Sober Blog

So the rates we have for this trip are $1700. below market rates. You know you have always wanted to come on this trip so what are you waiting for???? This is the experience of a lifetime with people you know holding hands, praying, dancing, laughing and absolutely insisting on enjoying life! Call 561-702-2312.

Snow & Captain Bill Wright of Oasis of the Seas

So, I am on Day 3 onboard Oasis of the Seas, the most technologically advanced cruise ship in the world. Although we are at full capacity with 5900 passengers, because of the exquisite design, it does not feel crowded or pedestrian in any way! I just left my hubby in the cabin, waiting for complimentary room service which I ordered on the interactive tv in our room. On this huge flat screen tv, you can see all restaurant availability, where it’s crowded, what is open, both the complimentary and specialty restaurants. The screen gives you a complete read out of anyplace you could want to go or anything you could want to do on the ship or shore. Although 63% of the passengers made their show and restaurant reservations prior to sailing, there is still availability.

Last night we had an intimate evening in the Comedy Club, fashioned New York City style with a lighted subway map on the ceiling. They said they needed at least 25 passengers in order to have a show, but it was sold out. Although it was half as small as the Improv in NYC, it was twice the laughs! The two comedians were timely, fresh and full of hysterical insight. They were hilarious with only one slight reference to Tiger. Now that’s talent!

On 12/31, I decided to get one more meeting under my belt in Ft. Lauderdale before the holiday and before sailing. I caught a 3:30 pm meeting and there was an out of town newcomer there with 30 days who was young and under a lot of pressure from his visiting peers to have New Year’s Eve partying fun in South Beach. He didn’t tell his friends he was in recovery, and was very nervous at 29 years old with no sober reference. I felt compelled to talk to him at length after the meeting to tell him the things that he would need to be armed with to save his life that night. I left thinking I will never see him again.

Yesterday, as I walked passed the pool onboard this incredible ship, there he was! He must be wondering, “Once you join, do these AA’s stalk you on vacation too????” Ha ha , God sure has a sense of humor! I tried to tell him where our meeting was but did not want to blow his anonymity to the young girl he was with. I will pray I see him again this week so I can tell him where the solution is on Deck 17. I brought my 12 & 12 an led the meeting with all of us reading the first step. If he comes, we will just read it again.

I am going with my hubby and travel buddies, Rick, Helle, Jonah, Marc, Jamie, Jack, Kari, Darlene & Javier to see the show “Hairspray” at 2:30. Then we are dining at the upscale $35. a person 150 Central Park Restaurant. It is Haute Cuisine and no children are allowed. I can’t wait. It is located on Deck 8 in Central Park, one park where you won’t get mugged…unless ofcourse, you go into the Coach store that happens to be there!

I am so happy to be on a real vacation with my hubby. We haven’t gone away for 7 days without the children, or without me working since our honeymoon 28 years ago. I am only here through the generosity of one of my cruisers who thought I should have a good time. How lucky. I will meet with my Onboard Cooardinater soon to make sure all my details for the 9th Annual Halloween Gratitude Cruise onboard this ship are ready when we get here in October! www.sobercelebrations.com and www.oasisoftheseas.com to check it out.

Yippee! Registration opens today! July 1-4, 2010 in San Antonio, Texas is the time and the place. Please go to www.aa.org to get your form and fax it in to General Service. There is nothing like being with 50,000 of your closest friends for the weekend! This world convention is only every 5 years and the last one was in Toronto. I don’t know where the 2015 will be, but it may not be in this country again for another 10 years. Don’t miss this opportunity to see how connected your are to something O so much bigger than you think.
Gratitude Cruises is hosting a dinner event on Friday, July 2, 2010 before the opening flag ceremony. Tickets are limited. If you want information, please email me at Snow@sobercelebrations.com.

I arrived on May 24 a day before the group so I could work out the incoming kinks and boy am I happy that I did. The four hour time difference between Florida & Alaska put me in my hotel room with only one stopover in Houston, at 2:00 am body clock time. It was an exhausting trip and I am really happy I came a day early.
The next day folks started to arrive and I organized a trek to a nearby meeting at 5:00. I had called ahead a month ago and told them they will have extra guests and the note left in the chairperson’s box was really cute. They could not interpret it! It didn’t matter because there were 12 of us in a room with 5 local Anchorage folks and the fresh horses were surly needed. One gent coming back from a relapse, one gent wondering if he could ever travel again sober, one gent lamenting the fact that he could not have a couple of beers on Memorial Day Weekend. The lamentor had just gotten out of jail from his sixth DUI. This disease is so baffling, he can’t make the connection between drinking and jail.
When we got back to the hotel, I had arranged for the shuttle to pick us up and bring us to the Sourdough Mining Company for dinner. We had some wonderful local fare. The show, “The Adventures of Dusty Soughdough” out in the back barn where there was a stage was cancelled, so we just milled around the chocolate factory across the street where they have the world’s largest chocolcate fountain. It was awesome. The shuttle took us back for a great nights sleep!
This whole trip is so organized and easy. We boarded a private motorcoach which brought us to our glass domed train the next morning. Awesome views while sitting in a dining car in booths from heaven! The reindeer sausages in the omlettes while traversing the wilderness was an elegant affair. I felt like I was on the Oriental Express…only with my alcoholic family giggling the whole way. It is the beginning of the season here and we were only the second group on the train. Our waiter looked at Bill’s tshirt with the triangle and breathed a sigh of relief. He was jumping for joy when he knew all 45 of us were in recovery! We meet up tomorrow with 25 more folks for the rest of the journey.
McKinley Village Lodge, Tuesday, May 26…rustic, we are the first guests of the season…I think they didn’t know we were coming!
Wednesday, May 27, Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge is sublime! This three story fireplace in the lobby is like a ski lodge in fantastic mountains.

EXCURSIONS: I took a flightseeing tour to the top of Mt. McKinley with 9 other folks. We landed on a Ruth Glacier. This was the experience of a lifetime! It was like standing in God’s hand. The majesty of the mountains and glaciers defies description. My camera was impotent, my heart bursting with gratitude, and my mouth hurt from smiling. The sun does not got down here until late late at night. My flightseeing tour

I’ve been fortunate enough to experience and explore different careers in sobriety. At one point I worked in the world of private aviation. It was a good old boy’s club of big toys, expensive cigars, and bull pen events. It was fun and exciting and if I were 20 years younger, I would have taken on the challenge of being one of the few women in the field. My brief involvement included going to an aviation show with top executives one weekend. When I was drinking I wasn’t comfortable anywhere. Now I am comfortable in any place on earth, including business situations. I have owned night clubs and restaurants with no conflicts to my sobriety. Fortunately the obsession was lifted from me after the first two years of being sober and I continue to stay committed to our precious program.

One night after dinner that weekend of the aviation show, we went to a party one of the fuel suppliers was hosting. We were having a good time, but several of the men thought it peculiar that I was not drinking. As the night wore on, it bothered them more and more they decided to do something about it. Much to my shock, the CEO of one company pinned my arms behind my back while the other executive tried to pour Jell-O shots down my throat. They may as well have had a gun to my head as I fought for my life. I kicked and pulled and pushed in terror until I got loose and ran back to my hotel. I was appalled, terrified and grateful that God once again had my back. They had no idea they were actually threatening my life, but I was well aware of it.

Yes, we can say stay home, pull the curtains down, not go to work, wear brown bags over our heads, listen in terror at the news, or we can get on our knees every day and have a conscious contact with God and live a conscious life. I have found that following the steps and program to the best of my ability on any one given day allows me the total freedom to participate safely in this banquet of life, no matter how many crazy people I run into. No matter where I want to go, what I want to do, I take my devotion to the program with me, I pad either side of the journey with fellowship and try to surround myself with it like warm blankets. We have been blessed to be awake for all the colors, flavors, joys and sorrows of this life. I don’t want to miss any part of it! No matter what, no one can steal your magic and I know for a fact, God will meet you anywhere.

Zoëtry, Secrets and Dreams Resorts & Spas Offer “Flu-Free Guarantee;”
Three Free Vacations if Guests Contract Influenza A - H1N1

Mexico’s Decline in Cases Spurs Award-Winning Resorts to Offer Guarantee,
Aggressive Promotions and Irresistible Prices

PHILADELPHIA (May 11, 2009) – As Mexico’s Health Minister reports a continuing decline in the H1N1 cases, Zoëtry Wellness & Spa Resorts, Secrets Resorts & Spas and Dreams Resorts & Spas introduces a Flu-Free Guarantee* to help speed the country’s tourism recovery. Valid between May and December 2009, if a guest contracts Influenza A - H1N1 while staying at these resorts their next three vacations will be free of charge.

All Zoëtry Wellness & Spa Resorts, Secrets and Dreams Resorts & Spas follow the current American Hotel & Lodging Sanitation Measures and recently have taken additional heightened measures to ensure the highest level of sanitation and hygiene.

“The health and well-being of our resort employees and guests is a top priority for us. As a result, zero cases of influenza have been reported at any of our properties,” said Alex Zozaya, president and CEO of AMResorts, provider of sales, marketing and brand management services for Zoëtry Wellness & Spa Resorts, Secrets Resorts & Spas and Dreams Resorts & Spas.” “During the last few weeks, we have continuously encouraged travel to Mexico based on the real facts about the H1N1 virus, and the sanitary protocols in place at all of our resorts.”

The Mexican authorities’ recent lift on restrictions to all public facilities including restaurants and cafes, libraries, museums, churches, archaeological sites and more further supports AMResorts’ confidence in the healthy condition of the country.

“We are convinced the recent decline of cases and continued affirmation from the world’s leading health organization for unrestricted international travel will encourage tourists to quickly return to Mexico for its diverse and enticing tourism offerings, rich culture and competitive pricing,” said Zozaya.

* “Flu-Free Guarantee” H1N1 Insurance details:

Must be qualified as Influenza A - H1N1. Positive blood results in addition to certification of the doctor who performed the test are required

Applies to guests that booked May 8, 2009 through June 30, 2009 for travel taking place May 8, 2009 through December 20, 2009

Valid for same vacation (land only) to return once per year over the next 3 years and only for the original traveler plus one companion. Blackout dates and restrictions apply

Applicable to Zoëtry Wellness & Spa Resorts, Secrets and Dreams Resorts & Spas only
Irresistible Savings to Jumpstart Spring Travel Bookings

All Zoëtry Wellness & Spa Resorts, Secrets and Dreams Resorts & Spas are offering a host of irresistible special packages and promotions. Special promotion highlights include:

Spring Escapes:

Zoëtry Wellness & Spa Resorts
• Up to 37 percent discount
Secrets Resorts & Spas
• Up to 55 percent discount
• $200 in resort credit
Dreams Resorts & Spas
• Up to 40 percent discount
• Up to $250 in resort credit
• Two kids stay free with two adults

Discounts are valid for bookings made from May 1 - June 15, 2009 for travel through December 23, 2009. (actual dates and offers vary by resort and can be booked directly on the brands’ websites)

They love our movies. They hate our politicians (well, most of them). But what about our manners? We found out what everyone thinks of our behavior—be it good, bad, or just plain perplexing

There have been better times to be an American, at least in terms of world opinion, yet tourists and immigrants continue to flock to the United States. And when they do, they find that our mores are a lot more complicated than what pop culture, or the chance encounter with fanny-packing tourists, has led them to believe. For all our vastness and diversity, we do have a culture of etiquette—one that can be just as confusing for the visitor to navigate as Japan’s, or Egypt’s, or France’s is for the American tourist. Which is why this edition of Etiquette 101 is an inside-out affair, an introspective examination of the U.S.A. in the eyes of the rest of the world

1. THEY THINK WE’RE A “LOOK, BUT DON’T TOUCH” CULTURE…
THE SMILE: One of the qualities that sets us most apart is how often we smile—even at strangers. “It really is peculiar to Americans,” says Gary Weaver, a professor of international communications at American University, who’s trained many a foreigner. Visitors often take a smile very seriously, “and then when they realize that it extends to everybody, [they assume] it’s because Americans are phony.” But it’s just a basic signal of politeness—mixed with perhaps a preoccupation with first impressions. “We’re a very mobile society,” says James L. Bullock, a diplomat at the American embassy in Paris. “We’re always trying to fit in—that’s why other people think we’re always smiling.”
EYE CONTACT: Whereas in other cultures avoiding eye contact—particularly with an elder—can be a sign of respect, here eye contact is mandatory, even if you’re just making small talk about the weather.
PERSONAL DISTANCE: Weaver warns visitors that Americans are not to be touched beyond the forearm, and estimates personal space here at nearly two feet—twice what it is in the Arab world and in Mediterranean countries. The author Aleksandar Hemon, who emigrated to the United States from Bosnia in his late twenties, noticed that people here flinched at his touch. It’s not that Americans are cold or that Eastern Europeans are pushy, he says. It’s just a cultural difference related to notions of personal space and privacy.

2. …AND THAT OUR WOMEN ARE TEASES
In most countries, a scantily clad woman smiling at a stranger is an invitation. “We’ve had major issues,” says Pamela Eyring, director of the Protocol School in Washington, D.C., “especially with the Russians and Serbians.” Some men have even given female colleagues the keys to their hotel rooms. Eyring is currently preparing a course on dressing conservatively. “That’s an area we’re having trouble with in the United States.” Weaver finds himself having to emphasize that “when an American woman says no, she means no. It doesn’t mean ask me again,” as it often does in other cultures.

3 THEY THINK WE MAKE MEANINGLESS SMALL TALK
Small talk—which Hemon calls “the verbal equivalent of smiling”—is a staple worldwide, but it seems that we Americans do it the most. Take the phrase “How are you?” “In many countries where people say ‘How are you,’ they really mean ‘How are you,’?” says Weaver. “We just want people to say ‘fine.’ It’s not an invitation to a health report.” Sherry Mueller, head of the National Council for International Visitors, gives detailed workshops on small talk. “I recommend that they read a local newspaper or a magazine. That gives them topics and conversation skills.” It’s a way to avoid just discussing the weather, or topics you’d rather not hear about, because…

Book any cruise on Princess with $100. per person deposit and get a coupon booklet worth $325. by May 8, 2009.
Call me for rates of your favorites desitination, cabin style and length of trip! 561-702-2312

Before you get swept up in the media frenzy and buy yourself a gross of masks, read the facts about this flu:
http://tiny.cc/JzPgt.
Remember, God will meet you anywhere!