Bahama Mama!

When I was 10 years old, Mom and Dad took me to the Bahamas.  Without Zach...sorry, bud.  He was only 3 or 4 at the time so he stayed home (but since then I've definitely heard about his being "left behind").  :)  It was such a great trip -- I remember when we arrived, there was a hurricane headed straight for the islands.  The hotel where we were staying boarded up all their windows and for several hours we were asking to be inside this specific room to wait out the storm safely.  I feel like there wasn't electricity during that time and we played cards in that room at a round booth with candles. But I may be embellishing that part in my head.  By the next morning, the hurricane had shifted its course and it never hit the island so we got to enjoy the rest of our vacation with peace of mind!  I remember getting in the water with dad and dolphins!  We could touch them while we stood with one hand behind our back. It was joyous and memorable.  I also remember walking along the beach with M&D and so many times, I got asked by the local ladies if I wanted my hair braided.  Now, at this time I was in the 4th grade and I had luscious hair down past my waist to my butt.  So if you're a person whose business is hair-braiding for tourists, the my head of hair was the place to be!  We told the ladies "no" time and time again, but eventually we gave in and let one lady braid my hair into tiny little braids!  Not quite cornrows, but they were small individual braids that started at the very top of my head. The lady was quite talkative, I remember, and it made the time pass even if it was slightly awkward. After about 20 minutes, the lady was only halfway done with my head and it was then that Dad thought to ask how much this little interaction was going to cost.  To his surprise, the lady's answer was $2/braid -- and remember how I said that the braids were TINY?  So half of my head had to be at least 20+ little braids!  Add that up and for a fun touristy thing on the beach, we were at least $40 in.  Haha!  Mom and Dad slightly panicked and politely told the lady that would be enough.. Yep, with a half-head of braids, we paid her and up and quit the rest.  I promise that it's not worth $100 for 50 tiny braids that go down to your waist.  We spent the next few nights undoing braids one at a time that also contained sand and saltwater... it was not an easy task!  Again, memorable.  I also have a memory of my first international currency!  M and D bought me a Bahamian bill, carefully packaged in plastic to protect it -- such a colorful bill and I thought it was so special!  We had a fantastic trip and I am so thankful for it, even now.

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Fast forward 22 years (*wide eyes*) and Blu and I took Xander to the Bahamas in June 2018!!!  Xander was 10 years old.  I love when life comes full-circle!

We had a blast! We stayed at an all-inclusive resort on Grand Bahama island.  Xander kept a little travel journal and here are some of the things we did!  Xan did some vlogging, we played in the ocean, found millipedes and all sorts of creatures, paddle boarded (I LOVED it) and kayaked, the boys did the Trapeze, we swam with dolphins, celebrated Father's Day, snorkeled, found more creature, ate lots of nutella and ice cream, played cards, and got some quality time TOGETHER!  It was such a fun, fun trip.

Xan loved talking with the locals, too, which made my traveler's heart excited. I desire to truly instill a love and appreciation for culture in my kids.

Cheers to many more adventures in the future!