March 18-20, 2007
Johannesburg, South Africa

I am behind in posting this portion of my blog. I have been home since Wednesday afternoon and have been spending my time away from the computer...at least trying to.

The Johannesburg events were incredible! SRC and I arrived Saturday night, spent some time with the FC Southern Africa group and then retired to our rooms. I slept in! It felt so good to not have my alarm wake me up. I did some prep work for the programs, had lunch with SRC and did some shopping at a shopping center that is a skywalk away from the hotel. Sunday evening SRC had two community programs. One was for a group of about 30 VIPs and the second was for the entire community. The crowd was huge...about 1,000. It was amazing to look down from where I was sitting to see all of the faces. SRC was in his element sharing insight and principles on the family. It really was a spectacular event.

The Leadership event in Johannesburg was a two-day event with close to 800 people. It too was incredible. There really was a team effort with SRC and Buyani during each day to make sure the participants experienced the full leadership program. In my opinion SRC hit a home run with this group. The participants really involved themselves in what was being taught, the activities, questions, sharing vision statements, etc. From where I was sitting I heard an echo from the audio speakers so it was a bit difficult for me to understand what was being said by the participants because of their accents but SRC, luckily, did not struggle like I did. The main thing SRC wanted to accomplish with this group was for them to experience the paradigm shift and he feels like that was accomplshed. Success!

Prior to lunch on day two SRC met with about 15 students from Life College. SRC is a mentor to the students and supports the mission of Life College. The hour that he spent with these students was enlightening. It was a structured hour with an ice breaker activity, small group activity and then large group activity. The questions that the students asked SRC were well thought out and the answers that SRC gave were perfect. I actually learned something new about SRC that I did not previously know. For the small group activity I was paired with two other students to answer questions about a quote that was given to us. The quote basically said that we become what we believe we will become. When I think of that statement I think of the positive beliefs that we have about ourselves, our lives. One of the two students in my small group said that these beliefs may not always be positive. She shared this, "If I believe I will become an alcoholic like my dad, I will". I would not have thought of it that way but it is very true. At the conclusion of the hour we all stood in a circle and shared something we had learned or something that amazed us. I was impressed by the things that were shared. One of the teachers was in tears as she shared what she had learned. Many of these students come from "the projects", so to speak, or don't have parents and are being raised by an older sibling or come from single parent homes...not the best situations for anyone but they are rising above all of that with the help of Life College and receiving positive affirmations from the great teachers, leaders and mentors. I was touched by this experience.

SRC and I flew home at the end of Day 2. We were traveling a total about about 24 hours, 21 of which were in the air. The first thing I wanted to do when I got home was to take a shower and brush my teeth. That is exactly what I did!

DAILY LOG
March Tour
BE SURE TO READ INDIVIDUAL DAILY ENTRIES FOR MORE DETAILS

I thought it would be fun, in addition to my entries per country/event to add in a daily log. This daily log would track our progress and movements. As I start the trip today it sounds like a fantastic idea. However, as the trip progresses I may find that a daily log is a bit over zealous. For as long as this daily log lasts I hope you enjoy it.

March 8th
11:50 p.m. Depart Salt Lake City

March 9th
6:00 a.m. Arrive JFK International Airport (New York)

I actually slept a good portion of this 4 hour flight. Typically I am al about the in-flight movies, just ask SRC. By the time the plane took off I was pooped and ready for some shut eye. I have a bit of the restless leg syndrome so that does not always allow me a deep slumber on these flights. This flight was no different with the RLS starting in the right leg and moving to the left. Such a great feeling—the constant involuntary twitching.

LONG LAYOVER (almost 4 Hours)
I could use a toothbrush. Of course mine is in my suitcase which is making its way from one plane to the next. My teeth feel like they have a sweater on…not the soft cashmere kind of sweater either. The itchy wool kind that you just want to take off the minute you put it on. Do you know the feeling?

10:20 a.m. Depart JFK for Dubai (11;5 hour flight)

March 10th
7:50 a.m. Arrive Dubai (this has not happened yet but I thought I would throw it in there so you would have an idea of our arrival into the UAE. It is about a 12 hour flight and Dubai is 10 hours ahead of Utah.

7:30 a.m. (actual) Arrival in Dubai. The flight was 11.5 hours. You should have seen the selection of in-flight movies. I was in heaven but practiced some restraint and only watched 2 and half movies. I spent the rest of the time trying to sleep, preparing for the presentations and writing in my journal. The seats…wow…I will post a picture so you can see my very own mini bar. Seriously, these seats were awesome and stretched out flat so you really could sleep.

I took a nap today once I was in the hotel and had had some breakfast. My eyes felt as if they had sand in them so I thought I would nap for about an hour. That turned into nearly three hours, not of deep sleep but enough that I felt refreshed. The show also helped. HEAVEN!

March 11th
5:30 a.m. Time to get up
7:00 a.m. AV Rehearsal: the event was held in a theater that is quite well know in Dubai. Very nice!
8:45 a.m. Program start
4:30 p.m. Program end: the program went well. SRC had to cram so much into the day but he did a fantastic job
5:30 p.m. Back at the hotel: checked email and went to the health club. To get to this health club you walk through the hotel, through the outdoor mall and into the next hotel. This place is huge! The health club was fantastic and very well equipped.

March 12th
4:00 a.m. Wake up!
5:15 a.m. Drive to the Airport to fly to Amman, Jordan
7:00 a.m. At the gate waiting to board
7:05 a.m. Announcement that ALL flight in and out of the Dubai airport have been stopped because of a crash on the runway. PLEASE READ SEPARATE ENTRY ON AMMAN FOR MORE INFORMAITON.
10:20 a.m. Depart Dubai airport in a car—destination Abu Dahbi Airport
2:00 p.m. Depart Abu Dahbi for Amman
3:30 p.m. Arriva Amman, Jordan
4:15 p.m. Arrive InterContinental Hotel
9:00 p.m. Day 1 of event conclusion

March 13th/14th
6:30 a.m. Luggage delivered to my room!
6:50 a.m. Fitness Center
7:25 a.m. Back to my room to get ready for the day
8:30 a.m. AV preparation
9:00 a.m. Event Start (Day 2)
4:45 p.m. Event conclusion
6:00 p.m. Leave for the airport
8:25 p.m. Flight departure from Amman, Jordan
12:45 a.m. Flight arrive into Dubai
1:45 a.m. Arrive at Park Hyatt Hotel
2:45 a.m. In bed!

March 14th
6:30 a.m. Wake up!
8:00 a.m. AV preparation
9:30 a.m. Program start
4:30 p.m. Program conclusion
6:30 p.m. Depart for LDS Fireside
7:30 p.m. Start of fireside (end 9:00 p.m.)
9:30 p.m. Return to the hotel

March 15th
12:45 a.m. Leave hotel for airport
2:35 a.m. Depart Dubai for Mauritius
9:45 a.m. Arrive in Mauritius
11:35 a.m. Arrive at hotel
1:00 p.m. Depart hotel for meeting with the Prime Minister
2:00 p.m. Meeting with the Prime Minister and members of his cabinet
3:45 p.m. Leave meeting for hotel
5:00 p.m. Helicopter ride over Mauritius
6:00 p.m. Time to myself—sleep!

March 16th
5:30 a.m. Wake-up
7:00 a.m. Leave hotel for event venue
7:15 a.m. AV set-up
9:00 a.m. Program Start
5:00 p.m. Program end
5:15 p.m. SRC TV interview
7:30 p.m. Gala Dinner with VIP guests

March 17th
6:30 a.m. Wake-up
9:00 a.m. Leave hotel for LDS Community Event
10:00 a.m. Community Event
12:30 p.m. Back at hotel to pack and prepare to leave for airport
2:30 p.m. Leave for airport
4:30 p.m. Leave Mauritius flying to Johannesburg, South Africa
8:00 p.m. Arrive Johannesburg

March 18th
8:00 a.m. Wake-up (oh the glory of sleeping in)
12:30 p.m. Lunch with SRC
2:30 p.m. Meet with Buyani to go over event details
4:30 p.m. Leave hotel for Johannesburg Community Event
5:00 p.m. VIP session
6:00 p.m. Community event (over 1,000 people)
7:45 p.m. Return to hotel

March 19th
5:30 a.m. Wake-up
7:00 a.m. AV set-up
8:30 a.m. Program Start
4:30 p.m. Program End
5:00 p.m. SRC Photo op
5:20 p.m. SRC TV Interview

March 17th
Mauritius, Day 3

Today, I found time early in the morning to walk on the beach. It was lovely. The sound of the waves, the warm water cascading onto my feet. I even found a beautiful sea shell to take home as a memento. SRC gave a presentation to a group of LDS members and non-members in the morning and then we flew to Johannesburg.

The LDS Community event was great. I would say there were about 100 people there and a good number of them were non-members (maybe ¼). SRC talked to them about families and the restoration. Our host for the public event the day before was also attending and SRC told me after that he had been quite touched by what was shared. SRC also told me that a woman, who is catholic, told him that for the first time she finally understands what the Mormon church is all about. There was an opening and closing hymn and prayer. The songs and prayer were in French/Creol. What a beautiful language and what beautiful people. At the conclusion of the event we made a semi-quick exit so that we could get back to the hotel and get ready for our departure.


March 16th
Mauritius Day 2

Today was fantastic! We traveled just a few minutes from our hotel to the event venue. I thought the hotel we were staying in was beautiful…this one was spectacular. Dark cherry wood, quite contemporary but the most amazing part was the pool area leading right to the beach. You look out over this balcony from the main lobby area and all you see is blue with a few smatterings of green and lovely flowers. The blue is not only the pool but it cascades right down to the ocean. There is a coral reef that protects most of the beach areas and it is so cool to see the waves breaking so far out and then it is calm water up to the sand.

The program went well with 400 people in attendance. This was a quieter group than in Dubai and Jordan but they had great questions. At the close of the day SRC asked the participants to raise their hand if someone in their life communicated their potential so clearly that they began to see it in themselves. A good number raised their hands. SRC then asked for volunteers to share their story. The one that impacted me the most was told by a gentleman that, you could tell, was so nervous to be standing in the sea of people but his story was quite something. Maybe not to you but it was too me. At the age of 20 he started his career at a bank. 18 months after starting his job the CEO called him into his office and told him that he was being promoted to manager. As manager he would lead 12 people. He doubted his ability to do this but the CEO believed in him. This man is now the CEO of a bank! I love stories like this. This man was so impacted by the belief of this CEO who most likely became a mentor to him…his life was changed.

At the conclusion of the event SRC was escorted to a lower level for a TV interview. I was sitting off to the side and wouldn’t you know it I put my head in hand and found my self falling asleep. Not that the interview was boring but I think SRC’s voice is becoming to familiar to me that it is now serving as a way to make me go to sleep. I was awake for most of the interview…don’t tell SRC I fell asleep.

Tonight was a dinner with quite a few Ministers of Mauritius and other distinguished guests. One of the guests works at the US Embassy in Mauritius. I think she is the only other blonde I have seen on the entire island. The people of Mauritius are beautiful…dark skin, shining eyes. Some look very African others look like they are from India. I have been very impressed with the graciousness and hospitality of everyone we have met.

I want to share an interesting experience that I had today. It was a good lesson for me. Throughout the day I was anticipating a phone call that could have potentially been very difficult. It was on my mind quite a bit and I was preparing my speech, so to speak. During the afternoon session of the event SRC was talking about Habits 4, 5, 6; third-alternatives and Indian Talking Stick Communication. As I listened to SRC my mind was flooded with thoughts, phrases and ideas for me to use on this phone call. I came up with my action plan and a good third-alternative that I would present after practicing Habit 5 (seeking first to understand and then to be understood). I felt strongly that once we got to that point we would be able to synergize and come to a win-win. The call was still not easy but it went far better than I thought it would. After listening and repeating to make sure I understood they did the same. At that point I presented my idea of a third-alternative and this individual loved it. Whether or not it will work will been seen but at least we concluded the call feeling better than when we started it.

I feel increasingly blessed to be in the job I am in. I paint a rosy picture most of the time in this blog so that you will keep coming back to read more and so it will be an adventure for you and not a diary of bad things that happen to CDJ. Frankly, this trip has been quite difficult and one that I hope never repeats. I have learned a great many lessons…hard lessons and I have questioned my ability to do this job. However, I am grateful for those who send good thoughts and (for those who pray) prayers my way. I know I am sustained with health and energy because of it. I know that SRC is also sustained because of the good thoughts and prayers.

March 15th
Mauritius – Day 1

I cannot get over the beauty of Mauritius! As we flew over the island in preparation for landing I could not take my eyes off the green hills, mountains, water, etc. Getting off the plane I knew I was in for a hot afternoon. Plus, I had on jeans and my Keen’s. HOT and sticky! The drive to the hotel was interesting. We passed buildings under construction and in some cases the scaffolding was built out of stiff, straight branches from trees. I found that odd and interesting. I am sure there is method behind what seemed to me to be madness.

This hotel is amazing! It is definitely set up for those who will not spend much time in the room…no remote for the TV, etc. The beach is just a short walk from the hotel patio. The color of the water is…well, just look in a box of crayons and you will find the array of sea water colors. Beautiful! I took a quick shower and met SRC back at the lobby. SRC was to meet with the Prime Minister of Mauritius and members of his cabinet. We drove to this beautiful property that is the official home for the Prime Minister. The current PM does not live there but he does use it for occasions like this. The meeting went well. SRC had about an hour and fifteen minutes to speak to this group of about 12 people.

At the conclusion of the meeting we were escorted outside for some refreshments and then whisked away to get back to the hotel. After all, we had an appointment with a helicopter. This was not just any helicopter. It is one of the official Mauritius police helicopters. Our pilots…policeman. What a tour! It was the best way for us to see Mauritius. What a beautiful island. To see the water, the hotels, the villages. I am attaching some of my favorite pictures so you can get a taste, from above, of what Mauritius looks like. The pilots speak very good English but they have thick French accents which made it difficult with some of what they were saying. Mauritius has quite a few volcanoes on the island. One of the pilots explained that these volcanoes were once called “dead volcanoes” but they are now called “sleeping volcanoes” because of recent volcanic activity and craters forming. Nothing to be worried about but it was interesting to hear the differentiation.

Seeing Mauritius will definitely be a highlight of this entire trip. I won’t have much time for play but I do hope to get down to the ocean before we leave on Saturday.



March 14th
Dubai

Today’s program was great! First of all, the flight from Jordan to Dubai was uneventful and uncomfortable. The seats, although first class, were uncomfortable. They reclined but in a very strange way. It was like sitting in a dentists chair…and I hate the dentist. I survived so please stop your worrying. (I am such a hoot!) I think I got about 3 hours of sleep prior to the event. When my alarm went off my first thought was, something is wrong, I am sure this clock is wrong. It was so cruel to make me wake up!

So back to the program. This was with a client and their top clients. I would say there were about 90 people there and I found it interesting to observe them. Some were very engaged, taking notes, asking questions. Others were more interested in what was coming in on their cell phones. Oh well, it is not my job to make them participate. The day was good and as I mentioned above there were quite a few questions from the participants. If I were to sum up their questions I would say they are fighting a new mind set and perhaps even a new tool set. SRC would introduce a new principle and they would have some comment about it. Almost like they wanted to disprove what it was SRC was teaching. It was more than just wanting further understanding. I wanted to stand up and say, “just listen and be open to what he has to say. Don’t argue the point, try to implement it before trying to disprove”. The Project Manager for the client actually stood up at one point and said, “We seem to be going around in circles with this topic (4 quadrants). Let’s move onto another question.” I commend the courage of their questions but it also helps to have an open mind to allow for paradigm shifts. I hope they came away with new ideas: new tools, skills and possibly a new mind set.

After the full-day program, SRC and I participated in a LDS Church event. We were escorted to the event by the Bishop of the ward in Dubai. I am not sure how many people were attending because of the overflow areas that I did not have a chance to see, but if all the chairs were filled there were probably 200 people there. I love to observe SRC at these events. His eyes just shine as he talks about the importance of families, family mission statements, etc. Although he was completely exhausted from the events of the previous two days he drew strength from the attendees and the topic.

Once back at the hotel I did some work, took a shower, and re-packed. I did not want to sleep knowing I would just have to get up an hour later to travel to the airport to fly to Mauritius.

March 13th
Day 2 Amman, Jordan

Day 2 of the event in Amman was incredible. Both SRC and I were so amazed at the number of questions that were asked throughout the day. We are not sure if it is the culture but the questions kept coming and they were good...very insightful, well thought out, and sometimes pertaining to their personal or professional lives.

Because the event was in the same hotel where we slept I actually took a power nap during lunch. It felt great and helped sustain me through the day. At the conclusion of the event a large group of people stormed the stage for signatures and pictures. People were cooperative and after some encouragement formed a line so things were more efficient. It is at times like this that I have to get over the fact that I have personal space that is not often intruded upon. The people crowd, they push, and they express joy at getting SRC's signature and/or picture. As my colleagues and I call it, "elbows out". This is when I serve as body guard to SRC as well as assistant.

We left for the airport at 6:00 p.m. The plane left Amman at 8:20 p.m. and we were on our way back to Dubai. I did not have a chance to see much of Amman but I had a great view from my room. What you see in this photo seems to be a representation of typical housing in Amman. When you get further into the country side the homes are more spread out and they are much bigger.

One other thing to report, half way through the morning, Her Majesty Queen Rania came into the program. She stayed for quite some time and at the end of the event we found out that three or four of her employees attended the entire event. The Queen is in her late twenties, early thirties and is beautiful. SRC had the chance to shake her hand and they had a brief conversation. If we had not been flying out after the program we would have had dinner with the King and Queen. Darn travel schedule!

March 12th
Amman, Jordan

What started as a normal trip to the airport to catch a flight turned into a bit of a chaotic mess. As we waited to board the plane an announcement was made that the airport had been closed due to a crash on the runway. I don't think it was a serious crash but bad enough that all arriving and departing flights were stopped. We left the gate area and went back to the lounge to determine what to do. Luckily we had Mohammed with us and he immediately went into crisis management mode. What was finally arranged was a car/driver to drive us to Abu Dahbi to catch a flight to Amman. The car ride was about 1 hour and 15 minutes and was really quite nice. It allowed me to see more of Dubai and Abu Dahbi. Here is another interesting twist. Mohammed stayed behind to fetch our luggage. He was going to try to catch up with us and fly to Amman when we did but he did not make the flight. So, here we are in Amman with out luggage. The most important thing is that we made it here for the program. At 7:00 a.m. this morning (Amman time) the group in Jordan started making phone calls to the participants to let them know of the situation and the change in starting time for the event. Way to be proactive!

We arrived in Amman at about 3:30 and after rushing through customs and immigration we were escorted out to a stretch Cadillac limousine. Not bad and it has some power. We made it to the hotel by 4:15 p.m. and SRC immediately went to the stage. I rushed over to set up AV and all in all the first part of this event went very well. It is a great group of about 235. Those who address me for whatever reason: hotel staff, event planners, etc call me Miss/Ms Chelsea. Even my name tag says Ms Chelsea, really big.

As we were driving to the hotel I noticed on the side of the road a Shepherd with this sheep. What was so interesting to me were his clothes. He was wearing camouflage. Kind of crazy!

Once the event got started I realized that I really needed to use the restroom. I have been drinking so much water and it had been since before our three hour flight that I actually visited a restroom. Luckily it did not get to the desperation point until after the first session. But it was now urgent!

So I mentioned that our luggage did not travel with us. This means that SRC presented in what he traveled in: polo shirt, baggy sweat pants, and windbreaker. His pants are so baggy that they looked like they were going to slip right off as he stood on stage. My outfit was not much better: polo shirt, jeans, and my Keens. SRC keep giving me a hard time about how baggy my jeans are. I can't help it. They are my most comfortable jeans and so nice to travel in.

So, my phone has not been working since I arrived in Dubai. Talk about not feeling connected to anyone. I am thousands of miles away fro friends and family already and to think that I have no easy connection to them is hard. I spoke to Spring on Saturday and explained the situation to them. What they said would take 24 hours took about 48 hours but my phone is now working. When I discovered that it was like Christmas! I actually hopped up and down with a huge smile on my face. It's the simple things...

I am mentioning again that I am without luggage. Here I am, it is 10:40 p.m. (2:32 p.m. in Provo) and I need to go to bed but I have nothing to sleep in. Call me crazy..actually don't call me crazy, I feel beat up enough. I have to sleep in PJ's. (Don't laugh!) I won't sleep well if I am just in my skivies so I went and bought a t-shirt at a shop in the hotel. It has a camel on it! The problem is that it is not very long. Why am I sharing all of this detail? Truth is, I am crazy, I know it. Just don't give me a hard time about needing to wear pajamas. Plus I need to feel prepared in case of emergency. Without luggage, if there was a need to evacuate quickly I would only have to worry about my laptop bag...shoes and clothes will be close and ready. The hotel has given me a toothbrush and toothpaste so I am set there. My luggage will be here in the morning so at least I will have clean clothes.

I am looking forward to tomorrow. It will be an excellent day..the conclusion to this two-day event and more interaction with SRC and these participants. The questions that they are firing at him are great. You can tell they are just yearning for this stuff...they are like sponges, soaking it up.

March 11th
Day 2 Dubai

The program today was great! The audience consisted of about 375--representing quite a few organizations. One organization brought 40 of their employees...impressive. I was very anxious going into this program because of events/conversations leading up to the event. I was, you might say, lacking confidence in myself and in SRC. This is not a good mix and SRC reminded me that I need to have confidence in him. He is so right and he did a terrific job! The feedback that we received during the day was very positive and it increased my confidence in the success of the remainder of the programs on this trip.

It was so interesting to look out at the audience, which was primarily male, and see the local dress. Not all men, but some of the men wear long white tunics (to the floor) and head...I'm not sure what to call it...fabric withe cording around the top. Some where white and some wear red. The group putting on the event was so great to work with. The AV team was a hoot! I really enjoyed myself. Oh, some of the women wear long black tunics with head pieces. Their faces are not covered but their hair is. So beautiful!

March 10th
Day 1 in Dubai

These are a few pictures of the grounds of the hotel It is huge. There is a man made canal that
runs through it and I took a boat tour today and saw even more of the hotel. I am also including
a picture of my hotel room.





















The two gentleman in this picture are Murad Suleiman and Peter Kasic (in the red). They were my companions for the afternoon/evening. Murad is the FranklinCovey Middle East General Manager and Peter Kasic is the VP of International - EMEA. After the boat tour we stopped at a mall and did a bit of shopping. I did the shopping! I have to be careful with buying too much because I have limited space in my luggage. However, I saw many things I could have purchased not only for myself but also for family and friends. CAJB and MEJB, talk about throw pillows. They were everywhere as well as these great bowls made in Camodia. SJM, I don't know if you would be into incense burners but they had quite a selection...something else to add to your collection of interesting items. A lot of good this information does for each of you but at least you know I was thinking about you. The picture below was taking at an open cafe in the mall. As we walked through the cafe there were several people drawing smoke from these things. I can't remember the name but it looked like serious business. Peter was telling me that this is the safest way to smoke...there is so much water in the base that it takes out nearly all the bad stuff. Plus, he said you can request a flavor; vanilla, apple, etc. I had to get a picture.

After the boat tour and shopping we drove around the city taking in the mosques, the smaller of the BIG homes and seeing the local fare. We ended up at a restaurant call Sammach, The Fish Restaurant. Overall the food was great and we had a lot of it. Small shrimp, large shrimp, calamari, crab (which I didn't eat), Lady Fingers and Hammour, plus some other things that I can't remember the names of. The last two on this list are fish. The Lady Fingers freaked me out a bit because they were fried whole. To eat them you pull off the heads and then pull off the meat. Is fish a meat or just fish. Anyway, it was definitely finger food. Hammour is a white fish and perhaps it was the way it was prepared but it was really good.

I am so tired and excited to go to bed. Tomorrow is the first of the presentations and I am feeling nervous and a bit anxious.

Atlanta, GA

I have been to Atlanta before but had forgotten what a big city it is. My day, March 5th, started early with a 7:00 a.m. drive to the convention center for my AV check. It is always interesting to anticipate what I will find with the AV set-up. At these big conventions I am guaranteed to find a huge set-up and this event wasn't any different except that there was a huge tractor trailor behind the stage. Not only was the AV set-up for the live, on location event, this particular organization has an internal TV station. So, SRC was not only presenting to a live audience of 5,000 he also had the potential of presenting to a TV audience of 10,000.

I love to see these organizations, that are doing really well, celebrate in style. This group opened the session with a Gosepl Choir...awesome! This was followed by a great Rah! Rah! state of the organization speech by the founder. I also love it when oraganizations with a lot of money put that money to good use, supporting a cause, so to speak. This particular group celebrated its involvement with The Children's Miracle Network by spotlighting the Child of the Year. Asking this young man to come out of stage and share his vision and accomplishments with the group. It was very powerful to see his attitude of "nothing can stop me" even though he is confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life. They are also involved with the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. To celebrate their involvement with this foundation, country singer, Tracy Byrd performed on stage. It was so great to be there to witness all of this.

SRC was the closing speaker to this session and his message resonated with the mission, vision and spirit of the organization and the event. It was so neat to look out at the captive audience and realize they are really listening, they are really learning. That is when I know the presentation has been a success.

The flight home was a hoot! One of the flight attendants could be described as a cattle driver, pig wrangler, traffic cop, comedian. He stood at the door into the plane and, over the intercom, directed people to find their seat, step out of the aisle before putting their bag in the overhead bin. It was hilarious. This guy is the size of a line backer so no one wanted to go against what he was saying. As he told quite a few people, his job is to make sure we leave ON TIME. No one can argue with that reasoning. One of the other flight attendants said that since this guy has been on the planes their on-time departures have increased. What he is doing is working!

I find that at the conclusion of an event or series of events and I know I am going home, I come down from this adrenaline high and feel as though I have not slept in days. I continue to marvel and how tiring traveling can be.

New Orleans, LA

From Florida we flew to New Orleans where SRC would be speaking to a group of about 2500 people. The flight in was uneventful and at the airport we were met by two Tulane University Students. SRC had been asked to speak at a Lecture Series for Tulane University the evening we flew in. Prior to the speech the two students, Stephen and Thomas took us on a short tour. We drove through a few of the areas hit by Hurricane Katrina. By now, most of the rubble was cleaned up but the devastation was there. We saw many FEMA trailers parked in the driveways of unoccupied homes. What was most interesting to me was seeing the water line on fences, homes, buildings. It was amazing to think that the water nearly covered the structures and here we were driving on dry roads. The roads by the way are in awful shape. The sidewalks are cracked, bubbled, and curved where they shouldn’t be curved. I am not sure what else to say except that I can see growth and re-building taking place and as we drove downtown to our hotel it was buzzing with activity.

The visit to Tulane University was exciting. These students were full of life and wanted to learn and wanted to be there listening to SRC. He really shines in this element because he is truly teaching. Students and faculty attended the evening event and many had questions but most were there to listen. The crowd probably maxed out at 195. I was very impressed with Stephen F. He is the one who originally contacted me…last week. In just a matter of days he pulled this event together. He exemplified leadership in the way that he delegated and as Darla told him “Make it happen”. He did indeed make it happen and the event was a success. The thing that impressed me the most is that he did not take credit for the success. A sign of a true leader.

The event today, the main event, was at the New Orleans Convention Center. SRC had lunch with VIP’s prior to the general session, a group of about 30. Great people! I was very impressed with everyone I met. SRC was the closing speaker to this event and taught the essence of 8th Habit Leadership. I continue to learn something each time I hear him speak. We did have a bit of trouble with the volume for the DVD’s and I did race/walk up to the podium three times to tell SRC what was going on but other than that it was a flawless show. I am certain the attendees wondered who this blonde woman was doing the quick step down the middle aisle. My job is not only logistics it is to provide entertainment for the attendees. Now, it is time to go home!

Orlando, FL

The day SRC and I flew to Orlando it was near blizzard conditions in Salt Lake City. It was nice to leave the snow and cold and be welcomed in FL by 80 degree temperatures and sunshine. We stayed at the Omni Orlando Resort which was very impressive and a bit unlike the other hotels I have stayed at in Florida: it was not on the Walt Disney World Property. That was the biggest difference.

SRC and I decided to visit Epcot Center more for the food than anything else. It was fun to walk around and see the different people and countries represented. The food was great! I had the best chocolate ice cream cone right outside of Paris. Delicious! As you can see in this picture, the table has finally turned and SRC pushed me around while I sat in the scooter. Not that I normally push him around and not that we actually traveled around Epcot this way, but it was fun to take the picture. We did have a good time.

Now, to the presentation. SRC was a surprise to this group. We sat through the morning meetings and listened to the different executives report on 2006. It was very interesting but started to get very long as the program got further behind. The theme of this event was “Turn it Up!” They had a live band that played each time the speakers came on and off the stage. The band also played at the opening of the event which also included dancers. I was very impressed. As I said above, SRC was a surprise to the group. As he was introduced you could hear audible gasps of excitement and the applause when he came out on stage was almost deafening. I was back stage with a huge grin on my face. The presentation was geared toward the 7 Habits and I would say that SRC did a fantastic job with the group. The group size was about 250-300, mostly between the ages of 30-50 and all were full of enthusiasm. It really was great to be there.