A Trip To Remember

We'd been planning it for almost a year. The four of us, five days of fun in the sun. The time had finally come! Four sisters heading south of the border for some fun and relaxation. A rendezvous in Atlanta and we were outbound.

Like all things, there are highs and lows. All things come at a cost to some extent, there are ramifications and things that are sacrificed; even for the good things in life. We all sacrificed money to go. We all sacrificed time at work. We all left someone behind to hold things together while we were gone. The time had come and we were going to make the best of it. Things didn't go as picture perfect as we'd have liked. Four girls that haven't been alone together for that long in years, differences are going to pop up. However, I've made a choice. I'm not going to let the hard parts define our time together. Instead, I'm going to focus on what made this a trip to remember.

*Making each other laugh until we cried
*A sunburnt butt
*Attempting to stand on a "concrete" ball
*Successfully standing on a moss covered bird perch in the middle of the ocean
*My first foam party
*Avocado covered floppy hats
*Hair that made Monica from Friends' hair look calm
*Flamingos that may or may not light up
*Swimming 7 miles to snorkel
*Japanese food with no "yum yum" sauce
*Awkward questions that can only be asked and answered with those you love the most
*A shopping trip that we only brought about $80 total with us because we plan well
*Walking 5 miles (Heidi's estimation) to where the river meets the ocean
*Crystal clear waters
*Beautiful sunsets
*Tone deaf drunk lady singing Friends in Low Places
*More food than any person should see at once (or eat for that matter)
*Bubba cups
*Trying to get the perfect picture jumping (it's hard to do)

The list could go on and on. I learned a few other things from that trip. I learned that there is nothing as fierce as the love we have for each other. We may not like each other or the choices the other makes, but no matter what, we've got each other. We're willing to fight, to be a voice, and like it or not we're laying it all out there to each other. Sometimes that hurts. Sometimes those bridges take time to mend. The important thing is that even mending bridges, we've got each others back. There's no stop in that.

It's something that I hope my girls see and mimic as they grow. Some day, they will be the new "fabulous and fearsome four" and they will kick ass (each other's and anyone that gets in the way).  They will love each other through thick and thin. They'll put each other in their place. Because that's what sisters do. They love. They fight. They get mad. They forgive. They have ups and downs. But always, always they love each other with an unending love.

Though not everything on our trip was picture perfect I chose to remember it as a time that can't be replaced. I chose to remember it as time with my sisters that was a blast. Memories that can't be replaced and love that is unending.  I don't know if or when we'll be able to have another sisters' trip, but this one will always be a trip to remember.