paradise.

Our trip to the Dominican Republic was one of the most incredible vacations we've ever been on! It was refreshing to be with our dear friends, Lindsay and Elliott. We miss them so much, every day, and it was a much awaited reunion. It's taken me a while to upload these photos because I don't even know where to start to describe what a fantastic time we had! It was simply PARADISE. Here's some of what we did....

The soon-to-be mommy and daddy: Elliott and Lindsay Drake - We took their dog, Ridley, on a walk through one of the national parks in Santo Domingo. (I thought it looked like Jurassic Park in the background, haha)

Best friends for life. After dinner in the Colonial District downtown.

Yogen Fruz. Best yogurt I've ever had in my life!!! No joke. and its organic (i think) and super healthy! (my hair is looking quite rough here, sorry. they don't have hot water and sometimes no electricity either and it was extremely windy that night)

This was the most beautiful view of the whole trip. I wish we could have captured it in a photo. We were driving along the beach and then about 2.5 seconds later we were up at the top of a mountain at 2500 ft. above sea level. Seriously, God is amazing.

in awe.

took a long, adventurous walk along the beach

it was so beautiful!

The gang. We would give anything to be able to see them more than once a year :(

This was the coolest palm tree because it shot out parallel to the beach and then went up over the ocean.
This is us on the whale watching tour. Humpback whales travel to the north ocean of the Dominican Republic every year from Jan-March. The day we went, it was raining and the water was pretty rough, so they said we may not see anything... but they were wrong! We saw three whales and followed two of them for quite a while! They were bigger than our huge boat. It was amazing.

Look closely and you can see its whole head.
The view of the harbor from where we ate lunch after whale watching.Cutest preggo lady ever! Can't wait to meet that baby girl!!

We went to a cave called Tres Ojos (three eyes)- named for the three ponds inside the cave. It was really cool!

This was the third pond in the cave.... we were "inside" the cave and the pond was open to the sky.... again, so beautiful!

The trip really was a perfect reunion. It was so special to see the mission work that Lindsay and Elliott are doing in their neighborhood and in their city! It's clear that the Lord has placed them in Santo Domingo for His purpose. He is always faithful to provide for our needs - whether in the Dominican Republic or in Lubbock, Texas.

Elliott and Lindsay, we love you and are praying for you daily! Thanks for such a wonderful trip and for the life-long memories.