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Vacation ’03 includes no-vomit<br>ocean cruise, blue diamond moment

Another week would have been nice. Nevertheless, I’m back at the computer keyboard after a two-week vacation. Thankfully, I love my job and it’s not too tough coming back.

The vacation proved to be quite interesting and in my personal life, newsworthy. But I’ll get to that a little later. Let’s just say it’s the most memorable vacation I’ve ever had.

After a few days of cleaning houses here at Grand Canyon, Stacey and I headed west back on July 27. Actually, we only made it to Williams on the first night to try out a new lodge down there.

It’s called Grand Canyon Retreats, a collection of theme-specific rooms with old-fashioned furniture, in-room jacuzzis and wine in the fridge. Part-owner and manager Mike Morgan runs the place; he’s a heck of a nice guy and I want to thank him for taking good care of my aunt and cousins while they visited a few weeks ago.

We stayed in a suite with a French theme, slept in a comfortable wrought-iron post bed, relaxed in the jacuzzi and got up the next morning to drink gourmet coffee. It was a great way to start our trip.

After spending the next few days in Laughlin, we headed off to my dad’s house in Lake Los Angeles, Calif. We enjoyed our time together, but were very anxious to head a little further West for our four-day cruise to Mexico.

We opted for the Royal Caribbean cruise line for a trip from Los Angeles to Ensenada, Mexico, with stops in San Diego and Catalina Island. Apprehensive because I was afraid I would get sick, we boarded “Monarch of the Seas” on Aug. 4.

All five of us were there for the cruise. Stacey, Brandon and I picked up her daughters, Molly and Dory, at the Los Angeles Airport earlier that day. We got there a little early, ate some bad Chinese food and got in line.

When I say got in line, I’m not kidding. It could have been worst, but we had to go through a lot of waiting to get on board. Once on the ship, things were much better.

On the first night, the ship headed to San Diego, a city I’ve visited dozens of times. My brother, Terry, lives at Mission Beach. We decided to avoid the high-cost excursions and spend the day with Terry on his sailboat and at the beach.

A few of us suffered from sunburns (even with sunscreen on) but it was a lot of fun. Dory and Molly rode the old Mission Bay rollercoaster while Brandon found friends to play with at the beach.

On day two, we headed to Catalina Island. Stacey and I went on a kayak trip and found out paddling in unison is not the easiest thing in the world. Of course, we had some sort of super guide who decided it would be cool to head out a half-mile into the ocean.

The cookie on the beach was the best part. If and when we go again, Stacey and I will be heading out in our own kayaks.

That afternoon, Stacey and the girls had fun snorkling while I went back to the ship to catch a Yankees game. Brandon was in his “adventure club” on board where he stayed busy with kids his own age.

Ensenada was an interesting place to visit, although once will be enough for me. We went to La Bufadora, which ended up being a long bus ride that included a walk through a lineup of pushy vendors.

That evening made up for it. It was Stacey’s birthday and I was hoping to make it memorable. I asked Molly and Dory to go for a walk on deck with us before dinner. I wanted them to be there because our kids are important to both of us.

Near the front of the ship, I stopped, got on one knee, pulled out a blue diamond ring and popped the question. Stacey smiled, hesitated and said yes.

This will be a vacation to always remember. For all my eligible female fans out there (all two of you), sorry but I’ve found love. Stacey, thanks for being you.

(Brad Fuqua is editor of the Grand Canyon News).


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