Johnny Cool – Yah Man…Coolest Jamaican Driver

When our cruise ship Freedom of the Seas pulled into the pier at Falmouth, Jamaica we didn’t quite feel like we were in the beautiful country that we visited just three years ago. We spent a week at the Beaches resort in Negril that was unanimously voted as ‘the best family vacation ever’ by our two boys.

Falmouth isn’t the Jamaica we remembered. We immediately missed the white sand beaches, the friendly Jamaican people and the authentic jerk grub. Falmouth is obviously a small corporate built ‘cruise-ship’ town with little charm and local flavor.

Once off the ship, we decided to bypass the barrage of ‘ship sponsored’ shopping venues in search of ‘our Jamaica’. The Jamaican people tell you if you’ve been to Jamaica, you are officially Jamaican. This is exactly what native, LeRoy Brown told us when he pulled our small family aside to present us with a variety of site seeing options for a nominal cost. Was his tactics on the up and up? I don’t know…but we liked him. We decided to forgo the typical excursions and tourist traps that were also available through the ship in search of a private tour of the ‘real Jamaica’. LeRoy obliged and personally escorted us two blocks down the street to a disserted church parking lot.

He opened the door to a gray van and introduced us to his brother, Johnny Green. My Jon, introduced himself to LeRoy Brown and Johnny Green as ‘Jon Gray’. So with Brown, Green and Gray we thought it was a perfect match. Nothing to fear. Jon Gray negotiated with LeRoy Brown and we were off to our private tour of Jamaica.

Within the first five minutes of our drive we learned about Johnny Green, his family, his work life and his passion for music. He has a DJ business ‘on the side’ and loudly turned up his wide range of Reggae music for us to enjoy. “We go to the Beach, Man. Get something to eat, Man. And go shopping, Man,” he told us. “No problem, Man.”

It was a national holiday for Jamaica so the beach was packed with natives enjoying their ‘fun day’ in the sun. This wasn’t the tourist beach – and we loved that. Hundreds of Jamaicans enjoyed the blue waters of Montego Bay dressed in their white tee-shirts. Johnny told us to find a seat in the restaurant and order a drink and the jerk chicken while he parked the van. Apparently Johnny knew the owner of the restaurant as they fed him well for free while his out of place tourists spent their American money.

After a wonderful meal and several Pina Colladas (with Appleton Rum) Johnny took us to the ‘real shopping’ of Jamaica. We passed the tourist traps such as Margaritaville and giggled as we passed by the suckers that paid far too much money for their commercial adventure. Deep in the heart of Montego Bay, Johnny parked the van and told us, “Here is where you shop, Man.” It wasn’t exactly what we had in mind, but the store was clearly stocked with the typical knock-off items and trinkets that our boys were looking to find.

As we walked toward the store, the owners unlocked the door and let us in. It felt a bit creepy, until we were greeted by none other than our friend, LeRoy Brown, who we left back in Falmouth. LeRoy let us know that he had made special arrangements with the owner to provide us with the best deals in Jamaica, Man. The boys looked at me as if we were in some kind of strange movie. I whispered to them and smiled, “things work a bit differently in other countries.” They wasted no time and began to rifle through the knock-offs in search of some cheap Oakley sunglasses.

We left the store with our trinkets and some cash for the driver (thanks to LeRoy’s buddy the store owner – we didn’t have enough cash with us for the adventure – and Johnny didn’t take plastic). But we had one more stop to make – the petro station to gas up the van and let Jon Gray use the facilities. As the van was being filled, Johnny Cool told Jon Gray to ask the station owner for the restroom key. “What you need to do, Man? Go pee, Man?” asked the owner. “Ok, Man. I’ll show you the bathroom,” he went on. He took Jon behind the station to a tree and said, “You go there, Man. It’s the Jamaican way. No problem, Man.”

So off we went back to the ship. We thank Johnny Cool for his stories, singing, adventure and laughs.

Here is a bit of flavor of Johnny’s experience. (Video we found on YouTube)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0C-JPBzBsq0

New Fashioned Christmas Vacation: Survival Tips for Traveling with Teens.

We just arrived home from our Grayson family Christmas. It was a fantastic time and I enjoyed every minute with my two boys and husband. Traveling with teens can be a challenge, so I’m going to share some insight from this 10 day trip with a 12 and 15 year old.

Survival tips for traveling with teens:

Avoid the iFight. It’s only natural as parents to find the urge to require your son or daughter to leave their iStuff (pods, pads and other devices) at home. Vacations are for ‘disconnecting’ right? Not in the mind of a 15 year old. Letting go can be stressful for an adult and even more so for a teen. Picking this battle is a lose/lose. It’s not worth it!

Phones don’t float. The cell phone is a teen appendage. Even without service, they will continue to have the device in their hand or on their person. Beware of swim trunks with pockets. It takes only a ten minute dip in the ocean to strip all of the knowledge from a ‘smart’ phone. Tried and true tricks of drying the phone out with a bag of rice, blow drying with cool air or leaving in the sun will not work. We learned the hard way. Check those shorts!!

Elect them Chief Information Officer. Teens love information. Involve them in the planning and give them the task. In fact, during our vacation we found the iStuff to came in handy - especially with a resourceful teen. Not only did the GPS save us a few times, but we were also able to discover some great places and find the best deals. Teens tend not to rebel when they are involved in the decisions. We gave the kids a challenge to find the deepest discounts and they could use the savings for spending money.

Enjoy them. Laugh often. Cherish this time. My boys have an amazing sense of humor. Your teens do as well. Our vacation was filled with laughter, inside jokes and poking fun at our selves. Before you know it, they will be off to college and on to begin their own lives.

Happy New Year and Travel Often!

Grayson 2011 Holiday Greeting

Twas the night before Easter

And Grandma proposed

A Christmas trip to the tropics

As we all froze

We dream like Clark Griswold of a brand new pool

But no Christmas bonus, for the day-dreamy fool

Labadie, Falmouth, Grand Cayman, Cozumel

We wonder if it will be Heaven or Hell

We’ll be on a deck chair on Christmas Day morn

Celebrating in paradise that our Savior was born

Family time, warm breezes and much Holiday Cheer

What a grand way to celebrate Christmas this year

Before we set sail on our 154,000 ton boat

Wanted to share a short Grayson note:

Owen in 10^th grade, no more kicking back

“Buck up” said Coach Ziggy and quit talkin’ smack

From basketball to baseball to Golf league just think

In two months, we won’t miss car-pool-post-practice stink

Almost 16, dreams big like Mazaradii, Ferrari

But all Dad could say was “Owen…I’m sorry.”

Eli the tween’er went to middle school

Gets ear infections from the Chippewa pool

Little League awarded him the ‘strongest arm champ’

And then spent a week at JDRF Needlepoint Camp

Enjoys Wyld Life with friends and signing in choir

Still sets the b-ball court on fire

Hotel Snob wished she had more time to write

But work and the boys leaves no time at night

Still trying so hard to learn how to cook

Year without kitchen fire thinks she’s now ‘off the hook’

Jon likes to write stuff and walk the dog

He’s waiting for Kristy to teach him to blog

Volunteer chauffer is nearing the end

Chaplain work & church his time to lend

Bosco Bear Pug is another year older

Willing to perch on any warm shoulder

Like most Pugs he’s not very smart

But he’ll weasel his way into anyone’s heart

End of summer is never a joy

So we found a way to hang with the boys

Thanks to frequent-flier miles we got ‘r done

Off to San Fran for some family fun

Fisherman’s wharf, Muir Beach, but no tan

Eli asked, “Mom, what’s that guy got in the back of his van?”

We love the questions of innocent boys

And fondly remember the house full of toys

But growing up is what they do

And we’re blessed to know their inner-Who

We teach them LOVE always conquers hate

And all great things are worth the wait

They (and we) know GOD lives in our heart

And that HE loves us and keeps us, so we’ll never part

To you we wish a happy blessing, and a Merry Christmas!

The Graysons (Jon, Kris, Owen & Eli)

City by the Bay...Part II

Now that we've experienced the laid back portion of our vacation, the boys were itching to get to the action. Action, to them, meant 'the city.' It was painful for them to drive up and down the grand hills of San Francisco, only to be told that we were going to stay in a quieter part of town the first two days. The hopes of mall shopping, street vendors and trinkets & trash quickly escaped them when we entered the freeway to suburbia.

So that warm, sunny morning we left Tiburon in search of a city cafe for a hearty breakfast. The friendly young lady on the GPS didn't quite understand the meaning of quaint little cafe. She immediately instructed that we exit the highway in search of a Denny's or International House of Pancakes. But rule #2 for Grayson family travel is NOT to dine at a chain restaurant. So GPS Jon decided to turn her off and use sheer instinct to guide us.

It turns out that GPS Jon had a knack for finding just the right direction toward food. It's a good thing too as the 15 and 12 year old tummies were not in a patient place. There it was...just a few miles off of the freeway, Mel's Diner. Not the original from the movie American Graffiti, but it was kitschy and touristy. It’s just what we needed.

Boys were intrigued with the large Happy Days booths with an authentic juke box, but not to the extent of spending 50 cents to hear 'some lame old song'. They did enjoy over stuffing their stomachs with four buttermilk pancakes, three glasses of chocolate milk, six sausage links, two pieces of French toast, one giant chocolate shake, two pounds of hash browns and a six egg ham and cheese omelet.

With full tummies, at least for an hour in Owen's case, we were off to explore the city. First stop...Hotel Monaco. A Kimpton property that promised the finest boutique hotel experience. As the name of my blog promises, Hotel Snob expected the best. But before we were able to find the venue, GPS Jon decided to give us the Dodge Avenger tour of the city. I'd hoped to surprise the boys with a limo city tour, but the budget didn't allow. So former chauffeur, aka Dad, felt that the Avenger adventure would be as exciting. That it was. At least for the first 20 minutes or so. We guided through the rough street of the mission district to see how most of the world lives, then a quick tour of the boarded up buildings that held side doors that claimed the best of adult entertainment.

By this time, I was ready for a quiet nap in a fluffy bed. Jon obliged and made his way toward Hotel Monaco. But seconds later, out of nowhere, Errrrrrrpppppp sounded a horn from a massive fire truck. "Ahhh, Dad. Do you see that?" said Owen in his typical calm voice. Jon quickly looked out of the right window and saw the truck heading right toward us. With perfect reaction, he jerked the wheel of the Dodge, stepped on the peddle and nearly ran into a taxi who in turn greeted us with the Big Bird. "We're here," said GPS Jon. We giggled loudly from the back seat. "Yes, Clarke Griswold. We're here," I laughed.

Like clockwork, the valet was there to swoop away the vehicle. One of the reasons I chose the hotel. Free parking. Not to mention the nightly wine tasting and location one block from Union Square shopping. I've been very impressed with Kimpton properties for business travel. So it was a natural choice. The hotels in the popular Fisherman's Wharf area were either sold out or too expensive.

Yet the ironic part of staying at the Kimpton for this retreat was that the service was far less extraordinary as I've experienced in the past. This time I wasn't greeted with the attentiveness that I typically require. I don't mean to sound like a snob, but I really deserved this vacation and the front desk clerk and the concierge was getting in my way of an exceptional experience. Unfortunately, it didn't get any better throughout our stay but this story is not about a hotel bashing experience so my Hotel Snob persona will wait for another day.

Today I am simply travel mom. You know the fun one that likes to do all of the kids stuff. Shopping, tourist traps, cool restaurants and of course professional baseball. And what better way to experience professional baseball than a Giants Game. I scored amazing seventh row seats right outside of the opponent’s bull pen. My boys we're in baseball heaven. Cheap for Stub Hub standards and trust me I've purchased enough to know better.

Although the two boys and I have a mission to see every MLB stadium in the country, Jon had his fill of little league and big league baseball for the season. He had little interest in attending the game. Especially since it was forty degrees and misty. A bit too cool for his liking. He was a trooper and determined that we would forgo the car ride to the stadium and fight the torn up busy streets of San Francisco.

What seemed an hour on the road yet only minutes I'm certain, we found the stadium but no parking lots. I was admittedly tired and grumpy by that time when we finally pulled into a shady little lot for only $15.00. Grumpier yet when I realized it was about 15 blocks from the field. Then when we finally got to the park Jon realized he left the glucose monitor in the car. Not a good thing to leave behind with a hungry type 1 diabetic in tow. So the boys and I carved our way into the long line to wait for the doors to open while Jon took the long walk back.

Giant’s stadium is all that it's cracked up to be. One of my favorite ball parks. The view of the bay, the adoring fans, the heckling of the opponents, the stench of fried food. It just couldn't get any better. Until the Hot Chocolate man came down the aisle. And the orange panda hat that the boys purchased for me. Heaven. True heaven.

Yet the walk back to the car was the boys’ favorite as it was dark and a bit creepy. Owen's eyes nearly popped out of his head when he saw a minivan on the side of the road selling what was sure to be Official Giants knock off attire. Owen, being the savvy young business man that he is asked the young salesman "how much?" as we passed by. He knew how the game was played as he scored a pair of Oakleys the summer prior from a man carrying garbage bag on Canal Street in NYC. "Fifteen dollar...your choice," the man exclaimed. Owen shook his head and walked straight on past. "Yo Dude. Just like da ones in the stadium....only cheap. Authentic too.". We quickly walked past the man to our vehicle. “Mom, can we go back?” asked Owen chomping at the bit for a bargain. “Not tonight, Babe,” I said.

Stayed tuned……more to come.

City by the Bay

It just wouldn’t be right for a blog named Hotel Snob not to take a few minutes out of chaos to write about our recent trip to San Francisco. Although I’ve been to the city a few times for business and at SFO on numerous occasions for a layover, I never had the pleasure to enjoy and get to know the city by the bay.

The trip was impromptu. With our tight budget in this ridiculous economy, taking a family vacation seemed out of the question in the summer of 2011. But after a brief airplane collision with another Delta vessel in Chicago on a business trip a few weeks prior, I was presented with a beautiful thing - A travel voucher good for a domestic flight. The email haunted me daily as I reviewed my Gmail in-box. “Go somewhere – go somewhere – you deserve a vacation,” it told me. After quickly realizing that I hadn’t taken more than 8 hours PTO all summer, I decided to ponder what a trip might look like. “I could take one boy. That wouldn’t cost too much,” I thought. Yet, when I presented the idea to Jon, he immediately demanded that entire family attend the last minute get away. So with the blessing of 85,000 Delta Skymiles and a free ticket, we decided the trip could be a reality.

Family vacations are a priority for us. It gives us forced time together. We escape the hectic world of teen and pre-teen sporting events; car-pool journeys and other pre-planned rituals that seem to distract us. Plus, Owen and Eli have inherited the travel bug and desire to see the world. Although their young minds would prefer to see every major league baseball field in American rather than the South of France, they enjoy experiencing new cultures and how the rest of the world lives.

The Village on the Bay

We arrived in San Francisco just before 10:00 am on Wednesday. It was a gorgeous warm day without a cloud in the sky. Very unusual we are told for this city. Although it cooled in the evening, we had beautiful sunny weather throughout the vacation. With GPS in hand and a full sized Dodge something or other, we were off to Tiburon, a small community on the Bay. Jon and Eli visited the beautiful city of Tiburon last summer while visiting his uncle E.C. He loved the quaint village, its shops and excellent restaurants. It was an ideal location for us to explore the north shore of the bay. Plus, there was an In N Out Burger. The one destination requested by Owen. He’s an easy kid to please. It was clear that wine country with two boys was out of the question. That brief dream fizzled as quickly as basket of fries from the burger shop.

Photos don’t do the Golden Gate Bridge justice. We admired the hundreds of tourists hiking, biking and taking snapshots as we crossed the grand structure. The boys had no interest in joining the crowds so we continued on our way to the land of redwoods, artists and wealthy residents.

Day two and headache was gone. Thank God! Jon was itching to explore so off we went.It was a short 20-minute car ride to Tiburon where we quickly checked into our hotel room at the Tiburon Lodge. (An executive suite. I sweet-talked my

way into an upgrade. I wouldn’t call it the Four Seasons, but the room was decent with a kitchen, living room and large flat screen TV.) The hotel pool was lovely and refreshing for the day to unwind. Unfortunately, the poolside marguerite had a wee bit too much tequila. It immediately gave me a nasty 18-hour migraine. It was my own fault and I was out cold the rest of the day. Luckily,the boys and Jon were exhausted from the flight so we all hit the sack at 5:00 pm.

Mountains and curves and rocks, Oh my…

It took two attempts to find Muir Beach. Numerous friends and the guidebook recommended the venue. This was the one destination on my list. The GPS didn’t quite navigate us to the correct place. We quickly found ourselves traveling upwards on winding roads with sharp turns through neighborhoods of expensive homes. Quickly, Jon realized the following:

1. We had no… juice. (Which is a problem when traveling with a Type 1 Diabetic)
2. We had no…Dramamine. (Which was essential as I’d already threatened to vomit twice.)
3. We had no…jokes. (Our jokester, Owen stopped making us laugh.)
4. We had no…patience. (Our driver was fed up with all of it.)

After a quick lunch, a trip to Safeway and some clear directions, we were back on the road to Muir Beach. This time I was mentally prepared to take on the scary journey. After white knuckling the back of the car’s head rest for what seemed an hour, a near miss by a garbage truck and a VW golf playing Nascar on the sharp mountain turns with no guard rail, we landed in one of the most glorious sites I’ve ever seen, the Muir Beach Overlook.

The view was spectacular. A woman who has been blessed to see much of America and several other countries, I thought it was one of the most breathtaking views I’d seen. It rivaled Jamaica, St Martin and even Hawaii. It was worth the near death experience and nausea. Owen looked at me and asked, “Mom, do you think we can liver here someday.” I knew then that it had touched the heart of a fifteen year old. It was all worth it.

Stay tuned for the next City by the Bay entry…

Beautiful Day

The band U2 made it famous. At least it seemed based on the thousands of 40 somethings surrounding TCF Stadium on the U of M campus yesterday evening prior to the concert. Jon and I loitered across the street as we could clearly hear the band and see them on the large screen without having to invest the $200 just to reminisce our young life together.

One thing you learn quickly as a student at the U of M is how to navigate the system and find the hidden treasures such as free parking and hidden restrooms. We giggled as we walked through the campus holding hands like we were 19 again. Watching the other Gen X’ers pay $20 for parking and standing in a line 100 deep just to use a port-a-potty made me feel that my student loans a 4 ¼ year degree at a Big 10 school worthwhile.

The juxtaposition of the old and new landscape on campus was far more interesting than watching a band of old men play the same tunes I jog to on my iPod. The streets I spent so much time on in my young life are now riddled with Starbucks and other chain restaurants. But the mall holding the most prestigious old lectures halls hadn’t changed a bit. We had to sit on one of the long granite benches and admire the architecture and thousands of minds that had been shaped in the stone hot rooms. I felt as small in the vast beauty of the surroundings as I had so many years ago.

Thanks to my husband’s internal weather radar, he advised we move along after a few songs. We arrived home prior to the storms that washed out the other middle aged fans fun. Although it was so much fun to have a rare two hours alone with my hubby, the real Beautiful Day was today.

Beauty is not definable. That’s why it’s so intriguing. My gut tells me that most people would think that beauty means being an attractive person or an image such as a stunning sunset over the ocean. But beauty is so much deeper than that. True beauty has no description. You just know it when you see it.

Today was a Beautiful Day. A sunny, pleasant day at the Slice of Shoreview. There was a cool breeze, blue skies and no rain. I took my youngest son Eli and his friend “DQ” for an afternoon of goofing around at the community festival playing carnival games, eating junk and hanging out with his friends. Although I’ve been coined ‘a cool mom’ by my boys, I attempted to give Eli a bit of freedom – trying not to lurk about. But I have to admit, I was only steps away most of the time attempting not to stalk my own child.

As much as I’ve tried to give Eli his space, my motherly intuition told me not to leave him today. It’s a tough time in our lives as he’ll be going to middle school in just a few short weeks. Three years after his diagnosis with Type 1 Diabetes, I know that its time to let go a little and give him some freedom to begin managing his disease on his own. But as a mother, it’s just so difficult. I still know the consequences of even a small mistake, but I also know that its time for me to grow up along side him. So for a few minutes, I contemplated leaving my young man at the festival with his cell phone and a few dollars. But, something in my heart said no! Don’t leave him. I’m not sure if it was God or Mother’s Intuition, but I stayed with him…at least in eye’s shot away.

Thanks to my intuition, it was a Beautiful Day. I thank the Lord that I was there when his blood glucose hit 25. The lowest it has ever been. The scariest it has ever been for me. After quick thinking, a lot of sugar and the calm voice of my husband on his cell phone, he is just fine.

My words to all of you today. Always, always, always follow your gut!!

So in the words of U2:

It’s a Beautiful Day.

Don’t let it slip away.

To write or not to write? That is the question.

Many of you have asked why I’m not blogging. I’m flattered that you enjoy my writing. It’s my true release. The characters and stories are still in my head screaming to be let out on paper. Some fiction and some real. I’ve dabbled a bit with editing my novel - even went as far as posting the first chapter to a forum of writers for a critique. That was a big step for me as I exposed my true passion to professionals.

The reviews were mostly positive. I was told by professional writers that I have raw talent and beautiful voice. Although my first time writer mistakes were revealed, most critics begged me not to give up. So I won’t. That said, my blog will have to take a nap for a few more weeks while i pull out the novel and continue the painful process of editing.

I have a few stories tucked away that I’ll pull out and post in the near future.
Thanks to all of you for your support.

Love,
Kris