March 2-7

Dallas, TX, I have never been to this city and it turns out, I’m not actually going to be exactly in Dallas. I am actually in Grand Prairie, TX right across from Six Flags.

I arrive to the town on the 2^nd with no issues with travel. I don’t want to put a jinx on it, but thus far my travel has been smooth sailing. I picked up my rental car and drove to the hotel. I am using my Blackberry as a navigation unit because the cars don’t have them and we have been asked to decline them. So, being that I know none of these places, my Blackberry is proving to be very handy right now.

I am staying at Town Place Suits in Arlington, TX. Again, this was another nice hotel in my opinion. In fact, in this hotel we had a kitchen in our room, which included a stove, refrigerator, oven, dishwasher and microwave. So after getting checked in I

Found the event location and went to the Volt tent.

In this city the drive was going to have to be out on public roads. This is not ideal, but its what we have been given to work with. I laid out the route to be as safe as possible and still offer a quality experience. The course ended up being 1.1 miles long, this keeps it the same as the previous cities with respects to distance and time, now we just have to get passé the added risk of public traffic.

At this city I started something new, I made a map of the location and the layout so that I could mail it out to the team so they would have a heads up about what was going on. 

Of course, going out on the public roads didn’t appeal to anyone, but we all worked together and made it through the entire weekend on the Volt course without an issue on the route.

We did have some problems with random cars coming in off the street into our staging area. We took what measures we could to reduce this, but it still happened a few more times.

The real issue for me in Dallas was the truck demo’s and their location in respects to my course. It was so far away I had to drive to the demo, do the demo, then drive back to the Volt tent. This was less than ideal as I ended up only being at the tent for about 30 minutes at a time. This meant that I had to have my position covered for the time period that I was away.

Well, prior to this city, arrangements had been made to have one person appointed to cover for me. I was asked if a certain individual would be ok to cover for me in my absence and I said sure. Heck, anyone on the great team I have could do what I’m doing. So the time issue was covered.

The next issue was the weather. Again, I thought the Dallas area was supposed to be a warm place. Well, it was NOT. It was COLD, WINDY and at times WET. I mean I could not believe it. Three cities in a row and bad weather, Really?

The demos went fine all be it with low attendance. Oh, I forgot to mention, they added a demo to my talk in this city as well. Now I will be doing a Chevy frame articulation talk and demos as well as the GMC locking rear differential demo. Pics below show the demo’s

Looking forward to getting home, My oldest son just turned 18 years old on the 7^th OH BOY! 

Feb 15-March 2

Home for FIFTEEN days straight. This is awesome. I have been making breakfast for the kids every morning before I take them to school and making Adrienne coffee every morning before she goes to work.

While at home I take care of all the chores; laundry, grocery shopping, cleaning etc. It makes me feel good that I can do that for them. I also try to have dinner finished and on the table by the time Adrienne gets home from work. She works hard and has a stressful jib so I try to give her as much of a break from things as I can when I can. In fact most nights she gets a “six minute massage” It really means close to a half hour of neck, back, head and shoulder massaging for her, and serious hand cramps for me, but I wouldn’t change it.

I also spent time with Gabe on my days off. I said I’d tell you a bit more about Gabe.

Gabe and I met through work. He and I were both motorcycle instructors. We would talk at work and seemed to hit it off pretty well. Then Gabe found out that I did drifting as a motorsport. Gabe thought the sport was cool and in fact had been to Japan and seen how they do it over there where it originated.

Gabe bought a 1998 Firebird that he was using as a “toy”. He wanted to drift it so he started to take it to local events and try his hand at the sport.

At one of the events Gabe invited me to come and said he’d let me try out his car. Well, I couldn’t turn that down.

After Gabe saw me drive his car he asked if I would be interested in creating our own little team and just hit local drift event for fun. I agreed to it and off we went. Gabe and I started a pretty close friendship at this point and got to where we were talking almost daily. It turned out that he and I had very similar personality traits in a lot of areas and similar interests, so we hit it off great.

Gabe is a Marine, and a stand up guy. He has been in combat and seen things and done things that would put most of us in a nut house. How he keeps his composure a lot of times is beyond my understanding. I like to talk to Gabe because he is such a positive person. He can always see the silver lining. I on the other hand tend to be a pessimist. I can never seem to see the light at the end of the tunnel. So, Gabe has a great way of contrasting that and pulling my head out of the sand. Don’t get me wrong; my wife is superb at this as well, but its good to have a guy friend as well. Someone that you can confide in, much like my wife does with her girl friends.

So anyway, needless to say, Gabe and I have become very good friends and will remain so from now on I’m sure.

Also, this stay at home, I helped to install a new projector system in our church. Our new Pastor has wanted a new projector that had better clarity and such. This meant we had to relocate the projector. This meant lots of new cables, drilling holes, adding new mounts etc. A friend, Seth and me took on the project towards the end of my stay at home this time. We managed to get it installed and working, but not to my satisfaction. I didn’t have time to fix it though, so I will finish it when I return for my next stay. Unless of course Seth has handled it while I’m gone.

So I am coming to the end of my days off and getting ready to head to Dallas, TX, another new city for me.

Feb 9-14

Headed back to Florida, this time to a place I had been before, Orlando.

Once again, travel was simple and uneventful. Once at the airport I picked up my rental car and headed to the hotel. I like to get checked in at the hotel first and then see the site.

We were staying at the Double Tree Walt Disney, A very nice hotel in my opinion and it was close to the site as well.

The event was to be held at Disney’s Epcot Center. I think this may be one of the biggest parking lots I have ever seen.

The driving route for the Volt course going to be on site again which was great, however, the turn around area left a lot to be desired. We had to use a grassy sandy area to turn around. Not to mention it was next to a catch pond for waste treatment, so it smelled fantastic!

The crew cam in the next day, saw the route and helped with final set up.

That night I decided to be as cost efficient as I could. So, rather than ordering out or going out to eat, I went to a local grocery store. I spent $25 on food and it lasted me for the entire time I was there. Besides, I didn’t know the rest of the team too well at this point and my anti social nature was to just stay in the room at night and eat and watch some TV and Skype with Adrienne and the boys. To tell the truth, I really enjoyed this. Even though I was a few hundred miles from home, thanks to Skype, it was almost like I was home with them.

The event days were good for attendance, but the weather not so much. I mean, I was hoping that Florida would be warm, I mean, Its FLORIDA right? Its supposed to be warm and sunny. Well, it wasn’t happening like that for us. Even Miami was chilly.  We did have one and a half nice days in Orlando, but it wasn’t what I was expecting that’s for sure.

All in all, it went well. The team did great. We are learning each other and learning how to work with each other. This is going to be an ongoing process for several cities I’m sure. I figure by the time the tour is over, we’ll have it dialed in.

Also, in Orlando they added a new task to my job description. As well as being the tent lead for the Volt, I was asked to do demonstration narration for the GMC truck tent. “Sure” I said, “Why not?”

So they set up a giant set of rollers on a ramp and I was to talk about the difference between a Limited Slip Differential and a Locking Rear Differential. GMC/Chevy offer a Locker and Dodge/Ford do not. Well, Ford does, but only on certain vehicles. They have someone drive the trucks up the ramp while I explain to the crowds what’s going on. Simple enough I suppose.

The demo for the trucks was set up right behind the GMC truck tent which happened to be right across from the Volt tent so it worked out great. I was gone for about 10-15 minutes at a time and then back to the Volt tent. While I was gone from the tent, other Volt team members would cover for me.

All seemed to go well and it kept me busy which helped pass the time, I like that.

Orlando course layout

Feb 1-8

Back home for the next eight days. It was awesome to be home and relax and be with my family. I had really missed them. And, getting to be home for multiple days in a row was giving me a chance to realize how much I had missed by working six and sometimes seven days a week for the past ten years.  Oh man could I get that time back please? I mean, even though I thought I was being a great dad and husband because I was “providing” for my family, what really was I providing them with? Money? Things? I mean I know they know that I love them, but was I showing it the right way? I had so many things flooding through my head over several days. I was praying for clarity and understanding. I knew I had missed a lot, and had not been the husband or father that I felt God wanted me to be. But now, how do I fix that while having a job that requires so much travel? Is this really going to work?

Although I was not sure how to approach it with her due to the breakdown she'd had, I talked to Adrienne about it. (as I do most things that I cant seem to get figured out) And of course, as always,  SHE is the one who was supportive, calm, cool and collected. She told me to stay the course and things will work out. This woman sure is amazing and no doubt has been placed in my life for a reason.

Jan 26-31

So, my first city of my new adventure with the Main Street In Motion (MSIM) tour was to be Miami, FL I ha never been to Miami before. I had been to Florida on many occasions, but never to Miami.

I was also a bit nervous about the entire trip. Although Adrienne and I had discussed all the travel I’d be doing, it still wasn’t sitting well wit me yet. So, with my stomach in knots and my nerves on edge, my best friend Gabe came by to give me a ride to the airport. Gabe and I had a great talk on the way to the airport. He and I had become great friends over a very short period of time. (More about Gabe later) Got my tickets, through security and off to Miami I went.

The air travel was un eventful. The Greenville/Spartanburg airport is one of the easiest airports to travel in an out of in my opinion. Not that I have a vast experience of travel to compare it to.

Landing in Miami I was picked up by one of the staff from the company I am working for (Eventlink)

I was taken to the site that we would be holding the event, the Sun Life Stadium. We were set up in a HUGE parking lot, which is standard protocol for these types of traveling driving shows. Racetracks are rarely used because you can get big parking lots a lot cheaper.

I was introduced to several new people within the company. Some I knew by name and had actually conversed with in the passed, but only via email or telephone. Once the introductions were done and I had been given a company shirt to wear on site, I was taken to the Volt tent so that I could see the layout and start planning the driving route. Well, actually, just checking the route that had been suggested and making any changes that I may feel are necessary.

The Volt drive is supposed to be a “pseudo street drive”. We were to try to keep the cars “on site” if possible. This meant using perimeter roads around the facilities to simulate what the car would be like to drive in the real world.  This would be no problem at this location. They had a great perimeter road as well as a great place to turn around. The course we ended up laying out was exactly 1.0 mile in length and only took about three minutes from start to stop.

After setting up cones and putting out signs, I was finished for the day. I hitched a ride to the hotel with the logistics crew, as they were finishing up for the day as well.  We were staying in a Hampton Inn in Miramar, FL., A nice enough hotel, but in the middle of nowhere. But that’s ok, I didn’t have intentions of going anywhere. After all, that would cost money, of which I had none of.

So the next day it was time to meet the crew I would be working with. I had only previously worked with one of these people in the past and not for too long. Meeting the new crew had me a bit nervous as well. Not because I didn’t know them, but because they didn’t know me. People don’t typically just “like” me. I’m not a very likeable guy I suppose and I was concerned that they would not be to thrilled to be working with me. And not only work with me, I was supposed to be their “lead”,

Everyone arrived at the site at various times based on travel arrangements. Most were just coming by the site to have a look, meet me, and then head to the hotel for check in. We would have an official “team meeting” on Friday morning, the first show day.

Friday morning we all met at the Volt tent and did formal introductions. Most of the introductions were of them meeting me, but a couple of them had not really met before either. Everyone seemed to be good personalities and ready to do their jobs. They had all been trained on the Volt several months ago and were light years ahead of me with respects to product knowledge so I had a sharp learning curve ahead of me.

The event went great. Attendance was low over the three show days, but from what I understood, that was expected in this market.

The team worked really well together. Adjustments had to be made from time to time and when those adjustments were recognized, it was pointed out in a very courteous and professional manner so that it could be dealt with.

At home, things were a bit different. The first day wasn’t too bad. Adrienne and the boys and I were on Skype talking and doing our best to stay in touch. We Skyped for a few hours the first night,

Then day two came. I got a call from Adrienne around ten am. She was completely hysterical. She was literally having a breakdown. A full scale panic attack. She had gone to her friends house to see if she could get calmed down, but no luck, This is when I got the call. I was freaked out and didn’t know what to do. Adrienne didn’t want me to travel, she wanted me home and home NOW. But how was I going to do this? It was my FIRST city on a twenty four city tour and the first time I had done this type of job for this company. I couldn’t just leave, could I? Then after a few minutes of conversation I thought to myself “Where are my priorities?” At which point I told Adrienne, “I will let them know right now that I have to leave and I will come home.” I told here we couldn’t survive and raise are kids by just sitting at home and snuggling on the couch, but that id my traveling was going to be this big of an issue, I wouldn’t do it. I would get a job doing something close to home and adjust our lifestyle to whatever that pay turned out to be.

Within just a few minutes of telling her this, she was already getting better. As it turns out, there was a couple of things going on here that culminated at a really bad time. Adrienne had a medical scare that made her quit smoking, she had also been out of a certain medicine as well as just started a new medicine. She was stressed about money. And to top it off, I was out of town. But once she knew that no matter what the cost, if she needed me, I would be there, it helped calm her down.

We got on Skype again that night and had a long talk, She was already much better at this point. Not one hundred percent, but much better for sure.  Then I had a very serious talk with all four of my boys about what was going on in our lives. Up to this point we had not really shared too much of the “not so positive stuff.” Not because we didn’t want to tell them, we just didn’t see the point. But now it was apparent that they needed to know because they were going to have to step up and start helping around the house a bit more than they had in the past.

So Miami was over and on Monday the 31^st I flew home to a family that was very happy to se me. This is always a great feeling.

The Green flag drops

 I'm starting this a little late in the year, but I just thought to myself (as I sit I'm my hotel room alone) "why not blog about your year and your new job?" Then the next thing I thought was "Why do that? who cares?" Then I read a friends blog and I thought "ya know what? It's for me! it's a way for me to discuss things, even if only with myself" I may not have any followers, but that's OK. I am doing this for me, and if anyone would like to read it and follow along, Great. If not, no big deal. So where to start.......

So, I am on the road working a gig for GM through a company that I have worked for for years, Eventlink. For a multitude of reasons that would take me entirely too long to go over, I have not always been a fan of Eventlink. There never really seemed to be much support from them in previous matters. However, My opinion of them as a company has drastically changed. Since going through my employment change, Eventlink has supported me to the best of their ability and provided me with work that I would not have otherwise had. As I am coming to learn, there are (as usual) reasons that Eventlink didn't seem "supportive" in the past. Now, even though I may not agree with the reasons, at least now I know for sure what was really going on. See, at first I thought nothing was being done about my (and others) concerns because no one cared. However, the fact is, they cared, but there were bigger concerns preventing them from acting on those concerns. I don't agree with them not acting on the concerns, but at least now I know why.

So enough of that, what's going on now and where am I. Well.. 

The tour I am working is called "Main Street In Motion". It's a General Motors event that allows consumers to come test drive a lot of the new Chevy, GMC and Buick products, as well as some competitors, at no cost. That's right, its a free event. And yes, they get to drive the new Corvettes. 

www.mainstreetinmotion.com

I was asked if I would be interested in coming in as a lead for the Chevy Volt course. Being that I had NO JOB, yet I still had bills, I said "sure". Actually I said "Absolutely".

So this "tour" is set to be twenty-four cities in a span of just ten months. This will be the most consistent travel I have ever done. I have traveled for my work before, and have been gone from home quite a bit. But never on as consistent of a basis as what I am about to face. So of course I had to talk to my wife about it. 

Adrienne wasn't exactly thrilled with the idea, however, she also knew that I needed to work. We discussed the dates that I would be traveling and she concluded that we could do it for this year and see how things went, and then we would go from there.

I am already a few cities into the tour at this point so I will recap each city to catch up, but first I'll discuss what I am doing on the tour. 

The Chevy Volt is an electric car being offered by GM. It has been in development for years and now its available to the public. You can find a  bunch of information on the Chevy site www.chevrolet.com/Volt  its an interesting car to say the least, and nothing like anything I have worked with before, so this would certainly be a new challenge for me. 

My role was to be the "tent Lead" for this car. See, the way the tour works, we go to large parking lots and set up a mini city. We have five driving courses, giant tents with vehicles in them on display, outside display vehicles, demos etc. Each of the five driving courses has a lead, I would be the lead for the Volt course. 

What does that mean? Well basically it means that I come to the event a day earlier than the rest of the team and make sure the route for the drive is established. (sometimes we stay on the premises of the facility we rented, and sometimes we go out on public roads. 
I also make sure the tent and trailer are all set and ready to go, tables, chairs, tv's, vehicle staging etc.  Once that has all been taken care of, I get on Google maps and draw an overlay of the route and the staging area and send the image out to the Volt team, along with a break schedule for our team. 

Once the event is kicked off and going, we all work together to get people in the cars and go for their test drive. Ill explain more on that later. 


As a matter of fact, I'll continue this later. I am tired and headed to bed. Its only 9:30pm here in LA, but my body is still on East Coast time, so it feels like 12:30. Good night.