Thursday, March 27, 2008

Tuesday Tell All...The Working Girl!

Believe it or not..there was once a time in my life where I could define what it is I do all day. Nowadays...people ask what do I do...my popular answer is..."I really don't know..but it keeps me busy all the time!"
This weeks TTA is a rundown of our working life (outside being a mom & wife which should be enough all by itself).

Many native Las Vegas people will remember the old Vegas Village stores. In hindsight they were very similar to Super Walmart or Target's with a grocery store. I worked in the jewelery department after school and in the evenings. It was very boring and some of my "sales" ideas didn't really go over too well but those stories are for a different post. But it was right in the main section of the store so I could always find people to chatter with....

I worked for my Dad at Leavitt Insurance Agency on and off throughout high school. I actually liked that job alot. I answered the phones, did the receptionist stuff and did the mail. My desk was right at the front door that all the customers and employees came and went through....so I could always find people to chatter with.

For a short time in High School I worked as a cashier at one of the souvineer shops on Fremont Street. It was one of those stores that sold majorly dumb junk, t-shirts and some pretty "off color" Vegas style souvineers. I really didn't notice they were that "off-color" until one day my mom came by the check out where I was working....OH MY GOSH...AWKWARD!!!! She quickly pink slipped me and I am sure prayed for my innocence to be restored....and probably rightfully so...I think it's good for kids to try to imagine doing and seeing what they are doing through their parents eyes. I sure did miss all those tourists I would chatter with all day.

After a very brief stint at Ricks College (UGH-HATED IT)I moved home and my Dad was not happy about it. Little did he know that his frustration would lead me into a career that lasted over two decades and introduced me to the glorious place this world is. He advised me I was not going to be a college dropout who was going to be lazy and non-ambitious. He basically advised me if I was going to stay at home and work I had two options. 1. The Insurance business BORING!!!! (little did I know I would grow from an Insurance Baby to Insurance wife) or 2. He had a friends that owned a travel agency.
The travel agency sounded very interesting. I started at Dazey Travel Service when I was 18 years old. I started out answering phones, receptionist, Brochure manager (oh yes....rght into management teehee) Before I turned 21 years old I had been on 4-5 cruises, Hawaii, Mexico, Texas, Georgia, Boston, New York, Florida, Spain, Italy, France...and these are just what I can think of right now. I spent my 21st Birthday in St Thomas in the Caribbean with a couple girlfriends. The travel bug was planted then I am still suffering from a wandering soul. Now I can chatter with people all over the world!!
I went back to College and while I was studying (yeah right?!) and hoping to get a MRS degree I worked for a little computer company called Zeda Computers. Once again...I was on the front line where I could chatter with all the techys and computer nerds...I loved that part.
But...travel was in my blood....I missed the industry.
I commuted from Provo (where I thought I would find Mr BYU Right) to Salt Lake City (where I actually found my Utah Ute Mr Right) and worked at the front desk of the famous Hotel Utah. This beautiful old hotel is now the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. I LOVED this job...I got paid to chatter all day. We were able to meet a ton of apostles and I actually got to see and meet President Kimball. He actually lived in the hotel. The best part of that job was the management. I not only dated one of my bosses (yeah you can call me "playa") but I dated and married another one of the bosses. My Lovey Keith was the Concierge and then Room Division Manager and he was "so fine"! He and I would chatter all day..(and if truth be told made out a few times behind the desk...)maybe thats why it became important for me to find a job somewhere else. (If truth be told...I was up for the same job as him and at that point in our relationship it might have put a damper on the romance if I took his job. He'll have absolutely NO recollection of this part I'm sure!)
So I went back to what I did best. I started working in the Meeting & Convention Planning department of Morris Travel. Once again I got to travel to some pretty amazing places "to work"!
In 1986 Keith was transferred to a fancy schmancy hotel in Chicago and off we went. I have to say....Chicago almost killed us. Once again...thats for another post. While we lived there I worked for a Meeting planning company and did all the travel arrangements for all the conventions. It was call Creative Travel and it was an hour commute both directions. I did get to travel to Appleton, Wisconsin a couple time for training...woohoo... Most people in Chicago didn't want to chatter much...they weren't really very nice people. I'm sure there are a few nice ones...I just didn't ever meet them.
In 1987 until 1998 I managed Call Leavitt Travel & Cheyenne Travel. Oh the places I got to go and see....what a wonderful career. They actually paid you to take trips with family and friends. Oh I could chatter on for hours about this job....

So now...people ask me "what do you do?" I chatter with them for awhile and usually end up saying something like..."I'm not sure..but I stay really busy!"

jlr

2 comments:

Jenn Shields

Good for you Janae. I say "get it girl!" You were busy enough raising two boys, so now that their off - travel away. Now if I could only convince you to take me too!

Anonymous

I worked at Zeda Computers, too. What a joke that company was. I was one of the computer nerds. The software like "Zeda Basic" had so many bugs that nothing could be written in it.

Who was the incompetent egomaniac that headed that company? I've forgotten his name.