6.9.17 Update:

#GirlsTrip2017 looks a little different from previous years, but I can say with great certainty that it will be equally epic. Life happens, schedules change, but our love for each other is like none other. So much so that these crazy, wonderful people are coming to me this weekend for laughter, memory making, and a whole lotta togetherness. Yes, you read that right: We are getting Funky in Funkytown. You can consider yourself warned.

I’m currently working on the hashtag, previously we’ve had:

• I will Aruba your fupa
• I will Coasta your Rica
• I will Punta Your Cana

Maybe #FortWorthFunked

Undeniably these girls are my counsel, my sounding board for all things life has dealt, and this sprinkle of Jesus hit the nail on the head:

Get ready for picture overload!

Attending Tarleton State University after high school was a no brainer. I had been accepted to Texas A&M and Tech, but Tarleton fit everything I was looking for in a college and most importantly, staying close to home allowed me to be involved in my twin sisters junior and senior years of high school. Being too far from them has never been an option.

Tarleton was easily the best 4 years of life, and the friendships I gained there are as much a part of me today as they were all those years ago. The best part of the relationships that started years ago in Stephenville are the memories we’ve made since then. It’s easy to be friends, if for no other reason than that we were geographically connected, but as the years went on we had to be more intentional with our time together, planning hours of phone calls to discuss the most boring of topics just to hear the other person laugh, driving hours on end to spend one evening together. My girls are the foundation of who I am, and the absolute best thing I got out of my time at Tarleton.

In the spring of 2011 Kacy had the great idea that we needed to take an annual girls trip. For the first time in our lives we had the means and availability to venture out and see the world together. That summer, four adult-ish girls set out on the first of many adventures and spent a few days at Riu Palace in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

From there we were hooked! Every conversation eventually veered toward where we would go on out next girls trip. Summer 2012 took us to Iberostar in Montego Bay, Jamaica.

Summer 2013 we went to Barcelo Bavaro in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.

Summer 2014 we met and fell in love with our travel agent, Lora Wyllie at It’s Your World Travel. She changed our life and our travel experiences for the better. That year we stepped out of the crystal blue waters of the Caribbean and ventured to the gorgeous Riu Place Guanacaste in Costa Rica.

Summer 2015 we had a decision to make: go new, or redo and do better. Lora called me one rainy, cold day in February and said “Can you swing one more day of vacation? It’s $7 difference if I bring you home Thursday vs. Friday so I’m leaving you there one more day.” We spent an entire week soaking up the sun at the Riu Palace in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.

Summer 2016 had an agenda: up our price point and flight time to prep for the BIG 30 trip in Summer 2017. Lora came to our rescue again and we couldn’t believe anyone would ever willingly leave Riu Palace Aruba. Easily the most beautiful beach I have ever napped on.

Summer 2017 will be upon us soon enough. The BIG 30 trip might wait a year to let the baby of the bunch (Lisa Girl) catch up. Bahamas? A cruise? St. Maarten? the options are endless. We haven’t booked yet, but it will no doubt be another epic trip with my favorite girls.

Each trip brought new light to our evolution into adults – checking test scores, defying diagnosis limits, big moves, new jobs, broken hearts, and new love. We’ve met some fun, crazy people along the way that we keep up with on Facebook. Social media is truly a wonderful thing.