Our March Adventure Date ended up being a triple date! We used the platform Zoom to have a game night with friends. We ran Jackbox Games on one machine and then had a separate machine that we participated on. Our friends Matt and Beth Fox (and their daughter Zara for a few rounds) and Brent and Jenny Small were able to join us through the wonder that is the internet. It was amazing to be able to laugh and interact with everyone even though we were obeying Governor DeWine’s Stay-at-Home order. We seriously live in the best time period for something like this to have happened. Can you even imagine it in the 80s when we were children? School would have had to send work through the mail or through weekly pick up, teachers would probably have to call every family separately each week, Grandpa and Grandma would never see what the grandkids were up to… We would be going absolutely nuts stuck at home with just each other! At least we have YouTube for virtual classes and streaming services to binge watch sitcoms or crime shows or Disney movies. We are so very lucky!!
Anyway, for our game night, we played Quiplash 2, Drawful, Fibbage 2, and Trivia Murder Party. I think everyone had some success, had some defeat, and had some belly laughs. It was one of the best evenings I have had since this whole “quarantine” thing happened. It was nice to see people other than my husband and kids, and it was so nice to use my brain in ways I have not had to for a while. 10 out of 10 would do it again – and often!
How have you been keeping busy at home? Do you have other games we could play remotely? Share your ideas in the comments!
Our February Adventure Date did not go as planned. We had tickets to go to the Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center at The Ohio State University to see their facility. We were going to get to check out how cold their storage for their ice core samples was, along with learning all about their important research. We were very excited. We left with twice the amount of time we needed to get to campus on a normal evening. And then it snowed. And traffic was crazy because, oh my gosh – water falling from the sky! And we ended up really, really late. So, we went to Starbucks, knowing that we could always get two adventure dates in March to make up for it. After all, all of the shows and events we were working on in late February would be over by mid March, right?
Well, here we are in the strangest March I have ever know. Social distancing and staying home is the order of the day, so our schedule actually cleared up about a week earlier than expected. Thankfully, we are a resourceful family, and our library system is awesome. Keith had reserved the game Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening months ago when it came out for the Nintendo Switch. As luck would have it, we got to the front of the line at the beginning of March, just before the library was closed for the foreseeable future.
So, full disclosure, Keith did play this game back in 1993 when it was released for the Gameboy. I did not, but we agreed that we probably didn’t want to pay $60 for a remake game. We honestly weren’t sure how much Keith would remember – it turned out that we didn’t need to worry. Nevertheless, we were pretty excited to start playing on March 8th, a few days before things got crazy. Our only regret is that we played so much of it before we were home all the time… 😉
In the game, you are trying to get all of the instruments that are needed to wake the Windfish. Warning, this post will probably have spoilers, so if you don’t want to see images from the game or know information before you play, please stop reading now. For real, I only have a few photos, and they are mainly things we needed for hints later and then photos of the end. 🙂
This game was really enjoyable. It had a lot of dungeons, complete with puzzles. There were plenty of side quests, and even a couple things we needed to look up hints for because we had no idea how much time we would actually have the game. (We thought the library would need it back way before it seems it will….) We would definitely recommend playing this – if you are in the Columbus Metropolitan Library area, you could absolutely borrow this for a couple weeks and play through. If you are outside Columbus, I would actually pay the $60 for this game. It took a good amount of time to get through, so you will definitely get your money’s worth. Here are the photos I remembered to take of the game. I won’t tell you which mysteries they help solve, though, you’ll have to figure that out yourself.
See, I told you there were spoilers. I won’t completely ruin the ending, though. You’ll have to play to see what happens after the Windfish (which is neither wind nor fish!) awakens.
Have you played Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening? Let us know what you thought of it in the comments!
An escape room has been on our list since this blog began, and we were finally able to make it happen! We gave it to the family as a gift for Christmas, and we were all very excited. I found an excellent Groupon for a place in Pickerington called Paint and Escape. We were scheduled to be there January 15th, but we had a very sick kid and one just barely on the mend that day. The woman that owns the business was very wonderful to work with and moved us to January 29th.
When we arrived for our adventure, the first thing we had to do is sign in and choose a team name. When we were doing this, the owner of the business realized she had lost her car keys on the way into the venue that evening, and she was having trouble finding them. Keith went out with her and found the keys, so Team Key Finders was born.
It was finally time to enter our room – this is the door, the only photo I could take without giving anything away. I will tell you that we had a great time tearing apart the room looking for clues. We found most of them and figured out a lot of things, but we did use a couple of clues from the room owner. It was a great time of bonding and working together, and I would absolutely recommend it to other and also do it again with our kids and/or other friends. It felt good to be working puzzles again – we need a new Zelda game soon Nintendo!! 🙂
Paint and Escape in Pickerington has the room we did and also a room geared towards a younger crowd aged 8-12, I believe. It was an excellent first experience for 3 of the 4 of us – Madeline has done about 5 escape rooms at this point and is our resident expert. If you have done an escape room you would recommend, please let us know in the comments – Charlotte wants to do one with friends for her birthday this year.
At the beginning of the year, when I came up with the adventure and create date goal for this year, one of the things I really wanted to do was axe throwing. It has always been in the back of my head each month, but sometimes it was a time issue and sometimes it was an expense issue. So, seeing as December is the end of the year 2019, we decided to make it happen over Christmas Break. I found a Groupon which made Throw Nation (off Sawmill Road in Dublin) a slightly better deal than other places. I also knew it would have free parking, so we booked a session for the day after Christmas.
I had no idea that by booking our session for 4 pm, as soon as they opened, I was actually making an error. It turned out that they somehow did not have the right amount of staff to deal with all the people booked at 4, so they told our group we would have to wait “about 10 minutes” and then they would get us started. We proceeded to wait for 30 minutes for someone to realize that we had fallen through the cracks. They helped every other group, including groups arriving after our start time and we are pretty sure some walk-in customers. When they finally remembered us, they tried to put us in with another pretty large group, potentially ruining not only our experience but theirs as well.
It was finally worked out that we would be taught how to throw and then have a lane to ourselves to play a few games. This actually ended up being perfect, and we really enjoyed throwing the axes. It was difficult, but not so much that we were unable to hit the target a good amount. It was minimally frustrating. 😉 Here are some action shots of both of us.
We both hit the bullseye at least a couple of times. Here are some photos of axes in targets.
In the end, we had a really great time. Keith beat me two games, but I surged back in the last game to take the overall best score. I credit working on my throw technique and aim in the second game with my third game success.
In the end, we really enjoyed throwing axes, but our backs were also very done by the end of the third game. I can see us doing this again, but I know we will not go to Throw Nation. Although everyone else there that day would probably have a glowing review, I do not want to the chance that we could be the people that slip through the cracks again. I would also not recommend the Groupon. I felt it made it really hard to ask for a refund and walk away. It did not save us that much money, especially since we did not get the true “arcade game” group experience and only ended up throwing axes for about 45 minutes. As Keith said on facebook, “Will I throw axes again? Yes. Will it be at Throw Nation? Definitely not.”
We will definitely be continuing our adventure dates next year – do you have any ideas for things we have not yet tried? Let us know in the comments. We wish you all a safe and Happy New Year!
So, my car decided to break the day before Thanksgiving. We had it towed to our garage, but they couldn’t even look at it until the following Monday. So, our plans to do an escape room as a family this weekend were changed to be a little more economical. Did you know that there is a huge light display called Wonderlights Christmas In Ohio in Hebron, Ohio at the National Trail Raceway? It is $7 per person for the first 4 people and then there are different charges for different capacities of vehicles. We figured $14 to be in our warm, dry car and drive through an adventure sounded like a great deal. 🙂 So, armed with Starbucks beverages and our Christmas spirit, we headed out to check it out.
While you can see most of the lights from National Road before you even turn into the Raceway, we found there are still a lot of surprises! There are arrows and lights to guide you through the display, and lots of figures along the trail.
Our favorite parts were the drive thru tunnels of lights, though. There were so many! It was great!
We enjoyed most of the music, although we were quite surprised to hear “Proud to be an American” in the rotation. Some songs we knew, and a decent amount that we did not. We never heard a song repeat, and we kept the station on for a quite a ways back towards Pickerington on 70. We did pause for a selfie before we headed back to town. Only one adventure to go!! What do you think our final adventure for 2019 should be? Let us know in the comments!
So, after we completed our deck, we were still in need of an Adventure Date. What better way to celebrate our success than to go to Top Golf?!? Keith had been a couple times since it is right by his office, but this was my first time. We ended up there on a half off Tuesday night, so that was even better! Here are some photos of the set up for Top Golf.
Keith and I ended up playing the Top Golf game, which gives you points for whatever target you hit. In a super surprising twist, I beat him in 2 of the three games! This is proof that no matter how little skill you have, you can have a great time at Top Golf!
Here are some action photos – the bays are heated, so even though it was chilly, we didn’t need to wear our coats while playing. It was nice and cozy.
In addition to the golfing games, we got to enjoy fantastic food and drinks! Veggies with hummus, sliders, flatbread pizza, and wonderful sangria. It is not cheap, but it is really yummy and perfect for a special treat. Obligatory food photos below.
Overall, we had a really great time and I would definitely go again. I would highly recommend this date to anyone that can swing a club. I think we will take the kids next time. 🙂
On Friday, September 13th, the Ohio Herb Center offered a Gahanna Ghost Walk. With visions of ghost stories and strange phenomenon in our heads, we headed to meet our group. We were told it would be a 90 minute walking tour with light refreshments following.
Our tour started with the history of Bridgeport, Ohio, the name of the portion of Gahanna we were going to be exploring. After a brief overview, we headed out just down the street from the Ohio Herb Center to the site of what was once the Mifflin Inn. In front of the building is the oldest stone step in Gahanna. There are also two big windows where you may see a ghost cat. (The step and windows are not pictured because we talked about them from the back of the building because of traffic noise from the street.) First stop and already a ghost story? This was going to be great!
Map of Bridgeport
Building that was once the Mifflin Inn
Our next landmarks were given quick mentions. We saw The Olde Gahanna Sanctuary (built in 1895 by Peace Lutheran Church) and the Shepard Street School, but no real stories or history of either was given. Our next stop was 120 N High Street at the former house of Harry Bower. Apparently Harry was known as a strange fellow that bathed in the creek and constantly had to kick kids out of his back barn. Kids were always trying to get a peek at the glider (think light airplane) he kept there. Interesting sounding fellow, but not exactly spooky or supernatural.
Harry Bower House
We learned a bit more history on the way to our next destination – the site that was once the apartment building where Dr. Sam Sheppard once lived. Apparently was a doctor living near Cleveland with his pregnant wife when he came home one day to find she’d been murdered. Sam was tried by 2 separate juries 10 years apart and eventually acquitted of the crime. After his release from the State Penitentiary, he took up residence in The Executive apartment building in Gahanna, where he once again began seeing patients as a doctor. In our current day, the apartment building was tore down and that land now holds a parking lot and office building, so no photos there. No ghosts, either, apparently, although this was at least a true crime type of story.
Next we traveled back to the Ohio Herb Center, which is housed in the Naffzger-Miller House. They have an old butcher shop that was relocated to the backyard when the building was expanded by the family that lived there. No ghosts mentioned in the butcher shop, though. There is a potential ghost in the upstairs of the Naffzger-Miller House, so we were allowed to see that room. We were also given some lovely ginger snap ice cream sandwiches and lemon balm iced tea.
Photo of the original location of the butcher shop
Current location of butcher shop
Naffzger-Miller House plaque
The upstairs room that may be haunted
Overall, we were pretty disappointed in this tour. If we had gone in thinking we were going to learn about just the history of the area, it may have been more satisfying. Our guide definitely knew her history and was extremely passionate about preserving it. But only 2 ghosts and a questionably spooky doctor (who was acquitted for a murder that did not occur in Gahanna) do not really make a 90 minute ghost tour live up to its name. We would recommend it to history buffs, but not to ghost entusiasts or thrill seekers.
A Columbus Food Adventure has been on my radar since the start of our Adventure dates, so when our friends Brent and Jenny asked if we wanted to do one with them, our answer was immediately yes! After figuring out food preferences and schedules, we decided the Alt Eats II Tour would be the best fit. It was so much fun you guys! And the food was amazing – I can actually see us going back to each place and I’ve promised my dad some Korean food the next time they visit. 🙂
Our tour started at Jiu Thai Asian Cafe. They serve northern-style Chinese cuisine including their hand crafted biang biang noodles. Along with the noodles, we had dumplings and skewers of lamb and fish tofu. We were concerned when we saw the chili pepper flakes in the noodles, but they were not too spicy when paired with the other food. The dumplings were our favorite, but we did not have anything we wouldn’t try again. The most unique thing was the fish tofu. It was not tofu, it was made from fish but had a soft texture like tofu. Not bad, but interesting and definitely different.
fish tofu
lamb skewer and dumpling
biang biang noodles
Our next stop was Tea Zone Bakery & Cafe. It was a 30 second drive across the Microcenter parking lot. We were there to sample the Bingsoo, a yummy shaved ice/ice cream/fruit/tapioca dessert, but they had oolong tea and baked goods to take home, so we had to do a little extra shopping. The rice flour donut with red bean paste in the center is especially good, and the kids liked the mocha cake we got for them. We really enjoyed the Binsoo – definitely something you want to split with at least one other person, though. A really nice summer treat.
oolong tea
bingsoo
my portion after it was mixed
The third stop on our tour was actually a little grocery called Mediterranean Food Imports #2 with a small kitchen in the back. We were told they made the best falafel in Columbus. After trying it, that may just be the case. We had some time to check out the store while they were making the falafel, and we spotted these Smurf marshmallows from Haribo – haven’t seen Smurf merchandise for quite a while.
Smurf marshmallows?!?
falafel – so yummy!
The next stop was Poong Mei Asian Bistro for some Korean food. We were pretty thirsty by this point, so we got some adult beverages to enjoy as we waited for our food. Plum wine and Asahi definitely take us back to our time in Japan and make us smile! The Korean dishes we tried were so good! We had bibimbap, a green onion omelette, and mountain yam noodles. We also had some little dishes of “snack” foods like kimchi, steamed egg, pickled radish, etc. We will definitely be taking my parents here the next time they visit and we highly recommend it if you want Korean food.
bibimbap
pouring Keith’s Asahi – I’m a little out of practice
small “snacks” to go with our meal
Jenny and Brent
Keith and Autumn
my plate
Our final stop on the tour was Hong Kong House. This restaurant specializes in foods from Sichuan province which had me a little worried. I don’t necessarily enjoy super fiery foods. I didn’t need to worry, though, because the dishes we had did not start out super spicy and I could stop eating (or had to stop eating because I was full!!) before they built too much heat. We had a noodle dish, a fish dish, some great green beans, and really delicious crunchy chicken. I was enjoying the food, company, and conversation so much I forgot to take photos until I was almost done eating. Sorry about that! We were told that summer is their slow season – once Ohio State is back in session it is quite busy with all the students from China. So, if you want to check it out, be quick! 😉
the remains of my plate – you can see a little of the fish, crunchy chicken, and green beans
We were loaded back into the van one more time to be taken back to our cars a Jiu Thai Asian Cafe. We really enjoyed the tour and it was fun to have an adventure with another couple. Have you been to any of these restaurants? What is your favorite Asian dish? Let us know in the comments!
July was so busy and filled with lots of adventures, but none that I could call a date. So, in the last few hours of the month, Keith and I stole away to check out the Chihuly: Celebrating Nature exhibition at The Franklin Park Conservatory (FPC). It was a bit rushed because Charlotte was at dance class and texted us just after we arrived to say that she wasn’t feeling well. We looked at traffic and decided that we would stay and wait for it to ease a bit. We left Charlotte with instructions to drink water and rest and we explored until traffic was clear.
We have loved the Chihuly glass since it first arrived at FPC years ago. If this year of trying so many types of art has taught us anything, it is a new appreciation for people that are skilled at a particular artform. It is truly amazing that Chihuly is able to get glass to take so many forms and figures. Looking at his work through the lens of our experience trying to work with glass in March, it was even more awe-inspiring than ever.
We started in the butterfly exhibit, home of some of my favorite Chihuly work. It was interesting to see some of it literally turned upside down, and it was wonderful to see the balls floating in the water again. That has been and will always be my favorite – there is something so serene about it. I could sit and look for hours. I also adore butterflies, so it is definitely a happy place for me. 🙂
They had the lower entrance to the butterfly exhibit closed, so we had to loop around past the entrance to the Himilayan mountains exhibit. We followed that side of the FPC around, exploring both outside areas and then ended by going upstairs to the Palm House. We felt the time crunch of needing to get Charlotte, so we did not linger too long in any one place, but we definitely enjoyed seeing all the glass art. We were especially happy to see so much red and yellow – our wedding colors! We got some questioning looks when we chose them, but we think they really do look amazing together.
Our membership to FPC will be up the end of August, but I am sure we will sneak back to take the kids for this exhibition. It is truly a beautiful and amazing thing to see. Highly recommended! If you have been, what is your favorite installation? Let us know in the comments!
We had 2 family adventures in June! It was wonderful to have the opportunity to spend so much time together and we had an amazing time at COSI. We were really there for the fossils in the Dinosaur exhibit because of a Geology 4-H project, but we definitely explored more than that. I was really excited for the Jim Henson exhibit, and it did not disappoint! So, without further ado, here is the full report. 🙂
When we first arrived, we had to wait for the group of 4-H members from our club to get out of the Chemistry Live show, so we hung out in Gadgets. I was happily surprised with how much fun we had trying to make devices that would fly in the wind tubes they had. It was great!
After meeting up with our friends for a photo, we ended up checking out the WOSU exhibit. We especially had fun with the lights that break up your shadow into different colors.
Our next stop was the Dinosaur exhibit. We all learned some new things – I know we were never taught that some dinosaurs had feathers! Lots of cool fossils to explore, too. I think our budding geologist really enjoyed it.
Finally, it was time to check out the Jim Henson exhibit. I have ALWAYS been a fan of The Muppets and Sesame Street. I also really enjoyed Labyrinth and The Fraggles. So, seeing the beginnings of the muppet-type characters and seeing actual puppets and costumes and sketches and writing from the shows was amazing! I am so glad the exhibit came to Columbus so we could check it out!
We would definitely all recommend checking out both COSI and the Jim Henson exhibit. The exhibit is only here until September 2nd, so you should make plans to see it soon! Definitely worth the time and entrance fee. If you have already been, what was your favorite part? Let us know in the comments!
Adventure. Create. Relate 