We would sit there for hours, complaining and dreaming of the vacation we were supposed to be enjoying while he was debating with a timeshare sales person. Those moments are still etched in my brain so much that I refuse to participate in any type of timeshare presentation today. I can’t bear it. The high-pressure sales tactics and ridiculous arguments for why you need to purchase their product now irritate me. I don’t buy into it. I never have.

Even though I didn’t realize it at the time, I learned something from those interactions. I learned not to believe everything salespeople say, no matter how much of an expert they present themselves to be. I learned to be skeptical, discerning. I learned how to present compelling arguments in a negotiation, and I also learned how to walk away without purchasing something.

These skills have come in handy throughout the years. I never make an important purchase without proper research and never, ever buy when being pressured. I don’t trust sales people. I don’t make purchases based solely upon their recommendation. Instead, I consult many sources, get second opinions, and read credible, third-party reports.

By now you may be wondering what all of this has to do with air conditioning. The connection is not immediately clear, but keep reading and it will all make sense. Our A/C unit began to fail yesterday. Living in Texas with 100+ temperatures, we take our air conditioning very seriously. It’s not a privilege; it’s a necessity. This morning, my husband called our reliable A/C company, but they couldn’t send a technician to our house until Wednesday — not soon enough! He called other companies, found one that could send a technician today, and our adventure began. From the moment the technician walked into the house, he was already working on his sales pitch. He was smooth. He spit out jargon about new industry regulations, efficiency, and claims of shoddy work done by our builder…it went on and on. His ultimate goal was to get us to buy a new unit for $13,000.

I quickly saw through his act and so did my husband. He deftly maneuvered through this guy’s pitch, not falling for any of the warnings of doom. Ultimately, only a small repair was needed, and the salesman waived the service fee.

We now have a working unit, along with a cold house, and $13,000 still left in our bank account. I wonder how many people actually fall for the lies, though. The tactics must work most of the time, or the company wouldn’t employ them. It surprises me that people would fall for it or feel pressured into making that type of decision based on the recommendation of one obviously biased individual (without a second opinion). Most people are aware that they should avoid timeshare salespeople, but these types of individuals exist in all industries. Don’t be fooled by them, even if they come disguised as a harmless, unassuming A/C technician.

For me, I learned my lesson at an early age. Even though I despised it, all of those boring, tedious time share presentations were worth it and may have saved me a few thousand dollars today. Thanks Dad!

It was a lot of fun and really interesting.

View of the theatre from the stage.

Our seats next year are near the guy sitting with a pink ball. SO close! Can’t wait!!

Another view of the performance hall from the stage

Huge staging areas on the side of the main stage. They can drive semi-trucks into these areas when large productions are here. They had 13 for Billy Elliott.

System of counter-balances for the curtains, lights, props, and staging

Backstage Dressing Rooms

Hallway where all of the actors and performers sign when they perform here.

Close up shot in the hallway

Meyerson Symphony Hall and Dallas sky

My two best friends posing for the camera outside of the ATT PAC

After the party, we walked to our favorite downtown Mexican restaurant for dinner, Jorge’s. If you get tickets to a show in the Arts District, be sure to check it out. We always go there for dinner before a show. They have excellent food and great service — reservations are highly recommended!

We had hoped to watch the Dallas Theatre Center’s production of The Wiz at the Wylie Theatre, but by the time we arrived at the block party all of the tickets had already been sold. Maybe we’ll catch it on another weekend.

It was a great night with two people I love dearly. And now I know what’s happening behind the scenes when I see a performance at the ATT PAC. The only thing that would be better is if I were performing there. Hey, a girl can dream, right?

We’re three weeks away from opening night at McKinney Repertory Theatre (MRT). The cast is deep in the woods of rehearsals, practicing blocking, singing, lines, and choreography. Whew, it makes me tired just thinking about it. We rehearse four nights a week, and there’s still so much to do!

This is my first foray into the world of musical theater, and I have to admit, it’s been a very interesting adventure. I didn’t realize how complicated musicals were. There’s everything that goes into your standard drama production, but then you have to also add music, singing, and dancing. Trust me, it’s a lot.

Although my roles in this production are quite small, I’m still having a good experience, and it’s fun to watch the creative process that goes into a musical. I’m playing three characters: Red Riding Hood’s granny, Cinderella’s mother, and the giant (yes, she’s a woman). My characters don’t have a lot of stage time, but it is fun playing three very different roles — and I get to sing a bit, including some very, very high notes.

We have some outstanding actors and singers in this production. Some of them completely “wow” me. Rehearsals are chaotic at this stage, but I know the production will be top notch when it’s time to perform. The MRT is investing a significant amount in production, costumes and advertising for this show. It’ll be fantastic. For Tickets call 214 544 4630 or visit www.mckinneyperformingarts?center.org. And for a glimpse behind the scenes, check out the images below (I apologize now for the low, camera phone quality, but it’s better than nothing, right?).

First read through of the Into the Woods script

Rehearsing the opening of Act I

Trying to remember lines, singing, and choreography…not an easy task!

Rehearsing on stage in the theater at the McKinney Performing Arts Center

Our music director (and former Miss Texas) looks on as we rehearse a scene

I’ve been cheating.

My loyalties are split.

I have neglected the old one to pay attention to a newer, more attractive one.

It was bound to happen after so many years.

Yes, after years of being loyal to this blog, I have strayed. I have started another blog. Shocking…yes, I know! But those of you who are still here enjoying my infrequent updates shouldn’t worry. I’m not leaving you. I still plan to update this blog regularly with my personal updates, stories, and thoughts. I can’t guarantee that I’ll ever go back to daily updates. Once the spell was broken, it was difficult to regain the zest for updating it daily. However, I hope to post updates weekly — at a minimum — and possibly more if it’s a good week.

Now for the brand new shiny object, my new blog is focused on journaling my cycling adventures. I’ll chronicle my participation in charity rides, group bike tours, and training rides.

I’ll also share tips that I learn along the way, and point out things from a unique perspective, that of a female rider struggling to keep up with the guys. Stay tuned for product reviews, helpful tools, and insights on where to find the best cycling gear and jerseys.

If you are interested in following along, subscribe or bookmark the site at: www.cyclinginsideout.com. If you are on Twitter, you can also follow me @cycleinsideout.

On July 23, I will be cycling in the American Diabetes Association’s Tour de Cure fundraising event at Texas Motor Speedway. More than 23.6 million Americans — including some of my own family members and friends — suffer from diabetes. During this event, I’ll be joining with riders from across North Texas to help ride for a cure.

Gary and I will be cycling the course with the Cisco corporate team, and I need sponsors to help me reach my fundraising goal of $150. All proceeds benefit the American Diabetes Association and will help us make a difference in the fight against diabetes.

If you’d like to sponsor me, click here to visit my personal site and make a donation.

Together, we can all make a difference!

I know I shouldn’t feel this way. I’m lucky to have the opportunity to travel and experience these amazing adventures, so I should be thankful. I shouldn’t be sad. At that same time, I think it’s typical for people to feel a little blue when they have to go back to work and deal with reality. It’s impossible for real life to compete with vacation life. The comparison isn’t fair.

The good news is that Friday is only two days away. I’ll snap back into the grind soon. For now, I comfort myself with happy memories of the last two weeks and remind myself of a saying from the wise Dr. Seuss, “Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.”

In the afternoon, we ventured out for more exploring, and here’s what we found.

Old Town Square palaces and church

Contortionist and sword swallower performing in the square

Park in the middle of the river

Paddle boats and rowboats galore

Great view for dinner

Free marionette show on Charles Bridge

After noon, we made our way to the famous Prague Castle, which according to the Guinness Book of World Records, is the largest coherent castle complex in the world with an area of almost 70,000 m. I definitely believe Guinness because it’s huge! We toured through the most compelling areas of the castle before descending the hill back into the city area where we booked a river boat tour. The boat tour takes you through the heart of Prague on the Vltava River. It was a nice break after walking all over the city, and it afforded us some fantastic views of the sights.

We later crossed the river and went into the Old Town area which is packed with shops, restaurants, and tons of tourists. After spending the last 8-9 days away from the busyness of a large city packed with annoying tourists, it made me long for one of those nice, quiet Austrian villages. Don’t get me wrong. Prague is awesome! I just wish there were fewer tourists roaming the city. I guess that’s what you get when you travel in the Summer, though. We usually travel later in the year…but now back to Prague. We explored the crowded streets and wandered through some of the tourist shops before finding our way to the Hard Rock Cafe for a familiar dinner featuring American food. Oh, how I’ve missed American food, and don’t get me started on how much I’m craving some Mexican food right now. It will be my first meal when I get home.

After dinner, we explored a bit more before calling it quits. Our legs were still sore and after all of the walking we did today, we were tired so we enjoyed the rest of the night relaxing in our hotel.

We have one more day in Prague before flying home. I’m not sure what exciting things we’ll find tomorrow, but we’ll make the most of our last day.

Here are the highlights from today’s adventures.

St. Vitus Cathedral in the Prague Castle

Side view of the cathedral

View looking down on the city from the palace terrace

Palace buildings in the castle

View of Charles Bridge from the river boat tour

Looking towards the National Theatre Building in the middle with gold roof

Hard Rock Cafe Prague

For more pictures, check out the Austria II and Czech Republic pictures in the photo section of the blog.

In the beginning of the ride, the weather was similar to the previous day — cloudy and cool — but the farther we rode, the worse it got. The temperature dropped and so did the rain. I do not normally ride in the rain, but I decided to keep going until the van started to fill up with riders who were dropping out due to the poor conditions. I stopped riding after about 17 miles and secured a spot in the dry, warm van for the remainder of the ride. Gary stuck it out and completed the full 34 miles — with an extra loop at the end (after it had stoped raining).

All of the riders regrouped in a small town for lunch, and then we were shuttled the rest of the way to Prague, which was about 2 1/2 hours away via bus. Once we arrived in the city, we freshened up and went exploring for a couple of hours before joining the rest of the group for our farewell dinner in a lovely restaurant on the river near the Charles Bridge.

After dinner, we said our goodbyes and walked back to the hotel together. It was a lovely evening. The town is beautiful at night because the castle and all of the prominent buildings are lighted. This gives everyone magnificent views as they stroll through the streets.

Lunch spot and the end of our cycling journeys

View of Prague from the bell tower of St Nicholas Church — we climbed 215 steps to get this view!

The river Vltava from Charles Bridge

Gate at Charles Bridge

Gate at the other end of the bridge as the sun was going down

Prague Castle at night

Another gorgeous view of Prague!

Our cycling tour is over, but we still have a few days left in Prague to see the sights. I’ll keep blogging our adventures until we return on Sunday. If you have been inspired by our journey, check out Ciclismo Classico. They have a wide variety of tours across Europe as well as Asia, South Pacific, and South America. If you go to Prague, tell them you want to travel with Andrea and Umberto (the two best guides ever!).

A few kilometers later, we hit the border and stopped for a few photos with some of the group.

Leaving Austria

We stopped for a regroup in another picturesque town called Rozmberk. The river below is the Vltava River, the longest river in the Czech Republic. We followed its path for much of the day. Many summer camps were set up along its banks, and we even saw a few people kayaking and rafting on it through the mountains.

Our lunch stop and final destination for the day was Cesky Krumlov. This town is a hidden gem. I could have stayed there much longer. It had a great vibe coupled with lots of history and some great sights including the Cesky Krumlov Castle. After eating lunch and getting cleaned up from the ride, we journeyed out on a walking tour of the city. Here’s a few of the highlights (and many more photos can be seen in the “photos” section of the blog).

View of main town square from our hotel window

View of castle and St. Vitus church

View of the “small castle” on the hill while standing on the Barber Bridge

Kayaking in the river. We ate dinner at the cafes on right. Great food and great views!

View of the city from the castle

Bears in the moat of the castle! I guess that will keep away unwanted guests.