This is the time of year when social media is flooded with photos and stories of our friends enjoying exotic vacations from around the world. I enjoy travel, but I have found that vacations can also be stressful and exhausting. Exactly the opposite of what they are supposed to be. My advice is to use your vacation time to spend the most quality time possible with your loved ones. Where you go doesn’t matter much as long as it is a place where you can relax and enjoy your time together to the fullest. Make no mistake, we have done vacations where we were on the move the whole time, spent a lot of time arguing with each other, and came home more exhausted than when we left. That’s not a vacation. Keep this in mind, resort hotels are businesses. They want you out of the room spending time in their restaurants, bars and other activities. Unless you spend a fortune on a big suite, you’ll never spend any time in the room just talking and relaxing. This past summer, my family (minus Jaimie and AJ) rented a three-bedroom townhome with an ocean view in Wailea, Maui. The cost was less than renting two small rooms at the Grand Wailea resort which was located across the street. During the days, we hung out at the beach, worked out at the resort, and visited some of the best sights on the island. In the evening, we just chilled – with movie nights, BBQ, and blackjack. Sometimes we just talked over drinks and ice cream. While we loved the island, the best part of the vacation was our evenings together in the townhome. I highly recommend it. Happy summer!
I was in D.C. on Friday for the celebration of life for my friend, Dave Stevens. Dave was a former FHA Commissioner under Barack Obama and an icon in the mortgage banking industry. I was lucky to know Dave as a good friend.
In July, L’ATTITUDE hosted its first event during the NBA Summer League, honoring Latino leaders in the NBA….L’ATTITUDE intends to amplify its focus on sports because of its enormous influence on our culture and the youth in America. Beyond recognizing leaders, L’ATTITUDE will produce studies and data that illustrate the role of Latinos in terms of audience and revenue growth for professional sports.
The woman who gave me life and shaped me to be the person that I am passed away on March 5th. My mother Irma was a strong woman – a really strong woman. She was the matriarch of our family. I joke that the rest of us were just part of her supporting cast...