Pepsi

There are some days that just don't make sense. Like today, when, after cruising around a water park all day, a traveler wouldn't get off the bus. Now, it's humid and hot in Tennessee, and when you're sitting on a bus, you're just sitting there sweating. So for an hour, we tried to get this traveler to get off the bus, but she wouldn't move. After trying everything, I finally thought to buy her a Pepsi, and what do you know, she grabbed the Pepsi and walked right off the bus.

Pepsi-1, Hannah-0

I love my job. 

Drum roll.....dollywood!

We are halfway through the aummer! We're also currently in hour 2 of an 8 hour bus ride to Tennessee, so I'm using this time to catch up on everything, so I figured I'd update everyone! The past two weeks we were at the camp for our retreat weeks. The travelers came to the camp for a week of camp activities, and it was fun being back in my element! After all the fun though, I'm ready to get back to hotel living! 

There were multiple highlights from the two weeks, but one of my favorites was a very intense kickball game! It got a little too intense, and we had some tears, but it was still a lot of fun! 

We also did a secret buddy thing, just like secret Santa, but in July! I woke up one morning to find my hallway decorated, which was so awesome! 

I can't wait for dollywood and Tennessee, but that may be because I don't want to be on the bus anymore :) I'm also excited to get to see some mountains again! Even though they don't compare to the Colorado mountains!

Virginia Beach!

Trip number 2 of 9 is in the books, and I'm glad it is! We're cruising right along through the summer, and I was reminded of how hot and humid it is in Virginia! I'm sure it felt good to jump into the ocean, but our group of travelers weren't too impressed with the ocean, so we stayed under the beach umbrellas for about 30 minutes, then decided it was time for lunch :) Thank goodness Virginia Beach has a lot to see other than the ocean!

 This is a glimpse into one of my many job responsibilities....luggage! Coordinating luggage for 21 people is quite the task! We took over one of the floors at our hotel, and this was the scene on the morning we left.

We spent one afternoon on a dolphin watching boat! We saw a lot of dolphins, but it was hard to get a good picture! I was content just sitting on the boat, it felt good to cruise around! 

This was one of those weeks where I was reminded how lucky I am to have this job. I got to meet one of the best travelers ever. He is non-verbal, but still found a way to be the coolest person ever! The last night, as we were getting everyone ready for bed, he just came over to me, grabbed my hand, and led me around the hotel for about 20 minutes. We just strolled around, and went to check everything out. Eventually, he just led me back to his room, and hopped right into bed. All it took was a 20 minute walk to make me forget about all of the behaviors, issues, and bouts of diarrhea we had dealt with all week. That is why I love this job!

Of course, while we work hard all week, we like to have fun on the weekends. I finally got to see the Rockies play at Nationals Park. Even though it was hot, and everyone ended up sunburned, the Rockies won, and we had a blast! 

These next two weeks are going to be a bit of a break. We're having retreat weeks, which is where the travelers come to the camp and get to do all of our camp activities. I'm looking forward to being back in the camp environment, and also being able to sleep in my own bed! After these two weeks though, it's five straight weeks of traveling, starting with our first trip to Dollywood! 

Adventure time in Atlantic City!

It's the first of nine straight weeks of traveling, but we started off with a bang! We're in Atlantic City, which is just like a miniature version of Las Vegas, just with East Coast people. On the night we arrived, it poured rain, causing flooding in the hotel parking lot, which made the first night crazy. But today, the sun was shining!

That's me watching TV...in my BATHROOM MIRROR! 

My office for the day

Ocean selfies!

It's been awhile since we've been on a trip, but I was reminded Tuesday just how much work it is! We've had fun gambling, shopping and hanging at the beach though! Sometimes I have to pinch myself to remind me that this is my job!

On Saturday, I finally finally finally get to see my beloved Rockies when they come to Washington DC! It's about time! Then, it's on to Virginia Beach for more ocean fun! It's been so much fun getting to meet the new summer staff, and my fellow Access Adventures staff are the best! Things are moving right along! It's been fun getting back into the swing of things!

New York!

Sorry this post is so late! This website it blocked at the rec center, so I have to wait until I’m in town to post this. But in the past few weeks, I’ve been to New York, and hosted a retreat weekend at the rec center.
New York provided a good lesson in why planning is essential to this job! We had some major accessibility issues, and it made me reflect on the ADA laws. I’ve never paid much attention to those laws. When I worked at Camp Courage in Minnesota, our camp was very accessible, and we stayed on the camp, so we didn’t have to worry about making sure bathrooms, buses, and streets were accessible. In New York, there are people EVERYWHERE and they aren’t very polite. It was just another small reminder that I’m not in Colorado anymore.
New york was still a lot of fun! I got to see my first Broadway play! We saw Annie, and it was legit! We’re going back to New York in the fall, and I’m ready to conquer it!
The retreat weekend was fiesta themed, and we certainly had fun! It brought me back to my camp days! We did all of the camp activities, but this time, I was in charge of all of the planning and leading, and it was a tough job! Trying to keep 10 adults occupied for 48 hours was tough, but we made it fun!
One of my favorite parts of the job are the travelers! They keep me on their toes, and they always keep me laughing! It’s been awesome getting to meet everyone, and hopefully they’re having as much fun as I am!
These next few weeks are full of training and planning. Starting June 18th, I go on 10 straight trips. I won’t know which way is up or down, but I’ll get to see some really cool places!

Viva Las Vegas!

Greetings from Nanjemoy MD! I just got back from Las Vegas and all I can say is wow!!! My job is going to majorly fun, but it's also going to be a lot of work!
As for living in Nanjemoy, I've gotten everything set up and I'm all settled in. I'm currently sitting at Starbucks though because this blog is blocked by our wifi, so updates may be a little slow.
So what have I been up to since moving?

Going to Vegas!!!
We had a great staff, a great group of travelers and fantastic weather! (Yay for my first sunburn!) It was crazy to see how quickly the trip came together once we started!

Colorado is under those clouds!

Hanging with Abe at the wax museum

New York, New York!!!

One of the best nights....so much fun!

Our group! 

Our hotel at night!

So I learned a lot while traveling with people with disabilities. At first, I noticed a lot of staring. I guess 13 people in a group would cause anyone to stare, but add in people with disabilities and we now know what it feels like to be a celebrity. (Not in a good way) But for every jerk, there were 10 people who were so kind and gracious to us. After a long day of flying, we went to dinner, and the waiter comped our meal. It was so generous of him. If you can't see, it's a 360 dollar bill. So shout out to our waiter at Dick's restaurant! 

I also realized how much patience is required of others when helping any group of 13 people. At every event in Vegas, they want you to take a group picture. Instead of rolling their eyes at the number of our group (as I would have done) They just put on a smile and helped us out. 

I also have to give a shoutout to the Thunder from Down Under show. One of the best parts of the trip. We went on our night off, and it was so Vegas and so great! Again, you could pay $20 dollars to take a picture with them, but it was the best $20 I've spent! Check out instagram for that picture :) 

Next Tuesday, we're heading to New York! I get to spend this week training and planning trips, but I'm really excited about the next few trips. Once summer hits, it's going to be nonstop pandemonium! But I'm ready for it! 

Also, to close this out, I wanted to add to my family that I have yet to be homesick. If you knew me the first time I went to Minnesota to work and when I went to college (both of which were a lot closer to home) I cried non stop, and was ready to quit. But moving to a whole new area of the country hasn't gotten to me. I guess I'm growing up! Although when they did announce that we were flying right over Grand Junction, I was a little homesick, but then I remembered it was Grand Junction :) 

Kansas has some really weird Billboards

What does an 8,000 pound prairie dog, a 5 legged cow, a Wizard of Oz wine and a picture of Jesus in a wheat field have in common?
These are all things you can see in Kansas
And these are attractions that are closed on Sunday.
So we didn't get to stop and see any cool attractions on our way out to Maryland. However, we still had fun, and three days of driving wasn't too bad.

 Funny story about trying to drive through St. Louis, the arch is like right next to the road. Like right next to it. Also, it is huge.

 I got to stop in Indianapolis to see friends and family, so naturally we walked around downtown and took pictures with the crazy statues :)

 This picture does not even give this cross justice. It was massive!

 Took a few wrong turns and ended up right next to the Washington Memorial. Also, I hate DC traffic.

So that's the trip! We spent all day today unpacking and getting my room set up! Tomorrow it's off to DC for a little sightseeing, then I'm going to spend the next 6 months being crazy flipping busy! For example, I'm off to Vegas on Monday. Woohoo!!