Wednesday, October 28, 2009

DR update 2





SO you ask what the people there call "friends", let me tell you..... hold on :)
It was out 2nd night there and we all had gotten ready for a show by the ocean and then a "wanna be Vegas show", and if you wanted some time in the casino. Well, after we had our fill on these, we came back to the resort and were hanging out in the lobby, when we spotted some ( what in the US would make us remember the movie Pretty Woman and Julia Roberts character...get it ) girls in the lobby. Then there became a HUGE ruckous ( sp?) at the front desk with 4 men. They were arguing and screaming with the workers about they are not paying anymore money to have quests, it should be their choice if they want to bring a guest to their room etc..... at one point, one of the men went and grabben his video camera and was taping the workers and saying he was going to sue....etc... it was quite the show ( an to be honest it was better than the Vegas wanna be show). Before we knew it the Julia Roberts were escorted out to a van in the valet area and so it got the best of me and one of the other girls I was with, so we decieded to go out to the valet area and just "talk" well we ended up talking to the manager that was on duty of the resort. We were asking him about this situation. He informed us that in the DR the Julia Roberts are called "friends", and that guys all them time pick them up at the casino and try to bring them back to the resort. The "friends" know that they have to stop in the lobby and check in. It was 108.00 a night extra to allow them in the resort ( plus the guys would have to pay them for their duty ) so this is why they are upset. Well, to make a very interesting and long story short, they all left in a van and went to a cheaper hotel. The manager also told us that the normal age for girls to have babies is 13. WOW, I thought the "friends" looked young. How sad.
Throught the week, we would continue to see the guys and wonder if they knew they gave us a great show. To top it all off, on the way back to Miami from the DR it was a full flight and I ended up in the middle seat, and Ash on the window side. It was my lucky day I guess (NOT!) b/c one of the men sat down beside me. He reaked of alcohol and had terriable breathe. It was all I could do to not laugh, at him..... I did ask him his reason for coming to the DR, and he said that he and his buddies were on a wk trip. I asked if they missed their wives ( just wondering, you know how I am) and he said he is the only one NOT married. SO, the other three guys that encountered the "friends" were married. That made my stomach turn...... uggg!!!!!!!! Then he fell asleeep and began to drool.... ugggg!!!! enough of that story, but for the rest of the week we used the term "friend " lightly.

I will attach a few pic of Ash and I parisailing. We had such a great time being 280 feet in the air. It was beautiful clear blue water and sandy white beaches. We hung in the air for about 20 minutes before he "dipped" us in the ocean. It was wonderful and an amazing experience that I am glad I did with Ashley :)

Friday, October 23, 2009

I am back part 1





My trip to the DR was most definately full of memories. We had such a great time and met many wonderful people. It started out a little rocky as we got to Denver airport at midnight to find out our flight had been canceled and we were scheduled to leave at 6 AM, so we picked a little place in the corner of the airport and "camped out" this time actually went by fast as we were making lots and lots of phone calls. I had to get ahold of the resort we were staying at because we now will be missing our connecting flight from Miami to the DR. Things seemed to not be going our way, but we managed to get to Miami eventually, find a great Italian place to eat ( btw, they were actually closed, but opened for us an hour early after hearing how crappy of a day we had, and it was some of the best Italian food ever). We got back to the hotel around 8 and crashed, as I had been on a case the day before we left and didnt get much sleep and Ash was coming back from State Softball and did not sleep either. Needless to say I awoke on my birthday in a not no nice hotel room, but that was quickly changed as I managed to get my birthday drink and meet some great friends when we finally arrived.

The resort had a theme " tell it only to your best friends". Stay tuned for the next post to learn what "friends" in the DR are really..... you wont want to miss this!!!

But before I go, I shall leave you with a sign I am sure you are all farmiliar with..... I could not believe I saw this there. This is just off the beach...

Sunday, October 11, 2009

SNOW- but warmness is right around the corner!!!

I cannot wait for my trip, its seems so unreal to me. It has been super cold here in CO already! Some friends of mine have lost power as we have had huge amounts of ice. Most of the bridges through out town have been closed, and parts of the interstate.
This has made packing a bit interesting..... I am in flannel pj's and a hoodie. The heater is kicking on quite often, and I am folding sun dresses and tank tops.... hummm. BUT I CAN"T WAIT!
I will try to update while I am there, but when I get back I will have pictures and stories to tell, I am sure!!!!! Please keep my sister Ashley and I in your prayers for travel mercies.

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

In Rememberance of Grandma


19 Years ago today, my grandma Pat went to be with Jesus. She is so greatly missed. I learned a lot from her, especially how to cook :) One of the first things she taught me how to make was rice crispy treats.. still one of my favorites to this day. Every year for our birthdays Grandma would make our favorite meal and we would all sit around the table and eat and share stories. Oh how she is missed and how I cant wait to someday meet up with her in Heaven and "catch up". For now, I know she is watching out for me.

Grandma, Please watch out for my dear friend Sammie who today will be joining you in Heaven. I know she is scared and is afraid to leave her mom and dad. Please welcome her with open arms.
Love and miss you more than you know,
Heather

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/sammiehartsfield
to visit Sammie please visit her webpage
Sammie and Oliver Cullen

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Been busy



I have been busy these past few weeks and have not had time to update. Here is what has been happening the past few weeks.
I finally got to go snuggle and meet my nephew ROWEN. He is such a snuggler and likes to be held and doesn't like to sleep very well.
( sorry the picture is blurry, I promise a clearer one soon :)


I went to TX for a work trip, where Memorial Hospital ( the hospital where I did Child life at, and is one of Colorado's busier Hospitals for donation ) won an award for donation, so I got to receive the award, and attend the rest of the conference. It was a good conference and I brought back some good ideas with me, that hopefully I can put into good use here. I met some new friends there as well from other hospitals and different organ groups. We got to stay in the Gaylord hotel ( which is a spin off from the Gaylord Opryland in Nashville. ) It was a super nice hotel, but I did not really get to explore much, as the conference kept us very busy. )
Here are a few pictures from the trip.







But my highlight of the trip was getting to meet up with Chris Klug who is the 2002 Winter bronze medalist in the Olympics for snow boarding. He received a liver transplant and came back just 11 weeks after transplant to begin training for this medal. He speaks at a lot of our functions, but I have only heard the name, and had never gotten to actually meet him. He and I got to share a few brief moments together and I was telling him about Shining Stars in Aspen ( which just happens to be his hometown ) and he agreed that if he was in the states he would come hang out with the kids for a few days.... Oh goodness, I cant wait to see the kids' reactions if he is able to come. I am praying now that he will be available.