Punta Cana, Trip of a Lifetime Recap

New Year's Eve marked a year since Chris and I had settlement on our first home/rental property. This was a huge relief and answer to prayer for us to be able to move on from the landlord stage of our lives. We both agree that we are not completely against owning a rental property or two in the future at some point down the road but we needed a break for now. :) Anyways, I say all that to say that we made a deal that if we sold our rental property and everything went as we hoped that we would reward ourselves with a big flat screen tv for our newly remodeled basement space and hopefully look at going somewhere new and exciting for our then upcoming 10th wedding anniversary which we just celebrated October 30th, 2014.

We found and purchased our tv last New Year's Day which seemed like a dream come true. Suddenly the long hours of running back and forth and working to clean up after disgusting people seemed to be validated. :) In the first few months of 2014, our thoughts quickly turned to researching options for our anniversary trip. We've made several trips to the Gatlinburg, Tennessee area and love each time we go but we wanted to do something wild, crazy, and different for us. Neither of us had been outside of the country before (except to Canada which doesn't count in my mind) so this was all very new and somewhat daunting. Thankfully a good friend of ours has had a lot of experience traveling to tropical places and offered her assistance in helping us pick a location that would be a good "first trip" for us. Thank you, Kayla. :) After driving ourselves crazy with Expedia searches and Tripadvisor reviews, we finally settled on the Meliã Caribe Tropical in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. After going back and forth about many things including whether to pick something different from our usual vacation spots, how long to go, and whether to spend the money, we finally bit the bullet and booked our trip on July 16, 2014! It was exactly four months from the day we would fly out of Dulles! We shared the trip with our families and a few close friends but other than that we kept it pretty quiet. It all seemed like a dream to me so I wasn't sure it was actually going to happen! Haha! It was so exciting to be able to look forward to spending a week in paradise with my best friend. :)

Those four months of waiting came and went pretty quickly and the morning of Sunday, November 16th dawned bright (not so much brightness on initial wake up time) and early with some nerves and lots of anticipation! We had smooth and easy travels to the Dulles airport. Going through security was mostly uneventful which we thought may be a pain since neither of us had flown since 2008. Things have definitely changed as people continue to do stupid things and security tightens. The most memorable thing about our airport experience when flying out was a random piece of luggage that was sitting on the floor that seemed to be unattended right before putting our bags on the security belt. They are constantly playing announcements about not leaving your bags unattended for security purposes, etc so Chris and I as well as the people around us quickly starting questioning this random bag sitting there. I then realized that the guy in front of me was holding a full grown CAT. He looked a bit frantic (as did the cat he was clutching) and stated that he forgot to put his bag up on the belt. I would probably have forgotten too if I was trying to get my cat through the airport! We then realized that the lady who was with him and in front of him ALSO was clutching a cat. There is no way you could pay me enough to take Zeus and Hera through an airport. Upon exiting security, they quickly stuffed the cats into bags and away they went!

Our flight down was great and when we arrived it was hot. :) The airport was a circus trying to figure everything out with customs but once we finally made it through and picked up our luggage, we were off to find a taxi! Everyone wanted to "help" us and it was quite an adventure trying to figure out who was safe to trust and who wasn't! Haha...an easy thing for seasoned travelers I'm sure. We got a friendly, talkative taxi driver and about 20 minutes later we arrived at our resort where we spent 7 days and 6 nights in a beautiful place that felt like a dream world to us. This was an all inclusive resort which was perfect for us as we just wanted to lay around, sleep, or swim for a week of rest and relaxation. Once we got checked in and had a quick tour of the adults only side of the resort (which we are so thankful we upgraded to when booking our reservation), we collapsed in our room. Hungry, overwhelmed, and tired from the day of traveling we were a bit frazzled. While the room was beautiful we had some initial glitches with the patio door not locking and the safe deposit box not working. After some maintenance calls/visits we were fixed up! The first day or two was spent figuring out how the "all inclusive" resort thing worked and since the resort was MASSIVE, it took some time to understand how to get to everything, etc. Once we had more of a feel for all of those things, it definitely made the rest of the week much more enjoyable. We had perfect weather for the entire trip. There was minimal rain (mostly when we were sleeping) and the beach and pool areas were just breathtaking.

I could go on and on about so many things but there are a few things I'd like to highlight. The staff were all so friendly. Every single person you walked by would say "Hola!" with a smile. Most of them didn't speak english but they worked hard and you never saw anyone sitting around waiting for someone to give them something to do. Americans could learn a thing or two from the Dominican folk. :) The language barrier was a bit frustrating at times but it could have been worse.

It truly was a beautiful and amazing vacation. Saturday, November 22nd, the morning of our departure was bittersweet and yes, I cried, but what's new? I cry at everything. :) I was thankful to be leaving with a bit of sadness instead of wishing the week away by wanting to get home. Our taxi drive back to the airport was quiet as the driver didn't seem to speak much English. We navigated the other half of the Punta Cana airport and were very relieved to make it through customs. That was a bit of a circus compared to exiting the USA. We had to take our shoes off, take all the electronics out of our carry on bags, and after going through the security area, everyone got a pat down no matter what. Not awful, just not what we were expecting! Our flight home included Chris sitting beside an 8 year old boy. You can imagine the things we were told in the span of our 4 hour flight. ;) Going from 80 degree temperatures to low 30's was an adjustment but our Explorer was still in the parking garage so that's all that mattered to me at that point! Home sweet home was just a 2 hour drive away!

The animals seemed pretty stoked that we had finally returned! While we feel like this was a trip of a lifetime for us, we are already dreaming up a return trip someday or another fun getaway to a completely different tropical location. We feel very blessed to have had this first experience and also very thankful for the reasons we were able to get away and celebrate! Memories to last a lifetime for sure.

If you would like to see the full photo album recap of our week, feel free to take a look here! Beware: We took a lot of pictures, ;)

March 14, 2004

10 years ago I said "yes" to the best question anyone has ever asked me. After nearly 3 years of dating, Chris took me on a mystery drive to the mountains of Mercersburg for a "hike" on the Tuscarora Trail. What I originally thought would just be a fun Sunday afternoon outing, turned into being one of the best days of my life! :) I can't believe the time has gone by so quickly since then. It feels like it was just yesterday and most of the details from that day seem so vivid in my memory. When Chris got down on one knee that day and asked me to marry him, my joy overflowed with an immediate, whole hearted YES reply. As I look back over the years and all that we have been blessed to experience TOGETHER, I am so thankful for the journey that we are on. Although this journey hasn't always looked like I dreamed it would, it's our journey and our unique story unfolding as each day, month, and year pass. It's hard to believe that later this year we will be celebrating our 10 year wedding anniversary and I'm so grateful that God brought Chris into my life in the way that He did. He is my best friend and I don't know what I would do without him. I am so not a hashtag person but since it's Thursday...here are some #TBT photos from that memorable day 10 years ago! :)

The kissing picture has never been seen by anyone until now! Gasp! To our knowledge, no one saw us kiss each other until our wedding day so this one remained top secret. :)

Fast Forward 3 Months

Has it really been over 3 months since I last blogged? Oh dear. I'm fired.


On October 30th, Chris and I celebrated 7 years of marriage. What an amazing, wild ride it has been so far! I'm so blessed to be married to my best friend. I'm excited to see what the next 7 years and beyond will hold for us. God has blessed us greatly.

As I mentioned in a previous blog post, I won a 2 night cabin stay in Tennessee early on in 2011. We were able to take advantage of this getaway in the middle of November. Over my epic 11-11-11 birthday even!! We had a wonderful time away making new, fun memories in a place that we both enjoy so much. Some highlights included Krispy Kreme doughnuts, amazing mountain views (including watching the sun come up from behind those mountains the morning of my 27th birthday), hiking to Clingman's Dome which is the highest point in Tennessee (6,643 Feet), and shopping!!!! :)

At the end of September, one of our tenants informed us that he was in the process of purchasing a house and would be moving out at the end of November. This tenant had been living in half of our duplex since before we bought the property in 2005 so we were sad to see him go. With his upcoming departure, we knew we'd have to bite the bullet and do some fixing up. Our plans were to give it a good cleaning, fix up the major issues, and repaint everything so that it looked more presentable. Did I mention we wanted to have it done in a month? Sadly, that one month turned into two and our December/January months were insanely chaotic. With the exception of a few, we spent every evening and every Saturday working at the rental. We still haven't found a new tenant and we just have a few things to finish up tomorrow morning. We will be SO very glad to call it DONE and get a new (hopefully decent) tenant. What a wild journey. Now that both sides of the duplex are remodeled, we can hopefully rest easy for awhile in that aspect of our lives. While it's a lot of work, I am very thankful that Chris and I are able to work together to complete the tasks and for the income it provides. Maybe someday I'll post pictures of the transformation for those of you that don't have access to them on Facebook.


Somewhere in all that chaos we celebrated Christmas! It all just seems like a blur to me now. There hasn't been much snow this winter at all and we've been having an abnormally large amount of rain. The ground is so moist that I wonder if it will ever dry out for Spring garden planting! I know it's only the beginning of February (and there is currently a little bit of snow on the ground) but I find myself getting excited about planting things and warmer/longer days ahead. I still love snow and I'm hoping for at least a whopper that keeps Chris home a day or two yet. :) We shall see!


Now that the rental remodel is nearly complete, our energies will get back on task with our basement project. I've been slowly working on things during the day while I have some free time here at home. Major items left for the project include refinishing the steps, painting trim/walls, and putting down the new floor. So excited to see our basement transformed into the space we've been dreaming about since we moved here almost 4 years ago. I will end with a picture of the wood stove area progress. Nothing around the area is finished but at least the new stone and wood stove look great. My husband really outdid himself this time!!! :) LOVE this "new" space!

10 Years

April 30, 2001 -- 4 P.M.

Chris dawned the steps of my current home with my parents to meet with my Dad in order to ask his permission to date me. I remember hiding out in my room nervously awaiting the "results" of their time together. Several minutes went by (which seemed like years to me at the time) and my Dad knocked on my bedroom door. Upon opening the door, he informed me that there was a young man downstairs waiting to see me. :) Chris stayed for supper and we spent the evening outside sitting at the picnic table talking as if time stood still. While we had some rules we had to follow and our initial dates were few and far between, it was the beginning of a beautiful relationship that I'm thankful to have today!

For anyone that knows my Dad at all know that I have always been referred to by him as "Littleone" and he was a stickler for the ever popular...."10 Rules for Dating my Daughter". For those of you that haven't had the wonderful opportunity of ever reading these -- let me enlighten you!! I'm pretty sure I had them memorized by age 5??

Rule One: 

If you pull into my driveway and honk you’d better be delivering a package, because you’re sure not picking anything up.

Rule Two: 

You do not touch my daughter in front of me. You may glance at her, so long as you do not peer at anything below her neck. If you cannot keep your eyes or hands off of my daughter’s body, I will remove them.

Rule Three: 

I am aware that it is considered fashionable for boys of your age to wear their trousers so loosely that they appear to be falling off their hips. Please don’t take this as an insult, but you and all of your friends are complete idiots. Still, I want to be fair and open minded about this issue, so I propose this compromise: You may come to the door with your underwear showing and your pants ten sizes too big, and I will not object. However, In order to ensure that your clothes do not, in fact, come off during the course of your date with my daughter, I will take my electric (I believe my Dad's version was customized to say pneumatic instead of electric) nail gun and fasten your trousers securely in place to your waist.

Rule Four: 

I’m sure you’ve been told that in today’s world, sex without utilizing a “barrier method” of some kind can kill you. Let me elaborate: when it comes to sex, I am the barrier, and I will kill you.

Rule Five: 

In order for us to get to know each other, we should talk about sports, politics, and other issues of the day. Please do not do this. The only information I require from you is an indication of when you expect to have my daughter safely back at my house, and the only word I need from you on this subject is “early”.

Rule Six: 

I have no doubt you are a popular fellow, with many opportunities to date other girls. This is fine with me as long as it is okay with my daughter. Otherwise, once you have gone out with my little girl, you will continue to date no one but her until she is finished with you. If you make her cry, I will make you cry.

Rule Seven: 

As you stand in my front hallway, waiting for my daughter to appear, and more than an hour goes by, do not sigh and fidget. If you want to be on time for the movie, you should not be dating. My daughter is putting on her makeup, a process that can take longer than painting the Golden Gate Bridge. Instead of just standing there, why don’t you do something useful, like changing the oil in my car?

Rule Eight: 

The following places are not appropriate for a date with my daughter:

- Places where there are beds, sofas, or anything softer than a wooden stool.

- Places where there are no parents, policemen, or nuns within eyesight.

- Places where there is darkness.

- Places where there is dancing, holding hands, or happiness.

- Places where the ambient temperature is warm enough to induce my daughter to wear shorts, tank tops, midriff T-shirts, or anything other than overalls, a sweater, and a goose down parka zipped up to her throat.

- Movies with a strong romantic or sexual theme are to be avoided; movies which feature chainsaws are okay.

- Hockey games are okay.

- Old folks homes are better.

Rule Nine: 

Do not lie to me. I may appear to be a potbellied, balding, middle-aged, dimwitted has-been. But on issues relating to my daughter, I am the all-knowing, merciless god of your universe. If I ask you where you are going and with whom, you have one chance to tell me the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help you God. I have a shotgun, a shovel, and five acres behind the house. Do not trifle with me.

Rule Ten: 

Be afraid. Be very afraid. It takes very little for me to mistake the sound of your car in the driveway for a chopper coming in over a rice paddy outside of Hanoi. When my Agent Orange starts acting up, the voices in my head frequently tell me to clean the guns as I wait for you to bring my daughter home. As soon as you pull into the driveway you should exit your car with both hands in plain sight. Speak the perimeter password, announce in a clear voice that you have brought my daughter home safely and early, then return to your car-there is no need for you to come inside. The camouflaged face at the window is mine.

After reading through those again for the first time in several years, I can look back and laugh again at the memories they created in my early to late teen years. I dedicate this post is to my Dad for putting such a high value on my life/purity and to Chris for stepping up to the plate to be the man God created for me. :) I am thankful to both of these men in my life who are my heroes and whom I love dearly!

The following two pictures are from "the early years". They make me smile.