Kirby and I have never found ourselves tracking a hurricane more closely than the week of October 2nd. We are used to the threat of tornadoes back home, but hurricanes…those are a whole new world. Fresh from Missouri, we sat out on our friend’s lanai in Orlando contemplating our options. The Malibu Punta Cana Pro was the last professional competition of the year. It was scheduled for October 7-9 in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. The easy and “safe” thing seemed to be to cancel our flights, but wait, wait, wait…let’s rewind and start from the beginning to get you caught up.
Packing up a Storm
Kirby and I have spent hours upon hours planning and praying about our opportunity to grow Kirby’s School of Wake to Ft. Myers, Florida. We set our departure date for Saturday, October 1st. For weeks, we organized, inventoried, planned and packed. It worked out that we could meet our good friend Trent in Kentucky on that Sunday to do a lesson, so we changed our departure date to Sunday, October 2 (hey, one day off isn’t too bad!)
As we wrapped up final details of our trip we received the news that the Kirby’s School of Wake X46 had found a great new home. This was the day before our scheduled departure date. That was such a great boat for our season and we are so happy for our friends that bought it! (You’ll love it!) [For those of you who don’t know, our lesson boats are for sale at the end of each season. Just something to keep in mind]
COP: Change of Plans
With the last minute change, we packed every inch of my truck with life jackets, wakeboards, bindings, surfboards, office supplies, and then you know…our clothes with what space was left haha. We departed Missouri on early Sunday morning headed for Kentucky Lake. After a fun lesson and delicious dinner with Trent (and our new friends), we took off early the next morning for Orlando. We had purchased flights out of Orlando for Punta Cana because a) they were cheap b) Kirby could ride with his friends while we were in town and c) the Fox store is in the mall there…need I say more?
Florida, We Have Arrived
We pulled into Orlando late Monday night. Can I just say, driving is the craziest thing! You literally sit there all day and yet are exhausted at the end of it. Anyway, this brings us to Tuesday, October 4 where we found ourselves in Orlando on our friend’s lanai debating on if we should check into our flight to the DR scheduled for t
he next morning. After calling the resort, calling the airline, watching the path of the hurricane, discussing with family, praying, praying, and praying…and oh yea praying! We decided to go. I would be lying if I told you I wasn’t nervous at all. We did have a peace about it though. We’ve learned to let the peace of God rule in our hearts when we make decisions, especially tough ones.
At the airport we arrived at our gate to find it mostly empty. Surprise! I guess everyone else had gotten refunds? Our flight was basically our wakeboard friends, Travis Pastrana & his family, and some rando travelers. It was so much fun to have all of us on the same flights – it made traveling a ton of fun! Kirby was able to meet Travis Pastrana and later give him a Wake by Faith Devotional. Travis is someone Kirby’s looked up to for a long time, so that was a really special moment.
La Bienvenida a Punta Cana!
Punta Cana greeted us with a warm tropical breeze. The sun was shining and we were instantly glad we followed our peace to come on the trip. After a bit of confusion getting taxi’s big enough for a plane full of wakeboarders (wakeboarders come with a lot of baggage…literally!) we finally were driving into the gates of the AlSol Luxury Hotel! We were greeted with snacks as we checked in and were escorted to our room. Our room…was more like an apartment! It was GINORMOUS! There was a living room, dining room, small kitchen, a walk-in closet, bedroom, and a bathroom the size of a small country. Ok that’s an exaggeration, but it was big!
With the threat of the hurricane, the extravagant and gorgeous resort was nearly empty with the exception of professional wakeboarders and their families. It was almost eerie first, but then we realized how amazing the situation really was…and the fact that there weren’t any crowded beaches or pools, and no lines for food! Can I get an amen!?
Excursion Excitement
While there, we made time to go on a cave excursion with our friends Mike Dowdy and Daria, Parker Siegele and Alex, Tony Iacconi and Diana, and Cory Teunissen. We saw snakes. We got blurry cave go-pro photos. Talked about clowns. The whole bit. We love being able to build relationships with other riders. That’s what makes our trips so impactful, relationship. [Note: a Waboba ball is a great toy to bring on trips like this…doesn’t take up much space, and is super fun to have.] Our trip then became filled with big dinners, singers serenading us, the beach, ping pong, Spanish lessons with our new friend Marlin, the activities director, and much more.
Kirby’s Contest Run
Due to some difficulties with customs, the contest was delayed until Saturday. Kirby was as prepared as he’d ever been for a contest. All season he had been perfecting his pass and tracking his progress. With the site’s less than ideal wakeboarding conditions, Kirby found himself disappointed. He said, “As I was preparing for my run though, Sydney brought to my attention a verse in Mathew where Jesus calmed the seas for the disciples. I became confident that God could do the same for me on this day.”
When Peter walked on the water, he started off great but then got into doubt and started to sink. This was how Kirby felt. He went into his run with high expectations but once he realized how truly challenging the waters were, he scaled back his run with the intentions of just getting by. This was a mistake he later told me, “I hesitated to go to blind on my batwing-to-blind, roll-to-blind and toeside 720, this with a fall on my crow mobe greatly hurt my overall impression score.”
Don’t Limit God
I chuckle recalling Kirby’s excitement of riding away from his Peat Rose at what felt like 30mph. “Overall, I believe that God wanted to bless me with a stand up run that day, but I limited Him by backing down on what he placed in my heart to do. I should have approached this pass like any other and not hesitated at any point. This was a major learning experience and I will always remember this life lesson in the future.” After the contest wrapped up for the day we headed out to the RAD Cable Park. This is Travis Pastrana’s newest cable park. The grand opening doubled as his birthday celebration, so we got to see him skydive into the site before watching our friends kill it on the cable.
Wake-Cation Comes to an End
On our final day in the Dominican we cruised across the resort to watch the finals and say our goodbyes just in time to catch a cab for our flight home. Our wake-cation had come to a close (sad day!) We had a long layover in Charlotte and then in Miami and finally arrived back in Orlando on Monday, October 10…our one year wedding anniversary! After our Uber ride back to our friend’s house, we quickly re-packed and continued our journey to Ft. Myers, Florida.
Thank You Dispensa-Matic
It’s been a ride my friends. God has given such great opportunities to travel and have unforgettable experiences like these, and for this we are grateful. This trip would not have been possible without the support of Richard Shannon and Dispensa-Matic Label Dispensers. Richard and his company are the backing to every trip Kirby makes through the season. I’m thankful that they allow me to attend with him when I get the chance. We are so fortunate and grateful for the Shannon’s generosity – thank you for allowing God to work and for allowing us to have divine appointments.
Currently, Kirby and I are setting up shop in Ft. Myers for the winter, so we hope you’ll come visit us on your winter trips to escape the cold! Stay tuned for more updates and check out the rest of the photos from this trip on Kirby’s Facebook Page!
Traveling to the Dominican Soon?
Here are some tips!
- Be sure to take cash.
- You really don’t need to exchange money; they take and like American money!
- They really appreciate tips
- Remember to bring sunscreen (it’s SO expensive on the resorts for a tiny bottle.)
- Be careful where you venture off of the resorts if you aren’t familiar with the area.
