I love Saturday mornings when spending them with friends, enjoying the summer weather and what we have left of it! We hiked in Taylor Falls Park today… well, hiked AND climbed I should say. Most of the trails bring us to a boulder or two to climb up on and over to keep going on with our journey. We even discovered things we haven’t seen before on the trails… devil’s cave, natural potholes carved into the rocks, and so much more. We tried new trails, and even “off-roaded” a little… we crossed the border and went over to the Wisconsin side of the river and took in the views and trails from that side… most people we happy to cross back over to the Minnesota side… especially after seeing some Packer fans hiking as well. So our “Welcome to Minnesota” sign pictures, were truly a relief (to some… I’m a Packer fan… SHHH don’t tell!) After we crossed back over, we headed to this old-fashioned ice cream shop and rewarded ourselves for our accomplishments that morning! We conquered our fears and met some new people… as we do every day as a part of E&A!
What a week…Unless you’ve been stuck in the vegetable room at Costco you know it’s hot outside here in Houston. When it’s this hot out we here at Events and Adventures love to get wet! After a week of amazing events that included skeet shooting & a huge softball/kickball cookout; the party barge Sunday was a welcome escape from the flames. Flips, jumps and dives into the cool water were a fun escape from the upper deck where the wild ones were gathered. We’ve got an August loaded with fun events topped off by the big Labor Day Adventure at the end of the month. August is an awesome month to join Events & Adventures, with so many fun events to look forward to.
Last Sunday marked a milestone for a small group of member’s from our Events and Adventures Vancouver when we went Paragliding. Despite waiting for the clouds to dissipate while building anticipation, we all got to run off a perfectly good mountain, to soar like eagles. It’s pretty amazing getting to see people burst through personal boundaries and see them do things they never thought they would ever be able to. Standing atop Mt Woodside on the weekend, and waiting for those perfect winds, we all did just that. The last two flights of the day weren’t the most perfect landings, but we made it, and flying over the Fraser river and taking in the sights, even doing some crazy aerobatics, made the day all worth it. I can’t wait to fly again with my single friends at Events and Adventures!
I’m a big soccer fan. I watch, I play, all of it. So when I heard there is a new sport that is soccer based I was in! We played Foot Golf for the first time. I’d never even heard of it. It’s like golf but with soccer balls. We arrived at the golf course and everyone paid a nominal fee to get on the course. We had our own soccer balls (or you could rent them) got out score cards and headed to out T’s. We had 3 groups of 6. We teed off from the ladies line and aimed for the green. This a LOT harder than I thought it would be. In soccer we have to get it to another person or in the general direction of the goal. On the golf course it was way easier to aim way off from our target. Getting it into the 3 foot diameter hole was a hard! We laughed and talked a little trash as to how everyone’s aim was at the beginning. Towards the end we were all aiming better (some better than others!) When all the groups gathered after out game we went out to recharge and decided we really like this new sport of Foot Golf!
Santana Row is a beautiful place on a summer afternoon. It’s especially beautiful while sitting on the grass listening to beautiful live opera! San Jose Opera came to The Row to give a free outdoor performance. We had a great group of people who brought blankets and snacks to hang out and have an opera picnic. The performers were amazing, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I only wished I would understand what they were saying! However, at one point the song “If I were a rich man” from Fiddler on the Roof came on as an example of America Musical Theater & I LOVED it. The audience really got into it! Our group started clapping along and singing the words! Afterwards we headed to the quaint little wine bar and got to know each other. The best part was at the wine bar where we discussed all the places we would like to travel and some of the weird paranormal places you could go… There are so many cool places to travel to!
Paint the top 3 inches or so blue. Then paint this white in circular motions, that darker blue and blend in green like this. (Ding!) You are concentrating too hard! Breathe. Take of drink of whatever you have. Breathe again. Mix in a little white. Ok, in this corner star with the tan. Break time, let it dry a few minutes, grab a snack, refill your beverage and socialize. This is really going to be a painting when I’m done! During our break we check out each other’s paintings and steal ideas of how to make our a little bit better. We all know who the real artists are. We laugh about how this blank canvas we were given is turning into an actual painting. By the end of our 2 hour session we all have a real painting we did without numbers or special paint. Some will hang in their home; others given to family as gifts (Mom’s like home made gifts no matter how old we are) and others will be regaled to hang in the laundry room or closet where only the artist sees it and thinks I made that!
The Dallas Aquarium with single friends is a great way to spend a most muggy summer day. We had a great time and the Aquarium here has lots of animals too. No whales, seals or dolphins but they make up for it by having quite a few different types of animals too. We all talked about if you could have any pet what it would be. Who wants big scary pets and who wants amphibians. Many people you’d never guess what their interests are. It’s interesting to learn more about my new friends. We had a great day. Next month we are going to the Zoo to check out their animals and feed some too!
We had a chance to tackle the rapids on the St Louis River this past weekend! We carpooled up north on 35W, just 15 miles shy of Duluth, and all met at our launch location in Cloquet. We each had our own little adventures on the way up in anticipation of the big ones we would have in just a couple hours… when it was time to go, we all got our life jackets and a paddle and went to our assigned rafts… on the grass… hmmm what?? Ok, I guess they had to explain a few things before we went out on the water… probably a good thing! Ha! Then we finally got to set our rafts in the water and paddle out… practicing our together-ness with each stroke and getting the teamwork thing down. When we finally got to the rapids, it was a shock of how warm the water actually was compared to the 68 degree air! Some of us got soaked… ok, ALL of us got soaked with the waves spilling into and over our rafts, filling our rafts up to our seats with water… it’s like we were sitting in a pool! But as soon as we paddled through that last rapid, it was all smiles and laughter and an accomplishment of no one actually falling OUT of their raft! Anyone up for singing some “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” in a round? Good times as always with Events and Adventures!
What do you know Minneapolis Singles? It’s raining when we are supposed to have an outdoor event… but guess what?! We at Events and Adventures make the best of it! Instead of our “Outdoor Music In The Park” event tonight, we had to change it to a mingle at a local hangout instead due to rain… We can’t complain too much because the All-Star Home Run Derby was tonight as well… in the open stadium! But as we hung out at Tugg’s on the Riverfront, watching the home-run derby inside out of the rain, we laughed and made some new friends! And when it cleared up a little, we grabbed our umbrellas, put up our hoods and took a walk in the sprinkles along the Riverfront… splashing in puddles, ducking under someone else’s umbrella for some relief, and smiling for pictures by the Mississippi River dam despite the rain… and to top it off, we had a rainbow appear over our heads with one end landing in the water… we didn’t see a pot of gold, but we did have a fun adventure even if it wasn’t exactly what we had planned! Another great night with E&A friends!
This past weekend was jam-packed with so much fun for Chicagoland Singles that we needed to blog about two events this week! First on Saturday night we had our New Member Ice Breaker! There were a TON of new faces to welcome. They all had a blast playing “People Bingo” and getting to know interesting facts about one another! After the meeting, mingling, and buffet, it was game time! With air hockey, shooting games, racing games, and tickets to win, we were like little kids in a candy store! It was great to see a lot of new members mingling and fitting in with the group so well! It was a great night had by all…but then there was Sunday! Sunday Funday at 6 Flags Great America! With the new amazing ride Goliath out, that’s where we headed first… only to find out there was almost 4 hour wait! A little disappointed, we set out to ride some other roller coasters. Turns out, it was great that everyone else was in line for Goliath, because that meant shorter lines everywhere else! Everyone said they’ve never been able to go on so many coasters in one day! We even had a take breaks to give our stomachs a rest. By the end of the day, we were very tired and ready to head home after a long day of excitement. What an amazing weekend with E&A!
