I was recently reminiscing about my
cousin's wedding in
Montego Bay and how much fun we had with the entire family vacationing together. And then I started remembering some of the mishaps and misfortunes that happened on this trip and couldn't help but laugh.
Have you ever been on a perfectly seamless vacation? I'm sure rosy glasses can make anything seem perfect but, when kids are involved, unexpected things are bound to happen.
Most of the extended family arrived a couple days before K and I since they opted for a longer vacation so we missed some of the initial incidences but here's what transpired on this family trip.
Day 1: Hour 1
The groom's sister and her family with three young girls all under the age of nine were one of the first to arrive. As soon as the parents checked into the hotel and got settled, Chloe, the 3-year old hightailed it for the pool and jumped right in even though she doesn't know how to swim. So we had a near death drowning experience upon arrival.
On day two, Chloe's 6-year older sister got stung by a jellyfish while swimming in the ocean. If you've ever been stung by a jelly fish, you'd know it's extremely painful especially for a child to endure.
Everyone trucked along enjoying our vacation in paradise and had a blast at all the events leading up to the wedding.
With all the swimming and water activities during the day, my cousin's sweet 2-year old Zoe developed a terrible ear
infection which had her screaming in pain by the time the wedding
ceremony came around. With no access to proper medication, Zoe's mom felt
helpless with the little supplies she had packed for the trip.
Meanwhile, Zoe's adorable baby
brother was the center of attention with all the Jamaican mosquitos and ended up sporting red polka dots on his soft baby skin.
Dominic, my 3-year old nephew, got bitten by a stray cat on the resort so my mom, being the nurse in the family, rushed him and his parents off to the local hospital. I don't know all the details from the waiting room but it took them over 8 hours to return and Dom's parents spent hours trying to get in contact with their family doctor and sort things out with their insurance company back at home.
I'll round this up with my teenage niece who was a also a bridesmaid in the wedding. She got sunburnt so badly in the first couple days leaving her with a florescent pink tan and in pain for the rest of the trip, even though she said she applied sunblock over and over. Oh teenagers!
With all misfortunes aside, I love my family and it was still an extremely fun and memorable vacation. There's never a dull moment when you have a big family and especially when kids are involved!
Maybe I'll create a Never A Dull Moment series and talk about all that goes wrong with adults or in the workplace or life happenings in general...