Celebrate Life

Hi all

I am back on US soil after spending a wonderful time in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. The picture above was the view I got to enjoy each morning as I took a minute or so to just take in the sights. I was there to celebrate my fortieth birthday with my husband, my sister and her husband and 2 other close couple friends of ours. It was a well deserved time away from the kiddos and I know that we all enjoyed just being able to let loose and enjoy life. With 40 being a milestone I wanted my birthday celebration to be something to remember. My husband saw my vision and he was happy with the excuse to travel. We have both acquired the keen interest for travel and this seemed to be a great opportunity for us to explore a part of the Caribbean. The views alone were worth the redeye to JFK and the connecting flight to Punta Cana.

The resort we went to didn’t have free wi-Fi “gasp , sigh,what “. This was my first reaction, followed by “no free wi-fi, how will I survive” I couldn’t imagine being that disconnected from the internet but it actually ended up being a good thing. It made me realize how attached I have become to technology and instant access to everything. I had time to think and actually be present in the moment. I was able to capture the sights, the smells, and the sounds without phone in hand. I wasn’t bombarded with the whole Kylie Jenner baby story , I mean why is it important to me.I guess this is the world we are now living in. Being disconnected from this and all other sensationalized stories was actually a welcome distraction. I am now more rested as I was able to fully disconnect. I had such a great time just being present and living in the moment that I now plan on taking more trips like this. The opportunity to explore another country and just take in the beauty and culture was truly a blessing and I am grateful for the life I have

We spent most of our time at the resort by the pool or the beach partaking in the many cocktails they had. We did become tourists for one day though , we went on a paid tour to the gorgeous Saona Island. This was probably my highlight of the trip, we had to wake up early to make the pick up time from our hotel lobby. The early wake up was a pain but the whole experience more than made up for it. We were picked up and stopped at several pick up points to pick up other tourists. We then made it to the dock where we boarded a speed boat to the Island. We made stop on the water so that those who wanted were able to snorkel and get a clear view of the different fishes that were there. As scared as I am of water I actually ended up snorkeling and it was amazing. Once we were done we went on to the Island fr partying and food. It was such a great day that it probably requires it’s own dedicated blog post. Once done we got on to a catamaran and made our way back to the dock. Then onto our bus for the ride back to our hotel, we ended our night off by having dinner at one of the hotels restaurants.

My birthday was on Suday the 4th of Februay which also happened to be Superbowl Sunday. We had early dinner so we could watch the game. I have to credit the customer service though…they went out of their way to set up a projector in the hotel lobby for us to watch th game. A lot of us tourists bonded over our joint support for the EAGLES, there were some PATRIOTS fans the were obviously not too happy with the outcome, but hey that is life.

It would be amiss of me not to highlight the individuals that took the time out to come and celebrate my special day. Maggie for being the travel agent, Steve the awesome photographer, Isabel for somehow coordinating a birthday cake and a birthday song surprise , Paul and Victor for bringing the comedy. The Hubby And My Sister Sarah for pulling off that awesome video birthday dedication from my sibblings and family , you guys made my birthday amazing. I will now have to work on that “All Inclusive” book.

My experience in my short 40 years on this earth has taught me to value and celebrate the limited time we have on this earth. Take The time to celebrate the big and small wins. Celebrate life and celebrate with the people that are special to you, you really do not know what tommorow has in store for you. I always go back to the title of my book, STOP, TAKE A BREATH, AND REASSESS LIFE. Enjoy what you have while you strive to become who you want to be. Till my next post, heres to Love and Gratitude.