Salt Lake City, UT
June 20, 2007
What a day! Not only did we have two presentations during the day but my mobile phone has never been so busy. Between phone calls and text messages, none of which I was able to answer because of the presentations my phone was almost never at peace. But it was a great day! The first presentation was with the Salt Lake Area CES Seminary and Institute Instructors. What a group of exceptional people. Just looking out over the audience you could sense their strong spirits and knowledge of the gospel. SRC did very well and I could tell he was truly moved by the spirit in what he shared with the group. It was a great way to start the day. There were probably 150-200 people attending so you can imagine the spirit in that room.
From that meeting SRC and I drove to the Salt Palace for the next event. SRC is still on crutches so I was a bit worried about where we would park so that our walk to the room was not too long. We parked in the Radisson Hotel Self-Park lot and entered the Salt Palace. From there it was a short walk to the elevator, up to floors, and another short walk to the room. It was great! SRC gave a fantastic presentation and with each point he tied it back to the topic: Life Life in Crescendo", which is his life's motto. Basically, the greatest work you have yet to do is in front of you. As he says, "you can retire from your profession but never retire from life". This motto is what drives him to do what he does. That and his mission to reach billions of people.
Vancouver, BC
June 21, 2007
At the conclusion of the event at the Salt Palace SRC and I, as quickly as we could, made our way back to the car. We had a flight to catch! As I prepared for this trip I wanted to be as prepared as I could be for the luggage. SRC would have his own roller bag and briefcase. I would have my luggage and lap top bag. So, to prepare for what could happen I decided to pack my stuff in a duffle bag to sling over my shoulder. That way I could put my laptop bag on top of SRC's roller bag, sling the duffle bag over my shoulder and SRC would carry his briefcase. When we walked into the terminal I looked like a pack mule! But it worked!
We arrived in Vancouver safely and met our hosts. What great people. I love Vancouver! I am not sure what it is about that city but it is on my list of places I could live. Plus, all of the people I have met in the past and on this trip are so nice and friendly. We checked into the hotel and went straight to our rooms. I was wiped out from the day so I did not even turn on my computer to check email. That could wait until morning!
I ran three miles on the treadmill! What a great feeling. I don't do much training on a treadmill so it is always interesting to see what my comfortable pace is and how long I can run without stopping. Since my last treadmill run my pace has decreased from a 11:33 minute mile to a 11:06 minute mile. Not bad.
The event of the day was incredible. This particular event was with the Vancouver Board of Trade. SRC and I were invited to attend the General Session of the day which involved calling the meeting to order, reviewing minutes, and announcing the new President of the Board of Trade. It was quite interesting. The group consisted of business professionals, males and females. I was very impressed! SRC gave a fantastic presentation to this group and everyone seemed very engaged and interested. There were, I am sure, 800 people there. The room was packed, and all but 4-5 seats were filled.
Seriously!
I had the pleasure, many years ago, of listening to a gentleman speak to a group of BYU college students. I cannot remember his name but I remember well something he said to us that day, "Never take yourself too seriously". I have a tendency of taking things or myself too seriously. Many would say that I am rather uptight although I have loosened up a bit over the years. Since I started this job with SRC I have really had to learn to not take myself too seriously, especially when traveling. Take this last trip as an example.
In a previous blog entry I talked about my packing. I think ahead about what I want to pack so that when it comes time to actually fill the bag I know what is going to go in it. For this particular trip I did the same thing, thinking ahead of time about what I wanted to pack, what I would be wearing, etc. I also try to think about the weather, event rooms, travel conditions, etc. Knowing I would have presentations prior to flying I chose to not wear a suit to the events in Salt Lake City. The weather was in the upper 90's and with a suit coat I would have quickly expired from the heat. I knew I wanted to wear a suit to the event in Vancouver so I packed a blazer...one that I had not worn in a while and that would go well with the pants I wore the day before. Well, needless to say it was not the most flattering outfit. The black pants were fine but the blazer was a bit big and a bit short. Keep in mind that once you have packed and have left your house you are committed to wearing what you have packed. There is typically no time for clothes shopping while on these trips so I was stuck wearing what I packed. As long as I continued to smile I figured that people would notice my smile instead of what I was wearing.
On the trip home I traveled by myself. I had packed clothes to change into for the flight knowing I would want to be comfortable. The clothes I packed were great! My seat was 1C...first row! Love it! The plane landed, seat belt sign off and we all stood to gather our things. I had successfully shoved my duffle bag, laptop bag, and small messenger bag into the over head bin. As I pulled the duffle bag out a corner caught my earring and pulled it out. The earring proceeded to fall down the front of my shirt. With me facing all of the passengers coming to the front I chose not to put retrieve the earring. I just hoped it would stay where it was...with the help of the strap from my duffle bag. As I was getting off the plane I just had the thought, "it is a good things I can chuckle about this and not take myself too seriously."
Two small examples of not taking yourself too seriously but the lesson is there. I may not, at times, seem like a seasoned traveler or a well dressed professional but I am OK with that. What counts is whether or not I put my right foot forward and represent myself well and the company I work for and the great individual I travel with and support.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Big Island, Hawaii
June 8, 2007
I would consider myself a somewhat seasoned traveler. Compared to others I am but an infant. In any case, I have my packing down to a near science. For short trips I can pack in less than 15 minutes. For longer trips it may take me up to 30 minutes. The trick, for me, is to pack light and to have duplicates of some items...specifically toiletries. My toiletry bag contains duplicates of items I use on a daily basis..except for make-up which one of these days I know I am going to forget. Oh wait, I have already done that once. To replace make-up items in a hotel gift shop is not cheap. Why am I telling you all of this? I packed for this short trip to Hawaii in the same way I would for other short trips, not forgetting a thing. However, upon arrival in Hawaii and as I attempted to take pictures I found that the battery for my digital camera was dead. D E A D, dead! A small thing really but I could have taken some really cool pictures. I have a camera on my cell phone but the pictures aren't the greatest.
We arrived Thursday afternoon and had the pleasure of being met by CD, my main contact for this client event. After being escorted to the hotel and checking in we stood in line for the tram with many other resort quests who also happened to be attending the main event. The tram would take us from the main lobby to the building where our guest rooms were located. The fact that a tram was needed should be an indication of how big this resort is. We boarded the tram and as we sat there I could see a passenger behind SRC but facing me. He slowly recognized SRC and his eyes got very big and his mouth hung open in shock, surprise and joy. He looked at his colleague and back at SRC. It was really neat to see that kind of joy and admiration from, not only this gentleman, but many of the 1600 people attending the event.
I was escorted around the resort property by CD who introduced me to people along the way. It is a huge resort and absolutely beautiful. The organization hosting the event had a huge BBQ for all participants Thursday night and it was amazing to see so many people enjoying themselves. Floating on the pool was a stage supported by two kayaks. On the stage was a band performing native Hawaiian music for the crowd. It was a beautiful setting.
I hate to admit this because the entire trip was awesome but a highlight for me was running in the early morning hours with CD and his friend and colleague, L (I don't know his last name). We started our run at about 5:10 a.m. with the sun just barely coming up. It was already quite warm and humid so the sweat just dripped off of me. Doesn't that paint a lady like picture? We ran three solid miles and, yipee, skippy for me, I ran all three miles without stopping. Granted I was running at sea level so that definitely made a difference but it was awesome. I am sure I left a huge impression on CD and L looking as lovely as I did. L did not even recognize me when I got down to the ballroom for the event. What a hoot!
The format for this event was different than what we are used to. SRC spoke to the group for about 15 minutes. The group of 1600 broke up into about 56 different groups spreading out over 9 breakout rooms. These individual groups had each created skits based on one of the 7 Habits. They tied the habit to their work life, demonstrating how the habit can work effectively and ineffectively in a work scenario. It was very entertaining. SRC was able to visit 4 of the breakout rooms and give a bit of feedback or encouragement based on what he had seen with one of the skits. After about an hour the entire group once again gathered in the main ballroom to watch the top seven skits (one for each habit). SRC was on stage with the CEO and they made comments after each skit. It really was very cool. SRC then closed with about 20 minutes of comments.
We finished our day by attending a BBQ at the beach. By the time we got back to our rooms SRC and I were pooped. I could have gone to the beach or to the pool but it felt so good in my air conditioned room that I just stayed there. I had about 2.5 hours before needing to leave for the airport. I used it wisely: watching Dr. Phil and Ellen (switching between channels), CNN broadcast about Paris Hilton, showering, and packing.
The trip home was, well, interesting to say the least. We flew from Kona to Honolulu where we found out our flight to SLC was delayed by two hours. On any trip this is not a good thing to have happen but it was especially disconcerting because of a commitment SRC had in Provo. I will not bore you with details of our 4+ hour layover or the trip that we spent trying to sleep. I will tell you however that despite the delay, crutches, etc SRC made it to his appointment with 5 minutes to spare. I stayed behind at the airport to get my luggage, which never came. My luggage was delivered the following day...everything intact.
June 8, 2007
I would consider myself a somewhat seasoned traveler. Compared to others I am but an infant. In any case, I have my packing down to a near science. For short trips I can pack in less than 15 minutes. For longer trips it may take me up to 30 minutes. The trick, for me, is to pack light and to have duplicates of some items...specifically toiletries. My toiletry bag contains duplicates of items I use on a daily basis..except for make-up which one of these days I know I am going to forget. Oh wait, I have already done that once. To replace make-up items in a hotel gift shop is not cheap. Why am I telling you all of this? I packed for this short trip to Hawaii in the same way I would for other short trips, not forgetting a thing. However, upon arrival in Hawaii and as I attempted to take pictures I found that the battery for my digital camera was dead. D E A D, dead! A small thing really but I could have taken some really cool pictures. I have a camera on my cell phone but the pictures aren't the greatest.
We arrived Thursday afternoon and had the pleasure of being met by CD, my main contact for this client event. After being escorted to the hotel and checking in we stood in line for the tram with many other resort quests who also happened to be attending the main event. The tram would take us from the main lobby to the building where our guest rooms were located. The fact that a tram was needed should be an indication of how big this resort is. We boarded the tram and as we sat there I could see a passenger behind SRC but facing me. He slowly recognized SRC and his eyes got very big and his mouth hung open in shock, surprise and joy. He looked at his colleague and back at SRC. It was really neat to see that kind of joy and admiration from, not only this gentleman, but many of the 1600 people attending the event.
I was escorted around the resort property by CD who introduced me to people along the way. It is a huge resort and absolutely beautiful. The organization hosting the event had a huge BBQ for all participants Thursday night and it was amazing to see so many people enjoying themselves. Floating on the pool was a stage supported by two kayaks. On the stage was a band performing native Hawaiian music for the crowd. It was a beautiful setting.
I hate to admit this because the entire trip was awesome but a highlight for me was running in the early morning hours with CD and his friend and colleague, L (I don't know his last name). We started our run at about 5:10 a.m. with the sun just barely coming up. It was already quite warm and humid so the sweat just dripped off of me. Doesn't that paint a lady like picture? We ran three solid miles and, yipee, skippy for me, I ran all three miles without stopping. Granted I was running at sea level so that definitely made a difference but it was awesome. I am sure I left a huge impression on CD and L looking as lovely as I did. L did not even recognize me when I got down to the ballroom for the event. What a hoot!
The format for this event was different than what we are used to. SRC spoke to the group for about 15 minutes. The group of 1600 broke up into about 56 different groups spreading out over 9 breakout rooms. These individual groups had each created skits based on one of the 7 Habits. They tied the habit to their work life, demonstrating how the habit can work effectively and ineffectively in a work scenario. It was very entertaining. SRC was able to visit 4 of the breakout rooms and give a bit of feedback or encouragement based on what he had seen with one of the skits. After about an hour the entire group once again gathered in the main ballroom to watch the top seven skits (one for each habit). SRC was on stage with the CEO and they made comments after each skit. It really was very cool. SRC then closed with about 20 minutes of comments.
We finished our day by attending a BBQ at the beach. By the time we got back to our rooms SRC and I were pooped. I could have gone to the beach or to the pool but it felt so good in my air conditioned room that I just stayed there. I had about 2.5 hours before needing to leave for the airport. I used it wisely: watching Dr. Phil and Ellen (switching between channels), CNN broadcast about Paris Hilton, showering, and packing.
The trip home was, well, interesting to say the least. We flew from Kona to Honolulu where we found out our flight to SLC was delayed by two hours. On any trip this is not a good thing to have happen but it was especially disconcerting because of a commitment SRC had in Provo. I will not bore you with details of our 4+ hour layover or the trip that we spent trying to sleep. I will tell you however that despite the delay, crutches, etc SRC made it to his appointment with 5 minutes to spare. I stayed behind at the airport to get my luggage, which never came. My luggage was delivered the following day...everything intact.
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