It has been a while since the last post. My apologies. Usually I try to stick with the highlights but everything I did in 2023 I already did in 2022, so I was worried I might bore people. A trip to Margarita Island, a visit to Oregon, and a diving trip to the Dominican Republic were all repeated in the last 12 months.
That being said, this last year has been particularly wonderful because I've had a particularly wonderful girlfriend to repeat stuff with (as well as try new things). We recently celebrated a one year anniversary with an activity-filled four-day weekend. So, if you don't mind, I'd like to take a moment and look back on the past year.
Sol and I met at the gym in late 2022. I struck up a conversation with her in the elevator and took her out on our first date soon after. She later said that she "never would have talked to me" if I didn't approach her first. Ha!
After we decided to see each other exclusively, we went to Margarita Island for spring break 2023. It was a fantastic trip full of beach days, evening walks & sunsets, sea shells, and snorkeling.
Summer rolled around rather quick and I went solo to the US to visit family in Bend, Oregon. The three weeks apart got us ready for what laid ahead.
It was especially great to see the siblings. The short time was packed with sand volleyball in Paul's backyard, hikes, floating the Deschutes, campfires, charades, raucous dinners, and ping-pong.
When I returned from the states, there were only about three weeks until Solanyel left the country to work at a spa on a cruise ship, departing from Iceland and touring Europe. She is a doctor and got a job as an aesthetic practitioner. We expected her to be gone for 7 months. Her departure was heartbreaking, to say the least.
That being said, her wonderful and premature return home four months later was a cause for celebration. A lot of hugs and kisses.
We didn't waste time in planning our next trip and soon booked our flights to the Dominican Republic for winter break. Time to go diving!
It is worth noting that soon after we arrived I had a pretty nasty throat infection and fever. This hindered my ability to get in the ocean and dive non-stop. Lucky for me, I had a doctor with me and she was kind enough to take care of me during a rough 2-3 days. But I was really tough and strong with the whole thing. You probably couldn't even tell I was sick. I'm not really sure what Sol was talking about when she rolled her eyes said that I was "just like every other man when he gets sick. A total baby who can't do anything for himself."
Psh. I don't believe it.
So, thanks to Sol, I rallied and we moved forward with diving. On the third day, she worked on some basic training and we hired a private boat to hit the water and get out to the reefs and wrecks. She was a natural! She learned everything quickly and swam like a fish. I was impressed.
I couldn't believe it. Sol has dove twice in her life and already saw a shipwreck and an octopus! How cool. I couldn't help myself and had to make a video for her.
All in all, it was a great little vacation. Sol crushed the arepas every morning for breakfast and kept my belly full. She is as thoughtful as she is pretty.
Back home for our recent anniversary, we played pickleball, painted, made sushi (first time!), danced, went bowling, and worked on another half-dozen activities together.
And finally we tried our hand at rolling sushi...
And there we go. I reckon we're about all caught up with the year! Thanks for sticking around. Clearly, Venezuela is treating me well. I'm happy to be here.
What a wonderfully sweet post, Peter! I enjoyed it thoroughly, as I do with all your posts. I'm SO glad you take the time to put them together so thoughtfully! Thanks for sharing!!