Archive for January, 2007

This joke is probably older than me. It may be a little corny, but it’s clean enough to tell your kids.

Three young boys appeared before the judge. The judge looked down at them and asked the first boy what he had done. He replied "I threw peanuts in the lake". The judge glared at the arresting officer, wondering why he was wasting the judges time with such a minor offense. He then asked the second boy what he had done and got the same reply, "I threw peanuts in the lake". The judge glared again, looked at the third boy and said, "Well I suppose you threw peanuts in the lake also". The boy replied, "No sir…………………I’m Peanuts.

Jack Collier~~Shamokin Office

I really enjoyed reading about Kathy’s 2007 resolution. It’s not something

we often think about as parents, but it is our children that suffer when we

bring our work home. They lose time with us that could never be brought

back. I’ve been with Sundance Vacations for five years now, and since the

day I started, we have been trained to leave our personal problems outside

the door and come to work with a positive attitude. We were taught that you

will only bring yourself down even more, and probably also the people around

you that you tend to complain to. We have all adapted to this concept and

it works. For some people, this is the best place to be when your having a

problem, it’s our excape. Anyway, I now realize that when i return home

after work, the same concept should go into effect. I need to check my day

at the door and enter my home with the best attitude, regardless of how my

day was at work.

My son is just turned 6 years old and just started Kindergarten. I realize

how fortunate I was when I came back to work 5 years ago after having him

and being able to make a really great paycheck while only working a few

hours a day. I got spend most of the day with my baby and didn’t have to

leave him with anyone else. Now that he is getting older, I have had the

opportunity to pick up more hours and job responsibilities and feel my life

is well balanced between working hard and playing hard.

I have also been working very hard on my education in the past few years

and will proudly graduate college in May 2007, with an Associate Degree in

Tourism and Travel Management. I am very thankful to everyone at Sundance

Vacations that helped and supported me in making it through, even in those

times when it seemed the road to graduation would never end.

I am proud to work for a company that gives their employees space for their

personal lives and to better themselves outside of work. I hope everyone

picks up on Kathy’s resolution and realizes that it’s OK to leave your work

at work. It will always be there when you get back and there’s always a

better day. : )

~~Rochell~~

Hello and Happy New Year!   Have you made a resolution this year?  There are many different things I want to change, but I’ve narrowed it down to what I feel is the most important - a resolution for 2007…

My resolution this year is to leave my work at the office and to be a mother, a daughter and a friend, when with my loved ones.  Until recently, I never realized just how much I remain focused on work even when I’m not there.

As I’ve mentioned before, there are anonymous people, who for their own reasons post negative comments about Sundance Vacations on the Internet; as the Communications Director, the posters sometimes target me as well. It’s hard not to take it personally when my company and my own personal integrity are attacked, and I sometimes talk about it with friends and also at home…apparently too much.

A short time ago, I came home from work to find my fifteen-year-old son, Jimmy, at the door waving a sheet of paper at me.  He was excited, and thrust the paper in my hand saying, "Look Mom, check out what I wrote!"  I was humbled by what I read.  Jimmy had sent a message to a poster that said in part, “…my mother has been coming home upset…I decided to check it out myself…my mother is proud of the company where she works and tries very hard to please her customers…It sounds quite simply like you have never been on any sort of vacation with Sundance and you just feel the need to attack my family…I would appreciate it if you stopped judging people, etc…”

What an amazing child, right?  He’s funny, smart, and loves his mother. I wouldn’t change anything about him (except maybe the way he keeps his bedroom).  I have been and continue to remain amazed by both of my children.  It’s hard not to be proud that my son jumped to my defense.  The thing is I don’t want my children to feel as though they have to defend me.  For me, it should be the other way around, always.  I’m the parent and I am entirely capable of handling my professional concerns without dragging my family and friends into it.

I believe children should be worrying about doing their homework, walking the dog, and playing with their friends, not what’s happening to their parents at work. Time flies by and I want Jimmy to enjoy his childhood while he can. I want to enjoy Jimmy’s childhood while I can!  My other son, Michael, is only five years older than Jimmy and he is already a sophomore in college.  It wasn’t that long ago that he laid his head on my lap and wept after losing the All Star Little League Baseball District Championship- now he lives in another state and we only see each other when he’s on break.  Time with my boys is fleeting and I want to make the most of it.

I love my job and it deserves my time and my attention; but so do my children.  This year I resolve to leave my work at the office, and to give my family the time and attention they deserve.

Please write I’d love to hear your resolutions and comments.

Kathy