James Amber and Annie In New York City!!

Do you ever have get that feeling that you are in exactly the right place at exactly the right time…. even if it is not where you planned to be?  This past Thursday, Joe and I took the children (as a surprise) to the Owl City concert in NY at the Roseland Ballroom.  Before you start to judge – just know that Owl City is my 11 year old son’s favorite band… so it was for his benefit and not our own.  =)  The first opening act, is not something memorable enough to mention, but the second act was a fantastic surprise for us – Mat Kearney.  I didn’t know that at first because it was so loud I couldn’t understand the announcer, but after a few bars of his first song, I knew I recognized the music.  I Googled a few of the lyrics and “wallah!”…. Mat Kearney was at the top of the search results with his own Wikipedia article.  The photo on Wikipedia matched the cute crooner belting it out below, so I ran downstairs and bought a t-shirt … and for the first time in almost a decade – I even purchased a CD.  I had to think about it at first because who uses a real CD anymore?  I have used itunes since well… since it began.  I remembered that I could load the CD into itunes and move on with life, so I grabbed the clunky square plastic disc containing object and showed some support for the musician.  So here’s my idea since I have not seen any of the concert promoters start doing this yet…. instead of selling me an actual disc, why don’t you sell me a coupon with a download code for the artist’s music online instead?  I think people would be more apt to do this these days rather than buy an actual  CD.  Music people, did you hear me?  This is a good idea.  Maybe I’ll be a promoter in my next life??

Back to the point.  Before the concert, we walked the kids down Broadway to Times Square.  My mother grew up in NY and I couldn’t help but wonder if she had walked any of those steps.  I’m sure she had, she was quite a worldly person, adventurous and free spirited.  I hope she knows that I was thinking about her the whole time.  Even during the concert I watched my children act like giddy fans jumping up and down, dancing, clapping and I realized that I had “broken the chain”.  My parents would never have even considered bringing my brother and I to a rock concert… let alone all the way to NY for a surprise concert for our favorite band.  I’m not like my parents, I am actually involved in my children’s life.  At least for this week, my kids even think that Joe and I are cool.

Other great moments on this vacation included a trip to Atlantic City, NJ to the Boardwalk/More’s Piers.  Aside from the fact that Joe and I love the show, Boardwalk Empire, I had never considered bringing the kids to this part of the world, but Joe’s family insisted that Wildwood would be a good adventure and they were right.  This would be a very colorful blog if I posted photos or described some of the attire worn by the New Jersey “natives”, but I’ll keep this PG.  The kids had a blast running from ride to ride with their cousins and Joe finally found the perfect Philly Cheesesteak.  (This was his third try, there would be a fourth too but it was a failure as well).  Funnel cakes, salt water taffy, nachos, fudge… ugh… we will need to invest in a treadmill (that collects dust) as soon as we can pay off the American Express card that is worn out from this vacation.

Today was the Philadelphia aquarium.  Smaller than some other aquariums that I have seen in different cities, but probably one of the best experiences.  It was just the right size for a four hour excursion with four children under 12, the food wasn’t too overpriced and it was generally clean.  The best exhibit was the Hippos… massive animals that snuggled and played with a very large tire.

Favorite memory from the visit – dancing at the Roseland Ballroom with the kids to “Fireflies” by Owl City.   I doubt either of them will forget it, and I know it will be something I look back on for years to come.

Biggest lesson learned:  I have really been spoiled by Vacation Rentals.  Spending an entire week in a hotel room with a family is just awful compared to a spacious condo or home that has a common area, a kitchen and multiple bathrooms.  This one hotel room even cost more than anything I have ever paid for a mid-high luxury vacation rental!  The bed was awful… poor Joe will need a week to recover!  Next time, we’ll find a professionally managed vacation rental in our destination of choice and not think twice.   Note to management companies and vacation rental homeowners though – having great mattresses and bedding would make us loyal customers over almost any other amenity!  (Almost meaning, it needs to be very very clean and a good location… ha!)

Tomorrow we travel home and I go back to the office and Joe goes back to being the Destin Photographer.  Not a bad life… we know we are lucky!

There is a poem/prayer that I have known for a long, but just now learned to appreciate.  The Serenity Prayer.

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

Sometimes, what we fear worst – actually happens.  Sometimes we lose our jobs, our businesses, the person we love – and there is nothing we can do to change it.  Courage is knowing that no matter what – you’ll pick yourself up, not lose hope, keep looking forward and to never let whatever you lost – take any part of you with it.

Recently, Joe and I went to Palermo, Sicily for a long weekend.  It was a last minute addition on the end of a business trip to London for me.  I am a first generation American – my father came to the United States in 1969 and other than myself, my father and brother – our whole family still resides in Palermo.  While visiting with my Uncles, Aunt and cousins – I felt completely at ease, almost at home on the Mediterranean island.  I had been there a few times as a very young child, but with a lapse of 23 year since I last saw my family – it was quite a shock to see how comfortable the entire experience could be.  My family took Joe and I on a whirlwind walking tour of all of the historical parts of the city and countryside.  What a plethora of history to absorb in such a short time!   As I visited each area – I realized that my father had walked those very steps, in the same areas – so long ago.  What a connection to have with a parent that had given up so much in hope of providing something more – something new and something better.

I think my father doesn’t realize how much he got right.  Our life was less than perfect (but who’s is?); however – if my Dad set foot upon this land with hopes of creating a family and opportunities for his children…. he did.  He may not have liked some of the years in between then and now – but a few years ago – things started to really come together for our family.  My dad just put the home I was born to, grew up in and eventually my mother died in – for sale.  When that home is finally a new start for a different family, my dad is packing up and moving to Florida to spend the rest of his days with us.  Yes, there will be moments when I want to kill him – but for the most part I am looking forward to watching him relax a little, enjoy the grandkids, play with the dogs and smile.  He deserves that, and so do I.

I’m going to try my best to start writing more often (this may be the third or fourth promise of this since my posts first started dwindling) … but I’m not giving up!  I have done a much better job so far this year of balancing work and family.  I even took the time to play at the arcade with the kids today – and I had fun – I wasn’t stressed about what emails I missed!  We have done a much better job of dragging our friends out with us – and we’re going to keep on pushing you guys!  Whether it is family dinners again, crab island once a month or just having a few drinks at our new favorite hangout – Cuvee Bistro – it doesn’t matter.  We just need to be there for each other more often – to laugh away the hard stuff, celebrate the good stuff and plan the next adventure.

Mt. Sophris CO.

Ok, this is my second time writing the blog and I have a feeling you guys may have to adjust to a totally different writing style hope you all like it.  Since the last blog we have been all over the country.  We had just gotten back from Vegas and then I am sure Amber had been somewhere before we headed for Co on the 18^th of Dec.  We stayed there a week and were supposed to be home on the 25^th.  So, we drove to a town called Grand Junction the night before our 6:30am flight to come home on Christmas day and as we were settling in for the evening Amber checks our flight status and finds out all flight out of Grand Junction, Denver and Vail had all been cancelled for the 25^th.  What there was to eat and open on Christmas Eve in Grand Junction was an Applebee’s so that’s what we had for dinner.  The 25^th we spent in the room of the Country Wine Inn, it was fine just not where I or Amber wanted to be on Christmas Day.  The flight home on the 26^th was uneventful and we were so glad to sleep in our own bed after 8 days away.  Next was Orlando, Amber had some business with Imagine Vacation Homes and our annual passes to Disney had 8 days to the expiration date so we loaded the kids in Caesar and headed south.  While there Amber worked and the kids and I headed to Animal Kingdom to let James ride Mt. Everest.  I thought I was ok with it and Annie was willing but hesitant.  First went through the tree of life with flick and then headed to the Everest Coaster.  We got on and while the coaster was moving forward I was fine then it climbed a steep hill and stopped.  Then came the backward part and it was all over for me.  We got off the ride and Annie shouted let’s do it again as I was trying not to vomit.  I guess she got over her fear of Space Mountain from a short year prior.    I didn’t share that the weekend was really overcast and rainy so after I almost lost my stomach we went back to the rental home that imagine vacation provided for us. The night before we left to come home Ambers clients and our family went to Arabian Nights a great dinner show that is perfect for families with kids.  We had a great time with our family friends Mike and Adam and we even brought some friends from Destin with us, it really was a great long weekend.   Ok we finished the Orlando trip got home Sunday evening and then we were home for 4 days and off to Dollywood yep you heard right, Amber has a client in Dollywood.  This time it was just her and I.   Uncle Rory and Aunt Lisa help us all the time, they are great and they helped out with the gremlins for a couple days before they were off to AL. with their Dad. In Dollywood Amber worked for 3 days straight and we had a day with David, Amber’s brother and Aleda his wife on Sat.  Then back in the plane we go come home Amber has a day to breath and then off to CO. she should be home Friday the 23^rd at 3:30pm but there is really bad weather in Vail the airport she has to leave from so hopefully things will be ok for her.  Vail is about an hour from Basalt where she is working so everybody cross your fingers.   

Great Cabin in Dollywood TN.

I have been trying to keep our home clean.  1284 sq ft is just way too small for our family at this point.  The office at Destin Commons is finally finished and I am planning on having it somewhat decorated before Amber gets home and I haven’t started.  I am so excited for Amber the business is really going well, things are hectic but everything will be fine.

On the photography front my phone has been ringing way sooner this year than last.  I already have about a week of photography booked for July.  The Destin Photographer is going to be busy this year.  As always I brought my camera with me on all the above mentioned trips so there will be a couple attached to the blog entry.   I have been doing more condo photography and HD videos as well so I may need some help this year.

Museum of Natral History Washington DC

We just returned from a very long weekend in Washington, DC for the Vacation Rental Manager’s Association National Convention.  Amber had never been to DC and was looking forward to the monuments, sights and sounds – but of course she worked instead and never saw much more than a few restaurants, the inside of the hotel, and the airports.  We flew US Airways and had an extremely pleasant experience with great service, a clean airplane and a smooth ride most of the way there.  The only discomfort was Amber’s nails digging into my leg every time we hit an airpocket or encountered even the slightest turbulance.  (I love her anyway).  Coach is never comfortable for a man over six feet tall, but I can handle less than two hours at a time.   I had a feeling before we ever got on the plane that we were going to get sick on this trip.  Maybe it was due to the fact that we were somewhat exhausted from all of the changes recently – the wedding plans, still trying unsuccessfuly to purchase  a larger home, the kids have been sick constantly, Amber selling her company to Instant Software, etc.

All in all – I spent most of my time up in the room waiting for Amber to finish her networking and classes each day and I slept a lot.  We had purchased a new matress a few months ago and spent a fortune, but neither of us have been sleeping very well.  I now know that it must be a mattress issue because the Omni mattress had us both sleeping like babies in the entire length of our trip.  Poor Amber was exhausted every single night by the time she got done, so I had no idea that her need for shut eye had anything to do with some invisible germs that must have paid us a visit during our trip.

By the last evening, Amber could barely walk up the hall to our hotel room.  I initially blamed it on the high heels she wore the entire trip – a big departure from jeans, a tshirt and flip flops (welcome to corporate America).  At four in the morning though – she could barely put on her shoes she was so weak and I never thought we’d make it to the airport.  On the first leg of our flight we encountered the rudest, most obnoxious stewardess I have ever seen in my entire life.  US Airways, I hope you read this blog!  The woman looked like a stick version of Barbie, but with a scowl on her face.  Apparently, she is not a morning person and had probably been out drinking all night long because she kept her hand on her forehead and drank from a gallon size bottle of juice in the back of the plane.  As people were putting their luggage in the overhead bins, if they made too much noise or took a little too long – she would say, “Enough already, sit down!”.  An older gentleman inadvertently took too long sitting down at his seat in the rear of the plane and Bitter Barbie barked at him that she was going to move him somewhere else on the plane since he was sitting so close to the restroom.  He said he was fine with his current seat, but Thank You.  She gave him the dirtiest look and said, “I’m not asking you, I’m telling you that I’m moving you.”  The man must have been in his late fifties or early sixties and looked at all us in the surrounding seats, like – “what did I do?”.  He continued sitting bewildered in his seat as Bitter Barbie struggled to remove his bag from the overhead bin – literally ripping it out because it was too heavy for her.  She stomped up the aisle and tossed in another bin, put her hands on her hips and said, “You really are moving right now.”  The older fellow said nothing, got up and moved towards the middle of the plane.  Bitter Barbie then walked to the front of the plane, flirted with the pilots for a few minutes, threw her bottle blonde hair back and laughed before returning to the back of the plane, sitting in the gentleman’s previous seat and guzzling her gallon of juice. 

So here’s the rotten part….. we had commented all throughout our trip that we had a great experience with US Airways and were surprised at the comparison to other airlines we had used over the years.  However, due to Bitter Barbie – we are wondering who will get our next airline purchase when we fly to Wilmington in December for another meeting.  Suddenly, life has gotten too short to just buy the cheapest ticket, hotel room or anything else – we will spend our money and search for the best experience from now on!  SHAME ON YOU BARBIE – if that were my father that you treated that way - I’d have knocked your head off! 

So not only did we have a horrible flight home – but we both walked in the door with horrible fevers and the flu!  So much for the friendly skies!

Blue getting after some turtles

Blue is one of those dogs that you can’t help but love but if she belonged to anyone else you would be thinking the owner should call the dog whisperer.  Blue is a weimeriener and the breed is known for being high strung, but we rescued Blue from the pound and she is “special”.  

Joe will tell you that she use to listen a lot better before I came into the picture.  It’s probably true, but I think he enjoys Blue more now that she is so cuddly and allowed to be more involved in all of our activities – like snuggling on the couch in the evenings.  Dogs are not meant for kennels – they are meant for companions and I’m not keen on sitting on the floor.  =)

I’ve never seen a dog that screams like a child, but Blue can literally holler.  Not whine, not yelp – she hollers.  When we were about to leave on our Spring Break trip to Texas, Joe forgot about Blue’s anxiety and he put her in the kennel first and walked back in the house.  Thirty seconds later our neighbors were outside wondering who was killing their dog.  It was 3am – we’re definitely not going to be winning yard of the month for a while.

Texas is Blue’s favorite place on earth – she even knows when we get there before we pull in the driveway and she absolutely can’t sit still she is so excited.  This was the first trip that we realized she is almost eight years old and we are starting to pay more attention to all of our “moments” with her.  Still a puppy at heart – we took a break from our destin photography and snapped a few candid shots of Blue being intrigued with some turtles in the pond.

Disney Market Place

When I got home two weeks ago and realized that the children had a four day weekend and I hadn’t taken a breath in over a month – we started packing the bags, I put my voicemail on vacation and we dropped our dog off at our best friend’s house.  We decided to jaunt down to Orlando Florida to see the Mouse!  Joseph absolutely loves Disney World and we both miss our friends that moved there about a year ago – so it seemed like the perfect solution for a winter weekend escape.

We purchaed Florida Resident Seasonal Passes and stayed in a Fabulous Orlando Vacation Rental that was only ten minutes from the park entrances.  The house was a four bedroom, three bath private home in a gated community with a pool, spa and lanai.  My favorite part of the home to be honest – was the very large garden tub in the master bath – talk about relaxing! 

The children had never been to Disney, so it was a ton of fun to see their faces as we rode some of the classic rides and goofed off in general at the parks.  It was not that crowded the first two days except for some European tourists, so the lines were generally decent and not too long. 

I made one mistake however that I believe will haunt us for years to come.  I took Annie on Space Mountain thinking that it was not too rough of a roller coaster ride.  One minute into the ride I was pretty sure that the ride operators were going to flip on the lights and stop the entire operation on the account that my eight year old daughter was absolutely losing her mind with fear and screaming my name – and not with a hint of joy either!  She lived through the ride, but I’m sure that St. Peter will have me account for this incident when I approach the pearly white gates in years to come.

All in all, we spent a lot of money on giving the kids their first Disney experience.  We even bought the t-shirts, toys, and souveniers – ate at the really overpriced tourist traps with them and had our fair share of smoked Turkey legs.  The only creepy part of the Disney experience is that when you’re munching on your caveman size Turkey leg – all the birds in the park are now canibals and eat their own kind – so they stare at you the entire time and wait for any morsel of poultry to fall to the ground.  I’m deeply terrified of birds so I make Joseph hold the turkey leg and break off pieces for me because if one of those birds ever swooped at me trying to steal my grub I’d die right there and forever tarnish my children’s view of the most “Magical Place on Earth.”

Considering we spent a mortgage payment on Seasonal tickets - there will be more Disney tales throughout the year.  Of course, I forgot to mention that the entire time we were at all of the Disney parks – Joseph was making us walk at mach negative ten so that he could capture photography of  all the incredible details of the park.  I usually don’t mind this but it made for two very grumpy children who were impatient from the moment they woke up until the moment they passed out from exhaustion.  Even though we kept telling them that we had seasonal passes, they still hold a grudge for all the rides we weren’t able to ride in one trip.  If any of you out there have any parenting tricks on teaching young children how to be grateful – please pass on the knowledge!

Pensacola Interstate Fair

Turkey legs.  You’ll see it is a recurring theme in any of our posts that include our travels to fairs, festivals or theme parks.  Food is always a large part of going to a gathering but beyond gobbling up the smoked poultry, my favorite is without a doubt – the funnel cakes.  One of these days I will come up with a low carb, sugar free option for diabetics like me, but until then I’ll just have to drool! 

Never forgetting his roots as a Photographer – Joe of course was snapping photos at every turn.  My favorite part of the entire day was the 500lb black bear that seemed as cuddly as our dog at home.  The Pensacola Interstate Fair was definitely the largest festival I have ever attended and in one corner they had a “frontier show” with all kinds of wild animals and colonial themed experiences including milking a cow – GAG!  Bleh! 

Rides of all kinds, extremely high calorie snack and eclectic vendors were abundant.  We actually snagged a great deal on some rings for both of us and a great stainless steel bracelet for Joe at extremely reasonable prices.  Several exhibits were also available including a fantastic display of local photographer work and submissions with awards.  Next year we’ll be sure to enter Joe’s Destin Photography and see how we measure up.  I have no doubt he’ll have a very respectable showing.

We missed Billy Currington’s concert – but next year we’ll plan better and make sure to go later in the day so that we can hold out for the tunes in the evening.

Stunning View of Maroon Bell Aspen CO.

Maroon Bells, Colorado is one of the most beautiful, breathtaking places I have ever had the pleasure of visiting.  Amber was still sleeping at our hotel in Snowmass, Colorado when I snuck out before dawn and headed to the wonderous peaks near Aspen.  The water was like glass and offered a flawless reflection of the majestic mountain ranges that surrounded Maroon Lake.  Such a landscape is a treat for us beach living permanent tourists in Destin.  Being a Destin Photographer is such a satisfying profession, but after our escape to the mountains, I can see the allure of traveling the world and capturing it piece by piece with each flicker of the shutter. 

Upon return to Snowmass, I realized that we chose our accomodations poorly.  Although Snowmass has an extremely diversive range of available hotels, condos and townhomes … there is not much to do in the off season and the food choices are lacking to say the least.  Aspen has such amazing charm!  It still resembles an old mining town, but instead of dirty windows or vacant downtown buildings, everything has been transformed into upscale shopping and dining venues without changing the landscape of the town into suburban/urban concrete parking lots.  Aspen is definitely on our list of annual escapes from now on.  The entire vacation cost us under two thousand dollars including airfare, accomodations, dining and activities. September is off season for the mountains but there is still plenty to do including horseback riding, white water rafting (Amber’s favorite), hot air balloon rides (not Amber’s favorite), and chaperoned hikes through the multiple nature trails.  Speaking of nature trails ….

Yes, we made a huge mistake.  The map made it look like a quaint little walk – but alas, Amber and I embarked on a nature HIKE with no bottled water, no idea of the extent of the trail, and no clue what we were getting into!  Too funny once it was over, but there were distinct moments where we were certain that we would end up on the Discover Channel or 60 Minutes post-humously.  Oh, now that I’m safely home – shame to you “hikers” that litter … there is nothing worse that spotting a beautiful view and then having to pick up all of the bottle caps, candy wrappers and trash before you can snap a photo!

Other than Amber being terrified of our drive from Denver to Snowmass (it was dark, raining, there were cliffs and I was comfortably going 15 miles over the speed limit) – this trip was relaxing and left us with the distinct feeling that we lead a blessed a life.

After this trip, I am considering expanding my genre of photography from Destin Beach Portraits and Real Estate to other areas of the country … anyone interested in a Mountain Family Portrait?!

 Just 45 minutes outside of Houston, Texas you will find the charming bay town of Kemah, Texas.  Located 25 miles northeast of Galveston, Kemah has long been a spontaneous fishing excursion for locals.  Recently visiting with some family in the area, we ventured down to the Boardwalk for a relaxing lunch and activities for the children.  Complete with miniature train around the establishment, the boardwalk is a permanent fair atmosphere with luxurious restaurants, adventurous rides, prizes and quaint stores for souveniers. 

Compared to Destin, Florida - it was difficult to appreciate the Galveston Bay waters; green  and murky, though scattered heavily with boaters, fisherman and recreational activities.  The breeze kept us cool, although the blistering Texas heat will exhaust and dehydrate quickly. 

We ate at the Aquarium and had a fantastic meal of fresh calamari, bayou shrimp pasta, lettuce wraps with spicy chicken and the children happily grazed on their kids pizza.  Fresh water fish in large tanks surrounded the dining room.  The prices were moderately steep, but considering the tourism and atmosphere, somewhat expected.  Lunch for five was slightly under a Ben Franklin.

The kids enjoyed the rides, although purchasing the tickets was exhasperating in the heat and long lines.  Our younger one was brave on the way up and bawling on the way down from the Aviator Swings, so luckily we didn’t have to spend a fortune on the rides.

All in all, it was a respite from the city and enjoyable for the children.  Spoiled by Destin Florida’s ambiance and luxury experience, it was most likely a one time trip but time well spent with the family.