November 2024

Greetings from Brian

View this email in your browser Greetings Friends, November is here, and with it, one of my favorite times of year - changing our clocks back.  Don't forget tomorrow night! October was a busy and fun month for our family.  It started with a trip to Long Island to celebrate my grandmother's 99th birthday.  My whole maternal family was there.  Spending time with everyone was wonderful, but seeing Mema happy was the best part. In the middle of the month, Sarah turned eight.  She wanted a birthday party at our house and invited twelve girls.  Even with an agenda that included plenty of activities, Sandy and I were scrambling to figure out what to do after the first hour.  Everyone ended up having a fun time, but it sure was exhausting. Peter and I wrapped up the fall soccer season.  Sarah continued to enjoy swimming on her team a few days per week.  We went to a high school swim meet where Sandy exclaimed, "That was a lot more exciting than I thought it would be!".  Last, but certainly not least, Peter started hockey.  I'm not sure what he was more excited about - getting to wear all the gear or getting to play. We spent plenty of time outdoors with the weather that cooperated (until Halloween night!).  We went to our City's firefighters' open house, and the kids got to ride a firetruck.  They also had their annual fun run, where Blue Sea Vacations was one of the main sponsors :)  Sandy and I took in an amazing art/light installation at the Olbrich Botanical Gardens.  The Girl Scouts had an afternoon at a pumpkin patch, with fun activities for all ages.  We finished the month with a hike on some local trails. The end of October can only mean one thing - Halloween.  Sarah went as Rapunzel, and Peter repeated as a dragon this year.  It was a cold and windy night.  And it was our first time making it through our entire neighborhood! In last month's email, I promised to describe more of the resorts I saw in Mexico. One that I was lucky to tour was Haven Riviera Cancun. I've had clients stay here, but I have never had the chance to see it myself. The property is adults-only, with 435 suites, 25% of which are swim-out. Haven was a good size - big enough to have plenty of pools and restaurants.  However, it was easy to get around.  A feature that Haven has is that some rooms can accommodate up to four guests.  Most adults-only all-inclusive resorts only allow up to three people per room.  Finally, it's not too far from the airport, and I know it always tends to price reasonably well.  I have it on my list of places to stay when I get a chance. A topic that I haven't mentioned in a while, but is worth repeating is applying for Global Entry.  This is a service that gets you through US customs quickly.  Since I've had it for the past year and a half, I've waited at most ten minutes when arriving back to the USA from a different country.  Global Entry also comes with TSA Pre-Check.  I highly recommend applying for Global Entry if you plan to travel internationally somewhat frequently (once a year is enough in my mind). As always, let me know how I can help you with your next vacation. Have a great weekend and wonderful Thanksgiving later this month, Brian Contact Today See previous monthly emails here. Copyright © 2025 Blue Sea Vacations, All rights reserved.