Airport Art & Restaurant Walls

The Indy airport has great art and displays. I love this Corvette, and the Lotus, and the 2017 car. It's nearly Indy500 time!

#exploretheworld #indycars #corvette #indianapolis #indianapolis500

Heading south for some continuing education, ship inspections, networking with other travel professionals and executives, some face-to-face time with my associate, Liz, and of course a wee bit o' fun, too.

Growing in Grace & Beauty

My little sweetpea is 13 today! My, my how the time has flown by since this lovely young lady jumped into our lives, and added a wonderful layer of fun, enchantment, and delight. As our youngest officially enters the world of teenagers, she continues to grow in grace and beauty and continues to melt my heart, just like she did the first time I laid eyes on her in the hospital 13 years ago today. She may not be small any longer, but she'll always be daddy's girl. I love you, Annie! Happy Birthday!

They Don't Stay Little for Long. Blink and They're Grown.

These three. They are my pride and joy. One of them is now 21.

Time keeps moving forward, that's for certain!

Always Something New Whenever I Come to NYC

I enjoy staying at different places when I come to the city to be able to enjoy different experiences and be able to have a list of recommendations for clients coming to New York. This time I stayed in Yotel at 10th & 42nd. It is an excellent value and conveniently close to the theatre district. Just a short walk to the Convention Center, and the subway. The cabins are small but efficient. It's sleek and modern, with both Japanese and European influences. The elevator plays hip and fun music, and there's a robot in the lobby to help store your luggage for later in the day departures.

My view this morning as I finish getting ready for the day, packing for my flight home later, and then venture out for a supplier meeting and more. I've never had a room with a view of the river before, so this has been pretty cool, but as I look at the Hudson River and think about flying home from LaGuardia, all I can think about is Sully and the crazy but safe landing on the river. I've flown out of LGA numerous times since that crash years ago never even giving it a thought, but since watching the movie about it this past summer with Matthew, that's what has come to mind every time I've looked out this window this trip! I would never have thought about it before that birds could take down a plane. Who knew?! Oh well, no worries here, it's just so real being here, looking at the river and flying from the same airport. I know that when it's my time and God is ready to take me home it'll happen regardless of where I am or what I'm doing and I have zero control over it... So no fear in traveling for me. It's just more the movie geek in me coming out, as many disaster movies are so fake it's ridiculous...but that one was real. . If you haven't watched it, do so. It's cool but intense.

 Following my vendor lunch meeting, I tried something else new to me...I ventured to the "top of the rock"...Rockefeller Center that is. The view to the north over Central Park was amazing! To the south is the Empire State Building (which I've previously been to the top of), and downtown.

And then it was back to LaGuardia for my flight home, back to Indiana, at least for 3 nights until the next big adventure! The Chicago and New York Travel Shows are now done, and the follow-up begins with all of the leads, and the bookings continue. These shows can be grueling long hours, but the business generated is well worth the physically taxing nature of the events that they are. Next up comes the LA Travel & Adventure Show in 3 weeks. I am absolutely looking forward to that one...but my first visit to the Emerald Isle comes first! I love traveling, but tonight I get to sleep in my own bed and love on my family. Hurray for being home once more!

Wood Badge Means So Much To Me

I have been so blessed and honored to serve on the staff for the fall Wood Badge courses here in the Crossroads of America Council for each of the past 5 years. This past weekend wrapped up the second of the two weekends, and like every single course before, was bittersweet to come to the end of the practical part of the course as our participants move on to work on their individual Ticket goals. Like every year it was long, tiring, and at times difficult to press on type of volunteer work... but at the same time it was oh-so-sweet and rewarding. Seeing so many a-ha moments in the eyes and faces of our participants; so many people going from insecurity to confidence; from "I'm not sure about this" to "I got this". It was fabulous in so, so many ways. I look forward to watching each of our participants work to complete their Tickets and earn their beads and cheering them on over the next up to 18 months.

Leadership lessons in a fun setting, filled with great people all along the way. As the course photographer (among other roles), I just wasn't in very many of the pictures taken, but here are just a few moments with some very special guys and gals that I was privileged to serve with on this amazing course, C6-160-16-2. For all of my Central Indiana Scouting friends who have not yet experienced a Wood Badge course - I highly recommend you register for one of the courses in 2017 - you will absolutely not regret it. #leadershiplessonsforlife #BSA #WoodBadge #ScoutNation #BacktoGilwell It's been a fun, fun ride.

Gotta Love Getting to Hang Out with Friends While in the Islands

I'm at Beaches Turks & Caicos for a learning conference, along with several of my CP colleagues. This evening's kick-off reception by the water's edge finds me with friends this evening, before dinner. I love my CP peeps - it really is like a great big family! So fun to be able to get together on different adventures together throughout the years.

I'm Ready to Get Back to Alaska!

I rarely have my picture taken on board ship, much less purchase whatever photos are taken, but this is one that I wanted. Such a wonderful destination. Can't wait to be able to experience it again someday.

Catching Salmon in Ketchikan - Such a Thrill!

Today was a great day in Ketchikan and the waters nearby. I caught 4 salmon (3 Coho and 1 Pink), though I had a total of 5, one got away just as I was lifting him in the captain's net. Oh, man! But 4 is awesome and will be some good meals in our house as it's all being shipped home.

The excursion was small and intimate with only 6 of us, plus the captain. We were all from the same ship. One couple from Florida who's been to Alaska multiple times. One couple and their grandson from Southern California, and me. We had a great time chatting and getting to know each other during the numerous long periods of nothing.

We were trolling, which is very common in southeast Alaska, and went out about 10 miles from Ketchikan where the waters were about 500 feet deep, per the captain. All together we caught 14 fish, but one fellow had him in the boat while another guy and I were also bringing ours in, and it slipped out through a drainage vent. We were all sad for him at the time as he hadn't caught a thing yet, but we're laughing about it by the end as he ended up catching two more later on.

It was a 4 1/2 hour excursion and was a fantastic time, and I was definitely thinking of my grandpa today!

I am so thrilled to have been invited to this Seminar at Sea. Getting out to the destinations and experiencing things personally definitely lends a lot more credibility to recommendations I make to my clients and is so very important as continuing education. You won't get THAT from a dotcom site or a club warehouse!

Alaska has been fabulous, and I cannot wait to be able to experience more of this beautiful state in the future. Tonight we set sail back southward with no more port days. We'll be in the classroom again tomorrow morning, and enjoying more of this lovely ship during the rest of this voyage. 

Ketchikan - The Salmon Capital of the World

Good morning from Ketchikan, the salmon capital of the world! As we pull into port, I enjoyed breakfast in bed with a fantastic view of the channel and watched a great video on the fishing industry here, which correlates to my adventure today. Today in honor of my grandfather, dad, great-grandfather, and assorted uncles, I'm off for some salmon fishing. Hopefully, I catch something! It's 61 and overcast, but the air is so crisp and clean. Looking forward to a great day!

Glacier Bay National Park

Today we arrived in Glacier Bay National Park at about 6:15am, and picked up one of the Park Rangers, and a Tlingit cultural representative who stayed on board with us until about 3:30pm, answering questions, providing insight, and more. It was awesome!

As we worked our way up into the park and the bay, we saw a lot! We got to see Reid Glacier, Lamplugh Glacier, Johns Hopkins Glacier, part of Grand Pacific Glacier, and the biggest and best of them all, Margerie Glacier. The captain parked us very close to, and in front of Margerie Glacier, which is up in the Tarr Inlet for an hour. Starting with the port side, and then rotating the ship to the starboard side, everyone was amazed at the sheer size and majesty of that glacier. We reveled as we got to see several small calvings and one really big one! (I took about 400 pictures of the glaciers alone, but am only sharing these select few now...more will be shared later after getting home to wifi that isn't so expensive).

As we woke this morning it was raining, and everyone was a bit disappointed at the prospect of not being able to see a lot, but as we got closer in, the sky stopped and the misty fog lifted. Southeast Alaska is a rainforest, so having rain on any given adventure is to be expected. The glaciers were surreal. The beautiful colors and the sounds of the cracking were amazing.

After the captain set sail once more and as we pulled far enough away from being able to see Margerie Glacier it was lunchtime. Followed by a great presentation in the main theatre by the Park Ranger. She shared some great stories and wonderful information about GBNP and the assorted critters that call it home. And then after her presentation, the Tlingit lady - Alice is her English name, but sorry, I couldn't even begin to know how her Tlingit name is spelled - gave a presentation on the Tlingit peoples that have called this area home for centuries.

What an amazing day filled with such beauty, and just a teeny tiny bit of this great state.

Advice from a Travel Agent...Fly in the Day or Night Before Your Vessel's Scheduled Departure

I ALWAYS recommend flying in the day before a cruise and staying overnight, as there are just too many possibilities of things going wrong that you have ZERO control over. This is exactly what happened to me on my flight to Vancouver. Thankfully I made it safely to Vancouver, but it certainly wasn't a trip without incident! Delayed flights due to other airport issues, sitting on the tarmac entirely too long waiting for the gate to open up in the connection city, nearly missing a connection because of both previously mentioned things. All things that could absolutely ruin a trip and cause people to miss their ship if flying on the day of sailing. It was all too much stress and frustration for one day, but I'm very thankful for arriving here safely...even if it was nearly an hour later than it was scheduled to be. The stressful part is over. Now I can relax and get a good night's sleep as I look forward to heading to the ship in the morning rested and relaxed. I'm so looking forward to this adventure, and hope you'll follow along with me on the journey.

Setting Out for the Last Frontier. Thinking of my Grandfather.

On this date many years ago - August 5th, 1979 - we got word that my grandpa died. He and my grandma were living in Alaska at the time so it had been quite a while since we had last seen them in person. They were teachers throughout their careers, and in retirement spent a couple of tours of duty as teachers in a missionary school in remote Unalakleet (west coast, south of Nome). That year I turned 9 but was only 8 still when he died. Of course, being so young I didn’t know him for the man he’d been most of his life, but I have some fantastic memories of the man that I knew him to be… kind, fun-loving, gentle, a great outdoorsman, avid fisherman, and a great teacher – he was my Papa Les. Some fun memories include going to their house in the woods of Oak Glen, riding on his motorcycle with him, sledding in the snow in winter down the hills, taking walks with him, and the teacher in him coming out as he shared what the different flora and fauna that we passed were.

I’m thrilled to be departing today for an Alaskan Seminar at Sea and no doubt will be thinking of him as we sail past some amazing flora and fauna. I fly to Vancouver this afternoon, and then board the ship tomorrow morning. My adventures during the week ahead will take me nowhere near where they lived all those years ago (opposite side of the state), but it’s a fun little connection back to a man I loved so much, and miss still all these years later.

While so much of the rest of Facebook is increasingly filled with negative political junk, my little corner of the neighborhood will be filled with a few pictures and maybe some video from a few beautiful places from God's creation over the next week. Come along with me virtually! I’m happy to share my adventures with you…

It's Time for U.S. Companies to Update their Ideas About Time Off

 

"When Netflix still had your typical vacation policy, employees asked an important question:

“We don’t track the time we spend working outside of the office—like

e-mails we answer from home and the work we do at night and on weekends—so why do we track the time we spend off the job?”

Management listened. They couldn’t deny the simple logic behind the question."

All too often I hear from people that they can't help or participate in this, that, or something else because they've used up their time off allotment for the year already... if only other companies would "get it" too. Of course many will think I'm sharing this because I am a travel professional, but it's NOT just about going on trips to rejuvenate yourself...often it's about being able to volunteer within the community, or to go camping as a mentor, to be able to spend a day here or they're working in a shelter or with Habitat or some other worthwhile organization, or just to recharge mentally and physically with the family at home. We don't live in the industrial age any longer... why do so many U.S. companies still have policies that date back to that era? My last employer had a policy requiring that at least one of the several weeks of vacation provided must be taken all at the same time to ensure time was taken for rejuvenating, while the rest was free to use in smaller segments as needed - that was a step in the right direction. Moving away from such regimented regulations would be so much better for employees everywhere.

Two places that I find to be very special both have a milestone anniversary today. I wish I could visit both of them - but I can only go spend time in one of them today. Happy 61st to my favorite magical little park - Disneyland! And Happy 50th to my favorite Indiana destination - Ransburg Scout Reservation!

 

Why I Do Scouting

For the past decade or so Father's Day has meant heading off to Summer Camp. It's been a wonderful part of my life, as I've enjoyed camp with both of my sons... and several dozen other "sons" through all of those years. This year Matthew surprised me, upon returning home from camp, with my Father's Day gift..this little video that he put together while we were at camp this year - and then shared with the entire Troop last night at our meeting.

This guy is proud of that guy, and all of his mad, excellent skills - and of course, a little misty-eyed too when I first watched it. All of the guys in this video - and all of the other guys not in it but part of my overall decade-long Ransburg adventure - have touched my life in so many wonderful ways. And as a friend of mine within the Troop likes to say about all of the things he does for the youth of the Troop, I only hope that someday these guys will think back fondly on good old Mr. Lingren.

Morning Meetings Don't Always Have to be Over Coffee

My final meeting of this trip is in my mobile office this morning. Client meetings are often just coffee meetings, but a walk along the beach while planning that next getaway is so much cooler.

The View On The Way to Day 3 of My Conference

Good morning from Fort Lauderdale! Day three of CP Boot Camp is about to begin as the sun rises over the ocean heralding a beautiful day ahead.

While Continuing Education events like this take me away from family and day-to-day obligations, they are so very important as another means of growing my business. From the networking with other agents and some of CP's Millionaire Club members; to interacting with new franchise owners and associates attending their orientation; to building relationships with suppliers over a delicious dinner of lobster, steak and more these few days has been a worthwhile investment of time and money.

Whatever your industry might be if given the opportunity to attend events, go for it. It’s never a mistake to take those opportunities to improve yourself and ultimately those you work with and for.

stopher's stuff - It's Time to Breakaway... Let's Go!

"Start spreading the news… I’m leaving today…  I want to be apart of it… New York, New York!"

I’m so excited!  It’s time. Finally, I can say, this is the week.  Cruise Planners is hitting the big apple for the inaugural sailing of Norwegian Cruise Line’s newest ship, Breakaway – and I’ll be onboard! What a thrill it will be to step aboard a brand-new ship, and to be there for the christening ceremony. To just experience it all for myself, and then to be able to share what I learn and experience with others, especially those who love to cruise or enjoy fantastic family vacations. 

 

So yes, the posting this week will be sporadic, as bright and early this morning I boarded a plane to head to the Big Apple.  We’ll have a couple of days of Cruise Planners excitement around town, as over 400 of us will be there.  On Tuesday morning you might even see some of us (perhaps even me?!?)  if you watch either morning program – Good Morning America – or The Today Show, as we’ll be flooding the streets in order to be a part of it all.  Later on we’ll be heading out into the city for excursions – some to the great white way to enjoy a Broadway show or two, while others might venture out to see the Mets take on the White Sox. Or so many other options – the city has so many wonderful possibilities including museums, theatres, bistros, restaurants, off-Broadway plays and so much more.  I love going to the city, and seeing something new each time I visit. Uptown, downtown, midtown...so many great neighborhoods and sub-cultures to enjoy. 

So for now – let’s go!  Come along with me to New York and see what kind of fun we’ll have.  Learn about the beautiful new ship, and all that it has to offer.  She’ll be home-based year-round in New York, sailing from April to October to Bermuda, and then from November to March to Florida & the Bahamas.  I’ll be posting lots of great information here, on Facebook, Google+ and Twitter.  Hopefully enough to inspire at least one of you, if not more, to come and see for yourself why we’re all so excited to sail on Breakaway.  The sports deck alone is reason enough for repeat cruisers to give it a try – and certainly only part of the reason why first-time cruisers too should consider Breakaway for their next family vacation. 

So until I land and can start posting some more…  as always thanks for checking in and following along.  

See you soon!

 

stopher's stuff - The Places You'll Go

“Congratulations! Today is your day. You’re off to great places! You’re off and away!”

 

So begins the classic tale from Dr. Seuss in his aptly titled book, OH, THE PLACES YOU’LL GO.  If you have never read it before, I would definitely encourage you to do so.  It’s a wonderful tome, filled with classic Seussian wit and wisdom.  I’ve used this book several times as gifts to graduating seniors and to Scouts who have earned the rank of Eagle. It always serves as a good jumping off place for the congratulatory letter I like to write them. For not only is their future typically bright, and their accomplishment a good foundation, it serves as reminder too, that even though they will be shooting for the moon, they need to be prepared for the down moments that will inevitably come. And when they do, it is great to pause and reflect, as you seek to find the best way out of or around those valleys or bumps in the road. Because once on the other side, it's great to look back and see just how far you've come as you've worked through each individual low point. To see how utilizing the feedback and counsel of others may have helped bring about the necessary change in direction to help get you back on track.

It continues…

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself, any direction you choose.”

This past year has definitely been one where I have been personally living out the book’s message.

“…You’ll be on your way up! You’ll be seeing great sights! You’ll join the high fliers who soar to high heights… wherever you go, you will top all the rest, except when you don’t, because sometimes, you won’t. I’m sorry to say so but, sadly, it’s true, that Bang-ups and Hang-ups can happen to you.”

 

I’ve certainly had some high moments and then still many other moments that were much lower. Those moments of frustration (such as website improvement / development this past couple of months); as well as moments of distress (lost sales); or moments of rejoicing (repeat business from clients as well as referrals bringing new business);  they all work together to make things better – overall.  Taking the time to pause and reflect, and yes, seek honest feedback about what you’re doing is so very important. Remembering too that each one of us is not an island, and we cannot do things completely alone. I may be in this business “alone”, but I’ve definitely got several key supporting players that I turn to for help, guidance and mentoring. People that aren't vested in my financial success, but rather are interested in my personal success as an individual, as a businessman, as a father, a husband and a friend.  

A mentor - that’s something that I have been to numerous people over the past decade, but have easily overlooked utilizing myself - until the past year and a half when I recognized the need to seek counsel of others.  Back in the days of working for an employer, I had built-in peer groups, of course bosses and others who constantly critiqued how I presented things, or fulfilled my work, or even how I came across meeting with clients.  When you work on your own, those built-in resources simply don’t exist.  I only have my actual clients, who are willing to share their feedback with me, to truly critique my services.  Even on this blog, unless someone actually posts a comment (which is rare), I don’t even know if anyone is truly interested in what I post.  Sure I see the numbers of people who check-in and view the various things, but I don’t know if anyone actually is interested or cares, or finds any of the stuff I post remotely useful.  I could be simply posting pictures of bacon, but wouldn’t know if anyone liked it or not unless they said something.  Feedback is always a nice thing.

Getting back to the very beginning of this post though, the places you’ll go – I’ve got many great places on the agenda for the rest of this year.  Places that will be visited representing various aspects of my life… family, my business, the largest aspect of the community service I do (Scouting), and my faith – going on a mission trip to Africa.  Each destination is both near and far, and requires a great deal of time and preparation – physical, mental and spiritual.  I’m excited about them all.  I can’t wait to share about each one in this blog, and hope that you will find each destination somewhat intriguing – and that you’ll tell me what you think after I post them. 

I’d love to know what types of information you might find useful in this space.  Please leave a comment with something that you would like to learn about in the weeks and months to come, as it relates to travel destinations.  I’m trying to work at getting the long-dormant “Where in the World Wednesdays” re-established, and of course would like to bring some new life into my posting through other topics as well. 

As always thanks for checking in and following along.  

 

Until next time,

 

stopher's stuff - Typhoid, Hepatitis and Yellow Fever, Oh My!

And so another week begins.  The calendar is already quite full with things to get accomplished – both new and in follow-up from last week.  The “to do” list never seems to dwindle, that’s for certain.  Whether for business, home, family or planning for personal enrichment, there’s just always something begging for my time. 

There's a lot to read up on, in preparation for this trip!

This past week one of those time concerns was getting my immunizations and updating shots for my trip to Africa this fall.  Thus the title of this entry – Typhoid, Hepatitis and Yellow Fever, oh my!   Five shots and 3 band-aids later, my arms were sore, but hopefully, I’ll be protected now from those various diseases (and others) that the nasty little mosquitos tend to carry.  My week has been filled with reading a whole host of literature provided to me by the nurse.  It has been a lot to digest mentally, but at the same time, it’s been good to know what kind of possibilities exist in the months to come. 

Then this weekend was our first “team-building” meeting. Sadly not all of our team were able to be present (we’re up to 30 people now), but it was a great time of “getting to know” each other, as well as more about Kenya, and what to expect while on this mission trip.  Things that we’ll be doing, as well as everywhere we will be going. 

We also learned who has supported us financially so far.  That was awesome to learn, as I had no idea yet how much I had been able to raise in support gifts, nor who had contributed.  I’m a third of the way to the total trip cost now.  That’s great news and a very solid beginning for only a month of fund-raising.  I have another couple of months of activity to go and pray that the funds will continue to come in.  I’m very grateful for those who have contributed financially already and pray that still, more will step up to help in the days and weeks to come.   It’s a big undertaking to do all by yourself, but as we have mentioned to all of those asked to consider a financial gift, it’s light work when shared by many.  Personally, I’m paying 25% of the trip’s $3,200 cost, which is nothing to sneeze at either.

And then still another cool thing happened this week;  this time within the framework of my travel business.  I had applied to be considered , and found out this week that I have been accepted, to attend a FAM (familiarization) trip to Sandals Royal Bahamian resort the first week of June.  I’m so excited.  I’ve been working hard to get into the wedding/honeymoon segment, and this training will definitely help solidify it.  So now I have back-to-back months of great new experiences to continue to expand my personal knowledge of destinations and suppliers.  I’ll be sailing on Norwegian’s newest ship, BREAKAWAY for her inaugural sailing in early May out of New York City, and then in early June headed to the Bahamas to experience the Luxury Included vacation experience known as Sandals.  I would LOVE to be accepted for the Holy Land FAM next January too… but only time will tell about that one. 

What new and exciting things have been going on in your world this past week? I’d love to read your comments with your news.

Until next time,