Paradise: Take 1: Cabarete, Dominican Republic

Our honeymoon was the most amazing experience of my life. We stayed in beautiful resorts & ate (mostly) great food. We were able to do things I never imagined I would do in my life, but the best part was hearing Chris call me his "beautiful wife". It was a dream come true.
I've already shared some of my photos, but Id like to share some of our favorite moments, and stories.

Day 1: Getting There
On the first day of our adventure, we flew from Pensacola to Miami to Puerto Plata. & We arrived early enough to enjoy our first day.... Except that American Airlines lost Chris's luggage... I was SO PISSED OFF. It wasnt the best start, but what can you do? I eventually said Screw It. & we headed to our hotel.

As we drove down the streets of Cabarete, I was nervous terrified. I kept thinking, What the hell did I get myself into? It was an extremely poor area, with children/people running around barely clothed and many didnt have shoes. A few times, people approached our car trying to sell us whatever they had collected on the beach, or some fruit.

But when we turned into our hotel, I was amazed. It was beautiful. At first, I was relieved, then immediately I felt like I needed to adopt some babies. I stopped worrying about the luggage...

The first night we watched the sunset, and had drinks at the beach bar. Perfect ending to our first day!

Day 2: Exploring Cabarete
We had nothing planned for day 2, so we hung out by the pool & ate breakfast at the beach bar.

After a few hours of enjoying the pool, we decided to take a walk on the beach. I loved watching the kite boarders & wind surfers! On our way back to the hotel, we decided to stop somewhere to grab a bite to eat. & When I saw a giant sign that said ceviche, I was in!

Lunch was delicious! & the owner of Cabaha, John, was so pleasant to chat with while we were eating. & I when I mentioned I wanted to try Stand Up Paddle boarding, John offered to take us himself!

SUP was easier than I thought it would be, but was super difficult to paddle over those damn Lilly pads. :)
When we got back in from our paddle, they had organic snacks waiting for us- coconut water, sugar cane, fruits, and sun baked almonds.

When we returned from our SUP trip, we found that they AA had delivered our luggage!

Day 3: White Water Rafting
At 6:30 AM we were picked up for a 2+ hour drive into the mountains of Jarabacoa to white water raft.
It was such a great experience. I'd never been WWR before & I thought FOR SURE that we were going head first into a boulder more than once. But it was exhilarating. I loved the class IV rapids. FUN.

That evening, we had an AMAZING dinner at a placed called Bliss. & we passed out early. WWR was exhausting.

Day 4: Hiking & Zip lining
At 8:30, we went on a hike through El Choco National Park. We went into several caves, including one that our guide had NEVER BEEN IN BEFORE that we were lead to by some local man living in the park. Not joking. Probably one of the worst ideas we had. But the hike was okay...we survived.

After the hike, our guide took us to an AUTHENTIC Cabarete place to eat. It would be a giant stretch to call it a restaurant. It was a small, open air place on the side of one of the poorest streets, where they were serving food cafeteria style. The 3 of us got more food than we could finish for less the $4 per person. It was quite the experience. I wish I had photos, but i didnt want to be rude.

When we finished lunch, we headed to Monkey Jungle. BEST EXPERIENCE EVER. I LOVED THE MONKEYS. They didnt like to be pet, but they loved to jump all over you and play in your hair. I need a monkey.

Ziplining was fun too. But I couldnt get past the monkeys, really.

After zip lining, we went back to Cabaha for dinner. That ceviche, and those fish tacos were too good not to eat twice.

Day 5: Canyoning Supremacy/Big Bastard/Hardest thing Ive ever done in my life

A few minutes after 8, we were picked up by our guide, Alejandro, to head to start our waterfall tour. We suited up in wetsuits, life jackets, harnesses, and helmets & began our tour.

It was crazy, intense, gorgeous, difficult, exhausting, insane, and just amazing. Our highest jump was almost 60 feet. INSANE.

But the craziest part of our tour was the hike out. Literally the hardest thing Ive ever done in my life. It was almost vertical. We may as well have been rock climbing. I knew that eventually id have a donkey to carry me out the rest of the way, but making it 30 minutes to the donkeys was nearly impossible. At one point I offered to sell my body for a donkey. I was joking., but it was actually that bad.
I know they fed us after we made it back to base camp, but after we got back to the hotel, i was ready to eat again.

After we ate, we kind of half ass packed our things up & got ready for part 2 of our honeymoon!

Overall, Cabarete was an INCREDIBLE experience. I am so glad we got to see some of the real Dominican. It made me so grateful for all of the things we have.

Our Vows

Our wedding day was the most beautiful, wonderful, amazing day of my life! & the only problem I heard about was that a few people sitting towards the left, couldnt hear our vows.
Chris & I wrote our own vows, and didnt know anything about the others until we heard them, for the first time, at the ceremony.
 & Since we both spent so much time, and Chris's vows were so moving, I wanted to share them, again.

Chris's vows:

Whitney Nicole,

When I first met you, I had no clue what I was getting into. 

I couldnt take my eyes off of you. 

You are the most amazing person I've ever met, and youve changed my life.

You are the perfect combination of love, kindness, strength and beauty. 

You've filled voids in my heart that I didnt know existed, and everyday, you make me want to be a better man. 

I promise to always be open minded and understanding. 

I promise to try to be on time... for most things 

I promise to make you feel special everyday and to hold you above all others. 

I promise to always be by your side through anything we may face. 

I will be forever yours.

My vows:

Chris, 

From the moment I met you, youve been my partner. 

In the past 4 1/2 years, youve supported me, believed in me, and loved me. You've made me your equal in all things. 

Because of you my heart is so full, and as we stand before our family and friends today, I pledge to you all of my hearts love. 

I promise to never forget this moment. 

I promise to encourage you and to fortify your dreams. 

When times are hard, or we are faced with a difficult decision in life, I promise to remember that Love is Stronger Than Fear.  

There is nothing that we cannot accomplish together. 

I promise to be a true & loyal friend to you. 

And above all other things, I promise to try everyday to be worthy of your love.  

Today, and everyday, these are my vows to you.

Lately// Wedding Drama.

So I havent posted in WEEKS. But it hasnt been for lack of things going on in our lives. Its been so busy I've barely had time to think/study/function much less blog. Heres a little glimpse of what's been going on.

My first shower!

Kickball:

*By the way, in the game pictured above, I was the MVP. First time ever. It was a special moment. haha

Celebrated Social Work Month!

Had an AMAZING Craw fish boil!

Mobley went boating & kayaking

Finally picked a first dance song...

...well we've narrowed it down to two... "Crazy Love" or "Everything"  both by Michael Buble.

Booked our rehearsal dinner...

BIKE SHOP here we come!!! Seriously, what could be more perfect for Chris & I? Thats like OUR spot!

Planned our whole honeymoon!

...Check out our wedding website, here, for details!

Booked my bachelorette party!3 days & 2 nights at Three Gables cabin over looking Little River Canyon! I am SO EXCITED to go on this little get-away with some of my best friends.

& lastly, we got a preview of the art that will be displayed at Space 301 during the wedding...

I thought it was going to be the Holocaust. It was not. Thank God. But it wasnt much better... At all. i mean its the second worst thing I can think of. (Holocaust being the first.) ITS THE F***ING KKK! NOT JOKING.

This particular piece takes up one whole wall...

I stressed about it all day yesterday. I mean, Im not going to have a fucking KKK rally wedding. We havent quite decided what to do, yet. But we are either going to have to pay to have it taken down $$, or have it covered $$$. Or move the wedding $$$$. Mom has suggested Cathedral Square. But we've already sent out invitations. So stay tuned. If you show up at the wedding and theres a note on the door- you know whats up.
If anybody has any suggestions other than me FREAKING OUT on the people at Space 301, Id love to hear them. Im at a loss.
I know at the end of the day all that matters is that Chris & I are husband and wife. & while that is so true & I keep reminding myself of it, I also cant help stress the art. Our wedding is a CELEBRATION of our LOVE. KKK should never be celebrated. All I can think about when I see that painting is hate, racism & closed mindedness. Not the ideal setting for our wedding.
SHIIIITTTTT. </end rant>

Fired Up! - For Students with Disabilities

Last Tuesday I walked into my 11:00 class, unpacked my things and got ready for class. Then my professor walks in, directs us not to unpack and to "gather our things for a fire drill". Fantastic. Right after 11:00, the alarm bells rang, and the both 3-story Humanities buildings were evacuated.
I don't know why, or how I noticed it, but as we were being pushed a "safe distance" away from the building, I looked around and saw an absence of handicapped students. On a regular basis, I see 3 familiar faces in wheelchairs, and even more that require the use of walkers and personal aids. I also frequently see 2 blind men on campus. Im sure there are many, many more, but these are just the ones I see for the brief 2 hours I am on campus 4 days a week. 
When we reentered the classroom, this horrifying discussion took place.

Me: What happens if a student in a wheel chair is on the second or third floor during a fire?
Dr. D: You dont want to know the plan for disabled students.
Me: ... Okay?
Dr. D: The plan is to get everyone else out of the building, and then it becomes the professors responsibility to get the disabled students into the stairwell, and leave them there.
Me/Everyone else: LEAVE THEM? WTF?! This is BULLSHIT.
Dr. D: Well, if it was a real fire, then I would get some of you to assist your fellow classmates out of the building, but I would get in trouble for it and the school would probably get fined.

After hearing this, I couldn't pay attention for the rest of the class. & Its been on my mind for a week now. Usually when I hear something that really rattles me to the core, I get super upset about it, and then I let it slowly escape from my mind. But for some reason, this is really sticking with me. I feel like I need to do something to fix it. So, in the past week, I have read the full 30 page fire plan for South Alabama, read the entire 'services for disabled students' web page & researched other universities fire plans. & I don't have any answers but I do have some ideas and some facts I want to share.

Facts about the fire plan:
1. South Alabama's fire plan is to evacuated all* students, faculty & staff to at least 500 feet from the building. The exception to this rule is if you have a disability. Then the plan is to leave them in the stairwell until "help" can arrive.
2. It is suggested that blind people carry a whistle at all times & blow the whistle to acquire help. Deaf students should be notified to "calmly evacuate". The only instructions given to non-ambulatory students is to "not block the stairwell" and move to a place of refuge, and "call for help until help arrives"
3. The only responsibility placed on other students, faculty and staff is to notify the police/firemen that someone is trapped inside.

Facts about Disabled Student Services:
1. The rights of a disabled student at South Alabama includes "receiving assistance from the Disability Services office in removing any physical, academic, or attitudinal barriers", and "receiving reasonable accommodations that provide provide equal opportunity" among others.
2. A goal of the DSS is to ""be sensitive to the individual personalities of students, whether it be in communicating their needs or an attempt to maintain dignity with a very difficult issue.


Okay, so what does all that mean? It means that even though there is a service at South Alabama dedicated to Disabled Students, that they are still be discriminated against in the worst way. Disabled Student Services is able to provided "extended testing time" for students with ADD/ADHD, but they cant find a way to evacuate non-ambulatory students in a FIRE?! & while the stairwell may be the safest place inside, I am 100% sure that OUTSIDE a burning building is safer than ANYWHERE inside a burning building.

Plus, while firefighters are trained, we are forcing them to put themselves at a much greater risk. & imagine this horrifying scenario. The building is burning, and there are 4 people trapped inside. You have 2 firemen doing a sweep through the building to make sure no one is inside, and they find 4 people. Who do they take first? Who gets the better chance of surviving? Because sure, the firemen can probably get one/two people down 3 flights of stairs. But what about the others? What if it is too dangerous to go back inside? Do you send the firemen again and risk all of their lives? Do you LEAVE students there? I dont know. You tell me. What do you do?

My only idea is to gather support from my fellow students and demand a change be made. My only reasonable idea is to demand that students with physical disabilities have their classes taught on the first floor if requested.

I dont know the answer. I just know a change needs to be made & I would be interested in hearing your ideas if you have any.

Call me crazy; call my naive; hell, call me liberal. But if there is ever a time in your life that you need support, I hope someone will fight for you and stand up for you and your rights.

Better Than You

Back story: I ran into a girl I went to elementary school with on Saturday night. While we have never been friends, we have never had a problem with each other (to my knowledge). But on Saturday night, she made an extremely rude comment to me. I was so taken back by her abruptness I didn't know how to react. Ive had a few days to think about it, and here is my response.

Kimberly-
      You told me the other night that I "thought I was too good". Im not quite sure what you mean by that. Maybe you dont know, but I am going to school for social work . As a social worker, I am going to fight a life long battle for the equality of ALL people, regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation, disability, or social class. I have been blessed with an open heart & open mind & the belief that all people deserve the same fundamental rights. I will never stop believing that.
     Maybe you have the impression that I 'think Im better than you' because I've been lucky in life & lucky in love. Maybe you said that because I am an educated, independent young woman with a strong personality, and a zest for life. But that doesnt make me better than you, or anyone else. We are both human beings and should be treated as such. You should never let anyone tell you that they are better than you. & I sincerely hope you dont go around with the idea that you are better than someone else.
   But let me tell you something, when you make rude, harsh comments like that, it absolutely makes me kinder than you. I am also CLEARLY more appreciative than you, and I have a better grasp on life.
  I hope one day you learn to appreciate the life youve been given. I also hope one day that you find a love like mine. But before someone else will love you, you have to love yourself. I suggest you find a way to love yourself that doesnt involve putting others down.
   So no, I dont think Im better than you, or anyone else for that matter. But I do love my life. I appreciate every day. & No one will ever be able to take that from me.

       -Whitney

The Truth About Facebook. The Good, Bad & UGLY.

Welcome to Facebook! Where you will be judged for everything you say. You will make friends, lose friends. stalk strangers and have every aspect of your life broadcast to your "friends".
Dont get me wrong. I love facebook. Im addicted. Its open on my computer right now. & I think facebook is wonderful, mostly. However, There are things on my Facebook newsfeed that make me CRINGE on a daily basis.

Heres my view on the best and worst of facebook

Personal Life

Good
I LOVE when good things happen to my friends. I am so proud of them when they get a raise, or get a new job. I practically scream with joy when I find out someone has gotten engaged or married. & Im TOTALLY guilty of stalking my cute pregnant friends.
These are all amazing things. Thank you friends for sharing

Bad
I simply do not care what you are doing every minute of the day. I hate it when people update more than 2 or 3 times a day. Or give statuses that list every single mundane thing they have done that day. Like
"Woke up, ate breakfast, watched the Nate show! LOVE NATE, took a shower, went for a run, took a shower, ate lunch, now just sitting here on facebook! Long day so far!"

Ugly.
8:15 "Ate Whataburger and didnt gain a pound! #skinnygirlproblems #bulemiasabitch"
7:20 "Putting in the miles! Working off all of those calories I ate today! #gymrat"
4:20 "Just now eating today, too bad I have to eat at my desk! #secretaryproblems"
2:00 "Time for another cup of coffee! Its a long day! #coffeeadict #needthecalories"
8:25 "Starbucks on my way to work! I think Im addicted! #ventiplease #hangoverprobz"

**Side note- If you post it on facebook for your 1000+ friends to see, it is no longer PERSONAL. You decided to post it, dont get upset when people talk.

Relationships

Good

Again, I am OVER JOYED when I see my friends have taken the next step in their relationships- moving in together, getting engaged, married, whatever. I love that about Facebook, it keeps you in touch with people and lets you know whats happening in their lives. 

Bad

On the other hand, Im kind of sick of posts like  "OHMYGOD I COULDNT LOVE THIS MAN HARDER IF I TRIED!! He is soo good to me! Love you SnuggiePieSnuggleButt! Smooches! lmbo!"

I mean, Im SUPER glad you found someone who makes sunshine out of your ass, but thats what text messages are for. Or private messages. Or a phone call. Facebook, not so much.

But I will admit, Ive done it. Im sure everyone has. If we could keep it to a minimum though, that would be stellar.

Ugly.

However, the worst HAS to be when people go through a break up.

6:45 "Im so old and lonely. Ill never find anyone. Lost my one true love."

3:30 "Still waiting on you to just come back to me. I miss you!!!"

11:47 ""Even on my weakest day,  I get a little bit stronger! #sayingsforgirls #damnitstrue"

9:55 "Wish I was hearing his voice on the other end of the phone."

7:07 "There were more tears than dreams in my pillow last night..."

3:00 "Cant sleep thinking about him. :("

Or maybe the worst is when people break up, get back together, and break up again... and again and again. Because then you have to watch the CYCLE of that shit over and over and over.

Mommies & Babies

Good

I love it when mommies post pictures of their growing little tummies & pictures of the nursery & the adorable little clothes. It lets me live vicariously through them for a hot minute. Plus I love to shop for my friends children. I can barely walk past a children's store without being lured inside by all of the darling little outfits. & lets not forget about seeing pictures of the babies themselves.

Im totally guilty of stalking pregnant friends from the moment the news hits facebook until that sweet baby is home... and even after. Im like "Oh 200 pictures from the hospital... dont mind if I do!" And for the next half hour, Im scrutinizing every photo you just uploaded. Yepp, Im THAT person.

Bad

Hoooowever. I find myself utilizing the "hide" button on new mommies a lot. Going back to the personal life thing, noone REALLY cares if your baby wouldnt breast feed today. Or if he missed his nap. I mean, Im sure thats vitally important to your day, and Im not discounting that at all, but Im just saying, does everyone else need to know?

Ugly. Nasty. Gross.

I am not singling any one of you out, because I swear there are like 20 of you that do this, No one wants to read about your babies poop. Ever.

Call the doctor. Call a friend. Shit, search Google or WebMD, but please no more babies pooping posts.

Yesterday alone I saw 6. SIX. SIX DIFFERENT POSTS ABOUT BABY POOP. No more, Mommy friends, please.

Strangers & Stalking

Good.Bad&Ugly

Im all for a little bit of new-aged stalking. If you have a Facebook page, I probably know more about you than I should. But after you learn things, you have to learn how to process the information. For example, dont just rush out to someone youve never met and say "Oh yeah, I know you from Facebook." Thats just weird.

Also, little prostalk lesson, nothing that you have to say about a photo is worth saying if the photo is over a few months old. It never fails to FREAK ME OUT when people comment on my stuff from more than a year ago. Because I know DAMN WELL that you have just looked through ALL of my stuff. Creep. Keep it to yourselves.

But if we are going to be honest, if I look at one of your profile pictures, Im going to look at all of them... every time. It doesnt matter if you have 4 or 148, I start clicking and just cant stop.

There you have it friends. My break down of the best and worst of Facebook. Enjoy.

Wedding Stress// Spinach Smoothies

The first 6 or 7 months we were engaged, I was like OHMYGOD IM GETTING MARRIED TO MY BEST FRIEND AND I LOVEE WEDDING PLANNING!! I was so confused as to why others were stressed about the planning.... but Now I understand. Something about hitting that "5 months to go" flipped a switch inside me. These last few weeks I have been STRESSED OUT.
I have had nightmares almost every night related to the wedding. In one dream, Chris was walking into the ceremony space in his Mardi Gras costume. <-- NIGHTMARE.

Its been more than just bad dreams though. Lets take Friday for example...
I talked to Chris around 10:00 in the morning and his day was going well. I tried to call him at lunch, but I it his phone went straight to voicemail. No big deal. I tried to call him when I was running errands. Voicemail. I called him on my way back to work. Voicemail. Called the station. No answer. By this time its like 3:30. Im panicking because I have convinced myself that something terrible has happened to him. I just KNEW that he had been in a terrible wreck and his phone was broken.
Well, I was wrong. Chris is fine. His phone is just a piece of shit. I finally talked to him around 4:15. & I was glad he was okay. But I COULD NOT stop thinking about what would happen if something happend to Chris. I became obsessed with it for a hot minute. I probably turned into a clingly crazy too... (By probably I mean I most certainly did)

Then Saturday morning we were watching TV and the Allstate commercial about life insurance came on. It leads you to believe that the woman's husband is dead. I BAWLED my eyes out. Chris was like "WHAT just happened? Did I miss something?" I was crying so hard I couldnt talk. I finally told him that the damn Allstate commercial upset me and that I was overly concerned about his safety.

Well, we are upping the life insurance ((effective commercial, Allstate- Well played)) & Chris got a new phone. All is well in the Newman-Russell household again.

But besides my crazy episode, it was a great week. I learned how to make spinach smoothies!

1. First you take two big handfuls of baby spinach and put it in the blender.

2. Add some orange juice. Enough to fill the bottom of the blender.

 3. Blend. It should look something like this...

4. Add a cup of frozen fruit. Any kind will do but I especially like the Berries. 





 5. Blend. & Add a tsp of honey. (If you want it to be sweeter)

 6. Enjoy! ((The blackberries make the smoothie purple. I used strawberry banana for another smoothie and it came out lime green))

I added two big tbsp of plain yogurt to mine this morning and it was a little bit creamier. Im going to keep experimenting, but so far I really enjoy getting a few servings of fruit and veggies in one glass in the mornings. Plus the smoothie is only about 150 cal. ((Basically nothing for spinach, 70 for fruit, ~30 for orange juice, ~40 for yogurt))

Also this week I spent some time with my family playing Mexican Train Dominoes. ((Unexpectedly fun)) So much fun that I bought the game and made Chris and Suzanne play with me too.

The rest of the week I just chilled with Mobley! & Bought my Mardi Gras dress!!