I recently returned from my mission trip to the Dominican Republic, and I have to say, it was a phenomenal experience. As I mentioned last month, this was my second trip to the island, but this one was a lot different than the first. On my maiden voyage, we traveled to rural areas and were really roughin\u2019 it. The tools and facilities were rudimentary, and we did all we could to help people out.<\/p>\n
This time, on the other hand, we worked out of San Pedro at a nice, if not totally modern, clinic. A small group of 10 dentists from the States went to assist local dentists in providing care for residents who could not afford modern dentistry. It was a true collaborative effort. For certain parts of the day, one of us would lead and another would assist. Then, we\u2019d switch roles. Now, I don\u2019t speak a lick of Spanish, and a lot of the Dominican dentists were not fluent in English. They probably understood me a lot better than I could them, though. Even with the language barrier, I hope the local dentists enjoyed working with a guy from Eagle, Idaho.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy family, along with my wife\u2019s siblings and their kids, is heading off to Disneyland. When we told our kids, you would\u2019ve thought they\u2019d won the lottery.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
All in all, though, it was a complete joy to work alongside these dedicated doctors and their staff. We put in fillings and dental implants alongside some preventative work. It was a nice change of pace to do some more advanced dentistry, as my first trip was almost exclusively pulling teeth \u2014 and I mean that literally. The staff and patients in San Pedro welcomed us with open arms, and I boarded the plane back to the United States, having made many new friends. Additionally, I had the chance to catch up with an old one. I actually heard about the opportunity from my friend Richie, who I went to dental school with. We hadn\u2019t had a chance to spend time together for several years, and it was wonderful to catch up.<\/p>\n
Now that I\u2019m back in Idaho, I have a trip of an entirely different order to look forward to. My family, along with my wife\u2019s siblings and their kids, is heading off to Disneyland. When we told our kids, you would\u2019ve thought they\u2019d won the lottery. We\u2019ve even started a countdown calendar so that every day feels just a little closer to the big day. Avy, Jett, and Max are 6, 4, and a newborn, respectively, so they\u2019re at the perfect ages to make this journey unforgettable. In a fun bit of irony, my son may be named Jett, but he\u2019s a huge fan of the \u201cCars\u201d series. When I found out that there were \u201cCars\u201d-themed rides at Disneyland, I knew he\u2019d be elated.<\/p>\n
Aside from that huge event on the horizon, we\u2019ll be looking forward to spending Thanksgiving in Rexburg with my in-laws. I always enjoy piling my plate with sweet potatoes. Maybe it\u2019s just my family, but nobody seems to love them as much as I do. Oh well, all the more for me.<\/p>\n
I want to wish everyone reading this a happy Thanksgiving. I hope you have the chance to unwind and enjoy the holiday with your loved ones. As we go around the table, I have a feeling I know what my kids will be bringing up. As for me, I\u2019m so thankful for our incredible team and wonderful community of patients. You\u2019ve made me feel more than welcome in my first full year at the practice, and it fills me with gratitude every day.<\/p>\n
Download This Month’s Newsletter<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Why I’m Thankful for Work and Family I recently returned from my mission trip to the Dominican Republic, and I have to say, it was a phenomenal experience. As I mentioned last month, this was my second trip to the island, but this one was a lot different than the first. On my maiden voyage, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1007","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-chriss-updates","category-newsletter"],"yoast_head":"\n
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