Breathless Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic is one of the most beautiful countries ~ if not THE most beautiful country ~ I've visited yet. Our trip to Punta Cana was amazing - the beaches, the resort, the food, the weather and the people. It was magnificent, or as they say magnifico!

We stayed at Breathless Resorts & Spa, which is an adults-only, all-inclusive resort. It just opened in November 2013 so it's a brand new resort that's perfect for a destination wedding, honeymoon or just a vacation in paradise.

The Resort

The Food

The Wedding 

The reason we went to the DR was to celebrate the marriage of two friends and I have to say the ceremony and reception was absolutely gorgeous! I've been to destination weddings in Jamaica, Florida and several different tropical spots but this was by far the most beautiful wedding I've attended yet.

 

Entertainment & Fun

Our Excursion

We went on the Marinarium catamaran cruise which took us around the coast of Punta Cana and stopped at an area where we snorkeled around the reef and swam with stingrays and nurse sharks. They fed us lunch and tropical cocktails on the cruise and the crew entertained everyone with dancing and singing to local music. We had a blast! 

 

What I would give to be back there right now!

Hawaiian Honey Chicken Skewers

I've posted similar recipes before for different types of kabobs/skewers but this one was exceptionally good because of the sweet and sour flavors marinated into the chicken. Marinating the chicken for a few hours ahead of time also helps to keep the chicken moist when cooking on the grill.

Ingredients:

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into cubes

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 olive or vegeable oil

1 large onion

1 red bell pepper

1 green pepper

1 cup pineapple chunks

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Wooden or metal skewers

Serving size: 8 skewers

What To Do: 

1. Cut the onion and peppers into 2 inch squares

2. Whisk together honey, soy sauce, oil, minced garlic and black pepper. Use 3/4 of the mixture to marinate the chicken, onions and peppers in a covered bowl for 2+ hours in the refrigerator.

3. Preheat the grill on high heat

4. Assemble chicken, veggies and pineapple chunks onto the skewers. 

(Tip: soak wooden skewers in water ahead of time to prevent burning on the grill)

 

5. Cook chicken skewers on the grill 15 minutes basting regularly with marinade and flipping with tongs every 3-5 minutes.

Enjoy!

 

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Weekend Staycation & Charity Gala

Hope everyone had a good weekend! I got to catch up on a little R&R, but just a little...

Friday night was pretty relaxing, thankfully! We had dinner and drinks with some friends to catch up with them and then spent the rest of the night watching movies at home. Life recently has been so busy every weekend, I haven't had a Friday night on the couch in a long time.

On Saturday night, K and I went to a charity gala to support children and families in Central Florida battling childhood cancer. The event was sponsored by my company so they put us up in a hotel by Disney for the night. It was a nice little Staycation!

The gala had live music, poker & other table games, dinner & drinks and several different auctions. We didn't do so well at the table games but it was a nice night out for a good cause. Some of the families shared their stories and expressed how the proceeds really help them especially since parents often have to give up their jobs to care for their children full-time. I was glad to be a part of it!

 

On Sunday we had breakfast at the hotel and then headed home. I made a pit-stop at the VS semi-annual sale and scored some $3.99 undies. Always good to restock, right?

The rest of Sunday was spent cleaning, grilling (recipe to come tomorrow), and watching the World Cup.

How was your weekend?

Joining Molly for Funday Monday and Biana for Weekending.

Happy Friday ~ I'm Back!

Since returning from my trip to Punta Cana, I've been so tired and just dragging along trying to catch up with work and getting back into the swing of things. It's the true definition of needing a vacation after your vacation! I'm thankful the weekend is here to catch up on rest, blogging and all the stuff around the house. 

 

Our trip to the Dominican Republic was nothing short of amazing! I can't wait to do a full recap of the trip next week. Funnily enough my iPhone (with most of my photos) stayed in the DR a few extra nights (long story) so I've been pretty useless for most of the week with social media, blogging, etc.

A big THANK YOU to the 4 bloggers that took over Martinis & Bikinis as guest posters while I was gone - Kate, Krystal, Jordon and Michelle. You ladies rock!

 

You would think after 5 days in the Caribbean, one would return super relaxed. Yes our days were spent lounging at the beach or pool but, with 32 friends, the nights were long and the wedding itself was probably the most fun I've had in a looong time.

The travel time from hotel to home was about 12 hours so it was a long day and I went right back to work. Both our departing and returning flight had a layover in Panama City (in Panama not Florida). We didn't get to leave the airport but I did get to try Panamanian beer and an empanada at an airport bar. Yumm!

Another great benefit of international travelling is duty free shopping so I managed to score this perfume set as an anniversary gift from K.

Hope everyone has a great weekend and I'll catch you next week when my head is no longer fuzzy! xoxo

Joining Lauren for H54F and April for Five on Friday.