Little Cayman // making memories

Last month, we took the short hop from Grand Cayman to Little Cayman to spend a weekend in the Cayman's Island's version of paradise. It had been over two years since we last visited, and that trip was so memorable and enjoyable that it took very little convincing to plan another weekend "away".

On our last trip to LC, we went with a bunch of other people and rented a big house to all stay together for a big slumber party weekend vacation. That worked so well that we did it again - this time at the Sir Turtle Beach Villas, a little closer to the airport than before.

With one rental car among 10 adults (plus one kid plus one puppy), we pretty much stayed put the whole weekend, primarily traveling via kayak during the day and enjoying the pool when the sun got strong. 

The chilled out atmosphere lent itself to guitar sing-a-longs and naps in the hammock.

Big, empty, beautiful spaces like this absolutely clear the mind. I forget the definition of stress here.

But somewhere in there--I don't know how exactly--two full-grown kids got a bet going involving hair. Specifically, chest hair and sideburns. Here's a preview:

Yeah, it's hard to explain. Better to just show you.

It all makes sense now, right??

So after finishing the video montage and sending it around for the group to see, a few from our party got really nostalgic and somehow managed to dig up this video from our early days in Cayman:




In case you're a new-ish reader to this blog, the above video from 2010 featured J&S, B&K, R&M, and our tiny, terrible little boat. What memories!

Full disclosure: I was a mess by the end of watching this. It took me completely off guard, and made me realize how much I love and miss friends from afar. A whole slew of sappy emails started going around, and then BK unearthed this treasure:




Here's the point I want to make. Sob-fests and tissues and nostalgia aside, the memories you make with the people you care about are beyond priceless. Weeks and months have passed since these events, but they are still fresh in my mind when I see these photos and videos. Taking the time to go away for a weekender or even just sharing a casual bonfire on the beach with friends goes on a long way in terms of building community and relationships over the course of one's short life. These are the experiences I will carry with me forever, even if all these faces one day move away.

Thank you to Google's Auto-Awesome feature for this wacky gif.

So go. Go strike a pose. Go wax someone's chest. Go catch a fish. Go eat a s'more. Go grab a friend. 

Go make a memory.

More LC memories here.