Posts Tagged: "adventure"

Escape Room Experience

Princess Diana - August 7, 2019 - Uncategorized

My family and I were trapped in a room… We could only escape by unravelling a series of clues… We had one hour… Or else… Tick. Tick.

For the next 60 minutes, my sisters, nieces, brother, brother-in-law and I bonded by working together to search for clues and decipher them.

What is an Escape Room?

“Escape Room” adventure games offer a unique experiences for families and groups ages 12 to 100.

You pick a themed room with distinct story line, and your team has to complete your mission to “escape” the room in 60 minutes or less.

It’s a one-of-a-kind experience working together under that type of pressure.

For us, it was an adrenaline rush filled with lots of laughter. So much laughter.

When a clue was particularly perplexing, someone would yell, “That’s it! We’re gonna die in here!” That always cracked everyone up.

Canoe Camping Wilderness Adventure

Princess Diana - July 19, 2017 - Birthday, Christmas, Experiences, Gifts for Him, Gifts for Me, Graduation

There are places in the United States known as canoe country. It’s where water and wilderness combine for a canoe trip of a lifetime.

Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW), or Boundary Waters for short, is one of those places. The area is a million acres of pristine wilderness containing more than 1,000 lakes that borders Canada, hence the name Boundary Waters.

I recently returned from a Girl Scouts travel camp where 11 of us drove north from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma to Ely, Minnesota for everyone’s first camping canoe experience. There were seven girls ages 12-17, and four adult volunteers.

Into the Wilderness

Separated into two groups with two guides each, we unplugged from civilization and headed out with only our canoes, paddles, camping gear, food, and a thirst for adventure.

For five days, we experienced breath-taking views of a wilderness paradise as we paddled across crystal-clear waters. I can’t believe I spotted more than 10 bald eagles on my trip!

Birthday Adventure With Adult Siblings

Queen Darlene - September 8, 2016 - Birthday, Experiences

A Birthday Adventure! Doesn’t that sound fun? Especially if it is with your siblings.

To celebrate my sister-in-law’s 64th birthday, I suggested my husband and his brother take their sister on a secret trip. They both thought it would be a great idea as the three of them had never-ever been on a trip together as adults.

Road Trip With Siblings

Randy and Kyle picked up Lesa and drove 1 1/2 hours to Tulsa. They teased her all the way about what was waiting for her at their destination. Did she like ink and pain? A hint of tattoos. It’s so like brothers to try and scare their sister!

They arrived at their destination — Rustic Cuff, a one-of-a-kind jewelry store phenomenon. Continue Reading

Hunger Games Inspired Wedding Anniversary Surprise

Princess Diana - July 8, 2014 - Anniversary, Experiences

My friends Desi and Peyton love a good adventure. It’s no coincidence I first met them at a “Dirty 30” mud obstacle 5K race, and I’ve borrowed their snowboarding helmets. They not only love that kind of thing but they love experiencing it TOGETHER.

They also love The Hunger Games and Peyton used their shared interest to surprise Desi on the night of their third wedding anniversary.

Desi came home to find a letter taped to her front door and two weapons – a gun and a bow and arrow – leaning up against it.

(No, the gun and bow and arrow weren’t real. I was just trying to be dramatic. Gotcha!)

The letter read:

Oh, the Places We’ll Go! (And Been) | World Travel Map with Pins

Princess Diana - November 29, 2013 - Anniversary, Birthday, Christmas, Valentine's Day

When my husband Kevin and I were dating in college, he studied abroad in Costa Rica for five weeks so he could learn Spanish via language immersion. One day, I opened up my email and read, “When I’m finished with my classes, why don’t you fly down here so we can travel the country together?” How totally romantic!

Kevin and I hike the rainforest in Costa Rica in 2003.

But so last minute. He was talking about a date two weeks away and I had an expired passport!

I made it happen – but barely – because my passport literally arrived in the mail the day before I left. My plane landed in San Jose where my very tanned Spanish-speaking boyfriend met me.

We traveled for nine days together staying in beach towns, zip lining through the rain forest, and eating fresh papaya and drinking mango juice for breakfast. Traveling with my personal translator, we avoided touristy areas so we could experience Costa Rica culture up close and personal.

Being half Filipino, I am often mistaken for being Hispanic so locals would sometimes just randomly start speaking Spanish to me. When they did, I would get this embarrassed I’m-sorry-I’m-your-typical-spoiled- American-who-only-speaks-English look on my face. Then I would politely say, “No hablo espanol” and then quickly point at Kevin – “El Gringo” (you know, Spanish for “The Gringo”).