Happy Birthday to my wonderful husband!

Happy Birthday Stevie!  I am proud to be your wife and look forward to our anniversary next month.

The Great Alaska Adventure part 2

Friday morning we sailed in very close waters up through the Inside Passage of Alaska.  We spotted bald eagles, Dahl’s porpoises and Orca and humpback whales.  Our 1:00pm arrival in Juneau was greeted with 7 bald eagles flying no farther than 50 yards off of our balcony.  What a sight!

So off the boat we go.  There was some rain in the air, and after gathering a good portion of our group together, several of us purchased tickets off of the pier and took a bus to Mendenhall Glacier.  Instead of an escorted tour, we purchased bus tickets for $16 per person from a kiosk on the pier.  This gave us the flexibility to spend as much or as little time as we wanted at Mendenall.  Admission into the Visitor’s Center is $3, but instead we decided to take a couple of the walking paths and found ourselves on a deserted beach with a beautiful view of the glacier behind.  The lake was still pretty frozen over, but we were able to pick up a piece of frozen glacier and revel in the crystalline formation of the ice – truly amazing.  At this point, Travis was starting to feel a little under the weather, so the Mac’s hopped the bus back to town while the rest of the group remained at Mendenhall a while longer.  A trip to Juneau is not complete without stopping at the Red Dog Saloon for a brew and some local culinary favorites.  Today we were entertained by a very funny man playing sing along songs on the old piano and telling jokes.  Quite a treat!  Whenever a new person would walk through the old saloon swinging doors, the whole place would stop and say “WELCOME, WE’VE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU”.  Fun, audience participation, sing along, cold Alaskan Amber Ale and good food.  Poor Travis was really feeling bad and starting to get a fever, so we hopped a cab for the 1 mile ride back to the ship.  Others in our group headed up the Mt. Robert’s Tramway to the top of Mt. Robert’s.  The cost is about $20 or $25 per person and the views are GREAT.  They even spotted 3 bears frolicking in the woods from the Visitor’s Center at the top.  I was disappointed that we did not get to do the tram, but hey, there is always next time, right?

Saturday we arrived in Skagway to a GORGEOUS sun shining morning.  This day we had planned to rent Jeeps and drive in to the Yukon area of Canada.  We were greeted at the pier by our guide from Alaska Green Jeep Tours and taken to the office to fill out paperwork, etc.  Once we picked up the Jeeps, the rest of our gang and a quick stop at the grocery store for Road Trip Munchies and drinks, we were on our way.  We were provided with an audio CD describing our route, some history of the town, and things to look for along the way.  We had 2 Jeeps in our group and communicated by CB radio.   The route were were taking was from Skagway to Carcross along the old Chilkoot Trail.  Chilkoot Trail National Historic Site protects the historic gateway to the Yukon once tread by Tlingit First Nation traders and Klondike gold rush prospectors. The Chilkoot Trail was designated a national historic site because of the role it played in the mass movement of people to the Yukon during the Klondike Gold Rush. The Chilkoot Trail has been officially designated by Canada and the United States as a component of the Klondike Gold Rush International Historical Park.  We stopped along the way at Canada’s Log Cabin Historic Site.  The adults and kids found this to be a great place for a snowball fight.  And what fun they had!  We never discovered the significance of the log cabin, but the snowball fight was worth the stop!  We continued along and our intended destination was Carcross and the World’s Smallest Desert.  The scenery was beautiful, frozen lakes that glittered blue, green and lots of other colors surrounded by pristine white snow.  We decided to stop at a boat ramp to Tutshi Lake to admire the view.  (This is about 50 miles from Skagway where our ship is docked) After a short stop and some photos, my loving husband Steve though it a good idea to drive our Jeep over a small patch of snow on the boat ramp – we ended up high centered.  Long story short – after an hour of trying to dig the Jeep out, some lovely folks Bob and Sandi from Whitehorse, Canada stopped and had a chain, which we used to free our stuck Jeep from the snow.  Steve’s new nickname for the rest of the cruise???  Snow Cone!  With out hour delay, and Mamma (me) getting antsy to get back to the ship, we skipped our intended destination of Carcross and headed back to Skagway.  Of course we HAD to stop at Skagway Brewing Company for a couple of brews and …  more food.  Skagway is one of my favorite ports to visit.  The town has old world charm, and I just get the feeling that I am back in the Gold Rush era.  Ahh, but alas, we must re-board our ship for the next adventure…

For more pictures, visit: My Travel Site

The Great Alaska Adventure part 1

The Alaska Experience:

So I took my first Alaska cruise in the summer of 2009.  At that time I traveled with my in-laws and left my husband and son at home.  WHAT A MISTAKE!  I knew at first look of the Great Land that I had to make another voyage and bring them back.  Fast forward to May 2011 – and the whole Mac-n-family is off to Alaska.  This time, we are traveling with our best friends, the Harps and the Brownzellers!

This is a special cruise, 6 nights, departing Vancouver and ending in Seattle.  We chose to go in May, and although the weather was expected to be cold and rainy, I found it to be about the same as when I sailed to Alaska in July of 2009.

For this vacation, we flew to Seattle, stayed in the Executive Pacific Hotel, downtown.  The Executive Pacific is situated about 2 blocks from the Lite Rail station, and is next to some of the trendiest and most upscale hotels in Seattle.  Across the street was the Monaco, next door was the W, and 1 block away was the Farimont.  So our rooms were on the small side, and the hotel is REALLY old, the staff was friendly, beds comfy, and the doorman was exceptional.  When checking in, he discovered that we needed to get to King Street Station (Amtrak)  the following morning, so he called and arranged for 2 vans to meet us at the hotel the next day.  Total cost for 15 people and a TON of luggage from hotel to King Street Station…  $30.  Such a deal.

That night, we walked about 5 blocks to Rock Bottom restaurant.  Fun place for the ids, good food and decent prices.  Seattle is such a walking friendly city – and SO CLEAN!!!  We did not have time to get out to the Space Needle, but I would definitely come back and spend time in this wonderful city.

The following day, up bright and early, the 15 of us headed to the rail station to board Amtrak Cascades to Vancouver.  It is about 4 hours from Seattle to Vancouver, and beautiful every mile along the way.  The seating was comfy, café car served breakfast AND cocktails, so both kids and adults were happy.  The kids got a chance to unwind, do a little homework, play some games, and just watch the world go by.  In these days of hustle and bustle, … where is seems like everyone is on a tight schedule, rushing from her to there and everywhere it was sort of nice to just kick back a little and watch the countryside pass by.

We arrived in Vancouver, took a few cabs to Canada Place Pier and our cruise adventure began.  Strangely, we cleared Canadian customs at the rail station, went to the cruise terminal, then cleared US customs before boarding the boat.  So, we were in Canada for less than an hour before clearing back in US Customs – kind of strange, but since out cruise has only US Ports, it was better to clear US Customs in Vancouver, than wasting time clearing in our first port of Juneau.

The first full day at sea was cool and crisp.  There are 3 of our cabins all together on deck 8, and we asked Carnival to open the balcony dividers between the rooms so we have 1 big balcony.  This is fun for the kids to be able to go back and forth between cabins, and nice for the adults to be able to socialize.  Plus, with the balcony dividers opened up, it make the rooms seem a lot bigger.  We spent the day hanging with friends, enjoying the ship’s activities and watching the breathtaking scenery pass by.  This evening was formal night and I made reservations for the 6 adults to dine in the Nouveau Supper Club, Carnival’s upscale steakhouse.  So we got all gussied up and headed for dinner.   The quality and presentation of the food was pristine.  The Sommelier was over the top exceptional.  The food service staff however was less than great.  I have had MUCH better service and attentiveness from the Supper Club staff on previous cruises, so I was disappointed, especially since I was picking up the tab for the 6 of us.   

Visit My Travel Site for pictures and more 

PLAY BALL!

Even though these past couple of week have been cool, I am ready for Little League season to begin.  I have to say that the past year or so since Travis has been playing, I am really liking not only the good that baseball has done for Travis, but the friendships and camaraderie among the parents as well.  As with any good organization, you begin to feel like family!

Travis will again me on the RBVLL Mets and has a few returning players on his team.  Opening day is March 5th, and I hope to see some of you at the fields!

Happy Birthday to my little man!

Today my little boy turns 9, I am so proud of him and the GREAT KID he has become.  I just LOVE being a mom.  Happy Birthday Travis.  XOXO

Where will 2011 take you?

New Year for me means New Opportunities.  New chances to live life to it's fullest, new places to go, people to meet, memories to make, experiences to enjoy.  With that said however, I do have to remind myself to stop and truly enjoy life's blessings!

My current travel calendar includes completing a half marathon in Palm Springs in February, cruising to Alaska in May (wanna go with me?) , Laughlin, NV in July, and lots of river trips with my family and friends!

Whatever your goals, wherever your travels, make 2011 a reason to enjoy life!

This pic was taken 1/1/11 from the top of a mountain overlooking the lower Colorado River.  We were out Geocaching (one of my hobbies)  with friends and family.

It's Cruise Time - Again!

This cruise has been in the planning stages for over a year.  Tonight, I board the Carnival Spirit with about 25 women for a 4 night cruise to Cabo San Lucas.  This is an all girls trip (ok, we did let 1 boy come along) celebrating a whole bunch of October birthdays.  Some of the girls have never been on a cruise before, and I am committed to ensuring their fun!  Bring on the Champagne and Chocolate Melting Cake!!!

Help Casita Center win a $25,000 playground

Hi Friends,

I rarely make appeals like this, but here goes. 

My son's school Casita Center for Technology, Science and Math is one of the top 10 finalists to receive a $25,000 "Imagination Playground in a Box". There will be 3 top prizes awarded so we have a GREAT chance at winning.  Please take a moment to click here , register at the kaboom.org website with your name and email, and vote DAILY for Casita Elementary. 

Casita Center is a Magnet school in Vista Unified School District.  A Magnet school offers a specialized, hands on, project based learning approach to teaching while maintaining instruction in the required Core Curriculum.   Casita is located in one of the poorest neighborhoods in the city, yet with the specialized Magnet approach to learning, Casita continues to excel and post high test scores among all sub-groups of students.

This Imagination Playground in a Box will further enhance and stimulate the hands on learning approach already in use at Casita.  So please take just a moment of your day for the next couple weeks to vote and help our much deserving school.  You can vote once per 24 hours and voting ends 10/15/2010.  Click here to vote http://parents.kaboom.org/voting/elections/parents

Thanks so much for your support, you are helping Travis, Casita Center and the youth of Vista!

It's Cruise Time - FINALLY

I am on a plane bound for Tampa, FL.  Tomorrow, I board the Carnival Inspiration with my best-est bud Scott as we escort about 150 fans of the XL106.7 Johnny and Jayde Morning Show on a 4 night cruise to Cozumel.  It's been over a year since my last cruise, and I am SOO looking forward to the great food and good times.  I'll post pics when I get back!

Happy Anniversary to me!

Wedding Day 9/8/1990

Twenty years of marital bliss with my beloved husband Steve.  Thanks for making me the woman I am today, and for your love and support all these many years.  I love you Sweetie!

Alaska Bound!!!

I am so excited!  I just booked my Alaska cruise for next summer.  I cruise to Alaska in the summer of 2009, and this time I am thrilled to be bringing my son and husband along for the adventure.  Alaska has so many amazing sights; from million year old glaciers, to bald eagles to whales.  You can experience this from your world class floating resort. 

I was able to secure group rates from as low as $571 per person plus tax.  Book by 9/1/2010 and save $50 per person, plus I'll throw in a $100 per cabin on board credit.  I want all of my friends and family to join us on this adventure to the Great Land of Alaska.  Click Here for the details.

OMG, I'm Club Prez!

OK, so I stole that from my new President's Handbook.  But, yes, it is official, I have been inducted as President of Soroptimist International Oceanside-Carlsbad. SIOC as we like to call it, is a worldwide service organization dedicated to advancing the status of women and girls both locally and globally.  We achieve this through fund raising, hands-on community service, public awareness and with programs and awards.  It is a very special and fulfilling part of my life, knowing that I am a member of such a great group of women, doing good for others.  OK, Plus we have a lot of fun, drink wine, build friendships,  etc.  So For more info about SIOC, or a  Soroptimist International club in your area,  click on the links above or feel free to contact me personally.

The picture is the 2010-11 Board of Directors.   From left to right: Lori Somers, Barbara Bale, Carolyn Wolf, Viki Hurst, Michelle D'Elia, Chari Goddard, Caryn Leventhal, me, Louann Gigante. Missing: Pini Byma and Penny Eisenstein.  I have a captain's hat on as my club has nicknamed me Captain of the SS Oceanside-Carlsbad.

River time - then San Francisco

Well, we leave tomorrow for our traditional 4th if July weekend at Hidden Shores.  5 nights of good times with my family.

This year my best bud Cheryl and her son will be joining us.  The boys will spend their days riding bikes, then swimming, throwing sand, playing football, getting dragged behind the boat in tubes, etc. 

A general good time to be had by all.  One thing I know for sure, the weather may be hot, but the drinks are always cold.  YUMMY.  


Typically we spend a full week out there, but this year, I am calling our trip short because on Wednesday, I fly to San Francisco for the 39th Biennial Soroptimist International of the America's Convention.  As the incoming president of Soroptimist International Oceanside-Carlsbad, the club pays my way - YAY!  We have several members of our club heading up to San Fran. this year, and it should be a GREAT time.  Soroptimist is a network of business and professional women dedicated to improving the lives of Women and Girls locally and globally.  Convention gives member an opportunity to meet Soroptimists from all over the world.  This will be my first convention, and I can't wait! More stories about this upon my return!

Welcome to Summer!

Yesterday was the first official day of Summer.  As a kid, summer meant swimming, running in the grass, riding bikes, long days and hot nights (I grew up in the desert).  As an adult, I most enjoy the long days and cool nights (now that I live near the beach).

This summer, I decided to keep my son home and out of camps.  Although I have a home office, I find it it's location upstairs perfectly suited to keep my business and personal lives separate.  I can be working, taking care of my clients and my business, while Travis stays busy downstairs.  The key is to line up enough of his buddies to come over during the day to keep him busy.  This week is Nolan week :)  Also, Legendary World has reduced summer hours (8:00am-3:00pm) to allow our employees the opportunity  to take better care of their families.  As a home based employee, this means I am not sitting at my desk until 5pm daily, but you better bet I still check email and voice mail regularly :)

On the travel front, I have 2 cruises lined up between now and the end of the year.  In September, I will be escorting a radio station group on the Carnival Inspiration, 4 nights from Tampa to Cozumel.   In October, I have a Girls Cruise planned from San Diego to Cabo and back.  That one is all play and no work - unless you can count gambling, drinking, tanning, drinking, eating...  as work.

P.S.  Congrats to the only 2 people who posted a reply to my last blog entry, I'll be mailing both of you a Starbuck's card.  

May Gray - NO WAY!

I absolutely LOVE this time of year.  The flowers and plants are all taking strong root and preparing to bloom in early June.  It is a good time to reflect on the regrowth of our surroundings, and focus on personal growth and transformation as well.  Each beautiful bloom is a gift from God, and I am reminded to stop, take in the beauty and be grateful!

Ahh, that felt good, but now it's back to business!  Baseball season is winding down for Travis, and summer is almost upon us.  MY summer vacation includes a couple different weeks at the river,  a few days in San Francisco for the Soroptimist International of the Americas 41st Biennial Convention along with a mini-cruise in September, and another mini-cruise in October.  Where will YOU be going for summer vacation.  Please post a reply and tell me your summer vacation plans, if you have any.   I will draw 1 random winner before the end of May to receive a Starbucks gift card!  I just want to see who is really paying attention and reading my blogs. 

Oh, and if you don't have any summer plans - can I help you?  Legendary World sells more than just cruises (although cruises are still my favorite), so if you are looking for a few days at the Hotel Del Coronado, or an exotic African Safari, to most anything in between, give me a call, I would love to help!

Remember to post your Summer Vacation Plans to be entered for the drawing!

Girlfriends, Giving Back, Gardening

OK, this past weekend was full of adventure.  Friday night the Harps had us over for Friday Night BBQ.  Lots of good conversation, sitting by the fire, chillin' with my gal pals while the guys were hanging in the garage (where all guys SHOULD be) and the kids watched TV on the couch.  Saturday was hard to get started after a long night our on Friday, but after donuts, and a mini-nap, I headed to Optimist Field for Trav's baseball game.  GREAT GAME, Trav played pitcher and assisted with a couple outs at first.  This was on top of his single and double base hits - YAY Trav.  He is certainly NOT the best player on the field, but he has the the most heart for the game, and always play with enthusiasm!  He makes me and Steve so proud!  GO METS!

Saturday night, I was honored to attend the Santa Fe Christian Schools annual fund raising event.  Legendary World and I partnered with Sea Dream Yacht Club to offer a couple of cruises for the SFCF Live Auction.  The overall event raised close to $500,000 for SFCS and the Sea Dream Voyages were a hot item which created quite a bidding war!!!  I was pleasently surprised to bump into a few of my clients at the event too, so overall an amazing evening.   Thanks so much to Loraine Dyson for inviting me to the event and to participate!



Sunday was a day of Nascar and gardening.  We planted a Mexican Lime tree, some boysenberries, blackberries, squash, cucumbers and flowers.  Last weekend was the tomatoes and peppers in the back yard.  I bought the pumpkin seeds, but have not started to germinate them yet.  Maybe tonight we'll prep for germination, and they'll be ready to go in the ground in a week or so.  Now I just need to keep the snails and rabbits away.  For some twisted reason, I get the biggest kick out of eating food grown from my own yard.  Come on baby plants - grow, grow, grow!!!

Looking forward to a GREAT week of Baseball (of course!), Bunco, PTA Events, Networking Events - wheeeee..  New Week, Here I Come!!!

Quick & Easy Tips for Better Vacation Photos

From time to time, I am pleased to call on my friends for Guest Blogging.  Today, I have asked my good friends Nikkie and Stephanie from BlueFlair Photography to give us some tips for better vacation photos.  


I must say, Nikkie and Steph are the VERY TALENTED photographers.  I hired them a few months ago to re-do my professional head shots.  They are patient, fun, and were able to make me laugh during the shoot.  I think they captured the real ME in this photo!


There were also selected among hundreds of other local business to shoot all of the photos for "NBC Throws a Wedding on the Prado" last fall. Click HERE for the all the details, and check out the AMAZING work they do!

Now, on to the Tips...

So you've spent months planning the perfect vacation, in the most beautiful setting, and you want to come home without great photos to remember it all.  Unfortunately, too many people return with disappointing vacation photos.  So we've put together a few tips that will dramatically improve the quality of your pictures, so they're every bit as good as you remember! 

Tip #1: The quickest and easiest way to improve your photos is to invest in a polarizer.  These are generally less than $50, and come in a variety of sizes, for a variety of cameras - from point-n-shoots to "fancy" DSLR's.  You'll need to know the size of your lens, or just take your camera with you when you go to purchase.  Polarizers work a little like sunglasses for your lens, by eliminating glare from reflective surfaces, and making the colors rich and saturated.  The polarizer screws onto the lens, and then you rotate it for the desired effect - don't forget to rotate it!  

Tip #2:  Be aware of distractions in the background.  If you're taking a photo of your travel mate near an interesting site, look for distracting signs, trash cans, and other items.  Often, simply moving YOURSELF a couple feet in either direction will give you a great angle without unwanted distractions.  

Tip #3:  Pay attention to the light.  Most people have been taught to stand facing the sun so the full light is on their face.  But what happens?  You get squinty eyes, and dark shadows under the eyes and nose.  If you're in daylight, try having your subject stand with their BACK to the sun.  This can create a nice rim light around their body.  Then the face can be brightened with "fill flash" from your camera's pop-up.  This can be the trickiest skill to master, especially if your camera has limited manual control.  If you're standing too close, and the flash "washes out" your subject, try standing further back.  You want enough light from the flash to brighten, without overdoing it.  Conversely, if your subject's face is still dark, get a little closer.  

If all else fails, we have suitcases, and love to travel! :-)  

- Stefanie Blue

Photographer/Co-Owner of BlueFlair Photography

Thanks Steph for the useful information!!!

Spring Break 2010

Steve had to work, so I decided to take some mother/son alone time, and Travis and I headed to Hidden Shores, Yuma, AZ for the first week of Spring Break.  While en-route, we stopped at Ogilby Rd off of the I-8 to do a little Geocaching, and Travis went deep in the bush to find this well-hidden cache. We ended the week finding over 25 caches.  Some we were able to get to on paved roads, and others required the Jeep or quads and definitely 4WD.   If you don't know what geocaching is, basically, it is an adult treasure hunt, with the fun being in deciphering the clues and actually finding the cache.  There are over a million caches hidden worldwide, each given specific GPS coordinates.  You log on to the website, download the location to your GPS or GPS enables phone, and start searching.  Keep in mind, some of these little buggars are super well hidden or camouflaged.  We spent the week riding the quads, practicing baseball, finding caches, going jeeping, generally hanging out and had a BLAST!  Steve joined us on Thursday and spent the weekend.  On Sunday, we headed to La Quinta to visit Steve's mom and felt the shaking of the big quake. 

Holland America

I was honored to accompany a small group of friends and clients for a ship tour and luncheon on board Holland America's ms Oosterdam.  This ship is home ported in San Diego, sailing 7 night Mexico cruises October through April.  From April through October, she sails the amazing waters of Alaska.  Holland America's ships are classy and sophisticated, and are reminiscent of sailing on the most famous ocean liners of the 20th Century, but with all of the modern amenities you would expect on a 21st Century, cutting edge vessel.  

Having this beauty in our own back yard for the winter months provides the opportunity to sail from a close to home port with all the luxury you would expect to see in a Premium Quality Cruise Line.

New Orleans

It's been a long 2 weeks since my last post.  Felt like forever anyway.  I had a GREAT trip to New Orleans to participate in the inaugural Mardi Gras Rock N Roll Half Marathon with my friends Karleen and Denise, and my cousin Leslie.

New Orleans is a BEAUTIFUL city, full of tastes, sights and wonder.  We ate local exotic cuisine, sampled the finest libations, and saw the city from a local's perspective.  Sure we cruised Burbon Street and had beignets at Cafe Du Monde - who goes all the way to New Orleans without visiting these hot spots - but we also took the causeway over Lake Pontchartrain and toured the Abita Brewing Company in Abita Springs, LA,  we shopped at a little boutique on Magazine Street called Trashy Diva, and we ate alligator sausage and shrimp Po Boys at Parkway Bakery.  I can't thank my cousins Ann and Leslie enough for their Southern Hospitality, and for showing us the "locals" flair of New Orleans.  I am SOO ready to go back, this time with Steve and Travis!