The Aftermath

The mists have lifted. The fog is gone. Amy and I have officially concluded all business with Camfel Productions. We have been back for over two months now. In fact, Camfel's training for the new season is underway already. We even considered the idea of signing up again. The following is a little rundown of our experience. Some of this is written for future technicians or people looking into doing Camfel.

The Company- After doing our research and having a few interactions and interviews with Camfel Productions, we packed our bags and met a random person at the airport. Stuffed our things into an unmarked white van and trusted that we had made the right decision. It seemed very sketchy at first. But I assure you Camfel Productions is a legitimate company. They have been in business for something like 40 years. The message they deliver, to hundreds of thousands of kids every year, is one of positivity. The message differs slightly from year to year (which is nice because its always fresh and new). The general messages I saw were "dont bully" "act positively" "be all you can be" "you're not alone". These were all done with a dramatic, inspiring and upbeat method. The people working for Camfel are solid people with a devotion to the message. They care about what they are doing.
While I would overall say that the company is great, it does have its flaws. If you read the rest of the blog you'll pick up on some of the things I would change.
The good
-Camfel's history speaks highly of their program
-the company is full of people that care about what they are doing
-pay is enough to save some cash if you live frugally or enough to have a great trip

The not so good
-Training lacked community building with other technicians
-seems as though good technicians get overloaded and slightly ignored
-I believe the scheduling could be done much more efficiently

The Job- Essentially what a technician does is the following:
-Make contact with each school
-Unload equipment
-Setup equipment
    --Setup 3 big screens
    --Setup 4 big speakers
    --Setup 3 projectors
    --Setup bank of DVD players
    --Connect everything and align picture
-Introduce the show to the crowd
-Play the show
-Give an inspirational conclusion
-Take down the equipment
-Repair equipment as needed
-Pack it all up into your little vehicle
-Lather, rinse, repeat

The job takes a certain amount of brawn and we had days that we were absolutely exhausted. The technical aspect is minimal as long as you feel competent in setting up a projector at home. Most of your time outside of doing shows will be spent driving. We had time off (significantly more during the second half) and this is where the biggest benefit of the job comes into play...

The Experience- You get to see all different corners of this country. Sometimes it can be lame...really lame...Ohio lame. Its mostly what you make of it. Amy and I tried to balance the whole thing. We did a few strategic things every month. That way we were able to save money but still see the big things in each region (read the blog for more info on those adventures). A regular day consisted of waking up in hotel/motel A, doing a show or two then driving 2 or 3 hours and crashing in hotel/motel B. The in between was finding a creative meal (eating out gets old). The exceptional days we were able to see Mt. Rushmore or go on a swamp tour. They were few and far between. But then again, its a job, not a vacation. If you don't burn out and don't hide away in your hotel room every night you can really get to know our country.

I'll try to get the next post up much quicker than this one. I'm rather excited to share the next one...its our ending statistics! :)

The Final Chapter

We were Camfel Technicians once....

The sunset was beautiful, one for the record books to be sure. I had just pulled off the interstate because I couldn't take watching the brilliant reds, purples and oranges in simply my side view mirror. We got out and looked across the charcoal landscape of New Mexico. It was a blinding contrast against the gleaming orb of fire. I hugged my wife and said "this is what its all about".

It was during this little pit stop that I realized just how close we were to being done. We still had about a month and a half, but after driving for eight and a half solid months, I could see just how little time was left in our endeavor. We talked the rest of that drive about all the crazy things we had done and seen. Then BAM! Suddenly, here I am typing this in Michigan, at my in-laws house, done with Camfel and home. Its over...I blinked.

Now, with a little break to catch you all up on our lives, here is a quick rundown of how we finished up our crazy year. We buzzed around Texas and Colorado for a few shows. Stayed with Gary and Evy, Wyatt and Julie. Stayed at a great little place called Utte Lodge in South Fork Colorado. Stopped in Vegas and stayed at The Golden Nugget (The best part of Vegas was learning that I will NEVER return). Then we dropped off our van in Cali, got picked up by the Hudaks and put our stuff in a heap on their living room floor.

Since the last day with Camfel, we have done quite a bit. Here's a quick rundown of that little adventure to where I sit today. Had a blast with the Hudaks and were unbelievably close to taking one of their adorable puppies home. While there, we bought a car and got it ready to drive back across the country (you'd think we would have had enough). We said good bye to friends with the determination to find them jobs in Michigan and set off. We were able to stop and reconnect with the Sievers as well (both the Hudaks and the Sievers worked for Camfel too). In between seeing these friends we stopped at the Hoover Dam and nearly got arrested in Utah (ask me in person for the details) for "Cereal theft". Then we arrived in Denver for a great stay with Amy's brother yet again. We ventured over to Boulder, shot guns and enjoyed the Creek Festival. We had planned to do some white water rafting. That fell thru and we shot home instead. We drove 18 straight hours (Amy drove some of that!). Then we had a crazy weekend hosting international friends at my parents house. Finally, we are done.

We are back. Get your tickets to see us. Give us a call, email, text or just shout outside with a megaphone. And to all my male friends...I just spent 10 months within arms length proximity to my wife...please invite me to a guys night :)

Don't worry, this is not the end of the blog. Soon to come is my critique of Camfel Productions. I will be giving advice to future techs and will try to give a fair review of the experience and company.

So Much, So Little

Hey guys. Amy and I are still alive. I had to look to see when I updated last. Sorry.

My brother is a married man and I welcome him to the club. Its a fun club. But before we got back up to Michigan, we did all sorts of fun things. After staying with my brother Noah, we made our way to a little Bavarian village in Georgia. Then we made our way to Lake Charles in Louisiana with a stop for a swamp tour. We saw real live 'gators in the wild! With a barrage of delicious flavors (boudin balls, gumbo, crawfish, etouffe) we started north. It was 19 hours up and then 13 hours back down to Oklahoma. We were able to really enjoy the wedding and we are happy to add to the Swartz clan (welcome to the extremely elite club, Kristin). From OK back to Big Tex. We stayed with Noah and Mary once again and then got to see some of Amy's family that I hadn't yet met. Gary and Evy were awesome and treated us to (Sorry Noah) the best BBQ we have ever had. Then we thought "Austin seems too...northern". So, we decided to go to the very bottom of Texas. South Padre Island was fun and I jumped in the gulf while the air temperature was somewhere around 85 degrees. With that, we thought "too...southern" and off we went to North Dakota. Really it was just the northern border of South Dakota but we took a 200 yard detour to add another state to our count. Seriously, South Dakota is boring. Even their capitol city is small and remote. We saw everything thing they had to offer (Mt. Rushmore, The Corn Palace and ... land) and are now on our way to Missouri, Illinois and then back to OK. From IL to OK we currently have 8 days off so if anyone knows what to do between Chi town, St. Louis and OK City let us know :)

Thats it. Heres some pics.

Wedding Prep

I was looking pretty scraggly. Amy was looking beautiful but wanted to donate her locks...lox? Shes pretty.

We are adding a few southern states (Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana) to our count and then headed back up to Michigan for my brothers wedding. Very excited to see people that know us and we know them. It gets tiring being the new person every single day.

Also, time to start looking for other awesome jobs for this amazing duo. So, get on it people.

Visions Of Our Travels

 As promised, here are some pics. Thought I'd start with one with the prettiest view and I don't mean the canyon. ;) 

 Its beautiful and pictures don't do it justice...but really its just a big hole. Wish we had more time here.

Wait...was that a puma!

 Jelly Belly factory...yeah we went there. Weirdest flavor: Sausage.

 Probably my favorite place we've been...but it could be because I was not expecting much. It was absolutely mind blowing. It was hard to accept that this place was on our planet. I recommend it.

 Perspective is hard to capture on film, but this was awe inspiring.

 From this part of the caverns you can see a quarter mile...UNDERGROUND!

 Just one of our fine meals on the road. That is mutter paneer, chicken tikka masala and a samosa mmm!

 I know shes short...but still this cactus was impressive. Similar personalities though...jk :)

 Sometimes wild animals find their way into our shows. Fortunately, this bobcat was well behaved.

 This was in the desert of Arizona. Craziness.

This sign sums up our travels, controlled silliness. Hope you enjoyed!

Can It BE!?!?

The task of starting up the blog again has felt like a school essay that needs doing. Except with this essay the deadline has already passed,  I won’t fail the class if I don’t write it and each day I wait to write it another page is added to the requirement. So, in an attempt to actually start being a regular updater, this entry may leave out quite a bit.

Let’s see…

Currently, Amy and I are in Arizona. But you wouldn’t know it with yesterday’s weather. We drove through a canyon in blizzard-ish conditions and took pictures of snow in the dessert. Snow…on cactus. Bizarre. From here we will be making our way up to Wyoming. By “making our way” I mean busting our humps to drive 18 hours in 2 days with a stop to see the Grand Canyon. From Wyoming we will be heading back down to the warmth of Texas. That is the foreseeable future.  Now to try and tackle the past.

We got to Arizona from New Mexico after an amazing trip to Carlsbad Caverns (We had a few shows in NM too). Though it may sound cheesy, it was breath taking. The immensity of the underground world there is only surpassed by the beautifully weird formations. Before New Mexico, we were lucky enough to stay with my brother in Texas. The one full day we had there has become known as “the day of gluttony”. Ribs, brisket, video games, lobster, video games, hot tub, pizza. Good grief…it was awesome. Before Texas came Minnesota. We had one show in Missouri on our way down, but other than that we went from the frigid north straight to swimming in the sun of the south. In Minnesota we were able to catch up with our long time family friends The Holtmans. Within minutes my sides were hurting from laughter. Truly reenergizing to see them all.

Huff, huff take a breath…

Before Minnesota, we were back in Michigan for a very short stint. But it was not for the best of reasons. My Grandmother passed away and we were able to get back for the memorial service. She was an amazing woman and will be greatly missed. But I know where she is and am happy that her suffering was short. She was super active and had a sharp mind to the end. I don’t mean to skip quickly by this event, but I couldn’t explain how much she impacted my life or even touch on her amazing one in any sort of timely manner. So, let’s move on. Before our quick trip to Michigan, we stayed with some amazing people in Iowa that are doing some cool things as far as working with troubled youth. Iowa was a long haul from Tennessee. This trip to Tennessee we were unable to stay with Amy’s family there, but we were able to stay with a couple of former techs that did the same thing as us…20 years ago. Amazing people. It was almost a totally different job back then. We had a blast comparing stories about our time on the road. I will never forget the cough syrup they gave me. It tasted like they compressed an entire douglas fir into a bottle and let it rot. But it helped. The cold I was trying to get rid of was probably from the wolf park that we visited in Indiana before driving down to Tennessee. We stood out in the cold drizzle at night watching an entire pack of wolves eat bits of cream cheese from their humans. We howled and were rewarded with howls from the wolves. Quite an experience.

Gasp…

We have done and seen so much. This may be a few of the highlights but really there is so much more. Even now I feel like I’m overlooking something huge. Tons of pictures to follow. Hope this will satisfy your craving for Swartz for a little while.

Perspective

Here's a little food for thought: Sometimes the things right in front of us are more important than our personal goals. Step back. Gain some perspective.

Hopefully, you aren't missing something quite so significant as a Great White shark...but you get my point. I took a little time out of my New Years Eve to go visit my grandma at her nursing home. She was delighted to see me. We had a great conversation, just her and I, about life and all it entails. Aside from her self deprecating humor about getting old, she was nothing but positive about life. Really, I'm not trying to say 'look what I did, I'm awesome'. I just want to say going out of your way to do something nice just might turn into something nice for you. I love my grandma.

This picture also makes me think about the goals that I've set and the desires for my life that I have. With it being a new year, we are all thinking about resolutions. I'm not sure about all of this years goals but I think one of them will be to look at the big picture daily. This break has allowed me to reflect on what we have done and are going to do. We have but a few short months left and then Amy and I will have to look for the next step.

Next week we head back out on the road. We have a new van, new territory and renewed determination. Because its possible that we will only be coming back once (for Josiah's wedding), I want to really prepare and make the most of the time we have left.

Well, I think that's it. My mind is going in all different directions now. Do me a quick favor...share this with someone. Thanks.