Governors Hospitality & Tourism Conference

Shelleys Story

Shelleys Story

"You are a little bit lumpy", my doctor said while performing my yearly breast exam. "I don't think it is anything to worry about, but I would like you to have a mammogram and ultra sound done, just to make sure." From this day in March 2011, my life has not been the same. I was a 44 year old divorced woman with two teenage daughters at home. I was working full time and I had been going to college part time. Life was finally starting to "look good" ... at least that is what I thought.

I was sent over to the hospital to have a mammogram and ultrasound the Monday following my doctor visit. The radiologist saw a shadow on the ultrasound that he wasn't sure of, so he then referred me to a  surgeon for a biopsy. I waited and waited, for what seemed like the longest wait of my life. Different scenarios running through my mind, he came back only to confirm the worst one I had imagined. I was diagnosed with Stage 1 DCIS Breast Cancer.

The next few weeks were just crazy! Doctor visits, lab work, several other tests, and surgery. I had a lumpectomy in April. The doctor informed me everything went well and he was confident all cancer had been removed. In June, I began radiation treatments, the first of 35 all together. The dreaded next step... after thinking long and hard about this, I decided to proceed with Chemotherapy. My first Chemo treatment was on September 7th. I was beyond terrified; I had heard horror stories and was now, on top of all my other fears I had faced in the past few months, fearing losing my hair more than anything else. Well, about 15 days after my first treatment my fear had become a reality, I noticed clumps and clumps of hair in my comb. I then decided to have my boyfriend shave my head. He let me shave his head. We shaved each others heads. This seemed to improve my attitude, while making me feel more in control of things.

I went through four chemo treatments, one every 21 days, the final treatment ending November 9th, 2011. Throughout this whole cancer fighting process I continued to work, go to school, and managed to take care of my family. I would never have been able to do this if I didn't have the amazing support system I have. The people I work with were super supportive, and my family and friends, they were there for me through everything. I had someone at every doctors appointment with me. I would recommend to anyone facing something like this to take someone with them, you then have two sets of ears listening and processing the overwhelming amount of information given to you. At these appointments, I only heard about half of what was said, so I was very thankful to have my boyfriend by my side. I also found support through the Lainey Cole Memorial Fund, an organization specifically designated to help women in Park County that have been diagnosed with Breast Cancer.They give you monies to helpo you with whatever you need while going through treatment. I am forever grateful to them for the help I received. It helped make things a little less stressful during this trying time in my life.

Just remember, a positive attitude and some talking to God will help you through the rough spots in life. Staying positive got me through this bump in the road.

American Bus Association's Marketplace 2012

Hi! I just got back from Grapevine, Texas where I attended the American Bus Association’s 2012 Marketplace – the motorcoach and group travel industry’s premier business event. This is our fourth time going to the marketplace and each time, we build better relationships with the tour operators that come to Cody. During the summer, it’s not unusual to see 20-30 buses in Cody at any given time and Marketplace helps bring them here.

The five days of the show consisted of appointments with selected operators, luncheon and evening networking events, a product pavilion and education seminars covering everything from time management to getting the most out of your smart phone. This year, one of the evening events was held at the newly built Dallas Cowboy football stadium – an impressive building - even for someone who doesn’t care about football (sorry all you football fans, but it’s true!). The facility cost $1.5 billion dollars to build and houses a $42 million, high definition screen to better watch the games by! How would you like that in your family room?

Check out our website for more pictures of the week’s events and travel with me to Vegas in two weeks for the international tour operator’s show – Go West Summit.

Park County Animal Shelter

A couple of us decided to go out and donate some of our time volunteering at our local animal shelter. We met with the manager Frank while he showed us all the different rooms & areas. He took me 1st to the free roam cat room. This room has several different cats of all ages, all of which are freely roaming amungst each other. Definitely impressive. Frank then took me to the kitten room & through the laundry room & linen area. He explained they forever doing laundry & always excepting linen donations. We then went out to see the dogs, which, I am happy to say, are at an all time low for occupancy at the shelter. They had fewer then ten when we went out to help. Just awesome. He then said when Summer time rolls around the rate of dogs, unfortunately, jumps. That would be when they need the most help. I feel that we all bonded with the dogs we walked & the cats we played with. It was a great experience, & all 3 of us hard core animal lovers learned a great deal about the shelter & it's value to our community. They do so much for the lost animals of Park County & we were happy to help them out.

The Cody donates all of our unusable linens to this shelter. They will be more than happy to take your old linens off your hands. Although, you might not be looking to adopt, keep in mind, they can always use volunteers to help clean the animal crates, walk the pup's, & do many other daily tasks & chores. You can donate your time, at any time from 7:30am to 5:00pm, the hours they are open. The Shelter did state, volunteers are always in need! And they are just as important as money donations. We urge you to take an hour of your time & go walk a dog! You leave with an amazing feeling, & the dogs, I'm sure, love it too. Give them a call & I know for a fact the staff out there will warmly welcome you, just as they did us.

They do have a website for more information. http://www.parkcountyanimalshelter.org/



Our Dog Blog

Our Dog Blog

Here at The Cody, we welcome Mans Best Friend. We all love those tail wagging kind. Our hotel offers specific dog rooms. All of which are located on our 1st floor, and we do charge a small fee of $15 per dog, per night, with a maximum of 2 pups. That's right- no matter what kind of dog you have, big or small, furry or furrless- just let us know when you reserve & we can get them in for only 15 bones! Our housekeeping staff does extra services to make sure our designated pet rooms stay in excellent condition for our next canine guest. Although we know your pooch is the best, and the most well behaved one out there- because of liability issues, we ask that you do keep them on a leash through the lobby, and that you please do not leave your canine in your room alone at any time. We apologize if this is of any inconvenience, and we DO have a great recommendation of The Cody Bed & Bisuit to take your pup over night, or even for just a few hours. The owner Leigh and her crew, are amazing with all dogs. We, as employees with personal experience, definitely recommend her! Visit her website www.woofyproducts.com or give her a ring at (307) 587-1073. The Cody does have a pet exercise area on the south side of our facility with grass & trees. We also have a large lot west of us for Fido to explore, run, & play. Feel free to jog across the street and use the walking path, also commonly used for our guests to walk to the Rodeo Grounds during our Summer Season. With that being said, we would love to have your pup enjoy your stay at The Cody with you, just let us know. Check out our photo album we have started on Facebook with a few of our guests & their furry tag along travelers.

Resolutions

New Years Resolutions

A New Year's resolution is a commitment that a person makes to one or more lasting personal goals, projects, or the reforming of a habit. This goal must be reached by the next New Year. Keep in mind that this is a goal, not a wish and should be something that you as a person could strive for- Wikipedia

So we asked around our hotel & found more people are scared to make resolutions for fear of failure. Pretty interesting. As for the rest of us, we thought we'd share.

"To have a healthy baby"- Steph

"To get out of Cody, WY"- Aerial

"Work less & Get paid more"- Bonnie

"Have a HEALTHY Year"- Shelley

"To be more organized"- Natalie

"Be a better person"- Amiee

"Do more with my dog"- Maeli

"Be more physically active & get out of the house more"- Amy

"Have a year of less stress & worry, not to sweat the small stuff"- Celes

"To except life on lifes terms"- Maureen

Our Desert Contest Winner

AMIES WINNING DESSERT

And the winner is....

AMIE LUTHER

A big congratulations to Amie for winning our desert contest here at The Cody! She did a fantastic job, AND she is willing to share her winning recipe. Feel free to test it out & post a little something on our facebook page & let us know what you thought.

Amies S'More Marshmallow Madness

Ingredients

Cooking Spray

2 cups crushed graham crackers

1/4 cup butter, melted

3 tablespoons brown sugar

3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese

8 ounces marshmallow cream

1cup sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

4 eggs

3 tablespoons all purpose flour

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup mini marshmallows

Directions

preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Line a 13 by 9 inch baking pan with foil, with the ends of foil extending over the sides of the pan. Spray lightly with cooking spray.

Mix graham cracker crumbs, butter, & brown sugar in a bowl. Press firmly onto the bottom of the prepared pan & bake for 10 to 15 min.

Remove crust from oven & lower temp to 300 degrees.

with an electric hand mixer, beat the cream cheese, marshmallow cream, sugar, and vanilla in large bowl until well blended. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition just until blended. Add the flour & mix well. Pour over crust & bake for 50 minutes.

Remove cheesecake from the oven & top with chocolate chips & mini marshmallows. Using a handheld torch, char the marshmallows and lightly melt the chocolate. Remove the cheesecake from the pan using the foil handles before cutting into squares. Garnish each bar with a sprinkling of coarse graham cracker pieces.