Family Comes First

If for some reason my article about last minute springtime cruises convinced you to abandon your family, you probably have serious committment issues beyond anything that can be corrected by me, but just to be clear, I am not telling anyone to skip past some of the most meaningful chapters of their lives.

Some people never opt to raise a family, and that is a legitimate adult choice.

Most of us, however, seem to have a nesting instinct, and our children become our greatest treasures.

I would never suggest you fast forward past all the pleasures of that era from pre-natal to graduation and beyond.

Julie and I love spending time with our family best of all.

Our oldest daughter Gina came into town last week along with her husband Laszlo and their daughter Emma. We had a terrific visit, and I know Emma in particular loves time at the beach, where we build castles and sea walls in the sand a continent away from her new home near Philadelphia.

Emma continues to be off-the-charts smart and is sweeter and happier than ever.

In addition to spending a couple of days together in Redondo Beach, we all went to my sister's house in San Diego for Easter, where Darlene, her husband Brooks and their son Brooks hosted us for a wonderful stay, including fun egg hunts and an incredible Easter feast.

Our son Jay and his girlfriend Sasha, who recently returned from a vacation in Japan, drove down from Brentwood in their MG Midget to join us.

As wonderful as it all was, everyone eventually must return to the day-to-day realities, and in the mean time, Julie and I will happily do some traveling, a passion our kids have all inherited.

It gives us more to talk about when we get together.

And, of course, to have the best memories for sharing, never forget that, "Better service leads to better trips!"