Happy Valentine's Day 2012 from the DR

Mom & Dad

We are enjoying this Valentine's Day at the RIU Palace Bavaro in Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic.

 Here is a view of the beach at our resort. I love all the psalm trees and long stretch of beach. However, it is a little windy right now, notice the swaying trees.

 We walked just down the beach and found this shopping center. The ocean waves literally come up to the edge of the stores. It's a barterers heaven!

 And a view from the side of the shops. Notice the huge sea gull!

 And a glance at our room...
This resort just opened 2 months ago. So it is shiny and new. It is by the far the most modern and chic decorated place I have ever seen. Hot PINK is everywhere. lol. And our room is designed like an inner city flat. I love it!
Meet 'Towel', he's a shape shifter, always appearing different. He gets to hang out in our room all day. I think Alex is jealous. hehehe

So you might be wondering what my wonderful hubby got me for Valentine's Day when we are already in paradise? Well, let me tell you...
I love to scuba dive, I am open water certified, but none of the rest of my family is. So I do not have a dive partner. Therefore, I do not go scuba diving. I am holding out hope that someday my hubby will go diving with me or one of my boys will have an interest. We all really enjoy snorkeling, and we (Alex, I and the big boys) do snorkel together every chance we get. And I do plan to get the little squad snorkeling as soon as they are able. However, I also really enjoy being under water. Alex has NO interest in going under water. But, he agreed to go on an excursion today with me that included a SNUBA dive. Yay!
I was so excited! I even agreed to go on a Zip Line tour on Thurs with him if he did SNUBA with me! WTH was I thinking?! Yikes!
So this is what the brochure showed us we would be doing:

I thought, how perfect is that. No worries, just put the hood on hubby and watch him fall just as in love with the bottom of the ocean as he is in the surface.
However, this is the equipment we got after we had already taken the hour bus drive and the 30 minute boat ride out to the reef:

SNUBA is basically using the same personal equipment as SCUBA, you breathe through a regulator except you are tethered to oxygen tubing. The oxygen tank floats on a raft at the surface. This allows you to go about 20 feet depth. Awesome! I liked it, but unfortunately hubby was not as thrilled. sigh.
But fortunately the excursion also included speed boat rides, where hubby got to drive a speed boat around in the open ocean as fast as he wanted. I think I actually left my finger indents in the side of the boat as I grasped the edge in shear fear, but he really, really enjoyed it! Then we got to snorkel too. So all in all it was a great day, but I still do not have a dive partner. sigh...