Slippity Slide
April kicked off with a bang…or should I say a slide? We ventured to Paradise Island, Bahamas to Atlantis for spring break with our neighbors and had AN AMAZING TIME! The kids played so hard all day and night, rode as many waterslides as their height would allow and we definitely got our exercise walking around that expansive property. Brayden started the trip saying how she wouldn’t go on any waterslides that were enclosed or dark inside, but she quickly abandoned that mentality and was very brave! Everyone’s favorite ride was called the Surge & the Falls. It was basically a lazy river on steroids that had large waves which knocked people out of rafts (Trent!) and then took you through caves with whitewater. We took the GoPro with us and enjoyed getting footage while actually on the rides! We went snorkeling a few times (Brayden did awesome at this!). She actually saw a barracuda with Keith one day and didn’t freak out at all (I’m not sure she knew exactly what it was), but then got worried when she saw a school of fish. I’d say it was definitely a success considering it was her first time snorkeling in the ocean! We had a beautiful view from our room and had to play the “towel game” each morning to make sure we had our spot saved for later in the day. We were all so exhausted at the end of each day. The food was delicious (with the exception of one restaurant) and the staff was very friendly and helpful. Trent and I were able to have three date nights while we were there (two with Nina & Keith, one by ourselves). For the one by ourselves, we dined at Nobu and it was incredible. We have been to the ones in Miami and NYC, so this experience was just a fabulous! However, the entire resort is SO. FREAKIN’. EXPENSIVE. I know since we were there for spring break that rooms and flights were ridiculously overpriced, but that’s economics for you (supply and demand). Throughout the week, we kept seeing these small, food service trucks driving all over the property. The first time that happened, the kids just happened to be acting up a bit, so we told them it was a kids’ jail and that all the bad kids get put in there and driven away. Probably a bit cruel, but I think they believed us for the first couple days. They were convinced that there was ice in there to keep the kids cold as well as monsters and other animals. The tactic worked and everyone was laughing about it throughout the week.
We returned home from that trip and Trent/Keith ran the Marine Corp Mud Run with the F3 crew. From what I’ve seen of the photos, mud looks really good on Trent. That evening, we enjoyed a girls’ night out while the boys did the same and did a bit of dancing. We had an absolute blast. I am so lucky to have such wonderful girlfriends here! We keep each other laughing and already have the next one on the books. Brayden baked cupcakes with one of her best friends from school and donated the money to the Levine Children’s Hospital (it was her idea), so that was a nice philanthropic activity!
The rest of the month was filled with evening activities like music at Blakeney, a princess date night for Trent and Brayden with their Y Guide tribe, and my 20-year high school reunion. It was so great seeing some of my friends from high school and I was able to reconnect with one of my great friends, Stina. We definitely plan on getting together with her family sometime this summer. I did notice that most of the girls looked the same, while the guys may have aged a bit more. All in all, it was so awesome and I can’t wait for my 25th or 30th reunion! Also, Papaw had his 90th birthday. Lookin’ good, Papaw!
Brayden-ism
- Instead of saying “repairs”, she used the word “repairments”.
- We were somewhere one day and she looked at some adults and yelled out (from the car), “Act like a kid, people. Do what you want. One day, you’re going to have to pay taxes.” (Seriously, where does she get this from?)
Hanleigh-isms
- When asked if a boy in her class was her boyfriend, she said, “No. Not now, but he will be my boyfriend in middle school and high school.”
- When talking about kid jail, I said, “Behave or you could go to kid jail.” to which she responded, “There are no kid jails in North Carolina.” I said, “Yes, there are.” And she said, “No, there’s not.” I said, “Yes, there are. Where do you think all the bad people go?” She said, “Lost Angeles.”
