Our Honeymoon!

Tyler did the planning for the honeymoon. So, I found out a couple days before the wedding that we would be leaving Chattanooga at 3:00 AM to drive to Atlanta to catch our flight. So, we called it a night early and got up and left at 3:00 AM!

You can see in this picture that is it 2:49 AM the time we left our room to go check out!
This was my first airplane ride and the first time I had been out of the country. We got to the DR and there was a taxi waiting for us. The driver spoke no English, the roads weren't paved, and there are no traffic laws (they just use their horns!) We shared the taxi with some people from Chattanooga that we met in the airport.

We arrived at our room that was adorned with a great banner that read "Excellence Honeymooners"

Then the next day we hit the pool. This was our favorite spot. It was just the right amount of sun and shade. It was SUPER hot down there so we stayed in the water for most of the day.

Then we ventured down to the beach for a little while. There were these great little huts to sit under.

Then, as a wedding present, Zach, Tyler's old roommate, got us an excursion to Saona Island. It was a long bus ride to the dock. And, Tyler fell fast asleep.

We got to see a lot of the city. Everyone rides these little motorized bikes. It is their taxi.

Then the bus stopped on the side of the road and told us to get out. We thought they were kidding at first.. but they weren't. So we got out and started walking.

Then out of no where, there was this dock and the beautiful turquoise water.

We took a speed boat out and stopped at a natural swimming pool and swam with starfish. Then we continued on to the island for lunch and relaxing.

We took a catamaran boat back.

Also, at the resort you could feed the animals. Tyler was a little hesitant at first but he fed the parrots some bread.

I fed the turtles a piece of pineapple. They LOVED it...

Then I made sure we did the Martin tradition of writing our names in the sand.. except this time I was a Forrest!

We had a wonderful time. You can kind of see our room in this shot. And, we look nice and tan... or slightly sunburned!

This was the last night. We had a great time but we were ready to come back to wonderful Tennessee!

We headed to the airport bright and early. It wasn't air conditioned AT ALL! We went up a HUGE flight of stairs and all the sudden saw a Wendy's! We were starving at this point. We order just chicken sandwiches for us both and it cost $16! Talk about inflation!

Since the airport was just a HUGE hut there was no terminals really. So you literally walk right out on the tarmac to get onto the airplane. Tyler wasn't so sure about this as you can tell from the look on his face!

This is as we were about to walk on to the plane. It was bitter sweet to head home. We had a great time but we missed the U.S.

We came home to this load of presents that had grown while we were gone.

And, our sweet friends decorated our bed for us.

We also had a TON of mail waiting for us! (Did I tell you how much I love mail!?!?) And, even though it was 2:00 AM when we finally got home, we preceded to open it all!

Included in that stack was our marriage license! What better to get home to than that! It was official!

Overall it was an excellent trip! We had tons of fun. Would I go again? Probably not... but that is only because.. I am an American girl all the way. Take me to Florida and I could be just as content! It was a great experience and I would encourage other to experience it.

We have worked hard to get the presents put away. The house is looking great. We love it and love living together. Our lives have slowed down a lot now that the wedding is over. We actually find time to watch our favorite TV shows together and have dinner with friends. I think I am going to like this married life thing!!!!

-EMF