Verdigets.com

Last Vacation Night In The D.R.

admin — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 11:55:45 +0000

The goals of this vacation:

1. Get a tan - accomplished (maybe a little burnt but some color is good)

2. Do nothing - accomplished (did not leave the resort all week)

3. Enjoy some adult beverages - accomplished (and in moderation, we are getting older and somewhat wiser)

4. Play husband and wife for seven days -

If you are looking for a vacation with the above criteria then Secrets Sanctuary in the Dominican Republic fits the bill. The staff at this resort is one of its key assets. We had several people make this trip; Carlos was our waiter most nights. He was awesome - so helpful and so attentive! Larissa was our “Love Bar” waitress. By the end of the trip, she knew what our drinks were; no need to order. Raphael at the pool bar…hardest working guy in the whole place. He works that bar like a pro! Yessina…such a pretty lady…greeted us everyday at the pool with a smile.

Happy 9th Anniversary (vacation day 5.5)

admin — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 01:24:27 +0000

It was nine years ago today that Lisa and I were married. What a wild ride it has been. I do not think either one of us had any idea what the last nice years would be like. With that being said I would not have wanted to brave the last nine without Lisa. I do not know of anyone else who could have handled everything that has been thrown at us. Through it all we have had our ups and downs but after nine years I think we are as close as the day we got married. Happy Anniversary!

Today we scheduled a hot stone massage for 9am. It was very very nice and something we had never done. Our massage lasted until 11am and then we headed to the pool. After lunch we were able to go back to the spa and use the sauna, whirlpool, and hydrotherapy. It was nice an relaxing. So far it has been a very nice anniversary.

Vacation day 4.5

admin — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 20:29:45 +0000

Forgot to post last night….All in all a nice easy day.

Vacation Day 3.5

admin — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 01:07:00 +0000

Yeah, we slept until 8:30 today. Today we decided to mix things up and go to the beach. You know you are on vacation when…you walk outside to go to the beach wearing your slippers! - We found a great spot under two trees and stayed there until lunch time. We also got to see two cultures collide, it was burkas and boobs at the beach at the same time (have to love the Europeans, they will drop their tops almost any where). Lisa and I realized that we really are not fond of the Atlantic ocean. While it is nice it is also rough and there is lots of seaweed. One note the water is blue here but not really that clear. We are fans of the gulf and the Caribbean Sea (just an observation from today).

We had lunch at the Blue Marlin and it was very good. After lunch we decided to check out the ‘hidden’ castle pool. It is up on the top floor and it is a nice smaller pool. However for being in the sun all day the water in the pool was very cold. We stayed for about an hour. Lisa and I have become fond of heading back to the room for a little nap or just to rest up for the evening. It has been very nice to have no agenda and just hang out. Who knew how nice it is to do almost nothing……

New neighbors, they just got here and are sitting outside, their quote ‘WOW the beach smells good” Really? I think Lisa just scared them away. Lisa is watching hot in cleveland on her iPad and is laughing very loudly and thus our new neighbors ran back into there room.

Vacation Day 2.5

admin — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 00:43:35 +0000

Thank you Banana Boat for a Craptastic spray on sun block. While we appreciate the over priced (get less than you paid for) spray, it seems that it does not really cover anything really well. Both Lisa and I have applied frequently and we have still managed to become good examples of human lobsters. On a positive note we have pain killers and some good drinks.

Enough of my little rant…..

Today we got up around 7am, I know… not much of a sleep- in but what can you do. We enjoyed our Nespresso, and Lisa surprised me with Father’s Day cards from the kids and her. It was very nice! Lisa also got me some very nice cologne; I guess she thinks I stink some times (my lame attempt at a joke). After a nice breakfest, the fruits are so much tastier when they are fresh, we headed to the pool around 9am and got a good spot. We spent the better part of 6 hours in the pool today and it was very, very nice! After the pool we were off for a nap. I think naps should be a part of everyone’s day. Tonight we had dinner at the Wok. It was ok. The dinner was a little fast for our taste. So far the best place for dinner is the Blue Marlin. Carlos is an excellent waiter and really added to our dinner on Friday night.

We are currently sitting at the Love Bar. Lisa is enjoying a Franjelico and I am enjoying a scotch and a cigar. All in all it was a wonderful day and just what Lisa and I needed. More to come tomorrow….

Vacation Day 1.5

admin — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 01:22:06 +0000

It has been quite some time since just Lisa and I we able to get away for a few days. Since Ben is all settled in and Ally is now a cancer survivor, it was time. The criteria for this vacation was sun, beach, drinks, books and no excursions. The travel agent said that the DR was the best place and that Secrets Sanctuary would be the best all inclusive resort. Only one layover and we were in the DR by 1:30 and at Secrets by about 2:30. We have a very nice beach front villa, which is quite large. We explored the resort. It is large but only has about 125 rooms and so it is not crowded at all and it is an adult only resort.

Today we slept in; sleeping in is now 8:30. The breakfast was good and then we headed to the pool. We spent a good 5 hours in the pool, and it was very nice and relaxing. The best part of the day was taking a nap after the pool. Quote of the day, “Naps are good!” More to come…….

Happy Birthday Brendan

admin — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 03:05:13 +0000

Today would have been Brendan’s 6th birthday. Crazy to think that he would be in kindergarten now. Lisa and I took the day off like we always have for the last 5 years. We dropped the kids off at school and headed to breakfast at First Watch. After that we headed to the same florist as the last few years to pick up some tulips and 6 balloons. We always release them just like the day that we buried him. It was a nice day with bright blue skies and a stiff wind to the north. Lisa and I spent some time visiting with Brendan and then we let the balloons go and watched them. Like the last six years it always seems that one balloon breaks away and takes its own path, just one of those observations that Lisa and I have noticed. After that we headed over to Lisa’s mothers grave (which is about 30 feet away) and spent some time there.Lisa and I like to go to Annie Gun’s for a late lunch every year, and this year was no different. We have had the same waitress the last few times. Lunch was very good and Lisa and I enjoyed the time together. We always talk about how it all happened on March 1st 2005. I am amazed at how well we remember the days events. As we look back I do not think we would have done anything different and we can always say that we were able to hold Brendan for the entire short time that he was actually with us.

Happy birthday son!
Mom and Dad love and miss you.
http://www.verdigets.com/photopages/2005Photos/JP/index.htm

Back Home From Disney

admin — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 03:24:38 +0000

We have not updated our blog or website is some time but now is a great time for an update. As many people Ally just completed two and half years of chemo. So to celebrate the end of chemo and Ally being cancer free we decided to take the family to Disney and celebrate. We had a great time and the Disney magic is amazing. Ally got to lead a princess procession at breakfast and Ben got to see McQueen. The kids loved Toy Story the ride, I think we rode it at least 6 times. We stayed and the beach club and it was great to be able to walk right into Epcot. We also were able to meet up with two sets of friends (the Salmon’s and the Schnyder’s), which was great. We also got a chance to visit Universal Studios for the day and spend some time with a good friend, Frank. Frank was able to have Ally and Ben meet allot of characters. We even got a special meeting with the cast of Seuss and they did the ‘Ally dance’ with Ally, it was fun to watch. Here are some photos and movies from the trip (click view all at the bottom left to see the larger versions and the movies).

Enjoy

View all

Get your own

Hello again….

admin — Mon, 24 May 2010 03:36:38 +0000

It seems that we have not updated the blog or our website is some time. Well we finally had some time and uploaded new pictures, enjoy. Ally has had some ups and downs since January. Her liver counts have been all over the board. She had missed several doses of chemo but we are now getting half doses which is a good thing. Ally also had a reaction to one of her meds that she had been on for over two years. This resulted in her breaking out in a rash and becoming very itchy, as Ally would say it “I itchy”. She has had to go on steroids so she has been eating none stop. We just got to cut back her doses so we hope we will be almost done with them. Ben is growing like a weed. He really loves baseball and he can throw the ball pretty well, catching is a whole other story but we are working on it. On this Wednseday Ben has to have eye surgery. Both of his eyes cross so we needed to get that corrected. I am sure Wednesday will be a long day for Ben, Lisa and I. We will keep the blog updated on how he is doing.

March 1, 2010

admin — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 03:55:34 +0000

Happy Birthday, Brendan! Five years ago today we welcomed Brendan into this world. We got to send an hour and half with before he passed away…..Today Lisa and I took the day off to remember him. We took the kids to school today and then headed to breakfast (we do this every year). After breakfast we went to the flower shop and got a bunch of tulips, some pink roses and 3 blue and 2 white balloons. We went to Brendan’s grave site and spend some time with him and placed the tulips next to his marker. It is our tradition to release balloons on his birthday. This year as in years past when the let the balloons go they all start off in a bunch and then one of the white balloons always parts from the group. Lisa and I are always amazed that this happens. It was very nice to just stand there and watch them go. After that we went to put the roses on Lisa’s mothers grave.. We spent so time with Shirley and then we headed out.It was a nice day for Lisa and I to reflect and remember what was, what could have been and what is……..