written 11.11.20
First of all, I would like to wish all of the veterans on my email list a Happy Veteran’s Day, especially my favorite veteran, Captain Robert Boles. Rob returned from his tour in Iraq just a little over ten years and two weeks ago. I remember vividly waking up early and heading to the base where he was set to arrive. I waited in the dusk of morning, and in true ‘hurry up and wait’ military fashion, his parents and I waited long past his scheduled arrival time. The buses carrying the soldiers finally arrived, and his division lined up on a football field under bright lights. They did some sort of ceremony while I scanned the field for Rob. I did not see him, and as soon as the soldiers were released from duty, there was a swarm of people on the field looking for their loved ones. I could not find him, but he had spotted me and suddenly he was there beside me after months apart. I still can’t believe we were apart for so long, especially during this time in our lives when we are never apart!
The time he spent in the military seems like a lifetime ago. In true ‘us’ fashion, we used his Rest & Relaxation time during and after his tour to travel. We met in Italy & Greece when he got his two week break from Iraq, and upon his return, we visited Argentina, Chile, & Brazil.
Many people thank Rob for his service, but we are also grateful for some of the things the military gave us. It brought Rob to Savannah where we met. It provided flexibility (with great sacrifice of course) to travel for weeks at a time. It helped us financially during our move from a condo to a home in Savannah, and it paid for large portion of his college and MBA program that set us up for our life in Charlotte.
Speaking of benefits of being a veteran, our veteran household and love of travel have converged this week with the following big announcement from the Department of Veterans Affairs, click the box for more details:
I am going to write more about Sips & Trips next week, but I wanted to give you all a peek into what I am planning in December. I am partnering with two of my favorite brands, AR Workshop and Salacia Salts to create a virtual event kit. It is a way for me to engage with others during this crazy time. It is not a sales event. It is a fun event where I will briefly talk about travel and share destinations or types of travel that you may not know about.
The first kit will be local to the Lake Norman area only so I can get an idea of interest. If there is enough interest in Savannah, I can likely get kits to people there. Just let me know. I can also do these kits for groups of people – think office parties, alumni events, or simply groups of friends and family who are looking for a new way to hang out virtually during the pandemic.
I also plan to do a family friendly event with aprons and cookies in December. Registration will be live before the next newsletter, so keep an eye out on social media for more details. I wish I could share more info now, but I really need to hang out with my veteran today!
I will be finishing off my week attending CruiseWorld where I am scheduled to speak on Friday, wish me luck!
CruiseWorld will definitely keep me dreaming about travel. I am so looking forward to being able to travel the world again.
Keep Dreaming,
