This year I celebrated a milestone birthday! I think it’s still sinking in!  God is good!  I vowed to myself that I would spend some time commemorating the occasion somewhere I’ve never been before with people who I can’t imagine my life without. Since I knew it needed to be a short vacation, I hopped on a plane and eventually set foot on the sandy shores of the Dominican Republic!  Everyone we met at our resort was kind and personable. I think our resort agent (pictured below) was secretly hoping that Niecy would make the D.R. her new home, lol.  We sunbathed (with sunblock of course…this post just reminded me to replenish the SPF 100), went horseback riding through slightly rugged terrain, and went swimming in the ‘Hoyo Azul’ at Scape Park at Cap Cana (gorgeous, but freezing!).  While I must admit that I wasn’t particularly impressed with the food after several days, I’m grateful I had the opportunity to venture into a land full of unknowns for me and spend countless moments reflecting on the ups and downs of the last three decades with two of my favorite people.  Each time I travel internationally, I fall more in love with the vastness of the world and the myriad of cultures that constitute humanity.  Thankfully, as winter draws near, I’ll have plenty of beach photos with my girls to laugh and reminisce about.  I think we even managed to perfect a few must do beach poses!