The places we've been
-
Adventure at the Famous Eloise Asylum
One lonely, boring evening about 20 years ago, I convinced a friend to go on a ghost hunt. I had never done a ghost hunt before, mind you, but I had a solid plan. Step 1: Go somewhere people claim is haunted. Step 2: Look around. On our way back home from William Ganong Cemetery, the most haunted cemetery in Michigan, I got a little lost. I was heading back toward the freeway when I came across a complex of buildings surrounding a tall, brick smoke stack. My Spidey senses made me turn into the driveway for my first Adventure at the Famous Eloise Asylum. The History Below is a…
-
Adventure to the Most Haunted Cemetery in Michigan
If you’re anything like me, you go on “kicks” from time to time. Maybe it’s making your own pizza dough or teaching yourself to play the piano. In my case, it was collecting and reading every book about haunted places in Michigan. Some of it was “meh”, like ANOTHER story about a haunted lighthouse. Some of it was FRIGHTENING, like account of the little girl who liked to watch television. (Also known as “Ah HELL NAH!” Some little ghost girl in my living room with my family??? We’re moving!!) And some of the stories made we want to go and see for myself. Join me for an adventure to the…
-
The Mystery of The Winchester Mystery House
Don’t you just LOVE a good mystery? If you’re anything like me, mysteries and unusual things are especially memorable. For instance, when someone says “Hey we’re going to X”, my brain digs up an extremely fringe fact about that place. Key West? Ernest Hemmingway had a house there. Rome? I read about this thing called the Alchemist’s Gate. Prague? I think there is a church made of bones near there. And San Jose? Well, that’s where the Winchester House is. Since it’s purported to be extremely haunted, I naturally remembered it! Doors that don’t open. Stairs that lead to nowhere. Sound fun? Join us as we unpack the mystery of…
-
Cascade Express Marathon Part Two: The Rest of the Story
Before we start off, please be sure to check out Part One of the Cascade Express Marathon. You’ll hear how the training went and the obstacles I had to overcome to get to the start line. For those who already in the know, buckle in! All aboard the Cascade Express Marathon Part Two: The Rest of the Story. The Wee Hours Being up at 2 am for a race that doesn’t start until 8 am is not the ideal start to the day. On the upside, it did give me a few hours to contemplate the task ahead. I spent some time reviewing the last eight weeks of training. It…
-
Cascade Express Marathon Part One: The Build Up
Let me start by saying, Covid sucks. I know you already knew that but I especially feel that down deep. In 2021, we got both vaccine shots and a booster. Mask were worn. Distance was kept. We coated ourselves in hand sanitizer and STILL we managed to get sick. Although the illness itself wasn’t that bad for me, I realized something was really wrong as I tried to qualifying for the 2023 Boston Marathon. Let me share what I learned from the build up to the Cascade Express Marathon – Part 1. Running Sucked From January thru May I did nothing but slow miles. None of these runs were easy…
-
What Life Was Like The First Weekend NYC Reopened
The spring of 2021, you remember it, don’t you? The weather was warming. The flowers were blooming and we all came out of our lockdown caves, and squinted at the sun. We walked onto shaky ground, hoping upon hope, that maybe life would somehow get back to “normal”. That June, we had a little help rediscovering one of our favorite places on the planet from an unlikely source. This is the story of how Jimmy Fallon helped us experience what life was like the first weekend NYC reopened. The Jimmy Fallon Connection Stephen enters a lottery every year for tickets to Saturday Night Live and The Tonight Show. While getting…
-
Have you ever wanted to soak in a vat of beer?
Let me ask you, have you ever wanted to just soak in a vat of beer? Or how about drink a beer in the same bar Mozart used to frequent? Or here’s a fun one, have you seen Spider-Man: Far From Home? Regardless of your answers, you’re in luck because today we are going to do a little TBT and share with you our amazing 12 hour adventure in Prague! After the Berlin Marathon in 2018, we rented a car drove down toward Munich for Oktoberfest. (Which doesn’t actually mean “Okay to Beer Fest”, in case you were wondering if the Sam Adams ad was correct.) Since we had a…
-
Dog Sitting in the Biggest, Small Town in America
ICYMI – we love to travel and not JUST for the sake of the adventure. Sometimes we leave our home base to provide home and pet sitting for others. Join us this week as we share of very first away from home gig in “Adventures in Dog Sitting – Louisville Edition.” (Someone, please cue a giant movie title). The Prologue July ended up being sort of a crazy month for us. We were already planning to be in Atlanta over the 4th of July weekend so Stephen could run the Peach Tree Road Race. (If you’d like to hear a funny story from that race, check out this post.) Also,…
-
The moments you remember the most might surprise you
We took our youngest daughter and her best friend on a trip to celebrate their graduating high school with honors. The ladies decided they wanted to experience London, Paris and Rome. As we built our itinerary, we made sure to hit all of the famous tourist spots. When we look back on our trip now, the things we saw aren’t really the things we reminisce about. This taught us a valuable lesson – when it comes to travel, the moments you remember the most might surprise you! Join us as we share the highlights of our European World tour and the lessons this trip taught us. London – 2 days…
-
If Willy Wonka Created a World Made of Crystal
Were you like me when you were a child…watching Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory over and over again? Did you ever wish you could find a golden ticket instead of those pint sized hellions? What if I told you, I visited a place that was like…if Willy Wonka created a world made of crystal instead of candy? Would you want to run and explore it too? Come with me and you’ll be in a WORLD of pure imagination at Swarovski’s Krisallwelten Wattens in Austria. The back story In 2018, we were planning a trip to Berlin so Stephen could run the marathon. As we looked at the calendar and…
