Jodie and Tom:

I'm Jodie (age 55) and my sweetie is Tom (age 53). We've both had 'previous lives', but consider this the one we've been waiting (and sometimes suffering) for. I have no kids of my own, but proudly share in the joys and pains of Tom's 3 grown sons (age 29, 25, 19). We also have a darling grandson who's 5 mos.

I'm from Utah ( a bonafide Daughter of the Utah Pioneers with ancestors dating back to the original settlers of the Cache Valley area). Tom is Texas born and bred (except for a few high school years in Shreveport, La. just over the border).

I've always loved to travel, but mostly just in the western USA. I am an RN with 35 years in Neonatal and Pediatrics. I've lived in Utah, Arizona, Nevada, Calif., Oregon and Washington. I kind of went to Saudi in 2001 as a 'short' adventure. But I met Tom after 18 mos. and married him on Dec. 29 this year on the MOST romantic cruise in the Caribbean.

Tom married at 19 and worked a variety of jobs all kind of migrating into service and inspections of electrical and oil field related companies. He eventually became an expert in Non-Destructive Testing of pipelines which involves the use of radioactive materials. He has a bunch of international certifications on the safe handling and disposal of radioactive materials. He's lived in 26 countries and in Saudi Arabia since 1990 and he still only speaks American and Texan! Officially, he's an engineer here at Aramco.

We hope to stay here until Tom is 60 and retires. I'll have 2 years here as a 'housewife' since I turn 60 first. After that, we'll be in Texas and Tom wants to work a couple of more years. Then we just travel, hopefully really getting to use our WM credits and seeing the USA as tourists....something neither have had a true opportunity to do.

We certified as scuba divers in Nov. and that's our passion right now. But we love all kinds of travel, museums, gardens (me) and meeting people from other places. Plus we hope to spoil our grandson and other others coming along. Tom is also extremely computer literate, esp. in the building, instillation of programs and problem solving. He's our local Prs. of the Dhahran Computer Club. And he loves any kind of electronic gadgetry and has our house wired and monitored to within an inch of driving me crazy sometimes. Lights come on and go off per the computer program, etc.

I hope to meet as many WMowners as possible and continue to trade tales and concerns.

FEATURED OWNERS QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

How long have you been a member of WorldMark?
I purchased my WM membership in SLC in Feb. 2000 (6000 credits). I've since purchased two resales and have 20,000 credits.

Where have you visited?
St George May 2001 3 days For my sister and parents
Gleneden Beach May 2001 7 days For my parents and me to visit the coast (Mom's last trip)
Mariner Village June 2001 5 days For my nephew and his new bride
Las Vegas Aug. 2002 1 day For business
Las Vegas Feb. 2003 3 days For business
Las Vegas April 2003 4 days Vacation for my nephew and family
Cypress Harbour Aug 2003 7 days Trade for Tom and his boys in Florida
Las Vegas/Spencer Oct 2003 3 days For business and to see friends
St. George Feb. 2004 3 days For my sis and family
Las Vegas/2 rooms June 2004 1 week Vacation and to meet Tom's kids
Kihei June 2004 1 week For my sister and her family
St. George Sept 2004 3 days St. George Marathon for my sis and family
Las Vegas Jan 2005 1 night Honeymoon for my nephew
Oceanside Feb 2005 4 nights The rest of the honeymoon
Las Vegas May 2005 3 nights Yet another sister
Oceanside Sept 2005 1 week Tom, Dad and I go to Calif.
Las Vegas Sept 2005 2 nights Tom and I on business

What is your favorite WorldMark resort? What do you like about it?
My current favorite is probably WM Las Vegas. It certainly is the one I've visited the most often. I probably like it the best because I have business and friends in LV and it allows me to stay somewhere 'almost like home' for a lot less than at a hotel and a lot less hassle than trying to bunk with friends. It's roomy, convenient and I LOVE the Lazy River.

What things do you like to do when visiting this resort?
Since I lived in LV for a long time, the casinos aren't what draw me. I mostly visit friends, go to restaurants I used to love and see what's new since I left. Tom and I both like the shopping there for things we can't get in the Middle East. He loves FRY'S. But when I'm with almost anyone, they all can find something to see and do to stay entertained. It's the perfect place to visit for us. Oh and I have a house and financial advisor there, so I get to write off many of the expenses associated with being there.

Would you share some of your favorite vacation web links and/or photos from this resort and the surrounding area?
http://share.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=EeANmTRsybMWjFAA Here are some photos from my Aug. 2002 stay in a one bedroom.

Tell us about the people you travel with - are they family? friends? co-workers? If you have children, what are their travel preferences?
I mentioned above who was staying where and when. Now, of course, I travel with Tom. We have mostly traveled to international destinations and stay in hotels. After European hotels, WM is HUGE. We look forward to really seeing America together after we retire in a few years.

What is your most exciting vacation memory?
Whew! That's impossible to pick. I've been so fortunate to have thousands of great memories....not just with Tom, but with my previous husband and a number of good friends. But I'll put my recent NEW experience of scuba diving in the Red Sea near or at the top of fabulous and exciting! Also near the top would be Walking on the Great Wall of China, seeing Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City in Beijing, seeing the Great Pyramids of Egypt, as well as the wonders of Luxor and the Valley of the Kings. And of course, I must say that my Honeymoon/Marriage Cruise to the Caribbean was absolutely the most romantic and fun trip anyone could ask for.;

Have you ever had some kind of "vacation disaster" threaten to ruin your trip? Tell us your story!
Nope. No disasters. We ALMOST decided to get married in Sri Lanka over Christmas instead of on the cruise in the Caribbean. That very likely would have been a true disaster.

What activities do you and your family enjoy besides vacationing? (i.e. camping, walking, painting, etc)
As noted, we started scuba diving last year and already have almost 30 dives. Here are a few pics to give you an idea: http://share.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=EeANmTRsybMWjFRA
We also belong to a running/walking club called Hash House Harriers (ring any bells to others who have been expats?). We go out bi-weekly and follow a preset trail in the desert, then have a BBQ or dinner afterwards. Great fun! Here are some photos of my dog, Duncan, who loves to Hash with us when the weather is cooler (under 95, and he does fine). http://share.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=EeANmTRsybMWjEmA

Do you have a hobby? What is it and what makes it special to you?
I love gardening, which is more difficult in the desert, but NOT impossible. I also enjoy visiting formal gardens when I travel:. To get ideas and just to drool. I love the colors and the textures in nature.

Other than a WorldMark destination, what is your favorite place to visit for rest and relaxation?
Sri Lanka is the most beautiful place I've ever visited. English is widely spoken, so no problem there. It's incredibly inexpensive: once you get there. I've been there twice and can't wait to go back again.
Here are some pics from my first visit in April 2002: http://share.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=EeANmTRsybMWjFIg.

If you could choose to live anywhere in the world, where would that be and why?
I don't have a specific place in mind. I love warmth, tropical waters, the ocean. But I'd like to be near family too. I guess no place like that truly exists. That's why I go on vacations.

How did you choose to become a WorldMark owner? Or, why did you choose WorldMark over other timeshare companies?
I had thought of buying a T/S for a few years. I bought a one year option for a one bdr-lockoff at POLO Towers in LV when I lived there:.. purely thinking of trading to II. I ended up opting out and got a week in Orlando for my $1000 down. WHEW! Then I moved to SLC and got a call from WM. I asked a lot of questions on the phone and liked what I had heard. I went to the presentation with my mind almost all made up to buy. When I finally got to the sales person, I said 'What is the BEST deal you'll offer me? We could sit here for hours going back and forth, but I really hate that.' She brought over the 'manager' and we made our deal. He said he'd NEVER had quite that approach used before. And I've been really satisfied ever since.

What do you enjoy most about being a WorldMark owner?
Well, I like the properties the most, of course:. And the options for variety. But I also love the friendships I feel I've made through the 3 forums I've been involved in. I first found the old Delphi shortly after I joined and the others as they came along. I was part of the very first ( I think) GOO (before Norm even coined that phrase) in SLC when 'DaisyGirl and her husband came from Australia for the Olympics. We had 16 people at a nice club that Carmen (where is she?) found for us. And I met some Portland friends when I was there a few years ago. Julie and I regularly exchange info, gossip, etc.

What do you like best about this WMO website community you have helped create?
I can't pretend to have had a hand in developing this site. But I have enjoyed the option of a more open format. I also love the research people so willingly do and post for us to use, such as the credit counter, aerial photos of different resorts, TOT articles, architectural plans, newspaper articles. I'm also impressed with the varied experts and the knowledge that they share. Rich and his IT exper. CPA momma and her tax advice, Bll and his knowledge of Cabo and WMSonoma's great Windsor site: just to name a few.

What suggestions do you have to enhance it?
As I said, I'm not part of the inspiration for this. But you all know that I'll be sure to pass on any ideas as they come to me.

Do you have ideas for contests and giveaways that we could possibly incorporate in the future?
Nope: and that's not even part of why I come to this forum. Sorry

Thanks for the opportunity to share a little more of myself with you. I really look forward to reading someone else's 'story' very soon.

Jodie and Tom