Gray Shade & Family Travels

We are planning a family trip for our crew of six. We haven’t been on vacation altogether since 2018. For 2022, I want to design a #graydoncrew vacay. We are trying to decide on a destination, and I pulled out my notes from our Cancun and Jamaica trips. I admit that I was highly stressed with all the risks (crime and pandemic related). Because no matter how much you prepare, there is always a risk.

When we decided to take the girls to Cancun last April, I did a lot of research months before travel day. I put it together here to help anyone anxious about travel.

First, check the passports for expiration dates and that all the information matches your booking information. If any updates need to be made, you will need about 2-3 months to fix it.

Next, visit the travel site for the country you are traveling to frequently for ‘travel memos.’ Cancun https://www.mexicancaribbean.travel/covid-19/ and Jamaica https://www.visitjamaica.com/travelauthorization/ 

Each country has COVID protocols and required forms - you can do most paperwork online. Also, if you’re using a travel company, make sure to conference with your agent about the resort where you will be staying. Go to the website for your resort to check for onsite COVID testing and guest information for navigating the property.

Pay attention to the notifications from your airline. Also, I made a point of checking out the airports in Cancun and Jamaica so we could navigate straight to the concierge. This is important because you will be swamped by VERY helpful people who know you are a tourist. In 2021, Cancun did not require a travel test, but we had to test negative for our return flight. For our Jamaica trip in the same year, we tested negative two days before we traveled. The results were checked before we boarded the plane in Atlanta and tested negative in Jamaica 2 days before returning. 

Forms you will need:

https://www.cancunairport.com/immigration.html 

https://travelauth.visitjamaica.com 

****Make sure travel docs and results are on your phone as a backup. That being said, also note any forms that need to be filled out and completed (screenshot that confirmation) before you get to the airport. You don’t want to be struggling to fill out the online attestation form at the airport. We saw many frustrated people in Cancun and Jamaica struggling to get a signal strong enough to complete the online form the morning of their return flight because there is a checkpoint they won’t let you past if you do not have this form completed.

Finally, you will need cash before you leave stateside! Small bills for tipping and bartering. I learned this from a friend, and it was the best intel!!! Currency exchange is possible but expensive. The resort front desk can also be accommodating if you need access to cash. Make sure to notify your bank that you will be traveling overseas.

We found that there were sanitization stations and sanitization procedures in both countries that we don’t see here. I will be honest that I couldn’t fully relax in Cancun until we all got that negative COVID test to return, but when we did - I did a mommy turn up! The memories made are priceless. As I like to say - Don’t stop living. Find safe ways to live. 

Getting ready to turn 21!

In August, a family emergency took center stage and it took time from our focus celebrating twenty years; and (counting) seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven months of marriage.

Celebrating his birthday at TOP GOLF his favorite past time.
We 'let' him win.

I am happy to proclaim that we came through these last few months learning more and even stronger.  We found a new consideration for our marriage which is balancing our roles as children - caring for our parents.  On August 23rd, my 65 year old father was badly injured in a car wreck.  My siblings and I became laser focused on him & my mother.  Looking back on it now, I can say I would not have been able to do it without my husband helping and encouraging me and taking on the schedule of our girls full time.  But while going through it...we tested each other's patience.  Men and women think differently is not even close to a definition, it is more like two people pushing their own agendas.  I am so glad we do not think exactly the same but it does cause (at times) conflict.  We argued one day after an exhausting week of traveling back and forth to see about my dad.  My husband walks by an unshakable faith and I am (while I do have faith) pragmatic.  I don't like to leave anything un-addressed.  He believes I focus too much on worst case scenarios and I like to be prepared.  After a long discussion (over a few days) we determined that our differences are meant to work together.  I am so glad God designed us to work this way and now we can see it.  I am not saying it is always pretty, I mean we are both flawed but when we give it to HIM it all works together.  I feel confident that as long as we remember that - we can navigate into chapter 21.  God only knows...and we trust HIM.

On a trip to Houston to visit our
brother and sister in law.

Hubby took his girls out to a Hawks game
and was so happy his girls had fun!

When my father was successfully on the mend, we emerged so grateful.  He is still here and everyday since I have witnessed miracle after miracle.

A wonderful change.

Our family life started get back to balanced and we made sure to continue our year long focus on our chapter 20.

Date night!🥰
 V-103 Winterfest 2019 - Atlanta

He treated me to a weekend in the city and a concert 

that included all of my favorite artists.  

Our weekend was wonderful & concerts 

have become our new thing!!!

Next up photo session...

because we are turning 21!!!

7.16.2019

6.16.2019

6.16.2019 ”Don’t nobody argue more than a couple who ain't NEVER breaking up”

A friend on FB shared this post with that very appropriate quote and I think it fits with our #20yrs5mos journey. If you have been following me for awhile on FB you know I like ”equal opportunity” messages because on SM it's easy to come across to others like everything is perfect. #hubbygetonmynerves #igetonhisnervestoo Believe me. Only God is perfect and HE is continually perfecting us for one another. We are purposefully >>> in progress. 🥰 

From our Vegas trip: Had SO much fun and ate too much food! Won about $150 and then gave $60 back to the stupid machines. 🤷🏽‍♀️Lol! Gotta have a better plan next time. But most importantly we will have this adventure as a part of our #20yrs5mos memory book! Thank you, Honee Bunches for continuing to develop our romance. 🥰 I love you even though you think my Circus Circus is too old to be operating and you decided that we could walk .35 miles at 2PM in the desert heat.🤣 We easily broke our fitness records with at least 80,000 steps combined.🥵 I could not imagine doing any of this with anybody other than you. 😘 — at Tropicana – Las Vegas Boulevard intersection.

5.16.2019

"So it's not gonna be easy. It's going to be really hard; we're gonna have to work at this everyday, but I want to do that because I want you. I want all of you, forever, everyday. You and me... everyday.” -Nicholas Sparks, The Notebook

What works for our marriage is -- I know for sure he wants me. After body changes from giving birth to four children to getting older to gaining more weight from stress (and depression) my husband still looks at me the way he did 20 years ago. It is another essential key that I would say makes our marriage worth the work. Not perfect, but also not complicated.

4.16.2019

We are at the 20 years and 3 month mark!!! I know, I know...but it is a big deal for us. So, the celebration continues...💞

3.16.2019

3.16.2019 - We are halfway through March already?!? Hubby said he is taking me to see a concert! 💕We’ve never been to one. Celebrating our 20th all year long is such fun! ❤️

We got the question ‘how y’all made it to 20 years when it is so rare nowadays?’

Our answer was - it is not easy because we both mess it up everyday. What works for us may not work for someone else, so this is not a rule. We had a lot of wisdom shared with us on the days we thought about quitting and we have some great role models in our family & friends. Most of all we try to put God first in our marriage. Notice I said ‘try’ because we are both flawed selfish human beings. But at our core we both love God and our love for Him navigates our story.💝