On the road again ...

We gave our very first Gear & Go presentation for BP in Minneapolis and it was a success! We had about 25 people there, which was a perfect-sized crowd for our first event. People laughed at our jokes and stories and came up to us afterwards to thank us for the information. And, of course, they loved the free gear we gave out! It was an exhilarating feeling and we look forward to the 19 other stops we are making on the tour. 

Of course J & I are still pinching ourselves that we work for BP and are, essentially, professional backpackers. But I think what strikes me more than anything is that I am a public speaker for a living. 

When I was younger, I used to think I wanted to be a broadcast journalist. I took steps to try to get me there. For example, I was in a forensics club somewhere around 5th to 7th grade. This club wrote short stories and got together and gave mock presentations by memorization. One time, I was giving my presentation on "If I Were a Raisin" (my creativity has since improved) and I froze like a prune (this is where you LOL). I was so paralyzed with nerves that I had to take a moment out of the room to regroup (thankfully my mom was with me and helped me). I came back and did a fabulous job.

But I never forgot that moment and sometimes when I am going to speak in front of an audience, I wonder what will happen if I freeze. I have done so much public speaking since then. I used to teach life skills to a room full of male prisoners for goodness sake's! There is no easy answer to overcoming nerves, but I do believe that after this summer, I will be able to say my comfort level has skyrocketed. 

Another awesome part of our job is the constant road trip we will be on. This means we will get to see friends and family at almost every stop!!! The visits may short, but they will definitely be sweet!

Bye bye Minneapolis, next stop Colorado! Are we coming to a city near you??? Check out our Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/gearandgotour) to like us and find out!