Goodbye Petaluma, CA

Today was my last day. It's kind of a bittersweet moment. I've made many good friends here that I have said goodbye too, I am now in the midst of packing and thought I should do a quick update before I pack away my laptop....


The Harlem Ambassadors Event was a hit! We had 225+ in attendance, myself and Rob played their hosts for the day. We checked them into their rooms, took them to the galley for lunch, escorted them to Two Rock Elementary School where they did their positive and uplifting message/mini-show, let them rest for the afternoon, set-up the gym and opened it 2hrs early for them to practice, monitored the game and took photographs for the intranet site, then tore-down, and escorted them to dinner at the restaurant Two Rock Pizza. It was quite a night, they are amazing people! In order to be on the team you must have a Bachelor's Degree (or in your last year of obtaining one), be completely drug free, and commit to a 3yr contract.

The one thing the event taught me was the importance of communication (which I feel this base can improve upon). Mr. Sturla had contacted the CPOA about selling concessions 3wks in advanced, sent them a 2, then 1wk reminder notice, and then day of he asked if they were prepared to come set-up at 5pm, and they asked "for what?" I got VERY frustrated... luckily a couple of the guys on the CPOA donated their time, so our basketball show could have a concession stand. THANK GOODNESS!

All of my supervisors took me out to Olive Garden on Thursday for my "goodbye lunch." They were so nice, they even gave me one of those reloadable debit cards for gas money to get me home! Then today, I recieved an official letter of appreciation from the base commander, Captain Hall, complete with a TRACEN Petaluma Folder and Commander's Coin! It was really awesome.

Oddly enough I will miss living here, it's been a completely different world than I was used to, but I grew to love it. Goodbye TRACEN Petaluma... the memories and experiences will not be quickly forgotten!

"My Experience" Assignment

A little over three months ago, I loaded up my car and headed off on a grand adventure. It’s almost humorous for me to be writing this because the most common question I heard when I arrived: “How did you end up here?” Well let me tell you- I don’t know whether or not it’s because both of my grandpa’s served in WWII, my cousin and boyfriend currently serve, or the fact that I absolutely love history and the freedoms we have benefitted from living in this country. But, I’ve always had this feeling that someday I would be serving those who serve us. Why the Coast Guard Training Center in Petaluma, CA? Honestly, it’s just where I ended up after months of submitting resumes and completing phone interviews; so, only God can answer that question.

Whatever the reason is that I ended up here, it has been such a great learning and growing experience for me! Personally I learned to live on my own, away from everyone and everything I knew, away from my close knit support system, away from weather that made sense to me, and normal civilization. The base is located about 30min west of the nearest town, and I say town because that is all it is. We are completely surrounded by farmlands and vineyards, no matter where you look there will be rolling hills and cows. This was a drastic change of scenery to my normal Mesa, Arizona life of neighborhood streets and mountain views. People on base are generally friendly, but you must make an effort to talk to them more than the passing “hello.” Which took a lot for me at first because I was still getting used to the new lifestyle of eating when told, dealing with marching formations, and knowing how to address people correctly. Eventually I got the hang of it and have made some amazing friends and networks during my time here, I am almost sad to leave and say goodbye.

Professionally this internship has given me a huge step in the right direction! Within my first week here I was exposed to upper management meetings and briefings, at the time they felt a bit overwhelming, but now I can look back at the notes I took and have the knowledge to accompany them. Every single planning meeting I had the opportunity to leave my mark on, I made sure I did. Once I got over the fear of sharing my ideas, I ended up having a positive impact on the advertising and marketing campaigns for events and promotions within the MWR. I was trusted enough to have a master key to my office building. As well as being given the annual Easter event all to myself, planning for 300 people, with a limited budget. I have seen and been a part of the effort of planning and implementing large and small scale events. Each day I was taught something new, and if I made a mistake I was given positive reinforcement and the opportunity to fix it efficiently and correctly.

Specific growth examples during my time here include many episodes of trial and error. When creating the website I had to spend hours formatting the html to look exactly the way my supervisor had described in his vision. While ordering all of my supplies for the Easter event, I used Fun Express as my supplier. My supervisor has an account with them, and has used them for the last few years for holiday parties. He had yet to have issues with them, which seems to be the perfect reason that anything that could go wrong for me, did. I had to call and change the quantity of my order twice because when it went through on the internet something in their computer system changed the price per quantity at the same time I was ordering. Then when I finally received my order, toys I needed for the Easter baskets were missing. So I called back again, luckily they allowed me to add on to the order for all of the trouble I had. It wasn’t all bad trial and error though; my designs for marketing and advertising were accepted (with and without modifications) and are now utilized around the base. The online calendar I created has been added to the mandatory list of places for the MWR events to be advertised; I also held a training session on how to update and add events to the calendar.

During my time here the Coast Guard implemented new weight standards. It was great for me to see because it reinforced multiple things I had been taught in classes about the need for recreation. The new program offers, personal fitness training, group fitness training, meal plans, as well as spiritual and emotional wellness opportunities. Often when dealing with recreation you will be referred to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, which is a pyramid, starting from bottom to top: Basic Needs, Safety Needs, Love/Belonging, Esteem, and finally Self-Actualization. In the Coast Guard the basic and safety needs are taken care of through a steady job, paycheck, and benefits. Love and belonging are gained through friendships, family, and in the Coast Guard’s sense- duty to one another. Esteem in the Coast Guard has much to do with their rank, but even more their passion for their job and sense of fulfillment and respect given by others. The last item, Self-Actualization, has to do with a person’s own morality, problem solving abilities, and is sometimes referred to as peak experiences.

Learning the history behind my department (MWR) also allowed me to learn the history of the Coast Guard, and I absolutely love the Guardian Ethos: “I am America’s maritime guardian. I will serve the citizens of the United States. I will protect them. I will defend them. I will save them. I am their shield. For them I am Semper Paratus. I live the Coast Guard core values. I am a guardian. We are the United States Coast Guard.” Within this specialized community, I have been able to see how recreational opportunities can enhance this guardian spirit. Seemingly simple opportunities for them to get off base and enjoy something such as skiing or a baseball game, is in no short an escape for them. Recreation uplifts the spirit and morale, and without it, where would our guardians be? It comes as no surprise to me, after living in this environment, that “espirt de corps” is an item of high importance for all military commands.

2nd to Last Week

This is from Friday April 24th- Promotion of the FREE Harlem Ambassadors Event here on base this coming Wednesday May 6th, I mentioned it in a previous post.

Last week was very packed to say the least. Monday I was told to give the "Welcome, this is what MWR has to offer" speech at the new class in-doc. I went for the humor to start, and asked them "How many of you got off that plane, over the Golden Gate Bridge, started seeing endless numbers of cows and thought- 'where the heck am I going?'" The base literally is 25min from the nearest town, and remember town, not city. Evidently it was memorable and they liked it, I had a few guys recognize me throughout the week and thank me for the information on the MWR.

Tuesday I had to collect the Enterprise Keys from the drop box, and report the number of cars to the company. Unfortunately someone brought a car back late and Enterprise called asking if there was another Dodge Caliber in the parking lot/keys in the box. So I had to do the whole procedure twice, and who ever it was that rented that car got charged a late fee. *Note: Be on time! It makes everyone's lives easier and cheaper for you*

Wednesday I had my final report bound! Yikes, already? So soon? It's true... I mailed it off Friday.

Thursday was my last MWR Management Team Meeting, not very much for me to do since I will be gone. So I listened and shouted out a few ideas here and there.

Friday was absolutely insane (CDC Musical with the Stars). First, we had beautiful weather all week, beautiful! Friday it absolutely poured ALL day. So getting props and children to the theatre dry was near impossible. I had made 60 programs to be passed out, and (fortunately?) we ran out and I needed to make 25 more. I am SO thankful to FS2 Paone, he was a life saver and my source of sanity in the midst of chaos. Toddlers and Preschoolers have no attention span, and cry at the drop of the hat, so the whole "program" quickly got thrown out the window and Sam (FS2 Paone) and I were dealing with all the last minute changes- lights, video, moving props, curtains, music, microphones. We pulled it off, the kids raised some money, and their parents loved it. If only they knew what it took behind the scenes to make it happen!

I have 5 working days left, and I leave Saturday morning for my roadtrip home... I can't believe I'm almost done. We're graduating so soon!

Talk about "being in the loop"...

...and not particularly enjoying the fact that I live in California at the moment.

Last week we started hearing about the Swine Flu. Since Monday alone- I've had 5+ e-mails hit my inbox via DHS (Secretary Napolitano), USCG Command, and my local Sonoma County.

FYI: a public heath emergency has been declared. I can't post the e-mails, as they are for DHS/Coast Guard Employees only, but...

-Here is a DHS, CDC, and Counter terrorism press release on the topic: April 26, 2009

-Up to date information: Center for Disease Control

It's making me a bit nervous, all I want is to make it home healthy and enjoy graduation. My boyfriend and I are suppose to spend a couple of days in Santa Monica and Ventura before arriving back in AZ, and now I'm having second thoughts.

How did we end up being susceptible to animal diseases anyway... bird flu, swine flu, etc?

Today we also received notice of the airline National Threat Advisory Level move from Yellow (Elevated) to Orange (High)... which isn't cool for my boyfriend and family flying in for my graduation!

My prayers go out to those working and living near the areas of the Swine Flu outbreaks, and to anyone traveling within the next few weeks.

"Bingo!"

This week started off with a bang! Monday morning I came into the office and my inbox was flooded with e-mails (guess that's what happens when you have leave on a Friday before an event). San Fransisco was worth it and needed, but I already wrote about that while describing the prior week on the 20th.

After going through the e-mails, and reading the correspondence that took place, I contacted ET2 Stefanik immediately about purchasing prizes for the Bingo event. I also sent an e-mail to LT Beechwood (The Morale Committee Officer) explaining the current situation of the event. At 11am Jennifer (ET2) and I were off on a mission worth $300.00. Our first stop ended up being Target where we purchased six of the ten prizes, the lady at the cash register forgot to give us the receipt. We didn't realize this until we were at Applebee's buying the 7th prize, when I mentioned that I didn't see it in any of the Target bags. We had to go back to Target and endure a long ridiculous receipt retrieval process. Since we didn't plan on returning any of the items, seeing as they were for prizes, you may be wondering why we went through all of that just for a copy of the receipt: well, since Jennifer was paying for all the prizes with her own money, she needed the receipts in order to fill out an expenditure form to be reimbursed by the Morale Committee. The 8th prize came from a quick stop at Safeway where we picked up a $25 American Express card, and the last two were from the on-base Exchange. The remainder of the afternoon, I "dressed up the prizes" to be aesthetically appealing.

On Tuesday I had to recover all of the pictures that had been lost and create a new disc to HAND deliver the the base webmaster. I am happy to say all of the Easter and Alcatraz pictures can be found on the intranet site. The Bingo event went well that evening... we had 24 participants, and everyone was excited about the prizes, here is the list I created:

Wednesday I was involved in the CDC Rehersal at the theatre, I've also been working on the Intro/Intermission Slideshow for the production all week. I sure have spent a lot of time behind the computer staring at pictures of little kids with the soundtrack of "Lean on Me," "Wind Beneath my Wings," and the oh-so-popular High School Musical "We're All in this Together," playing over and over while I formated the titles and transitions correctly.

Thursday I had the opportunity to learn all about the ticket office operations, how to look up items in the computer. I also learned how to create a new customer account, and every single discounted ticket the office has! From Sea World to Six Flags, hotel discounts, to golf packages... it blew me away. I almost can't believe more people don't utilize this amazing tool that is right on base... I know once I'm a dependent, I certainly will!

Today, I got to make a fool of myself. In a good way! I dressed up in basketball garb, and promoted the upcoming Harlem Ambassador's Event during the student lunch hour.

I have exactly 2wks left. Where has the time gone?

This made me smile =)

This morning when I logged into my workstation I received this e-mail:

I also received an e-mail from a future intern for the Yorktown base, she'll be completing her internship this coming summer. I didn't smile because I was recognized out of the 9 current USCG MWR Interns, I smiled because it is so nice to know that my experience here can help others!

I don't know what your internship directors/supervisors/etc. have been doing for the rest of you interns, but I do hope they have been giving you positive feedback, and encouragement like I have been getting during my time here!

We graduate in three weeks! How exciting (yet terrifying) is that? =)
-Tay

From kids to teens

Last week feels so far away... probably because my sister came in Friday and I took the day off. Our weekend spent in San Francisco, around the Redwood Forest, and the beaches off PCH was much needed and enjoyed, but unfortunately... I am suffering from a runny nose and cough again. I think it is because the weather here has ADD. When my sister, Alexis, arrived it was a mere 63*, within a day it jumped to 86* and today's high is 91* with 100% humidity. Ugh.

Anyways... back to the work week:

Monday I got to spend the morning with FS2 Paone (Sam)... he took me to the theater and showed me "the ropes." I now know how to turn on all the lights and the dimming affects that can be utilized by them. I was also taught how to set up the microphones, including the wireless headsets and the podium. I learned that he orders popcorn/candy/drinks/cups/etc. fairly often, but because we are on a military installation the shipping often arrives late, so he has to take that into consideration. He is also in charge of running the sign that advertises the movie/showtimes, updating the movie posters (he even let me pick a few to keep!), and the most interesting thing I think he does- physically puts together the film reels for playing purposes! Which I found quite ironic, as he is a Food Service Coastie. I asked why an Electronics Technician (ET) didn't have his billet (job) and it came down to the fact that FS's have more experience in ordering/purchasing items, that unless they make more FS billets they would be on boats too often, and they have to have great public relations (they serve meals to entire ships/schools/bases- they need good people skills!).

Tuesday and Wednesday my newly acquired theater information came in handy. Evette and her preschool class came down to the theater in order to rehearse for their upcoming CDC Musical. After one minor technical glitch (microphone was too loud), the rehearsal went smoothly. Well, as smooth as a bunch of 4-5yrs would allow it to be. They are some cute kids, and if they pull off the play they have been learning, their parents will be so proud! It is also going to be a great way to promote April's "Child Abuse Prevention Month" and the fact it is also the "Month of the Military Child." (and yes, I realize that the event is on May 1st).

Thursday was our Spring Break (what's that?) outing for the teenagers here on base. Unfortunately we didn't have a huge turnout because the base command didn't approve of the event until literally, the day before. There were evidently some rumors floating around that permenant party and dependents were no longer allowed to ride in government vehicles- aka: the 15 passenger van the MWR has. Despite the small turnout those who attended seemed to enjoy themselves. We took them into town, watched the movie "Knowing" (which is really good by the way) and then to Applebees for lunch, where each teen had a $10 limit.

I was quite frustrated last week when I found out that a picture CD I had sent to our base webmaster had been lost in Guardmail (base mail). The Alcatraz pictures and my 30+ pictures from Easter weren't what I was worried about, the MWR camera's pictures had been deleted! So now, unless my Guardmail randomly shows up somewhere, there are at least 100 pictures from Easter missing. Lesson learned- make copies of everything!

Action Plan

After talking to Ms. Owen last Wednesday I came away with a few goals for the last three weeks of my time here. For the remainder of my internship my main goals are going to be continuing to network with those who work in the field, learning everything I can about the MWR operations, and actively searching out job opportunities.

I have already met the majority of the people who are associated with the MWR at the Training Center; however, I would like to be able to sit down with them and talk about how they achieved the position they are currently at. What they like and dislike about working for the government, any tips for someone trying to get their foot in the door, and ideas in regards to finding a job in the current economy. Each person has a different background, how they got where they are today, and while I cannot use their story as my own; I believe every little idea, tip, or “nugget” of wisdom I can take away from these MWR Veterans will be beneficial to me in the end. Currently I have sat down with two co-workers, and have plans for two more. I am also planning to walk away with at least three general reference letters, I’m hoping the fact that they will be signing them with their MWR Title will enhance my future job applications. I have already spoken to those who I am requesting letters from giving them ample time to write them before my departure.

I have learned so much, more than I thought I would. Yes, I have done “typical” intern jobs- running errands, taking notes; well you know the “grunt” work. But, I have also been able to attend high priority meetings with the base command (CO- Commanding Officer, XO- Executive Officer, and CMC- Command Master Chief). I’ve experienced and even added my insight to planning and marketing meetings; I’ve seen the background to running a successful guest housing establishment, consolidated club, fitness program, and more. For my last three weeks I will be requesting to learn about the MWR facilities I have yet to work in: the ticket office and the theatre. I would like to know how the computer codes work as far as reserving/purchasing the tickets- because there are different prices for active duty/reserve/retired and civilian/contract employees. I actually know the theater manager, FS2 Paone, and have asked him to show me the ropes to running a successful movie night, as well as scheduling special events such as: class graduations, lectures, and special presentations (such as the CDC Musical I am helping with). Mrs. Spainhour (front desk at the ticket office) and FS2 Paone, know of my limited time left here to learn and are fitting me into their schedules as I type this.

The last goal is proving to be the most difficult: finding a job and moving to the East Coast. I was already given a job opportunity to stay here, and if I had different circumstances I more than likely would have taken it. Let me explain- my boyfriend is serving in the Marine Corps. We have only seen each other four months in the last two years, waiting for me to graduate from ASU before moving ahead with any marriage plans. He is stationed at Ft. Meade in Maryland and will be there for at least two more years, my goal is to find a job near him and hopefully be out there by August of this year. I have been searching the following military installations: Ft. Meade, Curtis Bay Coast Guard Yard, Andrew’s Airforce Base, National Naval Medical Center Bethesda, and Marine Corps 8th & I/Headquarters. I have been continually coming up empty handed, hopefully with some of the networking I have been doing that will change. If not, I will be turning to city recreation, outdoor adventure centers, or event planning. I am doing my best to stay positive, although all my friends have been saying the same about finding a job. I don’t want to feel as though my last four years were a waste, so I hope I find something that requires a B.S. degree in the near future!

So that is my plan at the moment: three weeks to network, interview, and learn the last bits of information I can. All while coordinating graduation plans from out of state, working on my final paper, and trying to find a job on the opposite side of the country! Definitely sounds like a challenge, but I’m up for it.

Chocolate & Photo Boards

Last week I got to play Easter Bunny, okay... not really. I did get to create the barracks' Easter boxes, and have the responsibility to refill them Mon/Wed/Fri, let me tell you... if you ever want to make friends just carry around 10lbs of Palmer's chocolate!

I also created the Easter Photo Board that is currently being displayed on the main entrance wall of the MWR Building. While creating this photo board I took the opportunity to create the Alcatraz Trip one as well and delivered it to Chief Payne, he was very excited and said he was going to frame it for his office.

I had a meeting with the Athletic Director and we went over some more details for the upcoming Harlem Ambassadors Event. I also had the opportunity to interview him for my final paper (which is due in THREE weeks!).

I am completely baffled by where the time has gone! I only have 4wks left here... four very packed weeks (only 3 weekends though...) My sister is flying in this Friday-Sunday, I am using one of my comp days from the Easter events to take off Friday, we're going to explore San Francisco... because sadly enough I have lived an hour and a half north of the city for almost 3mo and haven't gotten to go except for the Alcatraz trip. The following weeks are full of events and projects- the largest being: CDC Musical with the Stars and Harlem Ambassadors.

My interview with Ms. Owen also took place this past week, it was quick and painless. My supervisor said the same. I need to review the e-mail she sent me, and post my Action Plan ASAP.

Two Rock Pizza & Club Flyers I had discussed previously:

Easter Bunny Madness!

What a week!

I had an unexpected "tour of duty" as the Coast Guard calls it, all day Tuesday in the CDC [Child Development Center]. Six teachers were out sick, they had already called in all of their volunteers, and since the MWR is over the CDC they called my boss. Luckily (or not, for me) I am CPR and First-aid certified, I also have my fingerprint clearance card due to my four years of summer camp work. I spent the majority of my day with crying toddlers, fighting preschoolers, and kids who refused to take their nap. I didn't sign up for that! I did get to play with the preschool class guinea pig- affectionately named "Piggy," well what do you expect from 4-5yr olds? Anyway, it was nice for me since my guinea pig is back home (no animals allowed in the barracks). There were some cute moments with the kids, and it was probably good I got my feet wet in that department, esp. since I am working on a DVD for their musical and may be involved in the set-up/production proccess.

Wednesday was 13hrs long, whew. I think everything I did that day (minus the monthly Morale Committee Meeting) was devoted to the Easter event on Saturday. Unwrapping every item, creating a sample Easter Basket, picking up and preparing boxes for the finished products later in the day, ensuring the already filled eggs would stay shut with a piece of tape, etc. That evening I had to set-up a production line for creating the Easter Baskets. We had about 9 student volunteers show up, with their class advisor (and his 3yr old son! Who decided throwing the eggs was more fun than helping daddy stuff them, haha.) We knocked out 144 Easter Baskets and 480 (well, the ones we could find) Easter Eggs in roughly 2hrs. I got home around 8:30pm.

Thursday we had the monthly MWR Management Team Meeting. The guy who usually takes the meeting minutes was on leave, so I was assigned the task. The last 30min of the meeting was devoted to my website SOP. I gave a general overview of how to create and place an event on the new online calendar that I created. Within the next three weeks I will be training one-on-one.

Friday we decorated the galley, window clings, inflatable bunnies & eggs, pretty ribbons, and more. Then I spent the whole afternoon with the MWR Secretary in the MWR warehouse, organizing about 75 boxes of yearly files from 2002-2008. We also had to remove all of the boxes from 2001 for shredding purposes (I'm so glad I don't have that task!).

Saturday I was at the MWR office at 6am, my supervisor and I immediately started loading up boxes of eggs/baskets to take down to the Galley. We also had to bring down the bunny costume and place it in a seperate location so the children wouldn't see him "getting dressed." We decorated the egg hunt areas, and I went back to the office to blow up the balloons. Our volunteers to help hide the eggs didn't arrive until 7:45 (they were suppose to be there at 7) so we had a frantic 15min of hiding eggs before children started to arrive for the free breakfast with the bunny. Once again I was tasked with taking event photos, which was really fun because the children with the Easter Bunny were priceless and then some of their reactions to hunting for eggs made me burst out laughing.

Here are all of the event details:

Musicals, Costco Trips, and Tours!

This past week was stressful, insane, and amazing... doesn't make sense, right?

Monday morning I was down at the CDC [Child Development Center] at 7am, only after realizing that CD cases work well as ice scrapers. I am a Mesa, Arizona native, and I generally walk to work from my barracks room. Unfortunately the CDC is on the other side of the base, and that morning just happened to be FREEZING cold. The meeting was very productive, the children will be presenting a Musical on May 1st to help promote the April Child Abuse Prevention Month. We went over specifications of the event, created a flyer design, and then later in the day I reserved the theater for them from the Theater Manager FS2 Paone.

All afternoon Tuesday was spent out of the office! Hurray! Ken, one of my supervisors, and I went into town to run some errands. We had to get a lock box and microwave for guest housing, butter for the CDC, and six boxes of fruit snacks to stuff the 0-3yr old Easter Eggs with. I had an enjoyable afternoon, we had In-n-Out for lunch, then since COSTCO was our last stop we enjoyed their chocolate dipped ice cream bars. Mmm-Mmmm.

Friday I had a meeting with Avis, the guest housing and club manager. We went over the daily specials and events for the club and how we should market them. I left with four specials to create flyers for. I went home 1hr early from work because I would be working Saturday.

Saturday morning I met with the Chiefs of the HS (Health Services) "A"- School Class at 7am. All of the students arrived by 7:30 and we were carpooling to San Francisco 15min later. We drove over the Golden Gate Bridge and arrived on Pier 33 at 8:45am. I talked to one of the Park Rangers, explaining we were from the Coast Guard base and had a behind the scenes tour set-up. Unfortunately, the Ranger we had set-up the tour with didn't show up on the pier, the loading crew was nice enough to let us board the 9:30 ferry (since we missed the 9) and we were headed towards "The Rock." Once we arrived our Park Ranger met us, evidently there had been some miscommunication early on about the meeting place, everything worked out and we enjoyed a 2hr private behind the scenes tour of Alcatraz (and yes- that includes places featured in the movie "The Rock")! I went as the official MWR representative, my duty was to take pictures... I have 160 that will be placed on the TRACEN Intranet by the end of this week.

HS Class 02-09 -- "A" School

Last view of Alcatraz.

I felt incredibly lucky to be apart of this tour. It was great to see the students cheer when the Ferry Captain said "Alcatraz Tour Boats are all Coast Guard approved," and then see the rest of the people on the ferry nod or clap their hands in appreciation for the Coasties. One of the students even got to drive the ferry, turns out the Captain was a Coast Guard Auxiliary Member.

NOT TO MENTION the fact that all I had to do in order to go on this tour was pay the $29.99 (tax free on base) for my CG hoodie, and offer to take pictures! =)

Next week is going to be BUSY... Last minute Easter event preparations, and then the actual event.

Marketing & Brainstorming

This past week seemed to drag on, I think it was because for the second week in a row I spent the majority of my time sitting at my desk (which I DO NOT enjoy).

I did go around base on Wednesday taking down the St. Patrick's Day Celebration Flyers and replacing them with the upcoming Texas Hold'Em Tournament Flyers, it was nice to be walking around, especially outside in the sun.

Thursday was the most productive day: The entire afternoon was devoted to our Marketing and Brainstorming Meeting for the Consolidated Club. I was put on the spot asking to take notes on the big screen, and showing the calendar I created. I wasn't worried, I can type fast enough and am really comfortable with editing the calendar. Below you will find a snapshot of our ideas:

[click to view larger]

I am proud to say that the following were my ideas: Hospitality Night, Flip a Coin Night, XBOX Olympics night, and themed nights. Since the meeting they have already decided to use the Flip a Coin Night. I even got to think up the names for the two nights! April Fools Day - "Fool's Flip" and Tax Day= "Tax Trick" Instead of getting 10% off on a drink, they will be using it on their beer pitchers... heads will be full price, tails will be $1.00 off.

I'm off to bed, I have a 7am meeting with Mrs. Cooper (director of the CDC- Child Development Center) regarding the April Child Abuse Prevention Month Event.

I hope you all have a great week!

Slower Week - Marketing

This week was fairly slow, which I was extremely thankful for considering I have been really sick. Pretty much my entire office is, I was one of the last people to catch what has been going around for the past month.

The majority of my week has been focused on the marketing efforts of our events, I created three more flyers:



Of these currently only the St. Patrick's Day one has been hung. This week I will hang the Poker Tournament, and the following the Easter one. I have also been working on the Harlem Ambassador's promotion. My boss taught me how to put pre-made posters through our copy/scanner/printer. So the posters now have all of the information for the game and tickets on it. They will be hung the first week of April.

I had a meeting with my potential Easter Bunny volunteer to make sure the costume fit him, which thankfully it did! I also have student volunteers to help stuff baskets, and hide Easter eggs. This event seems to be coming together very well, although I am still waiting on one box from the Fun Express company- Easter novelty toys and egg hunt bags.

This Tuesday is St. Partick's day... don't forget to wear your GREEN!

Nor*Cal Basketball Tournament

Earlier today the championship game was played and I can proudly say that the TRACEN Cutters team placed #1! Yay for the home team. Yesterday I ran the 3-Point Shooting Contest and helped Roy with the Free Throw Shooting Contest.

• I was responsible for player sign-up (writing their last name and team on a master list)
• Both Contests had three rounds, I had to count the points scored.
  
• For the 3-Point: They had 15 shots total, 5 from 3 locations on the 3-point arc, made within 1min. The first 4 at each location were worth 1pt the 5th worth 2pts. Round 1 had 20 players, Round 2 had 5, Round 3- 2.
• For the Free Throw: The first round consisted of 20 free throws, the second 30, and the final 50. Round 1 had 20 players, Round 2 had 4, Round 3- 2.
• It was fun and stressful at the same time because I knew I was in charge of the scoring, and if I missed one, that could cause a player to be out.

Today I helped facilitate the Championship Game, at the end of the game Mr. Sturla surprised me by saying my name in the "Thank-you" list. Then I got to help the Master Chief pass out the 2nd and 1st place trophies!

I had mentioned previously that I have been placed in charge of the Easter Events. This past week the majority of my order came in. I am missing a box of eggs, and a box of novelty toys, if they don't come in soon I will have to call the company. I also realized I need to order bags for the children to collect the eggs with, so that will be done as soon as I can get another purchase order from the budget department. Luckily I am friends with the Morale Committee due to meetings and the Snow/Ski trip, and a few of the members have offered their students as volunteers for basket stuffing, egg hiding, and I even have an Easter Bunny!

I want to revisit a previous blog prompt:
Have you experienced conflict with a co-worker or employee? Have you witnessed conflict? How did you handle this and what would you do different next time? What did you learn about employee relations from this experience?

This past Wednesday we had a MWRMT meeting, the topic of the meeting was to revisit the mission and vision statement of the MWR, as well as create new guidelines for how the meetings should be conducted. Every time I would make a comment, or add input to the discussion, one guy would make belittling comments towards me. Instead of confronting him directly and making a huge scene during the meeting, when it was my turn to add an idea for the guidelines I said: "To not make hostile comments, or rash decisions because of feelings." Then the next person added: "Do not make derogatory comments towards others." Needless to say after the meeting a few of the other team members came up to me and said I did a good job of sticking up for myself, and mentioned that he is like that a lot. I don't like people who are so prideful that when their idea isn't the one accepted they simply won't accept anyone else's and do their best to tear it apart.

I better get to bed, I haven't been feeling well lately... hopefully I can keep from getting completely sick.

Lake Tahoe

Yesterday I helped to run the MWR Morale Trip to Squaw Valley and Granlibakken in Lake Tahoe, CA.

It was a VERY long day, I was down at the departure location at 0530 placing reserve signs on seats, loading the bingo game and prizes onto the bus, and finally checking in the passengers and getting their cell phone number (just in case we needed to contact them in event of an emergency). The bus pulled out promptly at 0600, one of the missing passengers ended up running after the bus right as we started, we were nice and let him board.

The ride there went smoothly, I helped pass out breakfast (danish, juice/water, napkin), then collected the trash. We had 11 Starbucks giftcards to award as prizes with our bingo games. I took turns with my boss Ken calling numbers and keeping track, amidst making jokes to keep the "B 14, B14" from becoming too extremely boring.

We dropped half of the bus off at Squaw Valley, I had to mark off those passengers on my list so we knew their location. From there the rest of us went to Granblibakken Snow Area (15min drive), once we arrived we* unloaded the bus and began to set-up our area on the lodge's deck. I was responsible for cooking the chili and hot dogs for lunch, luckily I had about an hour to get ready before the lunch rush.

At 1130 we served the Granlibakken group, at 1200 the bus returned from Sqaw Valley and we served them lunch and they left for Squaw Valley once again. Squaw Valley is a typical ski and snowboard area green-black runs, it was the home of the VIII Olympics in 1960. Granlibakken is a family centered area with 2-3 green/blue runs. The biggest draw though is their play area, for $9.00 p/per ($7.00 for our group, military discount) gets you unlimited access to the snow hill. They have discs and sleds available. My boss gave me 3hrs to enjoy it!



I also took pictures with the MWR's government issued camera (I'm so glad I didn't break it!) to document the trip for the intranet. Around 1600 we* began cleaning up and loading up the bus. We took a group picture, then loaded up the bus and headed to pick up the other half of the group at Squaw Valley. Once we had loaded up there, I took a final headcount and we were on our way back to TRACEN.

I was responsible for running the movies on the way back, we watched Evan Almighty and A Night at the Museum (The movies had to be PG because of the younger children on board). We made a stop for dinner, and arrived back at base at 2145. After unloading Ken, Nate, and I had to unload all of the MWR gear at the office. I finally got back to my room at 2215.

Once my head hit the pillow... I was out!

This next week is going to be full of meetings and briefs. I know of five, then Fri-Sun is the Nor-Cal Basketball Tournament. Talk about B-U-S-Y!

*Side Note: It is really cool for me that when we were unloading the bus, the Coasties and their families didn't just expect us to do it all for them. It was a joint effort, we had guys carrying ice chests for us, the bags of charcoal, and the propane stove. It may have been because we provided the trip for free, (including lunch) or just the type of people we were with. But either way, it was really refreshing to see the initiative and community effort that took place.

Gotta Love Federal Holidays!

Ahhh... the government. Monday, as you know, was President's day. Being in a government position, and it being a federal holiday- I didn't have to work! =)

The rest of my week was spent making fliers for upcoming events (Mardi Gras/Nor*Cal Basketball Tournament), starting up the MWR website, and corresponding with the CSM (Client Services Manager) of the Harlem Ambassadors in regards to ticket designs, marketing, and hotel booking for their event here in May.

(click images to view larger) To see the website: http://www.petmwr.net/

This coming week will involve the actal Mardi Gras event, posting the Nor*Cal fliers, ordering all of the supplies needed for the annual Easter Egg hunt and Breakfast with the Easter Bunny events, and most importantly... preparing for the 50 person Snow and Ski Trip to Lake Tahoe this Saturday.

Sleepy Week

This week, I've felt pretty groggy... I think it's the weather. I'm used to sunny blue Arizona skies, not endless days of gray and rain. Oh well.

Nothing too substantial occurred this week. I sat in another briefing with the CO, XO, MWR Director, LCDR Marchione, and the Sports Director. A lot of talk about budget, improvements and new equipment/ideas.

The most interesting meeting for me was my one-on-one with Mr. Sturla (the Sports Director). He told me all about the Nor-Cal Coast Guard Basketball Tournament and the Harlem Ambassador's Event, he gave me a complete folder listing all the details from the Harlem Ambassador's PR department. I am responsible for making a timeline in order to get things done by their due date.

I just got done helping Heather (The director of the CDC- Child Development Center) give a tour of the MWR facilities to her 6 new employees. It was a nice test for myself, being able to answer their questions, point them in the right direction, and have the keys to the buildings we were going in and out of.

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"Examine the mission of the organization. How does the mission of the organization relate to the significance of play, recreation, and leisure?"

My answer would be- how does it not? "The mission of the Coast Guard Morale, Well-Being, and Recreation (MWR) Program is to uplift the spirits of the Coast Guard Family and be an essential element of Coast Guard readiness and retention through customer-owned and driven MWR programs and services." Everything the MWR does only serves to show the significance of play, recreation, and leisure. Through serving such a unique population, the MWR realizes the stress enlisted members and their families go through daily. They also know that there are specific physical training guidelines placed on the enlisted. By giving them adequate recreational facilities and programs, not only are we helping them stay within their guidelines by giving them an outlet for play. The MWR offers leagues of all kinds from bowling to basketball, outings such as ski trips, and then operates the movie theatre for a nice leisurely afternoon or evening.
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Oh, and just in case you were wondering... it's still raining. This makes it day #4.

What a week!!!

Blog Prompt: "Have you experienced conflict with a co-worker or employee? Have you witnessed conflict? How did you handle this and what would you do different next time? What did you learn about employee relations from this experience?"

This week I have really been able to see the inner workings of the MWR Management Team, as well as the preparations taken in order to have one-on-one briefs with the Commanding Officer. The first meeting I attended was the Morale Committee Meeting.


This committee is comprised of 12 enlisted members each representing a different area of the Training Center (ex: A-School, Officer Candidate School, C-School, etc.). These 12 hold all the voting power in the committee; however, at least 3 management team members from MWR attend to provide support and make sure our events co-exist and do not compete with each other. Each division provides a summary of past events and details for upcoming events. The budget is discussed thoroughly because funds must go through an intense approval process- due to military rules/regs on non-appropriated and appropriate funds. From this meeting I left with the following events on my shoulders:

• 24 Feb- Mardi Gras Themed Texas Hold'Em Tournament. My duties include the creation of the signs/banners to be posted throughout the base. Helping to create decorations, I will also go to take a few pictures.


• 28 Feb- Snow & Ski Trip. My duties included updating the sign near the Galley with a sign-up NLT date of 13 Feb. I will be helping distribute the morning breakfast on the bus, possibly given MC duties, helping with the BINGO game on the bus, keeping track of the winners and distributing their prizes on the ride home (Starbucks Gift Cards). At the lodge I will be helping to BBQ and distribute lunch.


• 21 Apr- Quarterly BINGO Night. Helping to organize the tables in the club, setting up the BINGO Board/Machine, possibly calling numbers and keeping track of winners and distributing their prizes.
  

The second meeting I attended was a pre-brief for Rob, the Gym/Aquatic Sports Center Manager. This meeting took place with LCDR Marchione. Through this meeting I learned the MWR's activities are broken down into 3 categories-

• Category A- "Mission Sustaining," contains activities that are considered most important for the health and well-being of the military member. These items make no money, and are provided for free, such as our gym.


• Category B- "Basic Community Support Activities," contains activities closely related, in terms of supporting the military mission. These programs satisfy the basic physiological and psychological needs of service members and families. These still help out with the mission, but sometimes bring in nominal income. An example from this base would be our movie theatre. It is used for lecture's, large group briefings, etc. It also offers extremely reduced priced movies, and free matinee/Friday night movies.


• Category C- "Business Activities," have the highest capability to generate revenue through the sale of goods and services to authorized patrons for use in specific morale programs. These are obviously the services that bring in profit. Examples here include Guest Housing, The Consolidated Club, and the RV/Camping Sites.

[For a full description: Click Here]

The third meeting I attended (actually took place in the theatre) was for the 3-Star Vice Admiral Pekoske! [If you aren't familiar with the military... less than 1% percent of career officers are promoted to a flag rank such as this. In order to achieve a position such as this, one must have a strong service record, at least 20yrs in the service already, a selection board recommends officers to the President who makes his decision via input from the Secretaries of the Navy & DOD in consultation with Coast Guard Command. After all of that, the Senate must confirm the President's choice.] He delivered a speech on the current Leadership in the Coast Guard, and the changes the branch was currently facing and would be facing very soon. The class this lecture was delivered to included the future graduating Officer's, whom he left with a very pointed statement regarding how strong leadership can invoke the best and worst change. (When you look at yourself taking that uniform off at the end of the night, I hope you can say that those who want to be you, have a good reason.)

The FINAL meeting I attend this week was the MWR Management Team Meeting. This is where I will be answering the blog prompt from above. I did not personally have a conflict with a co-worker, nor did I witness one directly. However during the meeting I witnessed much conflicting ideas and concepts that disagreed with many of the new plans the CO would like to implement on base. The CO is new here, and while he has great plans for expansion he seems to have little idea of what items are actually used on base. It seems that a couple of people on the MWRMT have simple taken to being completely annoyed with his ideas, and instead of challenging his ideas they simply go through with them less than enthusiastically. In order to resolve this conflict, I would collect data on facility/items use for 2mo prior to his dates of new implementation plans. Then I would create reports with all of the data, and present it all to the CO describing my findings.

This is Where I Live

I have no doubt that each and everyone of our internships will be an individual expereince, yet I feel as though no one else's will be quite like mine. Working and living on a military installation has been quite interesting so far, and I've only been here for 4 days!

I arrived at the Coast Guard base in the afternoon of the 29th. I immediately met with one of my supervisors (Ms. Linnis) and then the overall MWR Director of the base (Mr. Streeter) whom I had done most of my e-mail and phone correspondence with over the past 3mo. I was placed in a room located in Mace Hall, I then spent the evening getting acquainted with my immediate surroundings and then setting up my room:

I was also given a sign-in sheet to eat at the Galley for breakfast-lunch-dinner, it was a very interesting process in that the commanding officer of the chefs had to come out and talk with us.

Friday was spent in a breakfast meeting with Mr. Streeter and Mr. Duval, followed by completing and signing paperwork that was necessary for my stay over the weekend (Monday I will officially receive a sticker for my car to have it parked on base, and some form of identification card to carry with me). I was even given my own office! In general I won't be working weekends, and if I do I will get corresponding days off Thurs/Fri or Mon/Tues. I will be participating in the Superbowl Party taking place in the Consolidated Club later on this afternoon.

The coming week sounds like it will be extremely long/busy. I will be meeting with the base CO (Commanding Officer), XO (Executive Officer) and CMC (Commanding Master Chief), aka: The Top Dogs. It will be very interesting, considering most students here will never meet them. I will also be sitting in meetings between the Command Officers and MWR Departments taking notes on how things are currently operated and desired changes.

It's been quite a trip so far...
GO CARDINALS!
-Taylor

Packing up, moving out.

Unlike most college students, I have lived at home for my entire college career. The only time I needed to "pack up my life" was in the summer of 2007 when I participated in the New Zealand/Australia Study Abroad session. It was one month long, and we were limited to 2 suitcases and a backpack. This time around I have this:Which, when you look at it, isn't all that much either. Two rubber-maids, two under the bed containers, a laundry basket, a backpack, a camelback, a multi-use bag, then not pictured- a pillow. I would say I did alright for packing up what I need for 3.5mo, I guess we'll actually find out when I get there and see how small my room truly is!

I completed my informational interview and need to type it up for submission. I have also received a list of events I will be working on:

• 24/2- Mardi Gras Club Event
• 28/2- Annual Snow & Ski Trip
• 17/3- St. Patrick's Day Event
• ?/3- 36th Annual N. Cal Coast Guard Basketball Tournament
• 4/4- Easter Egg Hunt & Breakfast with the Easter Bunny
• 5/5- Cinco de Mayo Fiesta
• 6/5- Harlem Ambassadors Event

Other projects I will be involved in, include: setting up and editing their MWR website and helping out with an affiliation agreement between the Teen Center and the Military Boy's & Girl's Club of America. My first week will entail many things, such as: meeting with all my supervisors, receiving my military e-mail account (exciting!), becoming accustom with the base layout, learning where I can and cannot go, all the special rules and regulations for civilians and military relations, and a complete orientation of the MWR command. I am hoping a get a temporary car sticker so I don't have to get a guest pass every time I drive on/off base. I also hope I receive an ID card/Civilian DOD ID so I can utilize the bases stores.

I will be arriving there in three days, and I couldn't be more excited!
-Taylor

2 Weeks Prior

In exactly two weeks I will begin my internship and I still have a lot of things left to accomplish before I arrive in California:

• My last week at my current job
  
• Completing my educational contract
• Making copies of important cards, etc. (Government policy)
  
• Packing for 3.5 months!
• A 13hr drive...

Despite that, I am truly excited about this opportunity! I have talked to my supervisor on the phone and discussed my housing arrangements, food arrangements, and a bit about some responsibilities I will be given. I am arriving a day prior to my start date (30th) in order to get settled in and have a training session, etc. I have also recently learned via e-mail that they are currently expanding their services, which will be great to see how changes occur within the department and the reactions of the clients because of them.

Until next time!
-Taylor