NEW GROUP TRAVEL EXPERIENCE AVAILABLE NOW.
More ongoing education taking place this month. My newest certification is all about faith-based travel. Israel anyone? Their borders are getting closer to re-opening now that 30% of their entire population has been vaccinated. Individuals and groups will be returning to visit the Holy Land later this year. I have some incredible opportunities for those interested to join on their own, or as a small group, including a custom group I'm putting together for early 2022.
I would love to help you celebrate your faith like never before with our spiritual guided tours, designed to take you all over the world exploring the deep roots of your faith. These dual-purpose tours not only let you explore new places and cultures but also explore the bigger questions of life and spirituality. We're ready to help you discover more with your travels. Check out this video, and then reach out when you are ready to plan an incredibly moving journey of discovery for you, and your faith community. I would also welcome an introduction to your pastor or priest to talk about how they might lead a trip to the Holy Land themselves.
As most of you know, during the past decade I have enjoyed sending guests all over the world as a travel agency owner. With the current pandemic and the lack of travel happening, I've gone through 10 years of adventures and have created some fun travel-inspired coasters from images I took (mostly) or from postcards I collected while on the assorted adventures (a few, but mostly my own photography though). I have more adventures and destinations not yet represented, but you have to start somewhere, right? A sampling of the images is displayed below. (I've also coupled these with my love for Wood Badge, and have a few Wood Badge-inspired items as well.)
Yesterday was my 50th birthday and it was a great day!
> One of my younger friends said that I've reached level 50 and I'm zooming on my way to level 100!> One of my older friends pointed out that I'm now closer to 100 than I am to birth.> Another of the older ones than me (my brother), shared this little nugget which I find quite profound... "at 50 I have now passed over from the old age of my youth and entered the youth of my old age".
One of the proudest moments in my 40's came last year as I was officially awarded my Course Director beads and woggle in front of family and dear friends, and then got to have the extreme pleasure of serving together with an incredible staff to bring the 100th Anniversary Wood Badge leadership training course to our Council in 2019. We had a full, sold-out course, and over half of our participants so far have completed their homework, working their Tickets successfully...and the rest are well on their way to completion. They have 6 more months of working time, so nearly half of my 50th year will still be part of Wood Badge. If there was a way to continue on that journey, I'd love to do it, but once Course Director, my time is done.
It was a WONDERFUL experience going from a participant at 39, through all the years of staffing, and then serving as Course Director from 48-50. Wood Badge was a big part of my life throughout the entire decade of my 40's. Looking back, making the decision to attend that course back in 2010 was the best choice I could have made, and what an honor it was to be able to serve so many participants through the years under excellent mentoring and tutelage from 8 fine Course Directors before me. It was such a thrill to have all of them participate in some way at our celebratory dinner, in the course itself, and in supporting ways along the way, as well as with a couple of other great former Course Directors who helped us out in the kitchen! What a blessing it was to me to be part of it all and to be able to lead an exemplary staff. It truly was an ADVENTURE that I will never forget.
This popped up in my Facebook memories today. Man, this was an amazing experience 4 years ago. I LOVE Alaska. That was my last big adventure this year before this pandemic really changed everything this year, and 4 years ago this week I was there as seen in this memory. I can't wait to be able to go back. I love it in Summer and Winter. Now I need to see it in Spring and Fall too.
But until then...it's Food Pantry Day. I'm excited to be able to go over and finish the prep work this morning so that our guests can receive some fabulous food blessings this afternoon.
This popped up in my Facebook Memories today. Sigh.
Three years ago...I so wish travel could be part of our summer this year. Ahhh, Paris...that was an awesome trip.
I don't normally share a lot of truly personal stuff as I tend to be fairly private except for those that I'm closest with, but I have to just admit that 2020 has been my own personal "Annus horribilis", (as the Queen of England once described the year 1992). Very quickly after the bulk of this covid-19 mess took off and so many stay-at-home / self-isolating/quarantine orders began around the country in early March, I watched as much of my booked business for the rest of 2020 quickly disappeared before my eyes, as cancellations by vendors mounted weekly (and still are), taking away all of the income for the summer and into the fall that would have come in, since as a travel agency owner I get paid when my guests actually depart on their trips. Despite all that bad, we've been ok as God has provided, and I've kept busy by serving in our church's Food Pantry two days each week and DoorDashing the rest of the time to bring something in each week and help with both the household and business obligations. Dealing with all the cancellations and re-booking sucked, to be honest, and I kind of went into a funk for several weeks as no one was even considering booking anything...until a couple of weeks ago when I got two different requests for actual NEW travel, not just re-booking something that has been canceled.
"Together with its industry partners, the American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA) is celebrating the occasion on May 6, 2020, and extending its recognition and a heartfelt “thank you” to travel advisors nationwide for all the hard work that they put into taking care of the traveling public."
A Facebook memory popped up this morning. At this time two years ago, I was enjoying a wonderful expedition voyage with Hurtigruten. This week I was supposed to be in Croatia, but thanks to covid, I'm NOT. I miss traveling and hope it can resume soon. There's so much to see and experience in this beautiful world of ours.
Last Friday the last of my summer client departures were canceled by the vendors. Today the fall break cancellations began, this time by clients. Oh, such fun. I "can't wait" to see how many more happen like that. So much fear has been instilled in people's minds because of this mess. 😔
Using part of this crazy time to do some additional coursework and learning. This is one of the programs I've been working on. The other will still take a while but continuing education is important, and with all travel shut down yet for a while, it's a great time to get it done.
As I continue to pass the time during covid with some puzzles, here's a throwback to one of my favorite puzzles I've ever done. I completed this beauty on my Hurtigruten voyage around the Gulf of St Lawrence in May 2018. Sadly I had to leave it on the ship and couldn't bring it home.