Day 1 of the Summer Tour..."The Drive Begins"

Sorry Guys, it has been tough to adjust to life on the road, being away from the family, and still trying to run the businesses as much as possible without steady cell signal and Internet access.   For now, I've found a nice spot in Portland called the Fuel Cafe...free wifi, great coffee, and outstanding service....Highly recommended if you're in the area.  Here's the scoop from the first day on the road...

July 31st...Leaving was really tough...I had already said goodbye to Jessica on Thursday afternoon, and we didn't get overly emotional since her step dad had come to pick her up.  For some reason it's never easy to say goodbye to Jess, but we have been separated in the past and we have learned to adjust to a few weeks apart.  Dejah and Ang were another story altogether.  Ang started crying the day before, and then on and off until I did actually leave.  She gave me the longest and strongest hug ever, and finally let go of my neck when I had to get into the car.  Dej and I haven't been apart for more than 10 days since we met, and although we were very excited to get the Tour started, it wasn't an easy goodbye.  I really miss that kiss she gave me before I left.  I finally got on the road and went through the mental checklist to make sure I had everything...and realized I forgot the insurance card on the counter.  I ran back home, got another 10 minutes with Dej (She didn't tell Ang I had come back because she had just stopped crying), then put the car back into drive around 2pm NY time.

Alot of traffic on the Cross Bronx Expressway heading towards the George Washington Bridge, but that's nothing new.  After the bridge it was smooth sailing.  That gave me time to think, nothing to look at but trees, and alot of time to second guess what I was about to do.  A small family owned start up, just 10 months old, going across the country to promote the business old school style.  A travelling salesman, packing the car to the gills, leaving his family behind, and praying that the money in his pocket is enough to get him to where he can make more.  Will the car make it?  Will I get killed while sleeping in a rest stop?  Will the parties flop and strand me somewhere on the west coast with no way to continue?  I didn't know, but I still didn't turn back. 

Then something crazy happened, and I never questioned any of that again.  In the middle of my own thoughts, Dej and I were brainstorming the cross country "Where's Waldo" contest, and she started to write the post and set it up.  Just passed the middle of PA, I stopped at a rest stop to hit the bathroom and stretch my legs.  I was on the phone with Dej, and she was ready to go live with the contest.  We hung up so we could each do what we had to do, with another convo coming as soon as I was rolling again.We had no idea if there would be interest in the contest, and we were a little skeptical to go full blown nationwide.  I did a quick walk up and down the lot, and got back in the car.  I started it, put the car into reverse, and I got this idea.  The "Breadcrumb" idea.  As well as the "Where's Waldo", I was going to leave something behind for anyone who "just missed me".  A business card...with a code...that could be redeemed if found...Awesome!  I pulled the car back in, and got started on my own little contest plan.  I knew Dej would be down with it, so I got ready to make it happen.  Now, for the craziness...Getting this idea made me pull back in to the spot and start working, and this prevented me from leaving.  At the same time, someone had pulled into a spot a few down from mine, and at first, I honestly didn't notice the car, or the two women who got out of it, I was so engrossed in my new crumb idea.  I looked up when the first woman said "Excuse me, but can I take a picture of your car?".  I was blown away..."Where's Waldo" had just been posted 3 minutes before, there is no way she could have known and was already looking for me.  I looked at her and she thought I was mad, and I had to explain just why I was in shock.  I told her that she just won a contest, and she laughed because she had her own story to tell.  As it turns out, she was travelling with her daughter, who went in to use the facilities at the time....and when they pulled in, the saw the writing on the back of the Hotel Honda (My affectionate name for the Marinade Mobile).  She has another daughter, who married an Australian and moved to Australia, and they have a family joke that he is fattening her up so he can marinade her and eat her.  Essentially, they had an inside family joke using Body Marinade way before we were ever in business, and apparently they were just discussing it while driving down 80.  We were both amazed at the coincidence, and she called it "fate".  They had left later than planned, and I had pulled back in instead of driving away.  She didn't know that I had left late also, which made it all that more weird. I gave them a freebie and asked them to post up their picture and story of the experience to the page, but they unfortunately haven't done so, even though it was worth $50 in Marinade.  My picture from the meeting is below.  It seems to have slipped my mind, but I believe her name was Julie.  I hope she enjoys her freebie and posts up to claim her prize at some point before the tour ends, even though they weren't looking, they were the very first to find Waldo. 

Later that night, I was driving along 80 in Ohio, and got a call from Dej that there was someone else who wanted to find Waldo just 70 miles or so up the road from where I was.  We worked out the logistics by phone and FB, and an hour later I was pulling into a gas station in Sheetsboro, Ohio to meet Carla, Jenna, and Phillip.  I gave them some freebies, a microderm abrasion demo, and they got a chance to mix their very own fragrances while we talked for a few minutes.  They were great people and I was really happy that I got the chance to meet them.  I am grateful that they left their house at midnight and drove over 30 minutes to give me the opportunity.  You guys rock!! My pic with Jenna is below...

I finished the night in an Indiana rest stop, just over the Ohio border...710.5 miles down....