Above: Victoria Falls Waterfall

Above: from L to R Ericka, Aileen, Me, Sarah, and Katie

Above: Sarah and I in front of the waterfall - about to go down to the pool at the bottom!

Yesterday I got to go hiking to a waterfall called Victoria Falls. It was so hard but it was so awesome!! It took us almost 2 hours to hike up to it but when we got there it was worth it! We hiked up huge boulders and at times it was kinda scary. When we got to the bottom of the waterfall – in the pool - it was crazy. The winds or whatever it was from the waterfall hitting the pool were so strong. Of all the times I have seen waterfalls on tv or in pictures – they do not even begin to compare when you see one in person. I went with 5 other spouses and a tour guide. I am so sore I can barely lift my arms. It only costs $17 U.S. to go!! Anywhere else – if you go on an excursion with a cruise or something like that it would costs like $100/person! We are so lucky to be able to do these things! Well – I guess I should say that I am so lucky to do these things – Justin is studying his butt off! There is another “mini” in less than a week. Can you believe its already here? It is next Monday. Please pray for retention and that his nerves will be CALM! Our time here so far seems to be flying by.

When I got back from the states there was a package waiting for Justin and I from his parents. Actually – there were THREE boxes waiting for us! We were very excited. It had 4 bags of chips in it!!! I cannot believe they weren’t in little bitty pieces. Chips are one of Justins favorite things in the whole world and the island has been out of them for a little more than a month now! We are so blessed to have parents that send us packages so much! It feels like we get one every week almost! Because we also received a package from my parents when I got back full of books and magazines. I am not the only thankful one for the magazines – my friends also are happy because they get to read them! It saves us a lot of money when we receive the packages because we don’t have to buy as many groceries. We are also still eating on the prime rib!!

This Friday RSO (Ross Spouses Organization) is putting on a spaghetti dinner for the students before the “MINI”. So far we haven’t sold many tickets so please pray that we will sell a lot more tickets. RSO has already bought all the food for 250 people and so we need to sell that many!

Above: Michelle, me and Lawrie (both are cousins) at the Rehearsal Dinner

Me with my little cousins. My birthday was the day of the wedding but they still made it special! They made me a poster (shown above) bought me an Easter Mr. Potato Head and some Reese's (my favorite). I also got LOTS of cards from them!

Above: Leigh, Lawrie, (cousins) Aunt Paula, me, and Mom at the wedding

Above: Mom, me and Dad at the wedding

Above: me and my cousin John Paul (doesnt he look like he could be my kid!)

Above: Josh (my cousin) and his new wife Raquel. I know its a bad picture but I didnt get any good ones of them because they were always moving and my camera takes bad "moving pictures"

Above: Little cousins John Paul, Claire, MaryKate, AnneRiley, Dawson, and Madison

Sorry I havent written in a while! I just got back to the island Thursday around 5:00 pm and just haven’t had time since then! I had so much fun back in the states but was very glad to be back with Justin. That was the longest time we’d been apart since we cant remember!!

Fisher (our dog) as most of you know – got dropped off in Little Rock with Justins parents. He got sick on the drive to the Dominican airport and it was really gross – I felt so sorry for him. We had to get to the airport three hours early so I got to take him out and walk him around for a while. We had to spend the night in San Juan and before we went I was so scared to be there by myself. But when we got there everything with Fisher went smooth from the airport to the hotel. He was so happy to be out of his kennel when we got there. I went to eat at the restaurant in the hotel that night and it was sooooo good. I got a big steak, mashed potatoes, and fried cheesecake. Fisher got to sleep in the bed with me that night and he was so precious. We slept back to back against each other so I kinda felt like Justin was there. So the next morning I arrived at the San Juan airport at 6:00 am and everything there went smoothly also. Fisher and I finally got to Little Rock that afternoon safe and he wasn’t sick!! We are SO THANKFUL to Justins parents for taking him in!!! I was in Little Rock for about 2 hours then continued on my journey. I got to D.C. at 8:55 pm and my parents came and picked me up. It was so cold there!! 

I have so many good pictures of the wedding but I am just going to post a few so they don’t take up too much space. The wedding was so pretty!! It was a little long (a little over an hour and a half) but it was very sweet. They had a worship time where we sang three songs and it was very cool. It was in an Anglican church by an Anglican preacher (they are not Anglican but go to the church because they like the people). The reception was done so well!! Her main color was gold and I was a little worried when she told me a while back her color was gold but it turned out so pretty and very classy I thought. Unlike my wedding which looked like a night club when you walked in the reception!! HA!! Different strokes for different folks! Anyway – I had so much fun with my family and Im really glad I got to go. My birthday was on the day of the wedding but my mom made the whole weekend feel like my birthday! She gave me a present or two every day I was there. And she took me shopping for some much needed Dominican clothes!! Thanks MOM AND DAD!! My Aunt Patti, cousin Mollie, and Granny also sent me some birthday money and cute presents. The day of my birthday - i went dowstairs to eat breakfast with everyone and when I got off the elevator everyone started singing HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! It was something so small but meant so much. My little cousins made me a poster that said Happy Birthday and my other cousins - Stuart and Don got me some crazy cards ( including one that farted) and an Easter Mr. Potato Head and some Reese's Easter Eggs. Thanks to everyone who was there that made my birthday GREAT!! It was so hard to be away from Justin.

 It was a little emotional leaving my parents but I will get to see them again in APRIL!!! We cant wait!!

The day after the wedding I went to Tennessee to see my best friend Kristen. Our first stop was Target – then Olive Garden. When I was in Tennessee I ate like a horse – you would’ve thought I lived in a third world country or something!!! (Oh wait – I do!!) She was so great to take me everywhere I wanted to go. Like to get a pedicure, ice cream, Wal-Mart, etc, etc!! And then her parents came to town on Wednesday to do wedding stuff with us. (Shes getting married in June) In high school her parents were like 2nd parents to me. I hadn’t seen them in like 4 years and when we met that morning for breakfast it was like nothing had changed! It was so good to get to see them. We had so much fun laughing about good times.

So that’s about it in a very small nutshell. I have a softball game in a little bit so I don’t have time to write much more but enjoy the pictures!!