The (First) Vision Board Dress

Daydreaming about tropical vacations used to among my favorite pastimes.

Truth be told, once upon a time, I even sold travel. On the side. For a few years. It was fun.

Pre-Mayhem, we were developing the habit of vacationing in places that required we do a whole lotta nothing. Crystal clear water, white sand, and a drinks replenished before we could finish the one in hand. The all-inclusive vacation worked for us. Falling asleep on a lounge chair reading a good book during the day followed by a casual dinner and listening to the waves roll in to finish out the day seemed just about perfect.

Enter Mayhem. There was never a doubt in our minds that once we felt she was old enough, we’d pack her up and head to one of those Mexican or Caribbean resorts. Not that we had the illusion we’d be falling asleep in those lounge chairs, but playing in the sand in the sun or hanging out in the pool all day long doesn’t sound too shabby either.

Enter the food allergy diagnosis. My daydreams of heading to one of those locales came to a screeching halt.

The fear that we may not be able to effectively communicate the severity or extent of Mayhem’s allergies with staff in order to find “safe” meals for her was second only to the terrifying idea that she may need medical attention. And of course, not being able to communicate effectively with medical personnel.

So I’d pretty much given up on the idea of that tropical vacation. For a while anyway.

But fresh off our second Disney trip, in as many years, I’ve decided it’s time to revisit the tropical vacation dreaming. (Don’t get me wrong, Disney is a fabulous vacation with kids, but it’s not what I consider relaxing.) So I pulled out a stack of Travel & Leisure magazines and started tearing out my ideal vacation images.

Which I turned into a vision board. A la a dress for Mayhem. Hey, if the kid is going to follow me around all day, at least she can bring the vision along.

This time the dream is to find a place where we can have a full kitchen, be able to fix our own meals, and feel confident about the ability to communicate (as well as the medical care available). AND still spend our days playing in the sun, sand and crystal clear water. I’ve asked around a lot. And a rental in Grand Cayman may be Mayhem’s first tropical vacation. We’ll see. But I do plan to go ahead and secure that passport for her just in case an amazing opportunity arises sooner rather than later.

In the meantime, this is the dress I’m making her wear everyday. You know, because vision boards are important.

Have any advice for us? We’d LOVE to hear your suggestions for family friendly tropical vacation rentals! (Preferably in a primarily English speaking locale.)