AGS/TXAd Annual Meeting

We arrived in Montgomery, Texas a week ago Friday and have been staying at the Lake Conroe KOA. We have a great site, facing towards the lake. On Sunday, the folks who made it into the $100,000 club had brunch at the local country club. We had gotten an e-mail several weeks ago saying that we had exceeded $100,000 in sales…thus making it into this group. We each got a jacket, with the 100 club insignia on it, and had a great meal. I think I counted nine couples in total that were there.
On Monday, the information sessions began. Lots of great information was shared and I find, with conferences such as this, that you always learn the most from the other people that are there. The networking and sharing of ideas is the best part of events like these. On Monday evening there was a nice dinner and the awards ceremony. In addition to getting certificates for the 100 club, Linda and I also were chosen as Rookies of the Year. Quite an honor, we must say as many teams were hired in 2011. We were really surprised !
Here are the owners of AGS/TXAd – Brian and Debra Shaeffer. If you’re wondering why we are dressed in cowboy attire, it’s because the theme was Denim and Diamonds for the banquet. We got shirts and a hat for Linda…all for $15 at the local thrift store. What a deal !




Look at Brian and Debra’s cowboy boots. They are made out of stingray.

Here is Linda and I with Rick, our scheduler. He has the crazy task of keeping track of all the rep teams and figuring out where they are to go.






On one of the evenings, Linda and I helped Rick with a version of the Newlywed Game…..four couples tried to match answers with their spouses on RV and work related questions. Linda asked the questions and kept the couples in line and I kept score. It came right down to the bonus round to decide the winner. We all laughed so hard at some of the wild answers.Thirty of us went out to eat, at a Mexican restaurant on Thursday night and we had a great time. Some of the reps have started pulling out, for their next destinations, but we are here till Monday morning. We are going to a Thor approved warranty center, outside of Houston to get warranty work done on the rig. One of the major fixes is replacing the microwave that buzzes very loudly whenever you use it. Won’t know what to do if we don’t have to crank up the TV while the microwave is running. As soon as we finish at Demontrond RV, we are going to a nearby Ford center to get a safety recall taken care of on our rig. We’ve allowed plenty of time to get everything done, that is needed, as we will have a busy year ahead. We’ve picked up about nine new parks, gave up three and will be working on the east coast at two parks in Gettysburg, couple in Virginia and one in North Carolina. Gonna be a busy, but fun year ahead. Buckle up your seat belts….Ready, Get Set…..GO !!

We Made it...

Well we made it to Montgomery, Texas ! We left on Sunday morning and arrived this afternoon. On the way we stayed Monday and Tuesday evening in Lafayette, LA so we could visit our friends Bobbie and Jim. We met them, in 2008, when we worked in Coffeyville, Kansas for Amazon. We've stayed in touch over the years and intercepted each other, when our paths would cross in some part of the country. They are spending a month at Betty's RV park in Abbeville, Louisiana and they are having a ball there. They came up to our rig on Tuesday, got caught up on what we've been up to and had lunch. After lunch we followed them back to their park so we could see their new rig. They have a Heartland Landmark 5th wheel that they purchased a few months ago. Wow, is it nice ! Such a great open floor plan and nice workmanship throughout. We're so happy that they found a rig that works better for them as full timers.

We were at Betty's RV park as happy hour started and all of the campers gather under the pavilion. Folks bring something to munch on and their favorite beverage. Then the fun begins....We left our friends to get back to our rig and get things ready for us to pull out in the morning. It was so great to spend time with Bobbie and Jim ! We also got to meet Bobbie and Jim's friends that they are hanging out with. What a great bunch of folks ! Just what the doctor ordered...

We only had a four hour drive to get to Montgomery today. On Monday as we were driving the personal coaches of some of the NASCAR drivers and the trucks hauling their race cars would pass us on I-10. Sunday's race had been in Daytona so now they are headed to Phoenix for the next race. It was a lot of fun to watch them go by. When Linda would see another one coming up in her rear view mirror, she'd say "Oh, here comes another one !" I was able to get the camera out and snap pictures of the car haulers but didn't get any of the personal coaches. By the time I figured out what they were, they had blown by us. I wonder if they drive straight through of if they stop to rest somewhere. In Jeff Gordon's truck,it looked like a husband/wife team in the truck so we were wondering if they trade off driving or if they stop somewhere. We were hoping to see them next to us at our campground but no such luck.

The Lake Conroe KOA where we are doing our training is a great campground ! Great pull through sites, complete with a fire pit, concrete site and patio and picnic table. Indoor heated pool, hot tub, two K-9 dog parks, lots of indoor and outdoor games, meeting spaces, etc. It's a beautiful place so we're really going to enjoy our time here even though our days will be spent in class, learning our new job. Our first activity is an hour long meeting tomorrow afternoon and then full blown training begins Friday morning. I have some things I want to do on the rig tomorrow, plus some laundry and check out the local area. We'll keep you posted on what we see and do as the week unfolds.

As you can see from the weather info, it's warm here. Saw on some of the bank thermometers, as we were driving today, that it was around 80 degrees. Supposed to be pretty much those same temps for the foreseeable  future so we're loving it ! Thinking of our family and friends back home where it's not very warm and a bit on the nasty side.