Feliz Cumpleanos Mi Amor!

I swear I have the hardest husband to shop for/plan for/get gifts for, for any occasion!  Jesus is the kind of person that when he wants something he just gets it himself.  So when birthdays and holidays come around, there's nothing left that he even wants.  As for trying to be cute and panning surprises, he doesn't like surprises. Even when it comes to planning just a normal date, he would see a movie and eat the same meal at his favorite restaurant every date night if he could...let's face it we practically do go to the same restaurant for every date night!  I don't mean to complain about the love of my life but I want you to get the gist of what I go through.

So yesterday was his birthday and you can only imagine the struggle I had trying to come up with something special that he would appreciate.  I'm the creative one in the relationship who wants to do different and clever things or at least things we don't typically do ( that aren't even creative!)  and nothing appeals to this guy. I should just face it and realize that his birthday would be great if we went to the same restaurant and he ordered the same thing as every other weekend. However I'm not that person and I think I did a pretty good job this year going against the norm!

His birthday fell on a Monday so that Saturday was his choice and you won't believe what we did!  We went to Tablon and he ordered burrata salad.  The same restaurant and same meal he gets every weekend!  It was still a nice little date, I really like Tablon as well.

Then on Monday my creative juices kicked into gear!  I hired a professional chef to come to our home and teach us to make sushi (our favorite food).  I began my day dragging my baby everywhere from the grocery store to the balloon shop to the paper store to the local bakery and more.  I have to say I was so pleased with my baby for going so many places being trapped in his car seat and not complaining at all.  This all changed for his afternoon nap but luckily he didn't take it on time because then he napped during our birthday dinner instead which worked out perfectly. By the time the chef arrived, presents were wrapped, balloons were displayed and the kitchen was cleaned and prepped for the night.  I just had a crying baby refusing to nap but he settled down when he saw the new faces arrive.

The chef was Chef Davi and her daughter, Victoria, acted as sous chef.  They were so friendly and both had lots of restaurant experience here and in the US and made the class very fun.  Jesus came home from work to find strangers in his kitchen and we revealed the surprise!  I think he actually liked it, and since he just sent me a text from work thanking me again, now I know he liked it!  We hung out in the kitchen with the chefs as they showed us step by step how to make sushi and a secret recipe popcorn pudding.  My favorite part was the emphasis they put on presentation.  Everything turned out really good but I have to be honest about the fish here.  First of all there are no good sushi restaurants no matter what recommendations we get from people that say there are.  I had to buy smoked salmon for our class because getting fresh raw fish here is quite risky.  Surprisingly on a tropical island, but yes if you want fish, make sure it's imported.  Even the imitation crab didn't taste like what we're used to but besides not having fresh raw fish, everything turned out great and I learned tricks for the perfect popcorn and perfect sushi rice!

Popcorn pudding, look at that presentaion!

Looks like he's helping make sushi when really he's stealing the leftover pieces that fell out of the roll.

The chefs even served us in our living room and still focused on presentation since we don't have a table!

After dinner our family opened presents.  Jesus had already caught on to what I got him.  I ordered something online from Best Buy and needed to use his account to get him the rewards points. I waited all morning for him to receive the confirmation email so I could delete it but the email didn't come until much later and he of course saw the email first!  It was still a surprise how I wrapped his gift and tried to trick him that I didn't get what he thought as you can see in the video.  All in all it did turn out to be a special day and something out of the norm.

I apologize for the anti-climactic moment at the end but that's because Jesus and I already discussed his gift when he figured it out before opening my deceiving present.

Happy Birthday Mi Vida!

Just to be awkward...the night was topped off with family bath time with the jets screaming and the bubbles blowing.  A little gift for Joaquin although he seemed a bit confused about why his face was covered in bubbles since whenever he tried to wipe them off, there were just more on his hands!

30 minutes, 30 days, NO ELECTRONICS family challenge!

For some reason lately Jesus and I have been short with each other and have started lose our patience for the silliest of reasons.  We've both been under high amounts of stress with the recent changes in our life and I think we both have this need to feel extra supported right now.  Within our 2.5 years of marriage we've both changed jobs, bought a brand new home, bought a dog, got rid of our dog, had a baby, rented out our new home, and moved to a new country just to name a few of our changes.  Although it's normal for Jesus and I to undergo rapid change it's bound to take a toll at some point and I think that's what's happening.

Last night we had a little heart to heart and decided we needed to do something because we clearly felt unwanted tension between us as husband and wife.  We figured out that things would usually begin when Jesus came home from work. I would talk his ear off and if the playstation got turned on before I was done rambling about my day things would spiral out of control from there.  Jesus doesn't play too many video games by any means but he does enjoy a little NBA2k13 to wind down after his stressful job.  If I complain about the Playstation then I am instantly called out for use of my Iphone to check Facebook or Pinterest.  These complaints about each other only lead to more complaints sadly and it's all rather unfair to the both of us.  I want attention, he wants to relax and we needed a solution!  We decided that for the next 30 days for 30 minutes when Jesus returns from work we would be sure to turn off all electronics meaning no TV, no Netflix, no Playstation, no Email, no internet, no Facebook and possibly most importantly no CELLPHONES!  Although I came up with this idea, Jesus assured me that he agreed this was a good plan and we were both very willing to try.  This also may sound pathetic: "Really you can't go 30 minutes without electronics?"  While that may be true....it's more of an issue of 30 minutes at the same time where our sole focus needs to be on each other and our family.

Day 1: Jesus walked in the door from work while the baby was napping and I was catching up on Season 2 of Revenge on my computer.  Jesus immediately closed my computer, sat on the bed with me and we began talking about our days.  I obviously had forgotten our arrangement but was so happy he reminded me.  It honestly was so nice to just talk about our days and not feel like there was some pressing issue on our phones or computers we needed to attend to.  Although the minute the clock struck 30, Jesus jumped on his computer for something and the whole thing obviously felt forced.  In spite of that, it really was more than enjoyable to have time strictly devoted to each other.  Gosh I feel pathetic because other couples probably always have time specifically for each other without even trying.  After an hour I left to teach one of my English classes and came home to being warmly greeted by both Jesus and my baby.  Jesus and I talked even more although we did catch a video on youtube.  It felt like even more specific attention was being paid to me.  Was it because of our new arrangement?  Was I just more appreciative?  I don't know but wouldn't it be great if I continue to see progress like this for the next 30 days?!  Gosh I love my husband and am happy we are trying a solution to relieve a little stress in our home!

Santo Domingo Temple Trip

After five months of living here, Jesus and I finally got to go to the Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic Temple!  It’s one of the last larger temples that have been built and I believe it was finished in or around the year 2000.  It’s a very stunning structure. The marble on the outside even appears to change color with the sun.  It’s about 2 hours from our home so without a car and a baby we just haven’t made it yet.  We were there once but only to the outide because it was closed and Joaquin was with us anyway.  Well today we got a babysitter and went with our Santiago East stake for an old fashioned Temple trip!  (Stakes are a bunch of different congregations within one area for the church hence our stake covers the East side of Santiago).

Before I continue, some of you may be asking what is a Temple?  It’s different than our regular church.  It’s another place of worship and those who enter need be found worthy because it’s all very special and very sacred.  There are only so many around the world so while some have them nearby others have to travel many miles to attend.  There’s a small explanation of a temple on Mormon.org which reads:

“What greater peace could you have than knowing you can live with your family after you die? The central purpose of our more than 130 holy temples is to unite families for eternity. When a man and woman are married in a temple their marriage will not end at death but can last forever. Also in the temple members can perform important ordinances for family members who have died before having the opportunity to be baptized into the Church. This means they can still accept God’s Plan of Salvation even after they die. All are welcome to visit the beautifully landscaped grounds at any of our temples. They can also attend open houses prior to a temple’s dedication for its holy work, after which only worthy Mormons can enter.”

For me, it’s the closest place to heaven on earth.  And you can know, that when I tell you I’m going, it’s a happy day for me.  There is also this video titled “Why Mormons build Temples” on Mormon.org and here is the link:

http://mormon.org/beliefs/church 
You have to scroll down and click on "our members" and there's a little video towards the bottom right of the page called "Why Mormons build Temples."

Growing up in the church I would often go on youth Temple trips to Chicago because  that was the closest temple to MN at the time although MN has one now.  These Temple trips were the best!  We would get 100 or more youth together on a big charter bus, spend a day in the Temple, another day at Lake Michigan or the Science Museum and then head back home.  It was always a whirlwind and always worth it.

My Temple trip this week in the Dominican Republic I’d say was a very Dominican experience!  First of all, let’s look at a picture of the bus!  What do ya think?  1970s, 80s?

It’s a luxury for people to be able to attend the temple in this country.  Jesus and I were lucky enough to be able to pay for ten spots  for people to go on the trip because it takes a lot for people to afford to go on their own.  It was 300 pesos per person which is just over 7 US dollars but here 300 pesos is  much more significant than 7 bucks.  It brought me so much joy to see so many people attend.  We had about 30 people on our bus and around 100 attended in total.  Many people don’t have cars here so that also makes it a trial to get to a Temple 2 hours away.  It really made me happy to see so mnay people dedicated to serving the Lord even if it took some sacrifice.  Another thing that pointed out a common economic status was that almost everyone brought their own food for lunch.  There is a cafeteria in the Missionary Training Center next to the Temple and for lunch everyone piled in there and cooked their own food, washed their own dishes and enjoyed the community of one another.  Jesus and I of course walked to McDonalds but  you know us…

Some of our friends: Modesto and Maribel and Carlos and Rosanna

One part of the trip that’s not as significant but was neat for me was that we sat around at least four people who spoke English on the bus.  When I first got here, I thought no one spoke English and while it is definitely a minority I enjoy finding more and more people that do.  You have to remember that I speak Spanish to everyone here besides Jesus so finding English speakers is a nice break for me and takes the pressure off. 

Here's Maribel, Modesto and their baby Benjamin in front of the temple doors.

Another thing indicative of here is everywhere you go in the Dominican Reoublic, you will see people selling things in the middle of the streets and to your car windows.  I mean literally to your car windows!  They will knock and stick their face close to the glass just trying to get you to buy anything from fresh fruits, candies, phone chargers and phone cards.   Oh and I can’t forget the window washers who will wash your windhsield and expect you to pay even if you say, no please don’t wash my window. Well our bus stopped on the side of the road to pick up a man selling dulces (Domincan sweets) and he gave us all samples and sold to many people on the bus while the driver kept driving.  Then the man got off and likely found another bus going back to whence he came in the opposite direction.  Now that’s a way to get business! 

After everyone enjoyed their dulces, the next thing I saw was a jug of natural pineapple juice being passed around  the bus while everyone who brought a cup with them held it out for a drink.  Remember I said people brought their own dishes for lunch so having a cup was ordinary. No cans or 20 oz sodas here!  Except of course for Jesus and I with the Coke we brought in my purse.

And finally I can’t forget my torta…in the beginning of our trip we stopped at this really big Colmado for breakfast!  A colmado is like a corner store but this one was big and served fresh cooked Dominican foods so maybe it technically wasn’t a colmado but it looked like a gas station with a restaurant inside minus the gas..  There I ordered a delicious torta which was a similar to a hunk of corn bread.   The first time I had one was from a woman on the side of the road who baked it in her house and that one was actually better but this one was good too. Man I love those tortas! 

Amidst all this excitement, we found some time to have peace in the temple.  What a sweet event to get a babysitter for and it really was a pleasure to go along with my congregation at church rather than to find a way on our own.

Being cute in my summer dress as I anticipated a long day in a hot city but turns out it rained which also explains the wet hair in this photo.