Last week I headed to Negril, Jamaica with a pile of my family for vacation. I say "my" because my wife and I both prefer to refer to our in-law's as just family. Both of us feel very fortunate to truly love our in-laws and so we try not to assign labels of "yours" and "mine" to our respective parents and siblings. But if you've followed along with this blog, you know that I married into Appomattox River Company and that my wife is one of two daughters born to ARC owner, Bob Taylor, and his wife Martha.

This Jamaica trip was with the original ARC family. Ellen, my sister-in-law, and her family, including 2 kids, my wife and I and our 2 kids, and Bob and Martha. There were ten of us in all, 6 adults and 4 kids under 5. It was amazing. Being able to spend time with family in a beautiful place is truly special.

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I won't pile on with a bunch of family photos, but there was a fair bit of "business" photo ops and fun. Bob had taken a Necky Dorado Kayak down to Jamaica before 9/11 and left it at a place called Nirvana On The Beach. It is a favored spot with the family and they have been travelling there for years. The Dorado was still in great shape despite being a '99 and being stored outside in the island elements for 15 years.

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One of the funniest things was the little sticker I found on the bathroom door in my family's cottage. Each family had their own little cottage and in ours was this reminder of home.

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We haven't made those little stickers in a long time! Pretty cool and really made the serendipity of my life come into full focus.

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The first time my wife and I went to Jamaica together was 5 years back. We met "The Fisherman" that year. He spear fishes out of his kayak and has been doing it for a looonngg time. It's pretty awesome. He always catches something and sells it to folks on the beach or to local restaurants. When he pulls that kayak up on shore the crowd starts to gather.

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I talked to him a bit about the reef and decided to paddle out the next day. I took a telescoping travel rod, some Powerteam Lures baits and headed out the day before we left for some Caribbean kayak fishing. I paddled that Necky Dorado out about 3 miles off shore and trolled around the reef with the big boats.

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I didn't have much luck, but I didn't get skunked. I ended up pulling a couple of Atlantic Lizardfish when I got close to shore. The flats stretched a long ways but had definitely been over-fished.

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When I got back to shore "the Fisherman" was cleaning his haul on the beach. Dude always scores.

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Fishing out of small boats is part of human history and ingrained in our DNA.

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Everyone took turns taking the Dorado out for a paddle.

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Even the kids got to enjoy the kayak.

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There were also a lot of Hobie Kayak and Ocean Kayak sightings up and down the 7 mile beach in Negril.

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I brought my Astral Brewers on this trip and they were the perfect travel and paddling shoes. Good gear makes all the difference and the Brewers style and functionality is great in marine environments.

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Here is the original ARC family posing down in front of an Old Town Canoe some years back.

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The family has grown quite a bit since those early family photos. :)

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Altogether, the family and I had a great vacation. Family is everything and a smiling, laughing family is good for the soul.

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My wife and I did a lot of adventuring before we met. Since meeting we have flung ourselves fully into family. It has been amazing. We are only now learning to carve out little bits of time for ourselves, to satiate our adventurous appetites. It is a balance, finding time for family and personal recreation. Outdoor fun is so very integral to our happiness. While striving to find solo time we must also be careful to cultivate that outdoor passion in our children. This vacation was one of those times when we strove to accomplish both. We tried to find time for solo paddles, scuba dives and beach runs, while also maximizing our children's experiences. It can be tough, but it is paramount to our family dynamic. It was an essential part of the original ARC family and it is essential to our family as well.

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My sister-in-law was watching our kids frolicking in the surf and thought to herself, "That is how I remember my entire childhood. It always felt magical." That is a beautiful sentiment.

Growing up in this paddling family definitely made a positive mark on my wife and her sister. I can only hope that it does the same for my girls.

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See ya on the water!