Happy New Year, officially! We rang in the New Year with family in the Georgetown, Texas, area. There wasn’t a better gift than seeing all the motorhomes heading south! This is the moment we’ve all been waiting for – peak season has begun. It will be nonstop fun until St. Patrick’s Day, and I am rested and ready to go-go-go!
As far as the new year is concerned, I don’t have any dramatic resolutions for 2023. If anything, I’ve learned that things change, and I’d like to be more aware of the change that happens right before our eyes. When you’re in it, it’s hard to see sometimes. I’ve been working with Winter Texans for as long as I can remember in one capacity or another – and when I look back, I can see the changes – but on the day-to-day, sometimes things seem precisely as they were a very long time ago.
I’m naturally curious and like to send out surveys – no matter what the topic is, I always learn something. Last week, I surveyed resort managers on what occupancy looks like for the next few months vs. the following season. I wasn’t surprised by the results a bit, that numbers were not only up, but the demographic of those first-timers are a lot younger than what we’re used to seeing. Those younger faces come bearing new ideas, different approaches, and lifestyles. And I know that sometimes changes in the park activities can be a little scary, but they can also be exciting! For instance, a few years ago, someone had the bright idea to tape the hall floors and play pickleball. I’m sure there was some pushback in the beginning, but now there seem to be more parks with pickleball than without. Some might say that the introduction of pickleball into our world is a significant change, yet some might say it’s exactly as it’s always been. Life is interesting like that.
So let’s welcome those younger retirees and embrace the changes they will bring about! And most importantly, let’s show them a great time this season because our new retirees will pave the way for future generations of Winter Texans. So with your help, they will love it as much as we do and spread the word about the Rio Grande Valley of Texas to their friends, families, and networks. I welcome your thoughts and comments on the changes you’ve seen while wintering in Texas. Your insight is invaluable and can help protect the lifestyle we know and love! Drop me a line at kristi@welcomehomergv.com.
Having grown up in McAllen, Texas, I’ve never known life without the thousands of winter tourists who flock to the Rio Grande Valley each winter. They are called Snowbirds when they make a wrong turn and wind up in Florida or Arizona, but way down in South Texas, we call them Winter Texans.
As a business owner, those are the three magic words you love to hear. Luckily, I have heard them more often than not this season. We move at a very fast pace at Welcome Home RGV, and I’m blessed with an amazing team of people who all work together for the good of the cause. We have a lot going on with a very short window of time to get it all done, and it takes teamwork to pull it all off. It’s hard to believe we now have 15 people on our team. How in the world we did it with three is beyond me.
As I drove up to the MPAC, I felt like I was transported from my hometown to a big city. We saw so many friends in the lobby while we waited for the doors to open it was as if it was the social event of the year. We were ushered into our seats, and as the lights dimmed, my breath was taken away. The lights, the sounds, the production, the music! I was mesmerized from the start and felt as if I was part of the cast.