It’s going to be a big change. This will be the first time I’m not employed for any reason since 1997.
I started with AT&T in August of 2001. I started in customer service at our new call center here in Tulsa, and moved up quickly. I moved from customer service to tech support to new hire to training to manager. I was a respected member of the staff when I left last May to make my fortune at a retail store. That action is one of the things that made me believe I can take this next step.
It’s hard to make a change. I like constant. It was hard for me to step out of the environment I had become comfortable in at the call center and move onto something new. Sure, it’s the same company, but after being a trainer it’s quite different to sell phones. I have been moderately successful and it got me to wondering what other changes I can adapt to.
After my goodbyes tomorrow, we start planning for our going away party. Soon after, we’re out of town. I can’t believe it’s almost here.
Rhys Martin is an author and photographer from Tulsa, Oklahoma. His love of travel was awakened in 2009 when he sold all of his possessions and left the country. For ten months, he lived out of a backpack and explored southeast Asia and Europe. When he returned home, it was with fresh eyes for his home state.
As he drove the back roads of Oklahoma, Rhys discovered the significance of historic Route 66 to the greater American story. He has traveled all 2,448 miles of the Mother Road and continues to seek out the quiet Main Streets of the Midwest.
Rhys's travel writing and photography has been featured in numerous publications, including Tulsa People Magazine, This Land Press, ROUTE Magazine, Nimrod Journal, The Oklahoman and Tulsa World. He wrote the book Lost Restaurants of Tulsa, which features the stories of nearly 50 iconic eating establishments from the city's past. He has also been a contributing author to multiple Route 66-based travel and history books.
Rhys is the President of the Oklahoma Route 66 Association and serves on multiple boards and commissions related to the Mother Road and its upcoming Centennial in 2026. He loves to connect with people and share his experiences.
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Rhys' Pieces 