all!!
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