Tag Archives: adventure

Adventures I Had in 2025

January
  • Went to the Peach Bowl in Atlanta, Georgia
  • Started training for tech team (“The Nest”) at Northbridge Church
  • Southport Beach / Lake Michigan
  • Escape Room 1 — Time Travel conquered!
  • Escape Room 2 — Jewel Heist conquered with seconds to spare!
  • Played Giant Chess (and won!)
  • Asbury University visit, Wilmore, Kentucky – recruiting fair & chapel
February
  • Love For L’Allemand trivia night
  • Moody Bible Institute recruiting fair
  • Celebrated granddaughter’s 6th birthday
  • Cirque de Soleil
  • Family visit to South Carolina
  • Swimming in Sister’s “domed” pool while 50ish outside
March
  • CCCA (Christian Camp & Conference Association) Wisconsin conference at Camp Forest Springs
  • Ocho Rios, Jamaica
  • Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
  • Cozumel, Mexico
  • Fisher-boy statue on my front porch
April
  • Participated in Lesley’s Poetry Challenge
  • RFK (Royal Family Kids Camp) Fundraiser
  • Reached level 10,000 in Royal Kingdom
  • Kenosha Lakefront & weird tide shifts
  • Started “Dinner with Strangers” – lots of new restaurants
May
  • Got my library card 🙂
  • Windpoint Lighthouse in Racine, Wisconsin
  • Picked up 5 different international staff at the airport
  • First day of Summer Staff orientation — My first summer at Wonderland officially begins!
  • Family came to visit
  • Southport Park – took the granddaughters to Lake Michigan for the first time – they learned to skip rocks
  • Escape Room in Waukesha
  • Visit from Aunt Betty
  • “Dinner with Strangers” – lots of new restaurants
June
  • Fisher-boy statue ends up in landscaping and I love it
  • Sister in town
  • Trip to Madison area for Marabeth’s graduation party
  • Illinois State Beach Park
  • My 54th birthday! Celebrated and loved on by staff. 🙂
  • Visit from Jennifer G from my Clinton days
  • New restaurant: Frank’s Diner – Kenosha, Wisconsin
July
  • Visit from Alicia, Troy, & family – celebrated July 4
  • Pet a pig on neighbor’s farm
  • Bobrowitz Spectacular Sculpture – Colgate, Wisconsin
  • Holy Hill
  • Ice Age Trail – Loew Lake Segment
August (which is when I actually started tracking the adventures, so the volume of things listed picks up now)
  • Worked Snack Shop for the first time
  • Visit from Aunt Betty + Jayleen & kids – got lost in the woods
  • Bought a guitar
  • Visit from Mom & Mom-day in Gurnee
  • 3 Generations Girls Day
  • Good seats for Wicked – Marcus Theatre, Milwaukee
  • Bought my Wisconsin State Parks pass
  • Visited Richard Bong Recreation Area State Park
  • Visit from Lee & Wendy
  • Summer Staff Game Night
  • New Game: Steam Up: A Feast of Dim Sum
  • Pokemon Day with camp staff & friends
September
  • New restaurant: Hanson’s Ice Cream – Twin Lakes, Wisconsin
  • New restaurant: Los Compadres – Burlington, Wisconsin – so far my favorite Mexican restaurant I’ve found in Wisconsin
  • Mt. Horeb, Wisconsin – Grumpy Troll Pub
  • Madison weekend with Katie
  • Bacon wrapped dates stuffed with goat cheese (drool!)
  • Medieval Times
  • Boat-driving lesson
  • Kenosha Scavenger Hunt
  • Googly eyes on my golf cart
  • Helped make bacon-wrapped water chestnuts
  • Tried gochujang sauce for the first time
  • New restaurant: Archives bar & grill – Burlington, Wisconsin – book themed diner!
  • Lake Michigan road trip
  • V&S half-time band performance
  • Ate pasties from Gram’s Pasties, Escanaba, Michigan
  • Upper Peninsula / Mackinac Bridge
  • Wendi’s Sunset Lavender – Traverse City, Michigan
  • Rosy Dunes sand dunes, beach, and forest hike
October
  • New restaurant: Brew & Ole’s – Burlington, Wisconsin
  • CCCA Directors Advance – Camp Timber-lee
  • Babysat granddaughters for their parents 10th Anniversary weekend
  • Thompson Farm with the girls — all the fall fun
  • Raspberry Picking for the first time
  • Walked to dinner in Miami
  • Bahamas – Banana Beach & Half Moon Cay
  • 3 Card Poker tournament for the first time
  • Ridiculously delicious beet salad
November
  • New restaurant: Las Vegas Diner – Antioch, Illinois
  • “Salem Hills Thrills & Chills” Halloween show
  • Rock & Roll Bingo – Love For L’Allemand Fundraiser
  • Prep for Friendsgiving
  • FriendsgivingMas weekend
  • Personal Thanksgiving getaway
  • Trip to QC for friend’s engagement party
December
  • Visit from Rick D
  • Totchos and bacon-jam toast at 75th Street Inn
  • Scherrer Cares check presentation
  • Ate squid for the first time
  • National CCCA Conference in New Orleans
  • Shrimp & grits in the French Quarter
  • Beniegts (still recovering from the sugar high)
  • Riverboat dinner cruise
  • Tristan Crist Magic Show – Lake Geneva, Wisconsin
  • Road the float for Silver Lake Light Parade
  • Visit to Village of Salem Lakes planning board
  • Fun new suitcase with a starry sky design
  • South Carolina for Christmas
  • New Game: Dicetown
  • Tiny Tacos from Jack in the Box
  • Water aerobics with mom & sister
  • Christmas Eve service – CrossRoads Baptist Church
  • Upgraded to First Class for flight home on Christmas day
  • Worked Climbing Wall for the first time

Adventurous Travel in the USA (amongst the places I have been)

  1. Kenai Peninsula, Alaska – Road trip, get a rustic cabin, visit the tip of the Homer Spit, see moose, avoid bear, stop at the Ranger Stations to chat with locals  (http://www.kenaipeninsula.org/)
  2. Maui, Hawaii – Visit the top of the Haleakala Crater, take the Road to Hana and make all the stops, swim under waterfalls, take a surfing lesson, kayak with whales, rent a condo on the beach from my friend
  3. Phoenix, Arizona – Only go in the winter, hike the desert, float down the river, golf, search for the Lost Dutchman’s gold, drive north of Mesa at night and view the glittering city
  4. Boston, Massachusetts – Follow the Freedom Trail’s red line through town to tour history on your own, order seafood, wander Boston Commons (with a friend), take in a museum
  5. New York City, New York – Choose your top 3 must sees and count everything else a bonus.  You could explore this city for weeks, maybe months, and never see it all.  Museums, skyscrapers, sports, exhibits… Take in a Broadway show, skate at Rockefeller Center, rub the Wall Street Bull’s unmentionables for good luck, pose for a pic with the Naked Cowboy in Times Square, eat authentic cuisine from another culture, see the Statue of Liberty, relax in Central Park or any of the smaller ones scattered through the city, ride the subway, wear your walking shoes
  6. Los Angeles, California – Hit the beaches… Huntington for ocean swimming, Venice for weirdo-watching.  Visit Hollywood, drive into Hollywood Hills to see the city, take in a professional sporting event, wander a pier at dusk
  7. Boundary Waters, northern MinnesotaPlan with an outfitter, rent a canoe, and tour your way through the beauty of the North Woods.  Be sure you know what you’re doing or hire a guide.  Portage trails, paddle lakes, camp in remote wilderness, watch out for bears
  8. Chicago, Illinois – Museums, sporting events, tall buildings, shows, shopping, visit the sand dunes and beaches surrounding Lake Michigan
  9. Juneau, Alaska – Fly or ferry in since there are no roads into this capital city.  Visit glaciers, hike trails, view wildlife, cough up the funds for a helicopter tour that will land you on top of a glacier
  10. Grand Canyon, Arizona – Hike or trail ride into the canyon but only with thorough preparation.  Incredible views, challenging trips, white water rafting, desert camping

ERA Helicopter tour to the top of Taku Glacier, Juneau, Alaska