And it starts...

I received the documents for my upcoming England & Ireland tour today - hooray! Now I can start preparing copies of maps, currency exchange rates, interesting things to see & do in London, Killarney, Dublin, & Edinburgh, itineraries, maps, menus, travel tips, VAT tax info, maps, and Welcome letters for 45 people! Did I mention maps? Lots of maps...people like to know exactly where they are as they ride along in the coach...right down to the mile marker. Or kilometer marker, to be precise.

I'm thrilled - it's a full coach!! There's a healthy dose of nerves mixed in there, as well, but it will be fine. I'm receiving excellent training here, and as my boss likes to say, they have done they're level best to set me up for success. So we shall see...

I forgot to mention that I'm so close to Maine - where my cousin Kristin and her husband Charlie live! I wish I had time to pop over and say hi - and MEET Charlie! - but I'll have to save that for another trip...I know Mom & Dad would love to visit this region and see the fall foliage...family reunion, anyone?

Ya learn something new every day...

If you ever make a trip to China, don't be surprised when you encounter airborne babies.

Apparently there are organized pick-pockets, including mothers with several young children and a baby or two, who will literally throw babies at you in order to distract you - because of course you will instinctively try to catch a baby flailing through the air, right? - while her other small children stick their tiny hands into your pockets and get away with your cameras, wallets, cell phones, etc...

It is such a sad and desparate situation, but definitely one to be mindful of - wherever you travel!

So training at the Vermont house has been an interesting experience so far, to say the least! Thankfully, we have had a little time to relax...so of course snow angels were in order! You don't get to make snow angels that often when you grow up in Texas...

I've also learned a TON about Vermont, and I have really enjoyed my time here. I appreciate the family farm culture, with maple syrup farms, Macintosh apples, and Morgan horses...and I'd love to visit Vermont in autumn when everything is red, orange, yellow, and golden...

Oh I almost forgot to mention - I bottle-fed a calf at the Adams' Farm - a six-generation farmstead! I used to think that Kylie could really tug at a bottle while she feeds, but now...wow. That calf yanked on that bottle like her very life depended on it. Well, in a way, I guess that's true, but I feel sorry for mama cows - ouch!!

We Survived.

Well, Annie & I survived the popcorn cake. It wasn't sabotage after all. Thanks, Carrie!

Hi from Vermont...

...where our home away from home is a swanky "mountain chalet" surrounded by evergreens, ski slopes, and snow-filled sky, at the moment. Is it in fact haunted by the previous owner? We haven't decided yet.

Training for Collette has been going smoothly, so far. I'm stuck here with Carrie and Annie, though. I don't think I can stand them much longer...

Kidding! I love those girls. We're busy researching The Green Mountain Boys, fall foliage, and Stephen Douglas for our fabulous Southern Vermont tour tomorrow. I'm excited to get out of the house, see the sites, and learn something about Vermont from my fellow trainees. And I look forward to sharing a little Vermont knowledge with them myself! We'll be taking a much longer tour of Vermont on Sunday (including a stop at Ben & Jerry's!!) which is when I'll talk about Richmond, VT and cows/dairy farming in Vermont. Dairy is a big deal up here! Dairy & maple syrup. Yumm....

Speaking of food, Carrie made a popcorn cake tonight. I've never heard of that before...guess it's a Jersey thing. ;) The iced coffee she made this morning was FABULOUS, though, so I'll give her the benefit of the doubt...just as long as she's not trying to sabotage my chances of continuing working for Collette beyond this "probationary period." I'm watching you, Care-ie.

Besides, my future passengers are depending on me! Well, they don't know it's me, yet, but somehow I've got to find time to prepare for my April 26 Exploring Britain & Ireland tour on top of all this Vermont business. Guess I better get back to it!

23

Well, my birthday has come and gone...now I'm 23 years old. Or 23 years young, depending on how you want to look at it. 23 is a fun number, but it's interesting how you don't really think of birthdays after you turn 21. I mean, the major numbers are 13, (I'm a teenager!!) 16, (I can drive!!) 18, (I'm an adult!!) and of course, 21...

I felt this way when I turned 22...it's rather anti-climactic, in a way. Everyone always asks, "How does it feel to be a year older?" Not that different, actually. But as Mom & Dad came into my room at midnight to wish me a Happy Birthday, I felt sad - but just for a moment. Maybe it's because I'm 23 and still living at home, which Mom & Dad insist is okay...or maybe it's because I received my tax return and found out how much I owe Uncle Sam...or maybe it's because I felt my childhood begin to slip away. This is when anyone over 40 might laugh and say I haven't seen anything yet, but in that slight moment of sadness I made a promise to myself: I will not lose my inner-child!! To stay young at heart, as they say, is my ultimate goal. I choose not to grow bitter with time - I'll age like fine wine!! Okay, enough with the cliche's...but you get the idea. My 23rd birthday came with a little slice of reality, and perhaps the rest of my birthdays will feel the same way, but I won't forget to kick back and have some fun! I hope you'll do the same.

Speaking of fun, that's the first word I use to describe my job! Right now I'm preparing a talk on the Stone of Destiny....(ooooo...ahhhhh...) aka the Stone of Scone, which I'll present during training in Vermont! I'm also prepping more commentary for the Exploring Britain & Ireland tour I'm guiding in April. The novel The Other Boleyn Girl by Phillipa Gregory was rather popular this year with the making of the movie by the same title, so I think I'll elaborate on Henry VIII's mistresses, in addition to his six wives. Why not include some scandal and juicy gossip for the long bus rides?

...and Annie makes three!

WHOOP!!!

That traditional Texas A&M greeting goes out to my fellow Ag - Annie Fitzsimmons - who was just offered a full-time position with Collette Vacations!! I am absolutely thrilled that Fitz will be joining Carrie & me in Vermont for training in just a few weeks!! These girls have become amazing friends of mine, and I am proud to call them colleagues. I have such restless anticipation for the days ahead and the adventures that will unfold for each of us. So here's to my superheroes - see you soon!!!

It's Official!

I am now a full-time tour manager for Collette Vacations. Hooray!!! I can't wait to arrive in Vermont for training during the first two weeks in April, then I'm heading back to the United Kingdom for another tour! The ball is rolling, now...I'm so excited!!! Thanks to all of you for your prayers and support during this process.

And what is even MORE exciting is that my friend Carrie was hired on full-time as well!! We went through the International Tour Management Institute (ITMI), Symposium, and Collette interviews together, and we're thrilled to call each other colleagues!! Congrats to you, Carrie. The ball is in your court now, Annie!! *wink*

5 Months of Catching Up!

Hello from Houston! Happy New Year! Happy March 1st! A LOT has happened since I last wrote, but now I'm all set up to continue posting stories from my travels, so I hope you'll enjoy keeping up with me. I'd love to know what you're up to, as well, so please leave comments or write back!

My first tour for Collette Vacations was a baptism of fire!! Thanks to Mom & Dad, I had already been to several places in the United Kingdom during Dad's sabbatical in 2001, so it wasn't like I was guiding people through a place I had never visited before. At least it wasn't like that the WHOLE time...but when we visited places like Killarney, Ireland, Gretna Green, Scotland, and York, England, I had to be confident - as if I had been there a thousand times before.

Several of my guests asked me if I lived in the UK, how many times I had been to the UK, how long I had worked for Collette, etc...and I'm sure that was because of my age. (I told them I was 25! They thought I was 27! Lies lies lies!) I tried to bounce back with clever answers like, "Oh you wouldn't believe me if I told you..." or "Collette keeps me busy!" They never caught on...

You see, during busy tour seasons, like September - November, companys like Collette have to hire independent contractors when their full-time tour managers get sick or have an emergency to attend to. The passengers don't need to know this. It's too complicated, and taking the time to explain all the ins & outs of tour directing takes away from their experience. So as far as my guests were concerned, I was a seasoned veteran. It was my foot in the door.

After juggling 14 days with 26 guests, 30 pieces of luggage, nine hotels, three different currencies (Euro, British Pound, US Dollar), two food poisonings and a heart attack, and a marriage proposal from an 84 year-old named Joe, I returned to the states relatively unscathed. I had seen Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Waterford Crystal, the Ring of Kerry, the Irish coastline and dark blue seas. I had seen the Lake District, Edinburgh Castle, the York Minster, and Shakespeare's Birthplace. I enjoyed tea with Mrs. Fenton in her kitchen on the Molanna Dairy Farm and I kissed the Blarney Stone. I endured my first pint of Guiness and watched football in a pub. I worshiped in the York Minster and wandered down the Shambles. I had done all these things and yet, what meant more to me than anything, was that I had shared these experiences with a group of people who had been waiting their entire lives to visit the UK & Ireland. And they had a fun time. They had a great time! We discussed current events and all the history, of course, and we enjoyed bagpipes, Irish comedians, and maybe even a bit of the commentary I had prepared as our coach chugged along through the lush countryside. I could go on and on about all the special moments we shared, but, suffice it to say, it was a successful and memorable journey for everyone.

I remember returning to Houston and rambling off as much as I could about everything - in no particular order - to Mom & Dad when my phone rang. It was Collette - they needed me to go back and guide another tour! I had just enough time to finish my laundry and switch out a few clothes, then it was back to the airport and across the big pond once more.

Trip #2 - British Landscapes - was successful as well, and I knew that I wanted to continue sharing the world's treasures with others. I applied to Collette Vacations for a full-time position and waited. And waited and waited and waited - which is the hardest part!! Finally, after attending the International Tour Management Institute Symposium in San Diego, California, where I met the Collette Vacations staff, and after flying to Collette's headquarters in Pawtucket, Rhode Island for a full day of interviews and presentations, I am proud to say I have a job!! And not just a job - a career! I am now a full-time tour manager for Collette Vacations - salary, benefits, everything - which I think I might actually be more excited about than Mom & Dad! I leave for Vermont on March 31 for two weeks of training, then home for 10 days, then back to the UK!!

I thank God for this amazing opportunity - what a gift!! And I can't thank Mom & Dad enough for their continued prayers and support. I love all of you, and I thank you for your prayers and support, as well.

So, now that you know where I am and how I got here, there will be many tales from the road to follow...