Check Mark 25: Bring Pure Joy to Someone Else

We all know it's better to give than to receive, and I just love to give to the people I love - especially my husband!  For his birthday, I've given him trips to the Orange Bowl in Miami and the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, but the best gift so far was for his birthday in 2012.  I surprised him with a trip to Las Vegas.  Now, we aren't big on gambling, so why would we go to Vegas?  To drive fast cars of course!

My husband has been pining over this Porsche but there's no way we could afford to own one of those right now, so I thought what would be the next best thing?  Driving one - really fast, on a race track!  I found one at Exotics Racing in Las Vegas, so I knew I had to get him there.  He was such a good sport about the surprise too.  He had no clue where we were going when we got on the plane, and even once we got there, he has no idea he was about to drive his dream car.  Needless to say, he had the time of his life!

He had so much fun, he went for round two in another Porsche.  If our bank account would have allowed it, I'm sure we would have spent all day here driving all the different cars.  It was seriously one the purest moments of joy and surprise I have ever witnessed.  I'm so glad I could make one of his dreams come true.  I didn't drive fast cars that day, but that day wasn't about me.  However, I couldn't resist sitting in this one...

Check Mark 24: Tour the White House

To most people, this might sound lame, but I never got to go to Washington D.C. on school trip when I was little, so as an adult, I thought it would be fun to visit and take a tour of the White House.  Well, as luck would have it, I got to visit D.C. twice in 8 months.  The first time was for a friend's wedding in October 2012, which was when I had the honor of taking a tour of the White House.  It was actually pretty cool.  Of course, we could only tour certain rooms on the main level, but we could hear the first dog barking and people were setting up for some report or interview with the President.  No pictures could be taken inside, but I did get a pretty nice shot of the White House at dusk.

The second time I went back in May 2013 for the European Union Embassies Open House.  This one day in May, you can tour most of the European Embassies in Washington D.C.  There is another weekend in May that you can tour other embassies from around the world like Africa or South America.  The open house includes tastes of ethnic cuisine, native art, cultural theatrics, and even local wine and beers.  I had not even heard of this event until going to D.C. the first time, but I highly recommend going to check out the embassies.  It's a great family event and cultural learning experience.  Oh yea, and other than travel arrangements, the whole thing is free!

Check Mark 23: Visit Bora Bora

Have you ever seen the movies Couples Retreat or XXX (the one with Vin Diesel)?  If so, you can understand where my fantasy of visiting Bora Bora began.  Bora Bora is a small island in the French Polynesia which takes forever to get to from Cincinnati but is totally worth the travel time!  We haven't been every place (yet), but my husband claims that Bora Bora / Tahiti / French Polynesia must be the most beautiful place on Earth.  This is where we chose to honeymoon.

We got married in June, so when we went to Bora Bora it was winter.  This just meant that the temperature averaged 80 degrees, there wasn't much rain, and the island was relatively quiet.  Basically everything was perfect!  I don't think we could have picked a better place to honeymoon!  I'm not a morning person, but since the time difference was 6 hours, I got to catch a couple of beautiful Tahitian sunrises.

 

 We stayed in an over water bungalow at the Hilton and it is everything you imagine!  There are places where the floor is glass so you can watch the sea creatures swim in beautiful blue lagoon waters.  We saw an octopus, eel, stingray, a variety of fish, and of course, colorful corals!

  



This was the perfect place to just relax after the craziness of planning a wedding.  The beaches were almost private and there was always an open hammock to nap in.  We had the chance to do a little kayaking, take a trip out on the catamaran, and take a jet ski trip around the island.  My husband did learn how to crack a coconut so we could get coconut water and make coconut milk - a very useful skill in the suburbs of Northern Kentucky.  All in all, it was the most relaxing trip and the perfect start to a new chapter!

Check Mark 22: Get Married

On June 2, 2012, I married my best friend.  My wedding was a dream come true and went off without a hitch - until the reception when a piece of dirt flew up and cut my eye, but still, nothing could bring me down on my wedding day!  Everything was perfect and just the way we envisioned it.  It was small - we were surrounded by about 120 of our closest friends and family. 

We were married in our home state of Kentucky followed by an outdoor reception at Alms Park in our birth state of Ohio.  I guess you can say it was a little on the rustic side with some traditional twists.  We tried to include things we loved like the red fence of a barn, the small twinkle lights of an authentic Italian trattoria, cupcakes from our favorite local bakery, the simplicity of mason jars, and the elegance of floating candles.

We were blessed with a beautiful day which relieved a lot of stress that builds up when planning an outdoor reception.  You just can't predict the weather when you are planning something 9 months in advance.  It actually ended up being a little on the cool side which was okay by me!  A few raindrops started my day - which I hear is good luck - and then cleared out.  The slight overcast that was left behind made for some of the most incredible pictures!

Now I get to start a new chapter in my life with my husband.  We've been on a lot of adventures together and made a lot of great memories - and I can't wait to see what the future holds for us!!

Check Mark 21: See Wild Horses on the Beach

The Outer Banks of North Carolina seriously has so much to offer, but if you do nothing else, make sure you see the wild banker horses of Corolla.  They are such beautiful, majestic creatures, and here you have a chance to see them in their natural environment.  You get to see them run on the beach, wade in the ocean, and graze in the dunes. 

These wild horses are Spanish Colonial Mustangs and have been residents of the island for nearly 500 years.  It's unsure as to how they originally got on the island, but there are some well documented theories dating back to early settlement.  Regardless, if you get a chance to see these wild horses, take it!  A picture of these beauties makes a great vacation souvenir!

Check Mark 20: See the Tallest Sand Dune on the East Coast

In May of 2012, I visited the Outer Banks in North Carolina for the first time.  I absolutely adore the beach, so any chance to visit any beach, I'm there!  Little did I know that the Outer Banks had more to offer than just relaxing in a beach house on a quiet beach.  Nags Head, NC (part of the outer banks) is home to the tallest sand dune on the East coast.  Of course, when I heard this I just had to go!

Jockey's Ridge is the tallest natural sand dune system in the Eastern United States and you don't realize how massive it is until you make the journey to the top.  It covers 426 acres and rises to 100 feet at it's highest point.  Once you make it to the top, the view is incredible!  The sand seems to go on forever in every direction.  There are magnificent views of the sound, and watching the hang gliders is always fun.

Check Mark 19: Get Engaged

I, like most girls, dreamed of the day my perfect guy would get down on one knee and ask me to be his forever.  I just had no idea it would take 27 years to see that dream come true.  However, when it finally did happen, it was perfect.  It was September 2, 2011 and we were eating at 1500 Ocean at the Hotel del Coronado when my now hubby got down on one knee beside our table and asked me to marry him!  It was a romantic dream come true!

It was the perfect vacation and I fell even more in love with the Hotel del Coronado since it now played a special role in this milestone in my life.  My husband could not have planned a more perfect proposal!!

Check Mark 18: Drink Wine from Napa Valley

In 2009, I found another love of mine - wine!  I hadn't really had much experience with wine until Napa Valley, but when in Napa Valley, you must take advantage of the sights of the beautiful vineyards and the tastes of the unique wines!  We visited a few different vineyards where we took tours and were taught about wine.  We learned about pairing wine with different foods, cheese, and chocolates.  My favorite was of course dessert wine and chocolate!!

A few of our favorite vineyards were Beringer, Sterling, and Castello di Amorosa.  We still order wine from Castello di Amorosa from time to time - it was that good!  If you ever get the chance, order their La Fantasia.