the art of saying goodbye.3

As B&K neared their island departure date in early July, we realized that J&S were heading to the States in mid-June, leaving little time for all of us to hang out as a group. As a result, SS and I wanted to plan something for the six of us to do together before we all went our separate ways. Always the creative one, SS took the initiative to design a newsletter-style invitation to our "last hoorah" - a day of fun doing what we do best - hanging out, acting silly, and eating.

Here's the newsletter, complete personal notes from the four of us to B&K. (Click the "Scribd" button in the lower left to view an expandable version.)

the last hoorah

Once the day of fun was planned, all that was left to do was to execute. Here is the photo evidence:

We did indeed start at the Ritz. The sun never showed (thanks, hurricane season), but that didn't stop us from lounging around that gorgeous property.

As I've mentioned before on this blog, the Ritz serves all-around amazing menu items, so it didn't take much to convince NS to orderinto a gourmet poolside burger.

And with the sun not out in full-force, the hot tub was actually mildly tempting.

When we'd had our fill of relaxation (actually, when our stomachs told us it was time for more snacks), we ventured over to B&K's apartment for "chips and cheese" - one of BK's specialties. Freshly grated, melted cheddar over nacho chips equals a hit for this crowd any day.

Finally, in our progressive dinner-styled day, we all crashed our condo to make "breakfast for dinner", complete with compulsory pajamas - another one of our favorite themes. But before we stuffed ourselves, we thought it would be fun to do a silly beach photo shoot to commemorate all the good times we've had together.

J&S got right into character.

I must have made a comment about how troubled JS looked in his sleep, because soon SS got the giggles.

KK set up her tripod, allowing all of us to get in the shots together. Since we didn't have a remote, the funniest thing was watching poor KK dash from the camera to the photo op and back to the camera between shots.

Most of the following shots were given to me by KK, so be sure to check out her related blog post for other great photos that I didn't include here.

It all started out very civilized...

    photo credit: KK

...but then the gymnastics began.

 photo credit: KK

BK is in the middle of a major warning about necks and whatnot. J&S ignored.

I love this one of B&K attempting the Dirty Dancing lift. We all tried it, with very limited success, and with unlimited laughter.




Jumping photos never get old, probably because there is no way to make them look graceful.

 photo credit: KK

Waiting for the timer is the hardest part.

Coordinated bunch, we are.

 photo credit: KK

NS: Too tall. JS: Power Ranger. Me: Jewelry box ballerina.
SD: Licking her hand?? KK: Too cool to jump. BK: Shaking his tail feather.

We did the classic pyramid thing, but that was too easy. We then thought it would be really smart to pile everyone on top of one person.

 photo credit: KK

KK is in the midst of yelling, "Girls I need a leg up! Now!"

 Well how did you expect it to end?

    photo credit: KK

So we split up the weight, which seemed to work for at least half of the enthusiastic group.

    photo credit: KK

With glamour shots over, it was time to end our day with the perfect starter: A hot breakfast prepared by the boys.

While NS fried the bacon, BK made his famous "Eggs Brentadict" - cheesy scrambled eggs. J&S served Dutch Babies, KK warmed up Creme Brulee French Toast, and I took photos. And nibbled on my own favorite Chocolate Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins.

Brinner / dreakfast is served!

The very next day, J&S flew off to their summer vaca, and our numbers were slashed by a third.

The six of us really have been thick as thieves over the past two years, and it's hard to express how much each individual means to NS and me. We've spent countless nights and weekends together, hanging by the pool, playing volleyball, volunteering at church, role playing in a Murder Mystery Party, watching shows like Community and The Voice, boating, participating in a church Community Group, and obviously, making and eating a lot of food. I am so glad that all of us lived in Grand Cayman at the same time so we could share all these memories together.

    photo credit: KK


    photo credit: KK