My family has always loved to travel. Trips all across the northeast for family reunions, road trips to Florida nearly every winter, and that cruise would be the first of three. So finding ourselves falling in love with this little island in the Caribbean wasn't overly surprising. It was, however, a bit terrifying. We had been there twice on cruises before making the jump to staying there for two weeks. It would be just about seven years after we first stepped foot on the island. But we weren't just staying for a couple weeks of vacation, no, we were looking at property. We were starting to realize what the true plan was. The plan that was seven years in the making.
We looked at a few houses, planning on vacationing there and renting it out when we weren't there, but none of them worked. It just wasn't right. They weren't... us... they weren’t home. Finally we went and looked at a piece of property. A view of the ocean, jungle surrounding us, a walk to the beach. But there was nothing on it. Just land. But we all knew it would be our land. It was meant to be. It took us a long time to admit it to ourselves and to each other however. It didn't make sense to buy land, it would be too complicated. But we all knew it was what we were supposed to do. So eventually, we did.
April 1st 2014, we got the call saying we officially own the property. The passing feeling had become a passing thought, the thought turned into a dream, and that dream was becoming a reality. We owned property in Roatan Honduras. So what were we going to do with it? Well, in the time between finding the property and owning it, our little dream of owning a vacation house quickly blossomed into owning a bed and breakfast. Our plans changed multiple times but eventually we had a design. A two story octagon house with a loft and a cupola. The house would be mostly deck since, when you're on the island, you spend most of your time outside anyway. A communal outdoor kitchen, a couple hotel rooms downstairs, eventually a few tent platforms scattered throughout the property for some glamping tents. But would it ever get built?
It took a lot longer to get it built than we thought, or rather, than we were hoping it would. We switched builder's, changed our plans around, impatiently waiting for our dream to become a reality. Then, March 11th 2016, we broke ground. A few long months later we had the main structure. July 2016 my parents would take a trip to the island to do as much building as they could on their own. It still didn't seem possible. So much work still to do...
December 18th 2016 we embarked on a three week trip down to the island. We worked most of the time. So many things needed to be finished before we could rent it out. The Runaway Pineapple Lodge had a name, a location, it was finally becoming an actual destination. From a fleeting feeling to a reality. Almost.
Now, exactly ten years after I first laid eyes on the rolling green hills of the beautiful island of Roatan Honduras, I am proud to say the Runaway Pineapple Lodge is open for business! Looking back at ten years of memories, I see it took a long time, a lot of faith, endless trust, and much perseverance to get where we are. There were so many reasons to quit, so many times we should've given up and let the dream be just that, a dream. But we didn't, we kept going. Even when it didn't make any sense. Because this place, this place to call home so far from home, was meant to be. Meant to be built. Meant to become a reality. And every step we take, I'm so glad we let it become a reality instead of giving up on the dream. Don’t give up on your dreams, especially the ones God puts on your heart. They will come true in the end. They just might take a little longer than you would like them too.
