Last week wrapped up with our group watching the Super Bowl at Elway’s Restaurant in Denver. We had a great turn out from our customers in Denver but literally as soon as the final whistle blew (and the Packers won) we boarded the bus and were on the way to Dallas. After a stop in Amarillo, Texas we pulled into Dallas Monday night.
In the most ironic twist of the trip, Dallas was the coldest place we visited the entire tour. We spent time in Montana, Chicago, Omaha and Denver and the coldest stop was in Dallas. The temperature read a chilly 12 degrees on Wednesday morning. The roads were the iciest we had seen in the country but once again, Leon was able to get us to our final stop, Houston, with no issues.
Even though Houston, too, was going through a cold snap, it was balmy compared to Dallas so Houston provided the perfect place to wrap up the tour. The highlight of Houston was definitely the visit to Texas Children's. Although every hospital was special, this was the final one. Our group was tired and worn down but walking into this hospital reminded all of us how special these children are. It was inspiring and energizing to see these brave children. It really did give our group the inspiration to wrap up the tour with Marriott's Spirit to Serve. This tour was about bringing the Spirit of Aloha to all of our stops and our stop at Texas Children’s was no exception.
As a final goodbye from the 2011 Spirit of Aloha tour, I think it is appropriate to thank our driver, Leon Blue, for navigating our group through some very difficult situations. And, I personally want to thank my Polynesian Cultural Center travel mates: Erin, Sina, Travis, Milton, Si, Nephi and Francis. It was a great trip!! Marriott Hawaii will see you again soon. Mahalo!
