October 22-26, 2007
Central America, Carribean

I've heard it said that traveling by chartered airplane is "a luxury", a little snobbish perhaps or even a little diva-ish (if that's a word). True, I will not say it isn't a luxury because there is no fighting with commercial airline passengers and we have two pilots catering to our needs. We also have free movement around the cabin. It is far from being an extravagant means of travel. At times it is necessary in order to get to where we need to go on time. I have written in past blog entries of trouble with the chartered planes: delays because of weather, delays because of mechanical problems, etc. We still deal with airports, security, customs, immigration, etc.

Why am I sharing this with you? This trip started out a bit rocky with a 6 hour departure delay because of mechanical problems. The solution: an alternate plane flying us to Mississippi where we would meet the original plane and fly onto Nassau. Now, a delay was not so bad because we were still in Provo and at home. But it also meant a later arrival into Nassau. A later arrival meant a very short and nearly sleepless night. It's at times like these that I gear up and prepare to be tired. It becomes a mental game with myself: "you may be tired but don't let it show. Smile, be pleasant and do your job well".

October 22, 2007
Nassau, Bahamas

The event in Nassau was a huge success. The venue was filled. In fact more tables and chairs needed to be added to accommodate everyone. SRC connected with the audience and the day was filled with a lot of interaction between the audience and SRC. I would guess over 350 attended and everyone really seemed to be engaged and gaining something.

Nassau is beautiful! Green and lush. As we drove from the to the airport I was amazed at the beauty of the ocean and the foliage. The road runs parallel to the ocean which is a beautiful blue/green as you can see from the picture (the view from my hotel room). Our driver told us that some tourists ask to stop on the side of the road so they can dip their toes in the water...some tourists have never seen the ocean and they can't wait to touch the water. I definitely want to return for some R&R.

October 23-24, 3007
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

We flew into Santo Domingo Monday night and I can't tell you how excited I was to get to the hotel and fall into bed. It was quite late when we arrived but the moon was high in the sky and very bright so it was easy to see some of the beauty of the ocean and palm trees. The hotel was right across the street from the ocean. These pictures were taken from my hotel room...not a bad view. At the airport we were met by our FranklinCovey hosts as well as two drivers, four body guards, at least two cameramen. I was not expecting that and tried to stay out of the line of sight of the cameras. We normally do not have this sort of entourage of people with us but our first events were with governments officials and they provided the transportation, etc. As we would drive to each location we also had a police escort which facilitated faster movement through the city. It also meant driving on the wrong side of the road a few times. I have learned to have faith in the drivers...they know the streets, they know how people drive and they won't crash.

We had a fairly easy morning which allowed for an extra hour of sleep and time in the fitness center. At the appointed hour we met in the executive lounge so SRC could be introduced to the President of the Congress. I have never experienced the "paparazzi" before but I think I have a pretty good idea of what famous people deal with on a daily basis. Cameras everywhere, taking pictures of your every mood. I tried to keep my "game face" hidden and smiled a lot never knowing quite where the cameras were pointed.

A meeting with the President of the Dominican Republic and the First Lady was our first official meeting of the day. The President of the Congress was our escort. We drove to the palace and were escorted into the President's office. I was impressed by the interior of the palace and also the offices. I was also very impressed by the President and First Lady...such personable people and they speak English very well. As we were sitting there I nearly had to pinch myself as reality set in: I was sitting in the office of the President of the Dominican Republic. Wow! That doesn't happen everyday.

From there we went to the House of Congress and met with leaders of the Senate and Legislature. We also had a session with the staff and managers of the different government departments equaling about 200 people. The final event hosted by the President of the Congress was with a larger group of about 400 made up of government and community officials. At the conclusion of this event we quickly drove to the LDS Institute Building where a group of Latter-day Saints were waiting for SRC. He stood after a long and very tiring day and spoke from the heart. He shared his testimony with this group and was incredibly moved by the spirit that emanated from everyone there. It was a great day!

At each location throughout the day we had the same cars, drivers, bodyguard and motorcycle police escort. As it turned out SRC had his car and I had mine. There were other passengers with us but we were in separate cars. It was comforting to see the familiar faces of Christian (bodyguard) and Alex (driver). As we exited each building I would look for their faces know that I was in the right place. I would also look for the familiar faces of SRC's bodyguard and driver and know he was in good hands. It was not easy saying good bye at the end of the day knowing I would not see them again.

The following day was equally great. Three presentations to three different groups: 800 people. All three groups were engaged and anxious to learn. Many asked great questions, some challenging but those are SRC's favorites. The AV techs were great and we all worked well together. That always makes my job easier.

SRC felt a profound spirit from each group. He had this overwhelming feeling that each person attending (all events both days) could move the country to greatness....each through a distinct contribution. On our way to the airport after the last event we drove by the LDS Temple. It is modeled after the St. Louis, MO temple. This is the first international temple I have seen during my travels. It is beautiful!
October 25-26, 2007
San Jose, Costa Rica

I have to say that I was looking forward to returning to Costa Rica. I loved it the first time and knew that my second trip would be just as great, if not better. I was also looking forward to the hotel. It was the same hotel as my first trip and I remember the bed...amazingly comfortable. My room was different but the bed was as comfortable as I remembered.

We did a lot of driving during the two days we were in Costa Rica which is not always the best but it gave me the opportunity to see a lot more. My companion for the two days was Luis and I thoroughly enjoyed working with him. We gave each other English and Spanish lessons. I did not feel intimidated asking questions or speaking in Spanish. Luis was a great help and a lot of fun. I was a bit sad saying good bye to him. I was also so impressed and appreciative of the staff or "back of office" as they called themselves...constantly behind the scenes making sure each event was a huge succes. They were so helpful and willing to assist with what I needed or asked.

The events during the two days were a success. Four presentations in two days totalling about 2,000 people. SRC did a fantastic job at each event and really hit a home run with the speeches. Each presentation topic or focus was different and I am continuously amazed at how he can customize each presentation. At the evening event on the 25th the FranklinCovey group surprised SRC with a Mariachi band singing Happy Birthday...in Spanish. It was awesome! Something he will not forget!

Overall it was a tremendous week. We traveled to three countries, SRC gave 12 presentations, met with the President of the Dominican Republic and enables greatness in about 4,000 people. Not bad for a weeks worth of work.