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| The whole crew in front of Santa Ana! |
So, I have to say these past two weeks have been
some of the best since I’ve been in the DR. Saying I had a BLAST with my family
here doesn’t even begin to describe just how much fun we all had. Every minute
of it was perfect! Here’s our trip in a nutshell…I’m going to throw in LOTS of
photos!
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Suzanne, Michelle, and best friend Becca got here
the afternoon of Tuesday, the 8th! We picked them up at the airport
and brought them straight back to the orphanage to immediately start hanging
out with the kids. Becca has a godchild, Jacqueline, here and my family
sponsors, Wilson, so we hung out with those two kids and just got reacquainted
with each other that first night! Then while we were making supper in the
Visitor House later on, we had an unexpected guest. Nothing says ‘Welcome to
the DR’ like a huge rat running around your kitchen…
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| Wilson made a 'Welcome Sign'! |
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| Becca with goddaughter, Jacqueline! |
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| Suzanne and I with our godson, Wilson! |
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| The unexpected visitor...on top of a cabinet...he was quite the acrobat... |
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| Slightly freaked out as we decide how to kill said rat... |
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| He's a goner... |
Day 2 was pretty chill since the kids were in
school. The highlight of the day was going to the San Pedro Estrellas baseball
game that night. Baseball here is THE sport…nothing beats its popularity. It
was fun to be at the game sitting in the dollar section and being a part of
something so Dominican.
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| Chilling on the roof... |
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| Gearing up for the game... |
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| Yummy sandwiches! |
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| PLAY BALLLLLLL!!! |
Since the kids had school, we decided to take two
days away from the home and hit up the beach! So on Thursday morning, we took
off to Juan Dolio. We checked into our hotel, spent the day soaking up the sun
at the pool, and bought some wine, cheese, and bread for a supper on the beach!
The next day was spent in similar fashion at the beach and pool…rough life here
in the Caribbean! We even got a little sunburned…(not too much though, mom!)
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| Coffee at the poolside bar! |
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| SISTAS! |
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| We promise that there are swimsuits underneath... |
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| Sunset walk along the beach... |
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Michelle: 'Quick, take a picture while Suzanne's not looking!'
Suzanne (in the background): 'Hey look, guys! A crab in the sand!' |
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| All four of us! |
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| Paradise at the playa! |
Saturday morning we all headed back to NPH to spend
the weekend with the kids. There was a big event going on here in the multiusos
on Saturday morning, so we joined in on that. We spent a lot of time hanging
out in the park and Michelle even played some basketball with the kids. Sunday
morning there was mass at 9:00am and we celebrated the January birthdays in my
house since it happened to Cristela’s birthday. We also got in a game of Bingo
with my girls that afternoon and then went into town that evening to Paco Taco
(one of the only two restaurants in San Pedro!) Later on, we even got in some
dancing!
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| Moto rides back to the orphanage! |
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| Wilson and Becca! |
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| Becca and Suzanne with some of the kids! |
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| Little Saul...he's our youngest here! |
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| Suzanne and Becca with Josi and Anita! |
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| Goddaughter/godmother! |
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| Suzanne and bestie, Valentina! |
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| My girls took them all on a tour of the farm area and to see the pigs! |
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| Dancing! |
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| Feliz Cumple! Tia Elena, Cristela, and Katerin all had birthdays this month! |
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| Cristela was so excited to celebrate her birthday with all of us! |
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| When Cristela turned 12 in 2012 and now 13 in 2013! |
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| BINGO! Interestingly enough, the girls didn't know how to play, so it was certainly a learning experience, but they all really loved it! |
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| Michelle and Carmencita! |
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| Maria del Carmen! |
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| Out for supper in San Pedro! |
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| Besties! |
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| We found the music! |
Monday and Tuesday were pretty chill days again
spent at NPH with the kids in school. This time around, I put the girls to work
and had them helping out in the office translating letters from the kids to
their godparents to English as well as helping organize some donations and take
photos. At 4:00pm on Tuesday, we took Wilson and Jacqueline into San Pedro. We
checked out the cathedral and got some yummy pizza for supper. It was a blast!
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| Working away at my desk! |
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| Suzanne and Becca translating letters! |
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| Suzanne and Valentina again! |
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| We did our Christmas again to show the girls! It was the merengue version of 'Last Christmas' and we all remembered it surprisingly well! |
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| Here's the crew! |
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| Michlle, Adonis, and Becca helping with some donations! |
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| Visiting the cathedral in San Pedro! |
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| Oh yeah, hard core! |
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| The cathedral! Hands down, the prettiest thing in San Pedro! |
Wednesday, the 16th, was an exciting
day! Us girls got up early and headed to the capital and spent the morning just
wandering around Zona Colonial. We saw the oldest cathedral in the Caribbean,
window-shopped, and had some delicious passion fruit smoothies. We then hopped
over to the airport to get my mom and dad and best friend Abby! We rented a
car, stopped in quickly at the home to drop off some bags, and headed over to our resort in Dominicus. We got there just in time for the ‘evening meal’ and the nighttime
show!
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| Plaza Espana! |
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| Plaza Espana Part 2! |
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| Coffee at the DR's oldest cafe! |
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| BON. Frozen yogurt. YUM. |
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| Pretty street in front of the Caribbean's oldest cathedral! |
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| All packed in the rental car and ready to go! |
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| The 'extra' daughters were demoted to the back :) |
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| All the ladies chilling before the show! |
We spent all day Thursday at the resort…we started
off the day at the beach and even got in on a water aerobics class and merengue
lesson. That evening, we played some cards in true Mages fashion, ate supper at
the Italian restaurant, and caught the evening show, which was a dance
production of Aladdin!
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| Lunch with mom and Abby! |
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| The grounds at the resort were gorgeous! |
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| Dad reading on the beach with not one, but two pairs of glasses! |
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| Water aerobics class in the ocean! |
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| Besties reunited! |
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| Mom and me! |
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| Michelle wandering around! |
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| Everything at the resort was so nice! |
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| View from the poolside bed! |
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| These beds were SO cool! |
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| All the 'daughters' dressed up for supper! |
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| Suzanne and Becca! |
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| Playing 'Grandma's Game!' |
For our last day in Dominicus, we did an excursion
to Isla Saona, which is said to be the best place for snorkeling in the DR and
not to mention, a paradise. We took off at 8:00am, boarded the boat, and were
off. It took about an hour to reach the island where we stopped for a lobster
lunch on the beach. In the afternoon, we went to two different snorkeling
locations…it was awesome! That evening, we played some more cards, ate on the
beach at the Mediterranean restaurant, and went to the Kumbayah show and got in
some poolside dancing.
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| The crew with all our snorkeling gear! |
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| The ladies on the boat! |
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| Swimming around the ocean and checking out the starfish! |
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| Mom and dad! |
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| The girls on the beach! |
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| One word: paradise! |
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| Besties! (We kind of look like we're two different nationalities, huh?) |
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| Photo shoot on the beach! |
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| Riding through the waves! |
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| Abby and Michelle all ready to go! |
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| Dad with his lobster lunch! |
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| Beautiful beach! |
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| Besties chilling the sand! |
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| Snorkeling round 2! |
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| Drinks by the pool! |
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| Me with my lovely parents! |
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| Family photo! First in 13 months! |
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| Candlelight supper on the beach! |
On Saturday morning, we headed back to NPH again to
spend the weekend with the kids. Saturday, the 19th, was actually
our huge 10th anniversary celebration, so I was super glad that the
family got to be a part of all the festivities. It all began with mass at
11:00am, followed by lunch in the park, a dance program, and activities
outside. We were able to spend lots of time with Wilson, which was awesome!
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| Wilson and dad! |
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| Twins! Mellizas! |
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| Wilson, Jofran, and Becca! |
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| Dancing for all! |
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| Saul somehow fell asleep amidst the music! |
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| Abby and Paola! |
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| Our kids dancing! |
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| Dad and I dancing merengue! |
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| Abby and little Samuel! |
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| Sleepy Saul and Reyna picking her nose in the background! |
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| The whole crew in the park! |
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| Family photo! |
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| Parachute! |
Sunday was our last full day at NPH, so it was a
little bittersweet, but we certainly lived it up. The day started out with mass
again and then lunch in the houses. After lunch, we gave my girls some gifts
that Abby and mom had brought along. Abby’s aunt has a glass-making business
and she sent a gorgeous glass heart necklace along for each of my girls…they
LOVED them! On a practical note, my mom brought them each a bar of soap,
deodorant, and some tissues. The girls got quite lucky! Then that afternoon,
all of us took sixteen of the girls plus Wilson to the nearby batey. We walked
over and went house to house visiting some of the NPH employees and ended in
the park for awhile drinking some pop and playing some games. It was a lot of fun
and quite an outing for the girls! On a funny note, Avriel and I are nearly
always referred to as being twins around here (MELLIZAS!) Well, I always kind
of figured that was a Dominican slip until my dad actually got Avriel mixed up
for me this day…In his defense, we were dressed nearly the same (not planned, I
promise), but still…!
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| Lucy and I! |
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| Gift-giving to the girls! |
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| Hanging out before mass! |
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| All of the girls with Abby and their new necklaces! |
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| Katerin looked awesome! |
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| Anita and Abby! |
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| Abby and Tia Elena! |
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| Giving some candy to the oldest girls in San Esteban! |
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| Katerin, Jacqueline, and Becca! |
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| Erika, Suzanne, and Ofemia! |
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| Santos, Becca, Wilson, Suzanne, and Katerin in the park! |
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| Melkis looked awesome in Abby's glasses! |
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| Would you mistake us as twins?? |
On Monday morning, there was once again mass (it
was the Virgen of Altagracia Day, a nationwide holiday). After mass, we packed
up the car and said some very teary goodbyes with the kids. It was especially
hard on Wilson…I think he really enjoyed being part of a complete family for a
few days. Overall, it was an amazing family vacation…it couldn’t have gone any
better. We definitely made some awesome memories that will last a lifetime!
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| Wilson would have loved to drive away with the family instead of staying behind... |
