Siblings.....

We were watching home videos last night, and I realized something: I should have been an only child. The first video was from Christmas of 1987. I was a happy, sweet, center of attention child. My dad held me on his shoulders while I put the angel on top of the tree, my mom held me in her lap and snuggled me, and my dad used the video camera to ask me important questions about my life like my favorite Christmas song (Jingle Bells).



 Cut to the next home tape: Thanksgiving of 1991 at my grandparent's house. Aside from the fact that I'm older, and constantly beg my dad to "let me hold the camera", there is a new addition. A boy. Now three years old. Brown hair and green eyes. Answers to the name of Christian. I begged for a sister, but he arrived in the Fall of '88.  Here is a video of a video, him playing with a nut-cracker while saying: "Honey, I'm home" over and over.

I can remember being extremely offended anytime Christian 'copied me' when we were kids.  My dad  would say: "He copies you because he loves you and thinks you're so cool!" I didn't care, nor was I flattered.

Then he got older, got cooler than me and stopped copying me. However, I still notice some similarities that could be considered copying ......

like how we posed with an Elvis statue: 

or our love of Chris: 

and the lakers: 

and sombreros:

'ole!'

or even how we sit when taking a birthday shot while my dad cheers us on in the background:  

But I'm starting to wonder if it's not really copying. Maybe, just maybe, when you've known someone their whole life, and practically almost your own entire life, and lived in the same house for the majority of that time.....

......you're bound to share some similar characteristics......

.

Right?!

......nah, impossible.

Herding cats.....

I have always said that getting my family to move in one direction while in a group, or pose for a picture at the same time, is like herding cats. Everyone knows what the ultimate end goal is, but they will achieve it when they're ready or have nothing else catching their attention. As the bossy eldest, who likes when things are going according to MY plan, it can be extremely frustrating and annoying.

Here is an example of what I'm talking about so you can commiserate with me! I'm sitting at a table in the airport between my mom and dad. All I want is a simple picture of Chris, Andrew and Christian sitting across from me. The following attempt at cat herding is what occurred:

Ok! Hey guys, let me take a picture really quick!  

Chris you weren't ready, that's ok! Lean in there- I promise it will be real quick!

 

No! Dad! Don't talk to them, I just want a quick picture!

Well this is ok, but if you could just put your hand down REALLY quick Christian that would be great! You don't even have to smile! Just- NO MOM! Don't talk and distract them or else....

Aaaaand I've lost them.

------

I don't even know why I compare my family to herding cats, because I seriously doubt I could get them to do this:

 

OR THIS:

 

AND ESPECIALLY THIS:

 

I like to boogie

The days of our grand, superb, adventurous vacation almost always ended in the same place: the hotel lobby. 

It's here that we would re-group with our new friends, and hang out with our employee buddies while they were "working." We made friends with pretty much anyone who would have us: 

  Christian insisted on getting his picture taken with his favorite bar tender, all 5 of them. He was having such a good time, when I said: "Smile a smile that shows how much fun you're having!", he did this: 

Here is Hector, one of the best, fun, most entertaining people I have ever met: 

Once a week, his job requires him to cover himself in glitter, and stand by guests for photo-ops. He says he loves his job....I know what you're thinking: "How does he get the glitter out of certain sensitive places?" Wonder no more because I marched right up to him and asked.....

...and he promptly wiped my whole neck and chest with glitter. 

I'm doing three things in the picture below: swallowing the sip of beer I just took while smiling a "OH NO YOU DIDN'T" smile and killing him with my eyes. 

No joke, I found some of that glitter in those earrings a week ago.

The most special people we met, were our friends from France. Ambre (who we Americanized as Amber) was 17 and Tom, 19. They were on vacation with their dad, Fred. We met them early in the week while playing beach volleyball. The rest of our trip was spent trying to bridge the communication gap with slow speaking, and unnecessary hand gestures. Lucky for us, Tom and Fred could speak English very well, and Amber caught on quickly. The majority of our time was spent with them:

Hi friends, we miss you!

We met Luke (far left) the same time as Tom and Amber. There were a TON of tourists from New Jersey at our resort, but he was the only one we actually liked. 

We loved Amber and Tom so much we made them members of the family by officially marrying Andrew and Amber. It's true! I performed the ceremony myself, right in the discotheque (which my Missouri twang pronounced: discOH-tech). I'm quite certain the marriage was legally binding too......

Speaking of the discOH-tech, when you experience an entirely different country for 8 days, you allow yourself to become fully emerged in their culture (well, if you want to have a good time you do). So aside from drinking Presidente beer as our main water source,

we got to hear many of the 'popular, local' songs. We were so immersed within the Dominican culture, we heard these songs over the resort speakers again and again and again and again and again. If you want to feel like you were on the trip with us, just listen to these songs on repeat for 8 days straight:

Michel Telo- Ai Se Eu Tu Pego 

Great song to sing when your day could use a little accordion in it. 

Danza Kuduro- Don Omar
This song is perfect if you are in the mood to fake your Spanish skills...anything sounds right.

Shakira- Waka Waka

This song comes with dances moves that I never mastered, but I do like saying waka-waka-hey-hey. 

Lately, if Chris asks me a question I don't know the answer too, I just respond by throwing my hands up in the air and say: "Sorry, waka-waka-hey-hey!"

My dad's favorite song: 

This song's main lyrics are "Que calor, que calor." 

Beware when listening to this song because you will wake up with this phrase going over and over in your mind it's that catchy.

And finally, this masterpiece:

Literally meaning, The Cow, this song is perfect when you speed clean something. It is always quite appropriate to yell 'La Vaca, moo!' along with the growly voiced singer--I find it therapeutic. The fact that the video showcases sexy dancing girls, a singer from1995, and an assortment of cows is just a bonus.

I have now given you all tools needed to become a true, authentic inhabitant of the Dominican Republic: 

                        1) Friends in high places at the Lobby ba
2) Friends from France
                    3) Memorization of the above songs.

Don't believe me? Just ask Christian:

H2O

I finally feel like I've recovered completely from our whirl-wind of a family vacation! Geez, it only took me a month--yes, it totally was that epic!  How so, you ask? Let me show you:

Every morning, at the crack of 9 AM, my mom would head to the beach, and snag us a good spot under a shady cabana. The leaves made the best sound in the breeze, perfect for a mid-morning snooze.

Andrew may look like he's people watching, but he's actually sound asleep. 

The kid can sleep anywhere, anytime and in any position. Frankly, as an insomniac, I find it rather annoying.

The ocean!

 It was just as expected: warm and salty (that's what she said). 

 As you know we are avid lake goers and have quite a bit of skill when it comes to 'floating.' Obviously floating in the sea is different than OUR lake, but the concept is the same .

The only bummer, about the water, was a huge storm had come through the week before and brought tons and tons of seaweed with it. We were fighting the spongy, prickly, bushy algae all week. At one point, I heard my mom yell: "GET OFF ME SIGMUND!!" Confused by the lack of anyone near us, I said: "Who the heck is Sigmund?" Mom continued to yell while picking seaweed off her shoulder: "Sigmund the Sea Monster!" The seaweed was then known as Sigmund the remainder of the trip.

Having only been to the Pacific Ocean, I loved the clear water, seaweed and all. 

We usually started the day off at the beach, and when the tides started bringing Sigmund the Sea Monster our way, we headed to the resort pool that was complete with a convenient swim-up bar (Now we're talking!). Many a good times were had in this pool:

Me and the guys, at the bar. They are posing as "dragons"--don't ask.

The swim up bar was really cool and all, but something became WILDLY apparent to me when I didn't see anyone leaving the pool ALL day while consuming copious amounts of alcohol (I think you know where I'm going with this): We all were swimming in a pool of stranger's pee that happened to be mixed with a little chlorine.

To be honest, I got really grossed out by this thought the first day...

......then I got another margarita,  peed in the pool, and got over it.

Home sweet Home

We made it home from our FANTASTIC vacation in the Dominican Republic last Friday morning, around 3:30 am. The rest of our weekend/week was spent doing laundry, doing more laundry, did I mention laundry? And recovering. And paying bills. And remembering what it's like to get back to our reality.  As the vacation week ended, Christian developed what we called the "end of vacation blues." I really can't blame him! It's hard to go from this:

to this: 

Since I received my passport 2 days before our departure and was officially allowed to leave the country. I finally allowed myself to pack. In fact,  I was so excited hold the passport in hand (no matter how bad the picture was) I actually packed Monday night for a Wednesday flight.

When you go to a different country, you're automatically prepared for it to be different even if you don't really know how to prepare. My dad handles this by loading his carry-on with every electronic cord imaginable (just in case), his lap top, neosporin, hydrocortizone cream, three different pairs of sunglasses, books, magazines, band-aids, and a full mini-bar (just kidding). My carry-on had four books, literally.

We stepped off the plane already in slight culture shock, but happily surprised. How cute is this airport?! P.S. notice dad's heavily laden backpack, it's like he's a pack mule.

We were so charmed by the sweet thatched roof, and the lush greenery that when we walked inside we immediately were re-culture shocked by 'island pace' which means lines and lines of people all wanting to go to the same place in a hurry:

You can't tell by this picture, but my dad's head is on a swivel trying to figure it all out. 

See what I mean about the lines?

We did finally make it to our magnificent resort. 

Whenever I was a little girl, and we would go to a home improvement store like Home Depot, where they had fake kitchens or fake bathrooms on display, or go to a model home, set-up with furniture so you could see what your future home might look like, I always pretended it was actually my home. I'd say things like: "Well! What are all these people doing in my house!?" and then proceed to pull an imaginary cup out of an imaginary cupboard to serve my guests (who were probably like: "Get out of the way little girl, we're trying to see the depth of this cabinet!). 

Let's be honest, we were in IKEA a couple years ago, and I was still doing this. My point being, the hotel ended up being my imaginary house for the week-and-a-half:

 

"Hey guys! Ya, just go over and talk to my servants, they'll tell you which room is yours....."

 

Please enjoy this porch swing located in my hallway, and please notice my fancy plants I had planted last Spring- the gardner is doing such a wonderful job!

 

Your room is that way, brothers! Yes, continue down the walk-way there and you'll run right into it. No, no, don't thank me! Family is always welcome.

See what I mean? I'm a weirdo. 

However, I soon realized I wasn't alone in my weirdness....

As we got more settled into the resort (my home) that first day.....

I discovered my family was making it there home too, but in different ways: 

Mom found a comfy couch to lean back, kick up her feet, drink an adult beverage and take pictures.

Christian claimed the place as his own by drinking the contents of a coconut he found while relaxing in this little hut right outside our door (he would later sleep here-twice). 

Chris and Andrew have their own way of their own way of making a hotel their own...

...and that is stripping down to shorts and the resort provided robe. 

I'm sure you're not surprised, but this is not the first picture I have of them in various hotel robes...

After we all felt we had sufficiently gotten comfortable in our new place, we got together in one of the comfortable cabanas in the lobby. Why here? Well, isn't that obvious?

So we could greet new guests and say.....

WELCOME TO OUR NEW HOME!