Punta Cana

While I am catching up with past events, I wanted to post some pictures of our honeymoon. The vacation was booked so long ago, I think we'd both forgotten how excited we were for the honeymoon. With all of the wedding activities I had even forgotten to bring our shuttle and resort confirmation. But we made it (do not leave home without a Blackberry!) We stayed at The Excellence Resort & Spa, an all-inclusive luxury resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic and loved everything about our vacation! The staff was extremely accomodating, the food was amazing (8 gourmet restaurants & 10 bars on site), and we relaxed more than I knew I was capable of relaxing! We got to go horseback riding and scuba diving too!

One unique story is that we got roped into participating in the evening show one night, called 'The Excellence Couple'. The staff would not tell us anything about it, just that we would be competing with three other couples on stage. I was rather intimidated considering we had been at the Michael Jackson show the night before and it was packed with seemingly every guest at the resort in attendance. However we knew that two of the other couples on stage would be our four new friends, Meredith & Mark from Boston and The Kapitans from Connecticut. So it was because of them that we agreed to play...and Danny and I are both so glad we did. It was fun for both of us, really getting me outside my comfort zone, but nobody could deny that Danny was the true champion. All four couples were hilarious and equal contenders, however the last of five "contests" left Danny in his boxers on stage, with my dress draped around his neck. Zero coverage. I am pretty sure I would have hidden behind stage, but my new husband strutted his stuff with a huge smile, convincing the audience to vote for us as The Excellence Couple! As a prize we received a romantic private steak & lobster dinner on the beach and some spa services for me, among other things. But most importantly we got (and provided others with) the memory of a lifetime! We have been very fortunate that over the past few years we have been a lot of different places together. Our friends are extremely social and great at planning weekend getaways which guarantee a great time. The honeymoon was only the second time that Danny and I were on vacation alone. He asked me before we left if I was going to get tired of him. And I can safely say that it was the opposite. When we returned to work in Atlanta the following week I was so discouraged because I had to go a whole 9-10 hours without my husband! In 10 Domincan Republic hours we could have enjoyed at least three meals, six swims in the pool, two naps in the sun, and countless Banana Mama frozen drinks together! Neededless to say, we can't wait for our next big getaway, hopefully Summer '11. We got marriage advice from a couple in the DR and they said to make sure you get at least one vacaction each year together and we think that's a great idea. For the next one, our eyes are set on Hawaii, but we'll see how things go. Our pocketbooks may be leaning towards Florida or a CheapCaribbean.com special to somewhere closer (and that would be perfect too). Nevertheless, we are counting down until our "second honeymoon." Reflecting on our trip while watching House Hunters International one evening last week, we made a Linenger Family Life Goal: we want to visit Australia & New Zealand...someday.