As the Holidays fast approached we were getting ready to go to Punta Cana with Mi Amor's family. The cold weather was tickling us in NYC with a chill in the air as we went to the airport to fly to where it is nothing but sunshine and palm trees.
We arrived at the airport and met up with his family, their flight had landed before ours. After greeting and hugging we grabbed a taxi to take us to the resort. When we arrived we could see the palm trees everywhere and the beach expanding in front of us.
The resort was great! They had dance lessons on the beach, which of course we took advantage of. We learned Meringue and Dominican Republic Style Salsa. Both were so much fun, and helped at night when the band or DJ played. I could feel the beat and am still dancing a little bit as I write this, missing that lively atmosphere.
There was a fun show every night after dinner. The one that really caught my attention was kind of like a mini circus. The acts were incredible, complete with a strong man act and some aerobatics off of a pole. The cast was very talented.
We were there for a week. Nothing but relaxing by the water and enjoying each other's company. This down time allowed us to really think and focus on the future. Maybe it's something about the palm tree's hair blowing in the wind or that calming sound of waves rolling in that makes you very introspective.
We decided as the New Year approaches that we should figure out what we want our goals to be. I'm usually not one to make a New Years Resolution, I tend to fall into that massive percentage of people who don't follow through with their goal. This time I thought I would give it another go. Mi Amor is great at pin-pointing goals and coming up with realistic ways to achieve them. He really has a knack for it. So as we stared out at the ocean we came up with two goals that I am excited to share with you!
The first goal is that we will pick the top 5 recipes from each continent (minus Antarctica) and make them! I am very excited about this one. This came about because we thought we should cook more, and why not make it fun by experiencing different cuisines and learning about the countries they come from!? Cooking more helps you stay healthy and save on cost. It is something I've tried to do but never really stuck with it. How can you, when you live in NYC and have any type of food at your finger tips? With this goal of trying out new recipes it helps make it fun and something I can stick to.
The Second goal is of course to exercise. Everyone every New Year always says they will work out more and then a few months into the year stops working out. I am very guilty of doing that. In fact, I think I did that last year! Oops. Well, this year will be different. I was inspired by my best friend who was challenging herself to travel to "Mordor". She figured out how many miles it would take for her to get there and is now going those miles through exercise. Yes, Mordor is a place in the LOTR books so you can not actually go there, but you can technically travel the miles there. With that in mind I thought why not make exercising have a tangible goal, like reaching Mordor, a milestone you can actually achieve and feel good about. A kind of reward. So Mi Amor and I will try to reach The Mendenhall Glacier Caves in Alaska, along the way at certain mile points we'll hit other cities or National Parks. So we figured after hitting each Goal Mile we would actually travel to the place. I'm very excited to start this challenge and kick off the new year right!
Now back to the vacation. We were able to recharge and refocus. I think the salty air helps you understand what really matters in life and what is important. Being around family makes you appreciate them and cherish the time with them, especially when they live far away from you. It was beautiful to see Mi Amor be with his family and laugh with them. Enjoying just being with each other.
The vacation ended with a Regalo (gift) Exchange. We all met up in his parents room as everyone put the gifts they brought on the bed and played a game to pick which gift would be opened next. Everyone was so happy and excited with the gifts they got.
After the gifts the Resort had a Christmas Eve Dinner that we went to. The food was great and everyone enjoyed each other's company. It was a nice way to end the vacation, on a Holiday High Note, and with palm trees!
