I have been lost for the last week…lost in sleep deprevation…in sick children…in physco-ness at work…and I so DEEPLY desire to pull my head above water…NOT EVEN WATER…this stuff is SAND… like creeps into your clothes and sits at the bottom of your bag and ruins your chapstick SAND!

I just want to breathe again….maybe in Januray.  In the meantime, let me tell you about the AWESOME family mini vacay we took to the Dominican Republic over Thanksgiving on today’s…

 5 on Friday | Oh, Hey Friday! | Friday Favorites

My Parents-in-laws planned that as soon as my bro-in-law was home from the Marines, we were taking a trip…and not just like a trip….like A TRIP.  It was going to be ALL of us.  I was like, “Are you sure you want the girls there?? It may be more like work and less like vaca-beach-sleep-food-fun-tion.”  Now, on the flip side, I’m so glad they came.  So, here are some highlights/memorable moments from the trip…

ONE | The Traveling

I’ve done a fair amount of international travel in my day, and it wasn’t to Europe or Asia (although I would love to go), but to like Guatemala and West Africa, semi-nontraditional, so I’ve learned.  Pay extremely close attention to what people are saying to you.  Be nice to the people at customs…like REALLY nice.  Don’t let anyone take your bags.  And, (I added this one) big people, preferable men, on the outside, children on the inside.

Ruthie was our wild child.  Surprise, surprise.  I don’t question why people put leashes on their children.  Tessa was always held, because she’s not fast enough on foot, but it took all 9 of us adults to HERD Ruthie in the direction she needed to go.  Not to mention she is potty training…no I should say poop training.
This picture cracks me up, though.

Tessa had a HIGH fever on the way home.  Teething we still suspect.  I was also expecting them to be a little puny because of airplane air…and as I suspected, Tessa ahs a non-contagious rash on her arms and legs, and Ruthie has had a fever for the last two days.  I felt pretty awful Wednesday night, but moms aren’t allowed to be sick, so I just took ibuprofen and shivered in bed til I fell asleep.

TWO | The Weather

The weather while we were there was DREAMY.  Especially since we just got 7 inches of snow the week before here at home.  It was sunny and mid 80s everyday but Saturday where it was mid 70s and rainy, but we still swam.  I saw lots of people get sunburnt…even the girls got a little bit red the first day, but I maintained my WHITE, like I always do.

THREE | The Girls

Besides their airport adventures, the girls REALLY had a blast!  They got EVERYONE’S undivided attention most of the time.  They had a giant kiddie pool that we went to every day.  Ruthie wasn’t a huge fan of the sand, but of course Tessa will play in/eat anything that resembles dirt, so that was fun.  I think Twizzlers covered in sand were her favorite.  Added flavor.

They slept like champs and napped like champs.
Traveling was the hardest, but since their were 9 of us adults, it was possible.

FOUR | The People

We stayed at the Dreams Palm Beach Resort in Punta Cana, Domincan Republic.  If you look at the pictures on the website, they are just as we saw there.  It was so picturesque, and I totally believe it was all because of the staff.  On our way to breakfast, the first morning, there was a man HAND WEEDING the lawn!  The service was impeccable.  It was all-inclusive, so we would sit down in one of the five restaurants and they would just start bringing food upon food.  They called us every night before bed to make sure we didn’t need anything, and anytime we had a problem with our room or needed towels, they were there within 5 minutes.

I struggled a little with guilt and having these people wait on me hand and foot, and still not sure how I feel about it.  I talked about that yesterday in my Letters Between Friends with Tricia.  I’m not sure how to process that…we’ll see.

FIVE | The Family

It was such a blessing from my in-laws to take all of us on this trip.  That is something I really love about the Wineinger side, is that we are all about experiences together…I don’t know if the boys were as excited about it as us girls, but all the same, we love making memories together.
**One of the memories being these two love birds got ENGAGED!**Congrats Karen & Jake!

Also, now that we would have to buy 3 plane tickets, soon to be 4, this was probably the last far tip we will take for QUITE a while.  THANKS YOU PAM & STEVE!

Happy Friday everyone!  Hope you have a great weekend!