In Honor of my Nephew, Andrew

STOP!  You can't read this unless you promise not to tell Andrew about this post.  It'll embarass him, and I don't want to do that during his special week.

I am excited!  My nephew, my parents' first grandchild, is graduating from high school this weekend.  I just can't believe that the baby boy who 'initiated me' properly on his second day of life is moving on to college.  Andrew was the apple of my parents' eyes, he is ALL they would talk about.  Until Emily came along.  Then their every conversation revolved around 'him' and 'her'.  They didn't even use their names.  As if every people group in the whole world was putting its entire thought life into 'what can we do for these babies?' like Granny and Pawpaw were doing.  Like I was supposed to automatically know who they were talking about!  In a store up in Estes Park, looking at toys;  "Frank, what do you think about this drum for him, and maybe this little doll for her?".  It really used to make me mad.  After all, they never talked about my husband's and my dogs like that.  To make matters even more traumatic, they put Andrew's crib in MY room, the one with the red carpet where I grew up!  And I can tell you I let them know right quick how I felt about that.  But it didn't matter.  It was for 'him'.  Then for 'her'.  (And besides I was already married and gone.)

Since Cindy's and my parents have both gone to that Great RV Park in the sky now (I hope they're parked next to Elvis!), Evie and I will be helping to represent the Parhams.  Cindy's and my step-mother will be there if at all possible, but she has a whole nother list of grandkids on her side who are graduating and getting married.  None the less, it makes me feel warm all over knowing that she will try her best.  Even if she doesn't make it, I am already grateful for her effort.

Anytime I reminisce about Mama and Daddy, my thoughts turn to travel.  In the realm of Andrew and Emily, they loved to take Andrew camping.  Mama died when Emily was just a little over 2 years old.  I don't recall whether they ever took her camping without my sister or not.  But I can remember the stories about taking Andrew.  Mama would tell me "He had the best time, just walking around, picking up rocks!", as if he had discovered both nuclear fusion AND fission in one weekend.  And, to that, I was supposed to jump around and act crazy because he performed such a marvelous feat.  Imagine the nerve they had - expecting me to be involved in their excitement!  That little interloper took my place!  I was the baby of the family!  Not 'HIM'!  Many a conversation started with "Guess what 'he' did???", and I would do my duty and ask what tremendous discovery he had come up with now.  Which ever ridiculously frenzied grandparent that was talking didn't seem to notice my complete and utter apathy.  They lived for those towheaded little kids.

And talked at length about how they were going to take them to Disney World, take them on an airplane somewhere just for dinner (Daddy worked for Delta and that was a possibility), Mama talked about doing an Alaskan cruise.  They had such plans to show their grandchildren everything they could.  You know from reading previous posts here that my sister and I saw more of the United States than some kids our age knew existed. And Granny and Pawpaw were moving on to the next generation.  They were going to create those memories for Andrew and Emily.

But life stepped in.  Mama was diagnosed a second time with melanoma, and in a few short months, it was all over.  Things were pretty tough for a while, as we each worked through our grief in various ways. But one thing never changed:  Pawpaw's love for his grandkids.  They were the reason he dragged himself out of a destructive fog and back into life.  He missed being their Pawpaw, the obvious center of Emily's universe and Andrew's best buddy.

I do believe that if it weren't for Andrew and Emily, we might not have seen 'our' Daddy again.  I'm not sure I've ever thought about it until now, but I think they were THE reason he came back to us. We had about 12 years with him before his lungs gave out. So I guess I ought to thank that interloper for doing something he probably doesn't know he did.

Now he has a ginormous scholarship to the same college where I met my beloved in 1980.  He's pretty happy about going to Mercer University - they have a Chick-fil-A in the food court!  More than that, they have the engineering program to which he feels drawn.  I would tell you what it is, but I'm sure it has more letters than I know.  He has so much going for him, he made like 8 gazillion on his SAT.

More importantly, he loves Jesus!  His heart has been in a continuous molding process in the Master's hands. Its funny that sometimes our purpose is clear, and we strive everyday to get to it and give it our all.  And sometimes our purpose doesn't really show up for many years.  There has already been a great purpose for Andrew's life.  And now he's been given another one.  I pray he depends on God to show him what it is.  He'll do it with all his heart.  This I know.

So here I go, creating memories for my little one, for me, for us, for our family.  Flying on an airplane to the biggest family event we've had in a long time. Granny and Pawpaw might not be sitting in the seats with us watching, but the pride they feel in their grandson will undoubtedly be somehow present. 

Mickey Mouse, The Hunger Games, and Perception, Part III

Part III

And Now, The Moral of Our Story

This week I saw yet another disturbing story out of Mexico.  Warring drug cartels are playing their own version of The Hunger Games right out in public.  The result is an epidemic of torture and death on all sides.  So who is up for a vacation in Mexico????  Well, I am!

Nuevo Laredo is a town that sits right at the border of Mexico and Texas, south of San Antonio.    Let’s take a look at some numbers.  You all know I am a Math geek, and this is how I make sense of the world.

One of the most popular Mexico vacation destinations for North American travelers is Cancun.  To give us some frame of reference, think of Mexico as an upside down cornucopia; its large mouth at the top where Mexico meets the U.S., the small pointy end curves down and to the right.  Cancun is all the way down to the tip of the pointy end.  The Gulf of Mexico is kind of cradled by Mexico on its west and south sides. 

Here is a little map that might help:

Now, the driving distance from Nuevo Laredo to Cancun is 2,545 km, or about 1,582 miles.  Cabo San Lucas on the Baja peninsula is also a very popular destination for Americans and Canadians.  Nuevo Laredo is separated from Cabo San Lucas by 1739 km, approximately 1082 miles.  The current red-headed step child (no offense to those of you who are either/or/both) of Mexico according to the U.S. media is Mazatlan, which sits about even with Cabo San Lucas on the western edge of Mexico proper, across the Sea of Cortez.  The distance from the violence?  1110 km,  690 miles or so.

Yesterday we determined that Walt Disney World is 1100 miles from New York City.  Yet Laura Beth, your friend and roommate, was very anxious about visiting WDW because of the violence in New York City.  And you gently helped her to understand that just because she sees stories of violence concerning NYC, there is no direct correlation between that violence and her family being harmed if they visit Disney World.

Likewise, in spite of the sensationalistic news stories we see regarding violence in Mexico, Cancun, Cabo and Mazatlan are still very safe destinations.  Who wants to see you get hurt less than you do?  The resorts!!!  They want you to feel safe, comfortable, pampered and confident about their destination so that you can come home and tell your friends.

The bottom line here is please don’t be afraid of Mexico.  You will be in good hands, your family will be protected.  Abide by the guidelines you offered to Laura Beth above.  Use your brain, don’t do stupid things, and there is left only a slight, miniscule, Lilliputian possibility that your family will be troubled by violence.

These three destinations and others, like Central Florida, survive by tourism.  They are hurting.  They need our business and support.  Due to that fact, pricing is incredible right now. 

If you are looking for a safe, fun, all-inclusive option for your family’s vacation this year, do yourself a favor and let me investigate Mexico for you.  I’ve personally been to Mazatlan, Cancun, Cozumel and Puerto Vallarta.  I missed the call at Cabo San Lucas because I had to stay on the cruise ship with a sick girly, but my husband and older daughter say that Cabo is their favorite Mexico destination.  (It is the home of El Arco, Land’s End.)

As a teaser, check this out:

http://www.travimp.com/hotel.php?msg=sjdpbs

Then give me a call!  719.683.8733, 888.87LEGACY

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Thank you for allowing me to serve you as Your Favorite Travel Agent.  My family appreciates your business, your trust and your loyalty.  99% of my new business comes through referrals.  If you have friends or family looking for help in planning their travel, I’d love for you to pass them my name.  Referrals that result in a completed booking are nicely rewarded!

Mickey Mouse, The Hunger Games, and Perception, Part II

Yesterday we were discussing your imaginary friend from London who wanted to bring her children to the United States, but fear was threatening to keep her safely (or so she thought) across the Atlantic.  As promised, here is Part II.

You say to Laura Beth, your close friend of many years, “I certainly understand your concern and appreciate your caution.  Let’s look at your fears with some perspective.  Maybe I can help you get a little context.” 

You don’t have it in you to judge unfairly Laura Beth’s desire to keep her family out of harm’s way.

New York City can be a violent place, you admit to her.  You’ve lived there a long, long time.

First, you present her with some facts.  The vast majority of violence in New York City is attributed to gang activity and turf wars.  Illegal drugs play a huge role in this tempest.  Yes, unfortunately innocent lives are sometimes affected.  But no more than anywhere else, whether large city or small.  The best prevention: research ahead of time and know where NOT to go; never involve yourself in any illegal activity; use your head and your feet – if you have followed the first two hints and still something feels wrong, walk away.  Curiosity – well, sometimes it can be a not so good thing.  Just ask the cat.

Next, talk about distance.  So she may not ever want to visit you in New York City.  Accept that.  But why avoid The Happiest Place on Earth (besides Costco) because of violence somewhere else in the country.  You tell her that Walt Disney World is in Central Florida, and that is a LONG way from NYC.  In fact, it is over a thousand miles – roughly 1,100 miles. 

Further, convey to her that the theme parks, Orlando, and all of Central Florida know very well about her concerns – they also watch the news and read the paper.  They have top notch security at all levels and in all venues.  Don’t be afraid to take a taxi from a hotel, to eat in a restaurant on a main thoroughfare, to shop in a tourist district.  Destinations or activities which desperately rely on tourists’ dollars are extraordinarily pro-active in their security.    Your safety truly is their top priority.

Assure Laura Beth that in a good way, there is always someone watching in Central Florida.  The Floridians’ value the act of NOT paying state income tax – they MUST have tourists.  And it would look pretty bad for them if the state had out of control violence and murder.  In particular, Central Florida is one of THE safest places in the world.  Of course you can’t guarantee her that absolutely nothing bad will ever happen – no one can give that guarantee, even in London – her own hometown.

Let her know that to judge all of the United States, or one small part of it, based on the media’s portrayal of another small part of it, does harm to so many.  You tell Laura Beth that she would be shortchanging herself and her children if she lets fear conquer her desire to show her family the world.  The give her the phone number for Your Favorite Travel Agent.

Tomorrow: Perception!

Mickey Mouse, The Hunger Games, and Perception 

When I was growing up in Atlanta, back when dinosaurs roamed the earth, my sister and I would often play “Tend Like”.  “Tend like” was actually the phrase we used to give direction to ourselves and to each other during the game.   For example, I might have said “Tend like we are going to a fancy dance with our boyfriends.  I’ll tend like my boyfriend is David Cassidy”, to which Cindy might say in return “Then my boyfriend is Bobby Sherman”.   And so the game would proceed as we pretended that we were putting on make-up (we probably used mud and/or dirt) and getting dressed for an evening with our distinguished dates.  David and Bobby never showed up - we probably got bored with the game just after they stood us up so we would eventually quit.  It was unbelievably fun, although to the current iGeneration it probably sounds about as much fun as watching a black and white TV that you actually had to get up and walk across the room to change the channel.**  Tend Like was a terrific way for us to learn empathy and how to relate to people in various situations. 

**My side note is that my Mother was very convenience-minded and DID have remote control back in those days.  She had two of them.  Their names were Cindy and Laurie.  "Girls!", she'd yell to the back of the house.  "Come in here and put the TV on the Braves game". But I digress..... 

Today, I would like to play “tend like” with you.  Are you ready?

Imagine (tend like) you live in New York City.  You have a job you enjoy with people who treat you with respect and give you opportunities for growth and promotion.  The friends you have made join you often at concerts, Broadway productions, street vendors and all things NYC.  Your opinion is that you have the life that everyone else can only drool over, and you live in the most exciting city in the world.  So far, so good.

Your long-time college roommate, who is originally from and now lives in London, calls and suggests that she would like to bring her children for a visit the United States.  We’ll give her a completely random name – Laura Beth.  And randomly name the school you both attended – say, maybe Mercer University.  You’ve not seen Laura Beth in almost 15 years, and this news sends you to the moon!  You shriek like Gus and Sean in an episode of “Psyche”.  You ask her “When and where would you like to visit?”.  She replies that her kidlets have never been to Walt Disney World and are having a fit to see Mickey Mouse next Fall.

 In your mind the wheels are turning – how can you surprise her once she gets to Orlando?  You held each other’s hands through some pretty difficult times while and since you shared a room so long ago.  Your excitement quickly crescendos to mind-boggling  heights, and all you can think about is the moment you will have that sweet surprise reunion with one who has contributed so much to your life.

You immediately start making your post-phone call list:

·         Contact Your Favorite Travel Agent (you know who that is, right?) and ask her to book your WDW package and possibly Laura Beth’s package as well.

·         Purchase new warm weather gear and comfortable shoes.

·         Find someone to take care of your dogs for the week you are gone.

·         Stop the mail, the paper, the milk.

·         Call your neighbor and ask her to water your plants.

Your mental exercise continues as the list grows. How fabulous it will be to see your cherished friend again!!!

Then, you are stunned into speechlessness when you hear the following coming from the telephone: 

“It makes me nervous, though, to think about bringing my kids to a country plagued with such savagery.” 

“Savagery?”, you think to yourself.  “ Really?  You mean the country where I live???”?

And this information comes from what source???  Finding your voice, you ask her just that.  Why ”The Mirror” she says, London’s quasi-equivalent to USA Today.  She explains that she reads articles every single day about how New Yorkers are killing each other at an expeditious rate, and everybody who is anybody knows that the United States has a reputation for brutal carnage.  After all, she sees this kind of news on the television, too.  Surely with two such reliable sources, this must be Truth (with a capital T!).

You think to yourself that you are a New Yorker, you feel safe in your city.  Does that make you an idiot, does it mean you have been hiding your head in the sand?  In fact, you get a little offended by her assumption that you’ve naively chosen to subject yourself to a dangerous city every day of your life.

Laura Beth then wonders aloud if it is worth putting her little family into inescapable peril just to see an amiable rodent.  An intelligent, confident, educated woman is Laura Beth.  She is a thinker.  As for you - the idea that she has such fear of the United States just can't find a place to settle in your brain.  To be afraid of America, the land of the free, home of the (and because of the) brave?  

 “I’ll be traveling without my husband this time – it’s a little disconcerting to imagine myself flying solo with the kiddos and finding my way around America, a country so rife with indiscriminate violence; where every day, Joe Normal is simply walking home from work and gets shot in the head.  Or worse!”

Oh my goodness! Dumbfounded, you wonder what in the world you are going to say.

 Well, I’ll tell you.  Tomorrow.

 In the meantime, tell me what is going through your mind about now. Sincerely strive to put yourself in this New Yorker’s shoes. 

Your thoughts???

Where Did The Year Go?

Everyday I would think to myself "I really need to update my Legacy Family Travel blog!", and everyday, til now, I never did it.

For now, I'll just give you a brief overview of what is happening currently:

Today, Royal Caribbean announced their 2013 Alaskan Cruises and Cruisetours!!!  I will be putting some groups together for roundtrip from Seattle, North or South bound 7-night cruises, and best of all, 10-13 night cruisetours.  Grab some friends and make your deposit early for best pricing.

Also, Royal  Caribbean is offering Military and Police pricing on some sailings for this Spring and Summer. Destinations include Eastern Caribbean, Western Caribbean, Bermuda and Alaska.

Come August of this Summer I will be leading a group a group of intrepid travelers to Alaska.  We will set sail from Vancouver on August 12 for a 7 night cruise aboard MS Stadendam, then spend 7 days on land in the interior of Alaska to experience even more of our Last Frontier.  I have 4 more staterooms available.  Let me know if you want one.  The link for this particular sailing is as follows:

http://www.hollandamerica.com/find-cruise-vacation/CruiseTourDetails.action?subProductCode=AD3&portCode=YVR&durationCode=3&dateCode=8_2012&flexibleMonths=false&noOfFlexibleMonths=1&pageNumber=1&tourId=T2AD7C&voyageCode=S240&webItineraryIdForAudit=ANS207D7C
(Not sure why I can't get this link to be hot, please copy and paste into your browser.)

Disney's newest ship Disney Fantasy sailed into New York Harbor last week.  She will soon begin making 7 night journeys to Eastern and Western Caribbean out of Port Canaveral.  A Disney cruise is like no other.  You have to experience it to believe it!  Take a look at the Disney Fantasy's entrance into New York here:

http://maritimematters.com/2012/03/disney-fantasy-a-new-york-maiden-arrival/ 

And last but certainly not least, Deer Valley Ranch has a few openings left for the Summer.  Don't wait to book your week - reservations have a tendency to get taken up pretty quickly at Deer Valley. For those of us in Colorado, this is a non-air required vacation, cutting your vacation costs considerably.  If you love the mountains, the outdoors, horses, hiking, whitewater rafting, the best service anywhere around, and eating great homecooked meals, this may be for you. Take a look at this family haven at www.deervalleyranch.com .  Maybe you'll join my family the first week of June????  Give me a call and let's see what we can arrange. 

Thank you so much for reading my blog.  Since 99% of my business is word-of-mouth referrals, I'd sure appreciate it if you would tell at least one person about my blog, my facebook page, and my website.  Referrals that result in a booking get nice gifts once the booking is complete.

Hope you all have a beautiful day!  Happy Vacationing!

Blessings,
Laurie

Deer Valley Ranch Extraordinary Offer!

No, seriously!  If you book the ranch package at our favorite place on earth by April 15, 2011 for your family, you can save up to 25%.  In the words of Barney Fife, "That ain't nothin to sneeze at!"

Here are a few photos to get your attention:

Crossing Chalk Creek with Adobe

Campfire up in the Rocky Mountains



Wrangler's Breakfast - paying respects to The Stars and Stripes



White water rafting on the Arkansas - included in your package!

Cogan's Ranch ride

Happy horses, happy girls

Tiny Town and the Deer Valley Ranch Players

The lodge, the Chalk Cliffs, Mt. Princeton and Old Glory

Square dancing under the stars.

This horse loves Jeff!



Sunset over Deer Valley



Our Hero! Founder of Deer Valley Ranch, Parker Woolmington.  In his 90's and still going strong!

Give me a shout and we'll fix you right up!

Space is limited so don't drag your boots, uh, feet!

719.683.8733

888.87LEGACY

Laurie@LegacyFamilyTravel.com

Journies

I never intended to contribute to this blog only semi-annually, but here I am, almost 6  months after my last entry.  My world has changed since the day I wrote that.

If you'll remember with me, I wrote about some of my travel memories that surrounded my family as I was growing up, and specifically, my Daddy.  Just a few days after writing, I got on a plane and headed for Douglasville, Georgia, to see him.  I made 3 more trips after that to see Daddy and Anne.  It saddens me to write that the next trip I made was with my husband and daughters to attend Daddy's funeral.

On January 23, 2011 he took the greatest journey of all - he went to be with Jesus.  His crossing was not as easy as I would have like for it to be, but it was time.  His lungs just couldn't support him any longer.  With the completion of his life here on earth, a new journey began for Anne, Cindy and me.

For Anne, it's kind of back to square 1, where she was when she and Daddy began their 'more than a friendship' relationship.  Her first husband had passed away in 1986 in a plane crash, so she was single for quite a long time.  Now she's single again.  I have learned so much about grace from watching her handle this whole thing.  She could have come down pretty hard on the funeral home for forgetting to take Daddy's wedding ring off before he was buried, but she was amazingly gracious.  She seems to have the right balance of grieving and living.  Her journey is a familiar one.

Cindy and I are still getting used to the fact that Daddy's gone.  He didn't look at all like himself at the funeral home - he was actually the spitting image of our Granddaddy who died in 1966 or something like that.  Neither of us have gotten past the point where we unconsciously question if all this really happened.  We still have the tendency to pick up the phone to call and tell him something.  And the realization that you don't have either of your natural parents is a pretty tough thing to deal with. 

All these steps we must take are part of our new journey.  Grieving is a journey.  But it isn't an ordinary one where you start at one place and go straight to another.  This one involves backward steps, circles, long and drawn out stops, lots of tears, and there is no rhyme or reason. I much prefer a cruise with an itinerary that shows you what port you will be at on which day.  Grieving is SO not like that.  Sometimes it's hard to put your finger on when it begins, and I'm not sure it really ever has an end.  What do you think?

My Mama passed away in 1998 from cancer.  She was 59 years old.  Her life journey was far too short in my eyes.  Psalm 139 tells me it wasn't, so I have to believe it was her time.  After her death, the journey I began was very dark, and I experienced a kind of hopelessness that I'd never felt. Often times I would say that I wished I had died with her.  I sincerely thought that I would never be happy again.  I couldn't come up with anything that I thought would ever bring me joy.  Further along in my  journey I discovered that I was wrong - we found out just 3 months after Mama's death that our Mariah would be joining us the following January.  The journey was still very difficult, but our merciful Lord gave us some sunshine to help us traverse those darkest places.


You may think this subject inappropriate for a travel blog.  I disagree.  Our lives are filled with journies.  Some are thrust upon us, others we choose.  In either one, there are memories to be made and to be held on to.

I am grateful that every time I land in Atlanta and roll past the Delta jetbase I can almost smell the jet fuel.  It brings back vivid memories of visiting the jetbase with Daddy and running through the airplanes looking for loot - playing cards, peanuts, Delta pilot wing pins, anything left behind by a forgetful traveler or stewardess (it was okay to call them that in those days).  I am grateful that Daddy cared enough about his little girls that he wanted to show us the United States.  I can't fathom that he was philosophical about travel like I am, but nonetheless, my memory bank is in good shape thanks to him. 

Having said that, oblige me by letting me say that this journey is just a little bit less traumatic.  Every day I know that God is good.  I have come to appreciate my Stepmother in a way I would never have dreamed.  The bond between my sister and me grows steadily stronger.  My extended family gives me stability like never before.  I treasure my aunts, uncles, cousins of 3 generations, and the family that God has given us through our years of moving around.

A little analogy:  I began my journey long ago expecting to end up in, say, Florida.  Everyone goes to Florida. But as my family has changed through time, I feel like I have ended up with something kind of foreign and exotic - a Disney Cruise instead of Florida.  Both are fabulous, both can offer extraordinary rewards and experiences.  A Disney Cruise is not what I expected and can be a little scary at first. After all, my friends went to Florida. But once I get used to the idea I will begin to find its positives. For now, it is my job to make the most of my Disney Cruise.  My Florida may await me in heaven.

I have waxed on and on about life's journies.  In my next blog (which I hope will be written in less than 6 months!) I want to share with you about a journey of another kind - our recent Western Caribbean cruise on Holland America's Nieuw Amsterdam.