Memories

     I love memories- especially the ones you didn't plan. I love those "spur of the moment" ideas that you end up remembering for the rest of your life. Since I've been feeling nostalgic these past few days, I would like to share some of my fondest memories with you.
     April of my eighth grade year, my best friends and I went on an adventure. We've done some crazy stuff these past few years, but this day never ceases to still bring a smile to my face. That day, my friends and I walked around aimlessly, found cool graffiti walls, swam in a river, and climbed giant hills and rocks. Honestly, I remember that day like it was yesterday. We ended our day by a bonfire, making s'moores, and sleeping in a tent full of blankets, where we woke up the next day in the sun to pancakes. There were five of us, so that night was the first time we ever had a sleepover with all of us together, and to this day, that was one of the best nights of my life. The idea of being with people you love and just doing whatever you wanted to at the time is a feeling I'll never forget.
     Another memory that I think of often happened this past July in the Caribbean. I was with my family in the Cayman Islands, and me being me, I wanted to go on an adventure. Finding new places by myself is something I've always done to clear my head and have some time to myself, so I thought what better time to have some fun then in another country? So, when we had some down time, I left the room my sister and I were staying in and just decided to find someplace to explore. I went to a woody area across the street from our hotel, and I was pulling out my camera to capture the moment when I noticed a lizard out of the corner of my eye. This was no ordinary lizard- you see, the Cayman Islands are known for their blue iguanas, which are literally like 4 feet long. This lizard was MASSIVE, and when I realized that my heart stopped. I tried to walk away slowly when I heard the leaves rustle behind me and I kid you not, at least five more four foot lizards came out of nowhere and surrounded me. Being alone, I thought I was going to be eaten alive, so I tried my best to slowly leave the area and once I saw the street I booked it. That was probably not only the stupidest and scariest thing I've ever done, but one of the funniest ones to look back on.
     One final memory I want to share happened this past January. When we had all those snowdays, one of my favorite singing groups,  Fifth Harmony, announced that they were doing a signing on the other side of Boston on a day we had off, and my friends and I HAD to go. We didn't even have rides or a days notice, but we woke up, got ready, and managed to get there with no exact plan. We just knew that it would be worth it in the end, even if we were stranded across Massachusetts. We went to the place where it was at 11, and spent six hours at this mall we've never even heard of, to meet 5H not once, not twice, but three consecutive times. While we were there, we planned out our rides home and everything, so we were no longer worried, but going all the way to Hanover with no real plan eight hours after you made plans was one of the most courageous and rebellious things I'll probably ever do. It was worth it though, because I had an amazing day with my friends full of laughs and exciting memories.
     So yeah, I've done some risky and not-so-smart things in my short lifetime so far, but those are the memories I will remember forever. There's a quote that goes "Life happens when you're busy making other plans," and I feel like this resonates with me a lot because the best memories I've made were ones I never intended on making. So go and do something risky, I promise you it'll be 100% worth your while.