We ended up getting a last minute request to attend an event outside of Jamestown, NY and since we had never been we thought why not! Jamestown is a pretty cool little city with plenty of character and they even have the largest I Love Lucy festival in the world. We enjoyed some great meals and made it to a comedy show in the basement of a local coffee house. All in all it was a good experience but the sale itself was horrible. Traffic was light and most people had been 5 or more events in the last 6 months. We ended up moving 7 Units and made a little check but the experiences were priceless. We were off on Sunday, so we left Saturday after work and headed to Buffalo! We had a great room with a pretty decent view. If you ever make it to Buffalo I would recommend eating at the Chocolate Bar. Everything had chocolate in the recipe in one way or another. Even our steak had a chocolate inspired sauce that was to die for! The martini's were great and the ambiance we enjoyable. Sunday morning we woke up and enjoyed a great brunch at one of the restaurants in the Roosevelt Hotel in downtown. After brunch we wondered around for a bit and realized that there wasn't much going on in Buffalo on a Sunday when there's no game. We ended up leaving Buffalo and made our way to Niagara Falls. I have seen the falls before but this time they were frozen and the lower viewing level was covered in probably 20 feet of snow. It was amazing to say the least and I'm glad I got to share it with Britni. After seeing the Falls we made our way to the casino. After winning some and losing more we decided to treat ourselves to a steak from the steakhouse in the casino. It was a very fine dinning experience and one of the best steaks I've ever had the pleasure of devouring! We then made our way back to Jamestown to finish up the last week of the sale and then returned home.
One of the biggest benefits of doing staffed events all over the US is the time off between events. Coming off of a big sale we were able to really enjoy our time off in our new city. We decided to venture out to the downtown are of Raleigh and see what kind of events where going on for St. Patrick's Day and ended up having a blast. We started out at the Hibernian in the Glenwood South area and eventually made our way to the big street party in the city center. My little girl got her face painted, we rode the mechanical bull and enjoyed the live music and cold beer! It's save to say we are happy about our move. We are loving our new city and the life we are creating!
I have to start this off by saying that Britni is a selling machine! We work so well together and what Britni lacks in experience she makes up in work ethic and interpersonal skills. Long story short we only went 2 days without selling a car and it snowed pretty much everyday. We made up for those 2 non selling days by having a couple days where we doubled down and one day we were able to score a hat trick (3 cars in one day)!
We had a lot of fun in the small town of Wabash, IN and were pleased to learn about it's history. Wabash, IN was the first electrically lit town in the United States. We had Sunday off and spent the day with the rest of the team bowling and enjoying good food! We ended up selling 11 cars in 9 days and made a fat check!
So after what ended up being a very long ride from NC to IN, only because we stopped, we finally made it. The only hotel that we could find in the area at a decent rate was actually located next to the dealership and to say the least was not very pleasant. We decided to suck it up for the week and push through. It's not like we were there on vacation! When we left NC it was in the 60's and when we woke up in IN it was -2 and felt like -14! Neither Britni nor myself had ever experienced such cold weather and we were not looking forward to set-up. Set up is when all the sales consultants that are traveling met at the dealership to rearrange the lot, book out cars and decorate for the event. We got word that the desk guy needed to be picked up from Indianapolis so we volunteered to make the 2 hour drive. This gave us a chance to see Indianapolis a little bit and stay warm while everyone else was enjoying a lot party(moving cars). We took some pictures, grabbed a bite to eat, checked out the mall and then made our way to IND (Indianapolis International Airport) and back to Wabash.
So we moved to NC and had a blast getting settled into our new home. The first sale I was able to book was a 9 day event in Wabash, IN at a Chrysler Dodge Jeep store. I spent a couple of years traveling around doing these sales so packing came second nature for me but man do things change when you are bringing a woman with you. We completely loaded down the Scion and began our trip. One of my favorite little towns along the way was Charleston, WV (the capital of WV) and we decided to stop for lunch. There's a Sports bar called Adelphia's which I frequented the last two times I did sales in the area and it was nice making it back for their Adelphia Gyro! We also stopped in Dayton Ohio and ate at a roof top restaurant right in the heart of the city. Can't remember the name of it but the food was great and the view was amazing!
So our lease was ending and we were wanting a change of scenery and thought what better move than to be closer to my little girl. Since she had started school it was more difficult to get her to Florida or we had to make a trip all the way to NC. After a lot of thought we also decided we would both head out on the road selling cars! My girlfriend had been a server for nearly 10 years and I knew she would make a great car sales woman. So we had this plan, made the move and 3 days after we arrived in NC got snowed in for 3 days. This was definitely a change of scenery for us and Brit had never been given the opportunity to play in snow!
Over the course of 2013 many trips would be made between FL and Savannah, GA. Savannah is pretty much the half way point between Raleigh, NC and Cape Canaveral, FL so it makes the perfect meeting spot to pick up and drop off my daughter. The first trip was amazing and we ended up falling in love with this little city. We both enjoy long boarding and found that it was very skate friendly, plus you can get a drink from a bar and take it togo! Our favorite restaurant is Belford's and if you ever get a chance to go I would recommend ordering the crab cakes!
For my birthday I decided to get myself a new toy. Wasn't sure exactly what type of vehicle I wanted but I was ready for something fun. Randomly got a wild idea that I wanted to go test drive a 350Z and found two at a nearby dealership. Being in the business there were a few things I was looking for, a great deal, low miles and a well maintained vehicle. The two at the local dealership where not at all what I was looking for but a quick search found a Daytona Blue convertible less than 20 miles away. It was older but only had 56K miles. When we pulled up to the dealership the vehicle was sitting right up front and I was in love. It was a surprise that it had 20" chrome wheels and they really set it off. I ended up getting it for $14K and left very happy. That same day I ordered exhaust, ram air kit and an intake plenum spacer. The car was quick before but now it's load and quick!
Since 2012-2013 where years of self improvement it would only make since that I attend a seminar or two and it was so great to have met someone who wanted to attend them as much as me! The most inspiring was the SUCCESS Seminar that included such speakers as Les Brown and Michael J Fox! MJ Fox spoke of his struggles with his disease but that he made it more of mental game to stay focused and not let it bet him. He laughed and poked fun at himself but also had some very vulnerable moments on stage. Les Brown used his famous "You gotta be HUNGRY" line and really put into perspective the importance of having big goals and never giving up! After the SUCCESS Seminar we found ourselves out and about in Orlando so we decided to do the sling shot that shoots two passengers 400 feet in the air! The view was incredible and the rush was awesome, I highly recommend it. We then road go carts, played mini golf and made our way to Ice Bar. Ice Bar is a bar that is completely made of ice, including chairs, the bar and even the glasses! Lots of fun and I think this event set the tone for the year to come!
I was enjoying being single and not traveling away from home as much. I was actually getting to know a lot of new people and had been dating several girls when out of the blue I met this one girl. We started out as friends but eventually we settled into a nice life together! I'm adventurous and she shares that same trait so we enjoy each others company and we always stay busy! The picture on the right is from the Zombie Bike Ride during our trip to Fantasy Fest 2013 in Key West, FL and the picture above is one of the most beautiful sunrises I have ever experienced!
I ended up doing a few sales throughout the year of 2012 and 2013 but not in anywhere new or anywhere too exciting. Thus I do not have very many pictures during that time. Most of my pictures where during time off with my daughter, friends and family. We spent a lot of time at Seaworld Orlando and riding around with the top down. (Since I travel so much I get a lot of free rental days and upgrades!)
It's funny how things go full circle. A lot have things have happened since I started this blog over 3 years ago. I was going through a transition in my life and forgot all about this blog. Now through many changes, travels, experiences, etc... I have found myself once again interested in keeping up a social presence. Over the last 3 years I have traveled many more times to new places and have made many new memories along the way. Since I have rediscovered this blog I will be going back to where I left off and try to put up 5 or so blog post each week to catch up to where I am to date... Here's a glimpse!
We ended up getting a last minute request to attend an event outside of Jamestown, NY and since we had never been we thought why not! Jamestown is a pretty cool little city with plenty of character and they even have the largest I Love Lucy festival in the world. We enjoyed some great meals and made it to a comedy show in the basement of a local coffee house. 
We were off on Sunday, so we left Saturday after work and headed to Buffalo! We had a great room with a pretty decent view. If you ever make it to Buffalo I would recommend eating at the Chocolate Bar. Everything had chocolate in the recipe in one way or another. Even our steak had a chocolate inspired sauce that was to die for! The martini's were great and the ambiance we enjoyable. Sunday morning we woke up and enjoyed a great brunch at one of the restaurants in the Roosevelt Hotel in downtown. After brunch we wondered around for a bit and realized that there wasn't much going on in Buffalo on a Sunday when there's no game. 
We ended up leaving Buffalo and made our way to Niagara Falls. I have seen the falls before but this time they were frozen and the lower viewing level was covered in probably 20 feet of snow. It was amazing to say the least and I'm glad I got to share it with Britni. After seeing the Falls we made our way to the casino. After winning some and losing more we decided to treat ourselves to a steak from the steakhouse in the casino. It was a very fine dinning experience and one of the best steaks I've ever had the pleasure of devouring! We then made our way back to Jamestown to finish up the last week of the sale and then returned home.
