Where I've Been - One Month Left

Hello AGAIN from Columbus, OH. Pretty sure this has been my most frequented location of tour...and let me check - Yep, according to foursquare it has been (47 check-ins here to be exact).

Well, I only have ONE MONTH left of tour now, which is so stinking crazy! And to be precise, I have 29 days until I'm on a plane back "home" (which is going to be NC at this time) and because we have to drop the vehicle/trailer off in Wisconsin & finish up work in Chicago before we fly home...technically I only have 25 days left of actual "event" work. I cannot believe that it's almost been a year & that I've been living out of hotels for almost ten months now. Ha.

I could officially do this at the very end of tour, but I feel like writing about it now, the "best & worst" of Map Team 1 (aka Team Jetfire) from my perspective & a review of the last 9+ months.

We've been to 23 states, driven approximately 39,000 miles...visited countless cities, (I) made it to 12 MLB stadiums and 2 Spring Training stadiums. Our most common event to do in our "free time" is shopping, whether it was just window shopping or actual shopping, we found ourselves in a mall in basically every city that had one. My favorite cities were, Orlando (probably because it was right after spending a MONTH in Indianapolis in February...), Kansas City, State College, PA & Milwaukee (disclaimer: when we visited these cities, the weather was PERFECT & usually the events were fun, which had to do with my "decision" on this). My least favorite cities were; Annapolis, Maryland...rude people, nothing special to look at or do, Wheeling, WV - terrible, just terrible...oh & I also disliked the entire state of New Jersey.

Let's talk food: Best cupcake (and we tried SEVERAL) goes to Smallcakes Cupcakery in Kansas City, which is also where I had the best BBQ of my LIFE...at Oklahoma Joes! Best Brazilian place (we tried a couple) was at Brazil Grill in NYC on 8th & 48th, most of the staff spoke Portuguese & according to Michelle, the food was pretty authentic! We had a running theme of finding "fro-yo" in places & basically Menchie's has the best. And the best brew I tried along the way (didn't have much of an opportunity for this) was White Beer from Lakefront Brewery in Milwaukee.

While at work: My favorite event to work as far as the "cool-factor" goes, was probably the Jets/Giants Draft Party at New Meadowlands Stadium (aka MetLife Stadium). While I enjoyed working NFL, NHL, NBA, MLB, PGA, LPGA, NCAA & Minor League Baseball events...that one really stuck out since I actually got to go on the field (first time EVER on an NFL field) and be a part of the action, it was really fun! The most interesting event has to go to the Lunar New Year event in NYC, our very first event! It was SO different than any other event we worked & will forever stick out in my mind like, yeah...I just did that (along with driving a SUV & trailer through Manhattan!) Another cool event was the series of Droid Scavenger Hunts we did for the launch of the Samsung Charge...it was really fun to be a part of something so interesting & viral-marketing driven! The only "celebrities" I saw/met were, Steve Nash of the Phoenix Suns while in Indianapolis, Jack Nicklaus in Dublin, OH and I got to meet Dan Mead, President and CEO of Verizon Wireless, while at State College, PA.

While at play: My favorite thing we did on our day off is when Kevin & I were able to go to Universal Studios in Orlando to see the Wizarding World of Harry Potter! I have a whole blog post about it back in March, if you haven't read it...you should. :) I also very much enjoyed going to sporting events, I got to see baseball games at Yankee Stadium in New York, Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, PNC Park in Pittsburgh, and Miller Park in Milwaukee as well as the Braves vs Tigers spring training game at the ESPN, Wide World of Sports Complex in Kissimmee, FL! And just recently I was able to watch the Red Wings take on the Blackhawks in a pre-season game in Chicago at the United Center!

The most beautiful place we went would have to be Traverse City, Michigan, and I would say it's because I'm biased...but looking back on all the places, that really was the most beautiful in my opinion. It also had my favorite hotel we stayed at...the Great Wolf Lodge, which we stayed at by force, due to a complete sell-out of hotels for the National Cherry Festival!

I think that pretty much sums it up for now, hopefully I can do a more complete overview with some exciting stuff to throw in from these next 25 days! Hope this posts finds you all well, MUAH!

Back in Black

Hey y'all! I'm currently in Lexington, KY (again). In the past three weeks I have been to nine different states: Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Maryland! Crazy stuff. Just about seven weeks left of tour!

So, you might think that my blog post is going to be about AC/DC or something...but you're wrong. It has to do with my wardrobe! Back in college, when I gained a substantial amount of weight, I didn't want to wear anything but black, because it was "slimming" and it would hide all that extra weight I was carrying around. So, that's basically what I wore, mostly black with some items having a splash of color or a little polkadot action. After I started to lose weight, I rediscovered the rainbow of colors I was missing out on, I wasn't afraid to draw attention to myself anymore. Now, since I've been on tour...you can't exactly fit a wide variety of clothing unless you want three suitcases (like some people I know, eh-hem, lol). But for me, it's more, less is more while I'm traveling, so I packed a lot of basics but still tried to keep a variety of colors & styles for the days that I wasn't in "uniform".

The last three months of this tour have been brutal on me, I got used to the waking up in a different city every day & the sporadic schedule changes, but man...I wasn't prepared for 70 hour work weeks & a schedule so unpredictable I don't know where I'm going in THREE DAYS! I knew before I started this tour that I liked structured flexibility, and to many of you that might be an oxymoron but it makes perfect sense to me. Structured flexibility is constant change with a plan...I like to plan, I like lists & a constant but I also like things to change to keep things interesting. So, when I was no longer in control of anything in my life (other than maintaining a relationship with God), I have kind of "let myself go". Which brings me to the fact that I'm "back in black" when it comes to my wardrobe!

I feel a little disheveled & haggard lately, my hair hates me for switching up hotels every few days, the climate changes (going from Maryland to Alabama) are awful on my skin & the constant on the go, or don't know where I'm going causes stress that is also not helping my skin or those giant circles under my eyes! Haha. Let's not mention the fact that there seem to be no L.A. Fitness locations in the cities we go to & the fact that I'm just too tired or lazy to work out lately & my eating habits are extremely difficult to manage out on the road.

I think I'm writing this blog post because I have gained some weight since being on tour & I've seen myself go back to some of my old ways of wearing black more often, being totally uncomfortable just sitting in front of people & being disgusted with myself when I look in the mirror and I'm TERRIFIED I'm going to let myself slip back into that downward spiral that I was in three years ago! All those factors about my current lifestyle have made it more difficult for me to maintain or lose weight, but they are also excuses & I need to make sure I'm not slipping back into my old ways on account of me feeling sorry for myself. And that brings me to the declaration that things need to change in my life, I have seven weeks left of tour & I want to enjoy it! I want to spend the next seven weeks happy to take pictures with Kevin & Michelle & feel good about myself! So, there it is...now you know, I'm struggling but I will come out of this tour feeling good about myself!

From Here to There and Everywhere!

Hello from the car (that’s a first)! On our way from Annapolis, MD to Prattville, AL with a stop in Knoxville, TN tonight. Now, your first thought if you know me is…Knoxville, TN!? Like University of Tennessee country…Neyland Stadium!!! YUP! When I visited Tennessee back when I was a teenager, I totally fell in love with everything, the people, the schools, the football and the state as a whole & I’m still in love. UT is my second favorite college…right after my Alma Mater of course, Western Michigan University! So needless to say, I am STOKED about passing through Knoxville!

Now, let’s talk about Annapolis, MD. If I had to describe this city in one word it would be…rude. I swear to you, everyone I met that was from Annapolis acted as though they had GIANT stick up their butt! Ugh, what a way to live! But seriously, I did not meet one nice person there unless they weren’t FROM Annapolis! But, it officially wins the award for the rudest, most unfriendly people in all of the cities I’ve traveled to so far. A close second would be all of New Jersey, but to be fair…I’ve only been in the Carlstadt/East Rutherford areas mostly…but besides their people, their road systems SUCK…no left turns!? What is a JUG HANDLE!? I’m excited to be heading South for some southern hospitality, that’s for sure!

We’re going to be in the South for a couple weeks, we’re heading to work the LPGA Golf Tournament in Prattville, AL, and after that we’re doing a couple University of Kentucky football games. I’ll be experiencing fall in the South for the first time, which is almost a bummer because fall in the Midwest is my favorite part! I know that working at college football games is going to bring back a rush of nostalgic memories of being at WMU with my best friends in the whole wide world! Ahh, just thinking about it makes me miss those days!

Speaking of sports, we’re coming to my favorite part of the year! This is when baseball season is serious business, football season is underway & hockey is about to start! It’s even better when the Tigers look like they’re headed to the post season (magic number is 7!!), the Lions had a great pre-season & won their first game (even though they turned into the typical Lions & made the end of the game pretty nerve-wracking!?) AND the Red Wings may have had some crucial changes due to retirements, but we still have a solid program that is going to bring it home this year! Man, I love being a Detroit sports fan! I’m a fan win or lose, but when they’re winning it’s a whole lot more fun! I’m really pumped about the Tigers, seems they really have their pitching down which is what we’ve been missing for a while & I couldn’t be happier (okay, maybe if we had the Phillies’ record, but still).

Well, that’s kind of an update on my life lately…I would update you with the rest of the month, but out schedule isn’t posted yet! I never realized how much of a planner I was until I live my life week by week & sometimes don’t even know four days in advance what state I’ll be in!! Talk about anxiety…ha, I guess it’s helped me manage the fact that I’m no longer in control of ANY part of my life! And guess what…tour is almost over! Saturday will officially be our 8-month mark, meaning only two months left! Crazy.

I miss all my friends & family back home & am so blessed I’m able to have them as long-distance support when I need it! Until next time…MUAH!

::Update:: Made it to Alabama & am staying in an INTERESTING hotel...

Weigh Station Ahead, Must Exit...Or Else!

OMGOODNESS. It's a blog entry! It's been over three months since my last post and for that I am SO SORRY! I've been through a lot in the last three months, I've been to about 15 new cities, met an amazing man, no longer talk to that amazing man, got to go to Michigan for a few weeks for work AND play, had fun at some events & pretty much let work take over my life oh & did I mention I gained 12 lbs! So, as best I can, I'll give you the rundown without making this too long...and here it goes.

After we left Springfield our schedule began to pick up & all of the sudden the last month has been brutal, I'm happy to work...I mean, no better job security but goodness, it has increased my stress level quite a bit, forcing little tweaks & changes to our team and routines to best accommodate the longer hours & the amount of days between our day off. So far this month I've had two days off, definitely looking forward to next week when we should have two! I can finally make a spa appointment & relax!

Okay, so I met an amazing guy on a Christian dating website. I had kind of sworn away dating sites as I really feel they just aren't for me, but recent success on this site by a friend convinced me to give it a go. So, this man is awesome, everything I'm looking for...right? Well, he lives in Phoenix, AZ...and although I travel 24/7, I unfortunately haven't made it any further West than Kansas City, MO. So, after a couple months of talking, texting & regular Skype dates we decided to meet while I was headed home to Michigan for my niece's 1st birthday party. I'll spare you all the details, but we had a fairytale weekend, one of the best I've ever had but inevitably he had to fly back to Arizona & I had to fly back to Dublin, OH, which is where our event was. After a couple weeks we both felt the tug of "long distance blues" and seeing as how we didn't have the most solid of foundations built on a virtual relationship we decided to put things on hold & will reevaluate once my tour is over & when we find out what both of our futures hold. So, that is that, I'm fully confident that if God wants us to be together, we will be together, if not...He has something better in store for the both of us! Sometimes it isn't the easiest thing to just let go & trust that God will take care of us, but it is always the best decision!

So, not only did I get to go home for a few days to see my family & some friends...but I also got to go back to Michigan AGAIN, this time for work! We had an event cancel, so we actually got to spend a couple days in Kalamazoo, doing guerrilla work & then we headed up to Traverse City for the National Cherry Festival. The festival was nice & the weather COULD NOT have been better, but a little drama & 10 days of LONG hours...we were all ready to leave Michigan & wouldn't be sad if we didn't see a cherry for a while!

Well, since we've gotten so busy I've been making every excuse in the book not to exercise, not to count my WW points & obviously not to blog! This all came to a crashing halt while in State College, PA (VERY nice area btw) when I saw the sign, "weigh station ahead". Now, obviously this sign on the highway wasn't directed at me, but when I saw it, I knew what I had to do & after eating too many rolls (with that amazing cinnamon butter) at Texas Roadhouse for dinner & treating myself to an ice cream at the infamous Berkey Creamery, I decided to face the scale & weigh in. The receptionist literally said, "it says you're up 12 pounds, could this be a mistake?" I looked at her & replied, "no, it's possible." Now, I think all the crap I ate the night before could have been part of the issue & the fact that I wore jeans when I usually wear lighter clothing...but regardless, it's a gain & I'm not okay with that. You think that would be a nice wake up call though, right? Well, goodness...it's SO difficult to get back on track once you've been off for so long & not even that...but all your resources were left at the last hotel! Haha. My goal for this month & next is to lose those pounds again and to get back under my lowest weight & with determination I know I can do it!

So, there it is...that sums up a lot of the last three months of my life. I'm sorry I've been such a blogger delinquent, I promise I won't let it happen again. It's going to be my goal to update my blog at least once a week to keep y'all informed on my ever-changing life. Plus, it feels good to be back! Hope this post finds you well, I missed ya! Until next time...MUAH!

Hi, I'm a Mac...

Hello from Springfield, MO.

Last week we were in Chicago for the World's Largest 8k race...the Shamrock Shuffle! It was pretty exciting, but definitely made me jealous that I wasn't running it!! It's a race I'll keep in mind for the future though...anything with beer at the finish line is a win in my book! I even found a cute sticker at the race that says, "Will Run for Beer" ...pretty much sums up why I run. Well, that & my love for cupcakes & ice cream...and not to mention runners are awesome. :)

So, while in Chicago I made an investment purchase...I BOUGHT A MAC! I definitely needed an upgrade on my computer, although I have to say my Dell PC got me through almost 7 years with nearly no problems...but it was very outdated & SLOW. Anyway, I made the decision to buy a Mac back in January during training, but decided to hold off so I could save a little money, do some research & make sure it was the right purchase for me...three months later I own a 15-inch MacBook Pro and I LOVE IT so far! I haven't done a whole lot on it yet...and certain things I'm still clueless about, but I love learning new things!

One awesome feature is in iPhoto there is a thing called, "faces" where it recognizes faces in ALL your photos...so for the last two days I've been tagging faces so I can search for photos of all my friends by their own face folder (for example, if I chose "Megan Collins" it would open a folder that had all the photos that I'm tagged in!) There are so many cool things, but like I said, I'm just learning, I can't wait to be a Mac Pro myself!

Other than that little diddy...I haven't had anything too exciting going on. Our event in Missouri is the "Rockin' Ribs BBQ Festival" at the Bass Pro Shop! I'm excited because I'm sure there will be some meat eating fun times ahead! Springfield is Kevin's hometown...so we have had the privilege of meeting his mom, great aunt, grandma, sister & some friends and his mom made us a DELICIOUS feast of Korean food while his grandma made us an array of blueberry desserts! It's nice to have a home cooked meal, that's for sure...not to mention it was SO YUM.

As far as running goes...I'm on day 6/100! I took the two days off that we worked 10+ hours last week (and I don't count those days) so I look forward to adding a few more days on before the event this weekend. I'm still struggling a bit with food though, so many good choices out there & by good I mean HORRIBLE for you...but tasty. I need to really focus on practicing self control!!!

That was just a quick update on my life...hope this post find's y'all well. Hopefully next time I'll have something more exciting to talk about! :) Until then, love you! Muah!

BEST.WEEK...EVER!

Hello from Cleveland, OH. (Obviously I was elsewhere for my BWE)

As you know from my last couple posts I was in Orlando, FL last week...Best.Week.EVER. Let me tell you about it.

It started off with beautiful weather, warm & sunny! And as my last blog post indicated I went to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter! If you didn't read my last post & want to know all about that...please read it, it's worth it...it was EPIC. While donning a tank top through the park I started to get a tan which I worked on throughout the week while doing different events! :)

The next day was a guerrilla marketing day which my team & I promptly decided the beach would be a perfect place to work! So we headed to the Tampa area and found ourselves at Clearwater which was a gorgeous white sand beach! It was a beautifully warm day and full of people enjoying the sunshine! After we finished working we relaxed on the beach for a little while before we met up with my friend Jess & one of her friends! It was awesome to meet up with them, even though we missed the sunset by less than a minute due to parking :/ We enjoyed a couple margaritas, some amazing food & fresh air off the ocean! I can't wait to go back to spend more time with Jess...and Michelle & I have even considered taking up residence in the area as well!

While in Orlando...it wasn't ALL a vacation, we actually did work, I promise! Our event was the International CTIA Wireless Conference which was very cool! The product we were promoting was a device by Sony Ericsson called the Experia Play. Now, I'm not a gamer or anything but even I thought the device was pretty awesome. It is a smart phone that runs on Gingerbread (the latest version of Google's Android platform) and is also a PlayStation certified device! It looks like a regular phone with a slide out keyboard which is actually a PlayStation controller! There will be games available for download on the Android market that you can play right on your smart phone...my favorite was Madden '11...FIFA is coming soon!! The rest of the conference was cool as well, we got to see the latest in wireless technology including 3D phones, new 4G phones & the newest Samsung Galaxy tablets. That was just the tip of the iceberg too, there was SO much going on there I didn't even get to see it all. The event lasted three days & after each day I relaxed at the pool & took advantage of the weather and ran a couple miles in shorts and a tshirt!!

Our last day in Orlando was a day off & oh how amazing it was! It started off by me renting a car from Enterprise & when I made my reservation I requested an American made car, which apparently the two men at the office found funny. They asked where I was heading & I told them Lakeland so they assumed I wanted an American car because Lakeland is a 'country' area & I wanted to fit in...but it is really because American cars are better. :) They were about to give me a Chevy Impala when I inquired about the Dodge Challenger out front & both were surprised that that was the car I wanted...but BOY did I want that car & I got it! So I headed out to Lakeland to visit Joker Marchent Stadium, even though the Tigers weren't playing there that day, I just wanted to check out the field. While on the highway I got PLENTY of looks in my sweet car while I was jamming to some music, my favorite songs to hear was Keri Hilson's "Pretty Girl Rock" and Eminem's "Lose Yourself"...awesome songs to rock out to! As soon as I parked my car a man came out from the field & I thought for sure he was going to tell me I couldn't park there but he just gave me a smile & said, "Nice car"...I returned the smile & just said, "Thanks"...I mean, no one needed to know it was rented, right? (I also got several other compliments on my car...it might be a good investment for me in the near future!) So I walked around the park, took some photos & then headed off to Kissimmee where I was ready for a baseball game!

I went to Champion Stadium at ESPN's Wide World of Sports for a Tiger's game against the Atlanta Braves, which just so happen to be my favorite two teams! As soon as I walked into the stadium I could smell baseball, between the grass, hot dogs, beer & a faint smell of leather...I was right where I needed to be! I got myself a PBR & found my seat next to a wonderful old man from Michigan, transplanted to Orlando. He & I had great conversations about Kalamazoo, Detroit & of course the Tigers as he used to be in the farm system back in the day & because of Willie Horton, didn't make it on the team! On my other side were a couple guys, one who used to play college baseball & described how much he missed the game which brought me to miss playing ball too. I was on cloud 9 though with PBR in hand, the sun going down & baseball in my sight...it definitely made for an awesome end to an awesome week. The Tigers lost the game and actually didn't play all that well, but they were also finalizing their rotation & line up...I'm not worried.

If that wasn't a great ending...being able to spend a day and a half in Charlotte was! As we were heading back to the Midwest, our half way point just happened to be in Charlotte!! So, Kevin & Michelle dropped me off & I spent some much needed family time with Ellie, Stef, Nick & Gabbers. As soon as I got in Nick had the Red Wings game taped & a Bell's beer chilling in the fridge, just like before! I also got to see Stef & Nick's new house and my/Linda's new bedroom (for when I'm done with the tour)...I LOVE IT! I was sad to leave, but very happy to see my little Boo-Boo!!!! Our first event was a Blue Jackets game in Columbus & I was also able to meet up with my bud Shulack while there for a few days which was awesome, tomorrow's event is the Cleveland Indian's opening day game...MORE BASEBALL!!! <3

Overall, you put that mix of things together & I look at my life & just see how amazingly blessed I am! It's a little early in the tour to say it was the best week of the whole tour, I think it's my goal to top it in the next eight months!! :)

As I sit here watching baseball, enjoying an Oberon...I hope y'all have your BEST.WEEK.EVER soon! Muah!

P.S. A special shout out to my dear friend Jess Waugh...CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR ENGAGEMENT!!!! <3 I can't wait for the wedding!

After Parties, Vegas Hopes & Eight States Later...

Hello from Orlando!

Last time I posted I was in Indianapolis, Indiana for the Big Ten Basketball tournament! That seems like ages ago even though it was less than a week! So, again...sad to report OSU swept the Big Ten tournament...the men played great as well & won. ANYWAY...the fun part was the Big Ten after party we were invited to! We weren't told what the appropriate dress code was for the event, so we played it safe & dressed up...and BOY, did we overdress!! We walked into a room full of people who probably had been in suits all week working for the tournament & were now all in jeans & their favorite team's tshirt! As Michelle & I walked through the room in our dresses & Kevin in his stylin' outfit...we definitely turned some heads! LOL. Overall the party turned out to be a blast! We hit the dance floor & had a lot of fun, but the OSU fans showed everyone up with the cutest little boy that was "break dancing" and an older, rather portly guy that was also breakin' it down! Both were very entertaining as were all the other dancers on the floor! I got to share a moment with some MSU fans as the band played Journey's, "Don't Stop Believin" and we all belted out the line, "just a city boy, born & raised in SOUTH DETROIT"! It definitely made me miss home, especially the good times it reminded me of with Mel & Maris (miss you girls!) I also got a chance to meet up with my friend Gina from High School who was in town for the tourney, so fun!!

After Indy we got word we were heading to LAS VEGAS! We thought it was too good to be true, but we headed West & planned a stop in Kansas City & one in Denver before we landed in Sin City. We had a great, successful day of marketing some of our new products to the folks of Kansas City & got to enjoy the gorgeous 70 degree, sunny weather while we worked! As we were about to head West to Denver we got a call that we were being re-routed to Orlando (see, it WAS too good to be true!) I was pretty bummed because I wanted to see Colorado & even more...one of my best friends from High School, Tory! We were both really disappointed that didn't work out, but that's my life these days...gotta go where the wind blows! So, off to Orlando it was!

We stayed the night in Nashville, which was St. Patrick's Day! We had been driving all day & planned to leave fairly early the next day, so I settled for a Guinness at the hotel bar instead of going into the city...but man, I need to spend some time there, Nashville is such a fun city, Tennessee in general is awesome, traveling through it was gorgeous! Overall, traveling from Indy to Orlando we passed through eight states! Craziness!

Another great thing about our recent travels is that I got to stop at three more baseball stadiums! Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Busch Stadium in St. Louis & Turner Field in Atlanta! The Braves are my second favorite baseball team so I was really pumped to stop there! So that brings my current total to eight stadiums on the road! Since we're in Florida & SO CLOSE to spring training...I'm really hoping we get a day off so I can go to a Tigers game, even if I don't get to visit Joker Marchant Stadium...any field will do for me to see my boys!

Well, this was just an update on my life on the road I suppose. Some of you are probably wondering why I didn't mention "The Wizarding World of Harry Potter"...that deserves a blog post of it's own, stay tuned. For now, love y'all! Muah!

Can't Get No...Satisfaction...

Hello again from Indianapolis! Last week was the Women's Big Ten Basketball Tournament...and sadly I have to report that Ohio State were the champions (I'm not discounting their hard work & skills, being from Michigan I'm NOT an Ohio State fan...understandable, right?). Next up is the Men's Big Ten Basketball Tournament this week, Thursday - Sunday...should be a bit more exciting, sadly...women's sports don't attract as many fans as men's.

Monday I was blessed with a visit from my parents!! I was so happy to see them, even though it's only been about three months since our last visit. We watched a couple movies together, shared a couple meals, had a few drinks & this morning went to breakfast before they had to go home. I was so happy to see them, yet so sad to see them leave...so was I satisfied with their visit or depressed because they left? As humans, adults, Americans...are we ever satisfied? It's a thought that has been brought to my attention after listening to a sermon from Mars Hill Church on Pastor Mark's sermon series on the book of Ecclesiastes 2:1-11, where he talks about Solomon & his attempt to find pleasure in all the gifts given to him by God & he was never satisfied.

I've thought at times I would be satisfied once I graduated college, once I found a great job that allowed me to use my skills and do what I've always wanted to do, once I found the perfect man for me & got married, had kids, owned our own home, etc. Or maybe I'll be satisfied when I lose 20 lbs...or better yet, when I get to my ultimate goal weight. As I've been through my weight loss journey, I've achieved so much...more than I ever intended, but after each achievement, it leaves me wanting more. I lost 40 lbs, but I still have more to go to get to my "goal"...but once I hit my goal, will I be satisfied? I have a great job that I love...but I can't help but think about the next steps, where will this job lead me?

I'm not saying it's a bad thing to have goals, I think goals are important! But sometimes, maybe we should sit back & appreciate what we've done so far, fully look at what we've accomplished and be happy and thankful that we've had the strength, knowledge and understanding to overcome what we have...and to thank the people that have helped us along the way!

Today as I indulged in a Starbuck's Java Chip Frappuccino with whipped cream I smiled for a couple different reasons. One, for the person that lead me to these delicious treats & the fun times we shared, two, for the fact that I probably did some serious damage to my Points+ account for today and three because I may have lost 40 lbs, finished multiple 5K races, a sprint triathlon and a half marathon in the last couple years...but I'm still able to enjoy certain things along my journey to reach my goals! It also made me think about how I need to reflect more often on the planned and unplanned stops along the way of my "life road" and although they might seem like setbacks or road blocks, they're often blessings in disguise that allow me to appreciate where I've been and not focus so much on the next step to satisfaction.

Until next time, blessings to you all...muah!

My Favorite Travel Tools

Hello from North East, Maryland!

This week we have an event at the University of Delaware & are staying about 20 miles away in Maryland, fun stuff. This is a small town off of the Chesapeake Bay...the downtown kind of reminds me of South Haven, but then about 10 miles away is more like Portage (for all of you that know my hometown area).

After leaving Delaware/Maryland I'm heading to Indianapolis for a couple Indiana Pacers games & then the Big Ten Basketball Tournament! :) It'll be nice to be closer to home, no doubt I'll run into some Michiganders there!! We'll be in Indy for about three weeks which will also be kind of nice, I'll be able to "settle" in a little at the hotel. Life on the go can be fun, but it's also a bit of a challenge as you can imagine.

This brings me to the topic of my blog, "My Favorite Travel Tools!" I've chosen a few things that make life on the road a little easier & keep me more sane if you will. Here they are in no particular order:

1. GPS: Okay, for reals. I don't think this job would be possible without one! I'm not too young to remember the progression of navigation...in fact, until last year I had never used a GPS before! Most of our vacations as kids involved my dad driving & my mom in the passenger side seat with the Atlas which is how we got from point A to point B & all the stops in between. Then there was MapQuest & we printed out directions & went from there. But with this job...and I cannot even imagine having an Atlas or even following directions from paper. In saying that, I hope our GPS doesn't freak out anytime soon...leaving us to have to use an Atlas or printed directions!

2. Emergen-C: I use Emergen-C once a day to help boost my immune system & keep from getting sick! So far so good, but I love it because sure, you could drink orange juice which is a bit more tasty...but you're also drinking a lot of unnecessary sugar in OJ as well. This way, I get my Vitamin C fix without all the extra calories (and in my case, wasted Points+!)

3. Packing Cubes: Some of you that know me on a personal level will laugh when I say I LOVE ORGANIZATION, because you've probably seen my room in a previous state & think otherwise. However, being on the road can be very annoying without being organized! So, this is where my "packing cubes" come in!! The ones I use are from Target made by Embark & they are the large packing cube which according to the packaging, "organize and protect garments inside luggage" and are 9 3/4 in L x 13 3/4 in W x 3 in H. I started the tour off with one of these for my bras, undies & socks and quickly realized I needed another for my tanks and t's. NOW I've purchased two more recently that will be designated as my "work shirts" and "leisure shirts" leaving only my jeans, other pants, shorts & sweatshirts "loose" in my suitcase. I like knowing I can grab my "cube" & know what is in it...much like a drawer in a dresser at home!

4. Velcro Straps: These are an item I found at Lowe's & I'm fairly obsessed with them now. Because we have a lot of technology...it requires a lot of plugs & cords which get tangled & all out of whack. BUT wih the help of velcro straps I've made my life a little bit more easy!! These are the "VELCRO Black Universal One-Wrap straps" from Lowes & they come in a roll that you tear off & use to wrap cords together for easy organization & use. I not only have started using these on the event site, but also with my personal cords I need to keep straight! LOVE them!

5. Purex 3-in-1 Laundry Sheets: Now, I don't necessarily recommend these for every day use because they tend to possibly leave "oil" spots on clothes (I've only noticed it on one piece & not entirely sure if it was from these) but as far as traveling goes, they are amazing. You basically put the sheet in with your clothes in the washer & it acts as the detergent & then there is a strip at the end of the sheet with fabric softener on it for when you put it in the dryer! It's pretty amazing! And I got it at Target, I believe there are 38 sheets for like $8...and it should last me almost the entire tour!

I have a few other things that have been useful along the way as well...but for those of you who just want to hear about the COOL things I get to do & not the dirty "behind the scenes" I'll spare you all! ;) For now I'm off to pick up my To-Go order from Woody's Crab House...you know I got myself a crab cake, you can't pass them up here. AND they aren't terrible for you if you ask for them to be prepared in a way that doesn't involve a ton of butter! So until next time. MUAH!

Perks of a Nomadic Lifestyle

Hello from Poughkeepsie, NY!

Well, I had a day off so I thought I would post another update...LUCK YOU! :)

Michelle, Kevin & I made a 2 hour drive to Washington, DC on our last day off & had a great day! The weather was a serious gift from God, sunny and mid-upper 50's! We were able to visit most of the "touristy" sites like; Washington Monument, White House, National Museum of Natural History, National Air & Space Museum, war memorials, Lincoln Memorial, National Mall...etc. We were really only there for 3.5 hrs or so, but we walked fast, took quick photos & moved onto the next site! Michelle & Kevin had both been before, so I (again) was the one wanting to see all the sites! After our quick day of sight-seeing, I left Kevin & Michelle to have dinner in DC while I went out to Arlington, VA to have dinner with Beebs & Adie (and Mr. Bebe) at Pie-Tanza (www.pie-tanza.com) which had INCREDIBLE food! Adie was working, so Beebs, Jason & I had dinner while she stopped by the table as often as she could to chat with us! It was SO FUN! It was like catching up with old friends! I feel bad though, I was so excited I don't even know if Beebs, Jason or Adie ever got a word in! Haha! I'm so glad I got a chance to meet up with all of them though, it was SO fun & I can't wait for the day when we can actually spend some time together!

The next day was a drive day for us & my team is so supportive of my love for baseball we detoured a little to go see the Washington Nationals Park!! That's five parks in like three weeks, ahh, makes me so happy! Speaking of baseball...pitchers & catchers have reported to Lakeland & Spring Training is RIGHT around the corner!! I need to figure out how to subscribe to mlbtv or something so I can be sure to catch ALL of the Tigers games possible while on the road! I hope I'm able to visit a couple cities & see some baseball games while I'm traveling instead of JUST visiting the stadiums. :)

So, I had my first weigh in since my initial one...and I gained, BUT I was kind of expecting it because I had also worked out the day before for the first time in a while...and we did a ton of walking in DC...and I may or may not have eaten a whole (fairly small & thin) pizza at dinner with Beebs & Adie! ...and then had an icecream sandwhich! OOPS! Oh well, I stayed within my Points Plus!! And speaking of WW, I've been really trying to adjust to this nomadic lifestyle of mine by making time to visit the hotel gym whenever possible. Most gyms have at least a room with an eliptical or treadmill in them, so I do what I can when I can & my goal is to work out three times a week, but some weeks I physically can't do it & other weeks I'm sure I'll be able to do more! Also, since I know some places we visit are KNOWN for their food I've been making a point to eat a light breakfast, which mostly consists of a yogurt or oatmeal & a piece or two of fruit! Unless we go somewhere special for lunch, I've been sticking to Subway or using my eTools to find healthy options at other places we go. I'm determined to make this work...so, it's gonna work! Haha.

Today has been a low-key, relaxing day off...mostly because there isn't much to do in Poughkeepsie & Boston (the only city we thought we might want to go to around here) is four hours away. So, we turned it into a "pamper" day! I took a long, hot shower & am about to do my nails & Michelle got her hair done...and then in an hour or so we're all going to the salon/spa to get pedis, massages, hair, etc done, I can't wait!

Hope all is well with all my readers, if there is anything you're curious about in my life right now or just want to ask me questions, feel free to email me at any time (collinsm227@gmail.com) or comment on a post! I miss all of my friends & family! Love you all!! Muah!

Varoom-Varoom

Hello from Richmond, VA!

I last posted the first night we were in Baltimore...and let me tell you, ever since arriving in Baltimore it's been work - NON STOP! Just to give you an idea, I worked over 50 hrs in four days...wowzas! We worked the Motor Trend International Auto Show, but upstairs in the Shiftr Automotive & Lifestyle Event (aka...where all the "tricked out" cars were). The auto show was very long hours, BUT...a bit of my Michigander-ness sense of pride comes out when awesome American, Detroit made cars are being displayed! Especially with all the hype around Chrysler's Super Bowl commercial with Eminem, filmed in the Motor City...my pride cup was overflowing! We even started every day at the auto show with "Lose Yourself" by Eminem! lol.

Anyway, the COOLEST part of the auto show in my opinion, was all of the awesome Camaros! I somehow have switched from being a Mustang girl to a Camaro girl! I've always loved Mustangs...and still do, but this new Camaro is HOT! And the convertible...I have no words. It is absolutely gorgeous! When I went down to see it for the first time my heart rate went through the roof! It was like going on a first date! Hahaha...how sad is that!? But seriously...such a gorgeous car AND the convertible was in my fav car color...midnight blue! I also got a chance to test drive the Camaro - I was on cloud nine! It drove so smoothly & the pick up was dreamy...if I was able, I would purchase that car right now.

The rest of the car show was pretty cool, many beautiful cars, lots of strange creepers in Baltimore though. Some guy asked if he could book a flight to come see me back in Michigan...and was dead serious. Michelle, Kevin & I all had our fair share of creeper-moments there, so bazaar. On a good notes though, I did get an amazing jumbo lump crab cake at a small bistro in downtown Baltimore, so yum!

As mentioned before, I'm now in Richmond, VA! We worked the VCU vs. George Mason college basketball game tonight! I didn't realize it was such a large event, but the venue was PACKED. George Mason came out ahead...but I have to give it to the VCU fans, they were so into the game...such a supportive crowd!

Tomorrow we have our first day off in over three weeks and I'm SO excited! We are heading to Washington D.C.!! It'll be my first time visiting there & I get to meet up with two of my favorite LTE'ers, Beebs & Adie! I seriously CANNOT wait! <3 Well, I better get to bed...I plan on earning some AP's tomorrow before we head to D.C.!

OH WAIT! I can't remember if I mentioned this in the last post, but I re-joined Weight Watchers officially last week while in Baltimore! Oddly enough I had lost weight since leaving North Carolina dispite all my indulgences in NYC! So far so food this week...I plan to weigh in on Thursday so I can't treat myself too well in D.C. :)

Until next time...MUAH!

Empire State of Mind

Hello from Baltimore! Yeah...I've left NYC already & haven't blogged about it yet! I'm a terrible blogger! BUT, in my defense it was launch week & we were SO busy I didn't really have time to blog. I have time now & that's what I plan to do!

We got into New Jersey (which is where we stayed) on February 1, just beating out the terrible weather that presented problems for our West & South teams! I didn't get to go into Manhattan until THURSDAY! It was killing me to see the city & it was right at my fingertips, but we had so much work to do. Our first event was Thursday, the Lunar New Year in Chinatown. So, I got to go into the city, but straight to Chinatown & straight out. The event was interesting though, quite a language barrier as most of our consumers did not speak English! We were finally able to make it into the city to see Time Square & eat at an amazing Brazilian restaurant, Michelle ensured us it was authentic & it was seriously delicious...and we had 10 different kinds of meat, among other things! We had another event in Chinatown on Sunday that was a much younger crowd, which made communicating a lot easier. Friday we went to Soho & stopped in the Dash boutique, no Kardashian sightings & no souveniers either...$60 for a "Dash" tshirt...I'll pass. But the employees, the "Dash Dolls" had a ton of questions about our phone service & plans, it was pretty comical actually! I think they were more excited to see us than we were to visit the store! But it was a typical boutique, very expensive clothes in small sizes with a very small selection, fully equipt with Kardashian photos & $10 bottles of Kardashian water.

The food in NYC is crazy! There are so many options and so many places that are "special" or "famous" or "unique to New York" that it's really hard to eat well. I know if I haven't gained weight yet...I sure did last week. Although, my jeans still fit...so that's a good sign! I've made a goal though, to work out at least three days a week & I plan to strictly stick to that. Speaking of NYC & crazy, I TOTALLY drove the SUV & trailer THROUGH MANHATTAN! Most people would never imagine even driving in NYC, let alone with a trailer! It actually wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, it was more stressful driving in New Jersey in my opinion! The people were rude & the street sytems are MESSED up. Haha.

Last night Michelle & I were able to visit Yankee Stadium & Citi Field, both which were impressive! Michelle worked her magic & was able to get a security guard to let us in the front offices lobby area to take a quick photo! I'm so not good a flirting to get my way! Also, today on our way to Baltimore we were able to stop in Philly to visit the Citizen Bank Field & get ourselves a Philly Cheesesteak! If you're counting...that's three baseball stadiums in two days, I'm on cloud 9! I'm hoping tomorrow after we set up our event site we can stop by Camden Yards! I also want to stop by Charm City Cakes...which is where the Food Network show Ace of Cakes is filmed!!

All this traveling is fun, but it's hard work, 67 hours & no day off going on 3 weeks! And I miss my family, friends & my Detroit sports! Hockey season in NC was okay because Nick had the Center Ice Package, but roaming the country is rough! I did however find a website where I could listen to the games for free!! I've been "that girl" in the hotel room listening to the Red Wings & cheering loudly for goals! Another thing about being on the road that is difficult is not being able to go to church! We can go if we have the time to go, but like last Sunday we had the Lunar New Year event & left the hotel by 6:45am. Michelle & I are determined to find a church service this week. In the meantime I've been enjoying Lake Center Bible Church podcasts from iTunes! It's a little piece of home on the road!

Well, after Baltimore we head to Richmond, VA for a couple days & then to Poughkeepsie, NY. I'll try to update more often, hopefully it'll get a little less crazy! Fingers crossed. Muah!

Hitting the Road

Today I left Wisconsin with my team (Map Team 1) and Map Team 2 & headed toward the northeast! We drove through Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana & Ohio which is where we currently find ourselves. We stopped in a very small town where our hotel is literally built on a cornfield (I even asked the receptionist...I think I offended her too, but I redeemed myself by saying my high school & parents home was also built on a cornfield, lol). So, the drive was good...actually much better than I thought it would be considering the weather reports! Overnight & tomorrow a lot of the U.S. is supposed to be hit with some winter stormage. Now, being from Michigan I can totally handle the snow...it's the ice & driving with a 15-foot trailer behind me that is scary! So prayers for safe travels for all of our map teams (1-4) would be appreciated!

This week was intense...basically 7 straight days of training & lots of new information, but I am SO excited about this tour! I can't wait to have more confirmed locations so I can share with y'all what I'll be up to...I bet the suspense is killing you! For now, looks like Team 1 (my team) is heading to NYC, Team 2 to Delaware, Team 3 to Dallas for the SUPER BOWL and Team 4 to L.A., fun stuff right there! I hope all the teams have fun & are successful in their first launch! I know they all will be because we had an awesome group training & a great group of trainers!!

While on the road I'm determined to try & stay healthy/fit...so tomorrow morning I'm going to get up early & jump into the gym for a little bit before we head out. I checked it out & all they have is a treadmill, stationary bike & eliptical...but at least it's something. I'm also going to avoid the cinnamon rolls & pastries (as best I can!) I also plan to hit up a Weight Watchers meeting once in New York...hoping maybe I can find one of Trixie's locations in Manhattan! :) I know being on the road this much and trying to stay healthy is going to be a major challenge, but I totally want to do it. Plus, it'll be like an extra accomplishment in the end, right? So, for now it's hotel gym's & sensible continental breakfasts!

Speaking of hotels! Many of the road "veterans" encouraged us to sign up for Priority Club membership while traveling! It's such a great idea & I can wait to collect all my points throughout the year, I've heard of so many people getting flights paid for, Amazon gift cards...Apple products! I can't wait! Only 15 nights to achieve "Gold Status" ...and that's like 2 weeks for me! I'm going to be platinum in no time! Hopefully I can use my points to take a vacation abroad! Ahh, just thinking about all this traveling I'll be doing makes me SO happy!

Alright, for now...it's time for bed. I'm hearing not so great things about the weather, so hopefully we don't get snowed in!! I'll be up bright & early to head to the "gym". I miss everyone!!! Muah!

Woah. Dream Big.

Well hello from Wisconsin! I think it's so funny that we passed a "Cheese Castle" on our way in & not only is that funny in itself, but it immediately made me ask the question, "I wonder how many times Marisa has been here?" (Marisa is one of my best friends...and the biggest GB Pack fan I know) She has officially confirmed she HAS been there...more than once! :) Speaking of the Packers, I bought a "2010 NFC Champions" shirt today to wear when we stay overnight in Pittsburgh on our way to our launch event! Not that I'm a huge Pack fan or anything, but I'm NOT a Steelers fan...and I think I'm allowed to be a casual fan since I'm a supporter of any WMU alumni, aka Greg Jennings.

So, did you catch the hint on my last post of where the launch event will be?? Well, if you didn't, it has pretty much been confirmed that I will be heading to NEW YORK CITY! WOAH, right? I've never been to the "Big Apple" and my first thought was, I HAVE TO SEE YANKEE STADIUM! Too bad it's not baseball season, however I'm still excited to see it! I'm also VERY excited to try & meet up with my Weight Watchers friends while in town!

And, although all the traveling is awesome I still have a job to do! And today we got the first experience of the new set up! It is AWESOME! I probably had the most successful & exhausting day all in one today where I learned how to back up our vehicle to a trailer, hitch & unhitch the trailer! Then after lunch we spent the next four hours setting up and tearing down our event site twice! It's a sweet 10 x 20 tent with five different display stations, etc. Then we have an amazing 15-foot trailer & get to drive a 2011 Toyota 4-Runner! And while I'm kind of "against" foreign cars, we are really lucky to have such a cool bunch of things to work with...and if I were allowed to post pics I SO would. When I get a chance I'll try to "modify" some photos & post them so you can see just how cool all this is!

Although today was tough, I feel good about everything! I'm really excited about my crew, the set up, the products, the travel & everything else! I'm a little sad that I'm bonding with some of the other group members though & after this weekend we'll all go our separate ways! The more I hang out with these people, the more I get to know them & love them all! <3 I do have to say, after a good meal at the local Applebees & a hot shower, I feel like a new person! I am still exhausted though & plan to pass out as soon as I post this!

Tomorrow is our driving day...I hear it's pretty intense! I'll be learning how to drive our vehicle with our 15-foot trailer...in Wisconsin & the snow! We are heading to NYC though which I hear just got dumped on, so it'll be good practice! ::yawn:: Alright, it's time for bed! Hopefully I can update one more day before we hit the road...SEE YA LATER!