New Members - Please Introduce Yourself!

[gophish Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close gophish]

Hi all,
My name is Ken, live in Ballston Lake, NY (15miles north of Albany) with wife Linda and son Jesse (20) (actually he is going in to junior year of college) other son Corey(28) lives in Oregon. I am a retired from network administration/computer support at NYState after 35 years, Linda works as computer analyst/programmer for a bank (probably a couple more years for her)
We are Fairfield Points owners (bought from developer) (I know, we paid too much, but we are so far happy with our purchase, so, since there isn't much we can do about it now we will just continue to enjoy our vacations). \
We have only owned for a couple of years, but, I wish we had learned about TSs earlier when my kids were young, would have made for some wonderful vacations, but again not much we can do about that now (maybe someday if grandkids come along).
I am a member of TUG (moderator of Hawaii board) and have just joined here, looks to me like this could develope in to a great place. Been looking for the volunteer sign up but haven't found it yet.
Thanks for creating this place, everything looks nice.
Ken H.

[tonyg Goomba & Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close tonyg]

Hi Ken- I knew I'd seen that i.d. before. I don't think we have a specific sign up place for volunteers, so just e-mail Big Frank. Are you going to the July TUG meeting in Southport, CT ? We are "almost" neighbors- I live in the NW corner of CT.

[bigfrank Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close bigfrank]

Hi all,
I am a member of TUG (moderator of Hawaii board) and have just joined here, looks to me like this could develope in to a great place. Been looking for the volunteer sign up but haven't found it yet.
Thanks for creating this place, everything looks nice.
Ken H.

Yes of coarse we will make room for you. Email me at big_frank@netzero.net

[gophish Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close gophish]

Hi Ken- I knew I'd seen that i.d. before. I don't think we have a specific sign up place for volunteers, so just e-mail Big Frank. Are you going to the July TUG meeting in Southport, CT ? We are "almost" neighbors- I live in the NW corner of CT.

Thanks for the nice welcome. I don't think I am going to make the CT TUG meeting but still possible. I will give Big Frank an e-mail.
Ken H.

[cindi Member Find all posts View Profile Close cindi]

Hello everyone. And thanks Frank, for the email about the new site.

My name is Cindi, my DH is Chuck and I have two boys, almost 23 and newly 21. In addition, we have 3 dogs living with us, who we dearly love, plus many other various animals, including a tamarin brought back from a trip to Maui.

I do cardiovascular ultrasound and my DH is a veterinarian. And I am also a timeshare addict. I was fortunate enough to buy my first timeshare resale, after somehow sitting through a Westgate sales presentation.
I promptly returned home and bought one at Westgate VV resale. Then I discovered TUG and yet another addition, plus many new friends.

I have since sold that first timeshare and now have five. Plus 3 AC with deposits. Did I mention I only get FOUR vacation weeks per year?? Can you say duh?? BG And did I mention I am addicted to timeshares? LOL

[senorak Member Find all posts View Profile Close senorak]

Greetings!

Hi Everyone! I'm Deborah, and my name is a hint to my profession---I'm a Spanish teacher. We've been involved in timesharing for about 8 years now. Bought our first resale from a friend of my mother's (just b/c it was an easy drive from our home to the Poconos and the price was decent). After joining TUG shortly thereafter, I learned the "finer workings" of timesharing...and bought two more weeks that we use exclusively as traders. We've been to Vegas, NYC, Orlando, Myrtle Beach, Poconos and Hilton Head (with our favorite spot now being Hilton Head...returning there next month). We are a family of 5 (3 children ages 15, 10 and 8), and DH is a realtor. I love traveling more than just about anything (except maybe reading...which I do often when traveling), but with a teacher's schedule, am limited to traveling during the "high season" of summer...or holiday weeks/weekends. However, timesharing has fit perfectly into our lifestyle...and found that even partial weeks/long weekends are much cheaper using TS weeks. I haven't met any fellow TUGgers or "FORUMers" yet...but hope to do so in HH in Aug. I've learned so much from everyone! Looking forward to checking out this site often!

DEB

[Tetta Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Tetta]

Hi! I'm Tetta and have been married to one of the Bill Johnsons for 48 years. Born and raised in Indiana but lived in St. Louis, Guam, Boston, O'Fallon, Oklahoma, San Jose and now Colorado. Went to school in Indiana and St. Louis. Own timeshares in Colorado, St. John and Hawaii and love to receive e-mail from friends. Our son died but we have two daughters and two grandchildren who live nearby.

[chemteach Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close chemteach]

Hi, I'm Edye (eudell on the old TUG, and Chemteach also on the new TUG).

I have a serious timeshare addiction. Friends and family laugh at me and I've learned to keep my mouth shut about timeshares unless someones has a specific question. I bought our first timeshare at San Clemente Inn in 2003, after reading and asking lots of questions on TUG for about a year. Then I bought at Lagonita Lodge a few months later - have since sold that unit. And, eek, purchased at the Westin Rancho Mirage, Aquamarine Villas, Coronado Beach Resort, French Lick Springs Villas, and Southern California Beach Club.

We like vacationing with friends, so we often get 2 weeks at the same resort for exchanging. We have only exchanged into Sand Pebbles in CA, but we have exchanges set up for the next two years to Arroyo Roble, Welk in Escondido, Grand Pacific Palisades, Pueblo Bonito Sunset, and Smuggler's Notch. We have stayed at Lagonita Lodge and the Westin Rancho Mirage using our regular owned weeks.

I have been married almost 8 years and have 3 children, ranging in age from 4 months to 6 years. I teach high school chemistry at an all girls school and have a passion for increasing the participation of girls and under-represented students in math and science majors. (Though I have been much less active in this arena since having children...)

I am currently trying to keep myself off of ebay because I'm afraid I'll buy another timeshare.

Edye

[OnMedic Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close OnMedic]

Addiction

Good day all, my name is Steve, DH to Tawnya. We have been married for 7 years and enjoy a young family... 3-2/3 Yr. little girl and a 14 mo. litlle man.

We are in Kitchener, ON, about 50 minutes southwest of Toronto.

I am a Territory Manager for a medical device manufacturer and Tawnya is a daycare teacher. I actually worked almost 10 years on the road as a Paramedic before I transitioned into medical sales, the last few of which I concurrently owned and ran an Emergency Medical distribution company.

I have seen the word "addicted" in many posts so far, and I wll be one to agree with this diagnosis. We are fairly new to TS ownership, but have been involved with TS travel with family ownership for many years. Although exposed to the TS industry, I always didn't understand or support the concept thinking it was a waste of time and money always going back to the same resort.

ENTER CHILDREN...

There is a time for work, and a time for play! Nothing made me realize this more then a Disney vacation with my young family a few years back. Life is too valuable to not book “time out” from one’s day to day activities to spend time with friends and family, doing the activities you enjoy. The points program tours showed that time and resort options are more flexible then previously thought and experienced!

Realizing the importance of “down time”, a decision was made to purchase a Vacation Ownership.

So we purchased HGVC Orlando, resale.

Understanding the benefits to my personal and family life, and having already provided assistance to other timeshare purchasers throughout North America on various borads and friends and family, I have decided to put my knowledge, experience and passion to good use with a well known and established timeshare reasale team from Orlando, Florida.

My role within the team is to service and grow the Canadian client base through specialized domestic customer service, provide specialized sales support for US customers looking to purchase Canadian product(s), and to specialize on the Club Intrawest offering. I am your Canadian and cross-boarder specialist, although able and willing to serve all customers regardless of origin or destination.

WOW... Talking about being a Champion to the cause... yes I have also become "addicted" to Timesharing as well as these great boards.

I am known by OnMedic on both TUG and here. I am happy to help whenever possible!

Cheers,

Steve

[M. Henley Class President Find all posts View Profile Close M. Henley]

"New" Member M. Henley

I am serving my 1st term as a State Representative, the first Republican ever elected to that office from Kentucky House District 5.
For other info see:
http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com...lvin-B-Henley/

[JWC Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close JWC]

I am serving my 1st term as a State Representative, the first Republican ever elected to that office from Kentucky House District 5.
For other info see:
http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com...lvin-B-Henley/

Congratulations Mel and I am certainly pleased that you represent the right party, no pun intended.

[Bee Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Bee]

Hey Wait For Me

Hi, my name is Sandy (Bee is a family thing - long story). I also followed the others from TUG, and TSTips. My husband and I have two daughters 20 & 14. We got into timesharing about six years ago. We use to rent condos for vacation and were looking for a way to determine the location, condition, etc., of those condos. On a trip to Kauai we met a couple that owned timeshare and that started me thinking about purchasing a timeshare. Prior to this I had a rather negative view of timeshares. We had been to a couple of presentations. Anyway after that trip to Kauai I came home and started doing some research on the internet. I found TUG and ended up purchasing a two bedroom at Marriott Kauai Beach club for about 30% of the price Marriott was charging. No regrets! We love our timeshare and are thinking it's time to purchase a second week.

Upon my initial purchase and over the years since, I have appreciated all the sage advice I have received from all you former and present Tuggers.

Sandy

[katiemack Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close katiemack]

Hello all...katiemack here

I have joined the party late, but forgive me, we were "stuck" in Aruba for a month enjoying our timeshare there

You all have accomplished an awful lot in a short time and it is taking me all morning to try to catch up.

We live in Arizona, and I will be glad to help anyone with questions about AZ, you can pm me or email me or post in the Western forums area.

Also, I try to help with any questions about Aruba and exchanging when possible.

We have been actively involved in timesharing for about 20 years now....time flies when you can travel, or is it time travels when you fly....never could figure it out....

Cheers everyone!

[Ownertrades Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Ownertrades]

Introducing Ownertrades (known elsewhere as Clark)

Hello everyone my name on TUG is Clark and I came over here to see what was happening after reading about here on TUG. I decided to change my name to Ownertrades here because it represents my significant Timesharing activity, running Ownertrades.com, already known to most of you as the Marriott specific site for members to exchange, rent, and buy/sell Marriotts while avoiding all kinds of brokerage fees.

I'm a retiree from Kodak Research Labs (out almost 8 years now) and DW Joan and I use our Marriott Barony and Grande Ocean weeks ourselves with our family or friends. In fact, in spite of my building and running ownertrades.com, we have never exchanged either of our weeks for anything anywhere else. I know -- that's really strange.

But Hawaii is on our mind, and we are going to get there in a year or two.

We wish this site well, and will check in occasionally.

BTW, I could not figure out how to reply to this thread, so finally I used the quote feature and erased the quote itself. I must be getting blind but I really cant find a reply button :=(

[clipper Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close clipper]

OK - my turn

I am clipper and mclipper on TUG, clipper on TSTips and clipper here. It comes from our last name kliparchuk.

My husband and I went to our first timeshare presentation on our honeymoon in Kauai. That was a no-brainer. The answer was no, we are on our honeymoon so we can't afford one. We went to the next one for the gifts but we ended up with a 1-bedroom at the Banff Rocky Mountain Resort. That was 13 years ago. After having doubts about timesharing for many years, we figured out how to use our timeshare after finding TUG. We now own 3 -- BRMR, Polo Towers and Club Sunterra.

Can't wait for retirement so we can travel more!

Cheers to all timeshareforumers,
Mercedes