This past summer I traveled with eight of my closest friends to The Bahamas. We went to celebrate our sweet sixteen as a mother-daughter trip. We departed on August 15, packing 18 of us onto a party bus to the airport.  Our vacation started with trauma as there were some airport difficulties resulting in almost missing our flight. But-this was just a minor set back as we had countless adventures awaiting us. Even though we were only staying for a short period of time, it was a trip of a lifetime. We also made sure to keep a close eye on the weather as hurricane season approached.

We started our vacation with relaxation and endless hours laying on the beach. Although there were some dark clouds above us, we still managed to get a nice sun tan. We went kayaking, canoeing and the best of road on a banana boat. The banana boat was pulled by speedboat going at a very fast pace where two girls flew off and had to swim back to shore! The fun had just begun though.. Each night all the girls went back to their rooms and freshened up for fancy dinners and photoshoots on the beach. 

The second day was incomparable. All 18 tourists packed onto a small boat that took us out to see the special excursions planned for us. We began with snorkeling in the middle of the ocean seeing fascinating fish of all sorts. The boat later took us to a special island where feral pigs live! We got to meet these beautiful pigs and take great shots with them. Our day trip ended with great music and dancing as we rolled back into shore. 

The next few days were just as great and everyone had tremendous amounts of fun. Most would agree the mothers had just as great of a time, if not more! The last day blues approached and everyone was sad to go home. 

Just a few days later, Hurricane Dorian smashed the paradise we had just experienced and the Bahamas were devastated by immense amounts of damage. As lucky as we were to enjoy the beautiful island safely a week prior, we could not believe what had happened to our new favorite vacation spot. 

We developed strong bonds with some of the workers in our resort and kept in touch with them after our stay. Our favorite employee as referred to as “Lil Mo,” gave us heartbreaking updates as to what had happened to her hometown and the resort “Baha Mar” that we previously stayed at. The entire community and resort was torn to shreds and required an insane amount of construction. We asked if there was anything we could do to help the community, and Lil Mo replied, “Just keep us in your thoughts and prayers.”