Just Jot January - 2020 - Experience

Our prompt today from Dan to Linda to us is "Experience."   I've been trying to get more experiences in our lives, especially since the kids are grown. 




Experiencing concerts has become a passion.  Of course I like to get as up close and personal as I can but even being in the back and seeing the cellphone lights around the stadium is magical.

When I turned 60, I wanted to walk across the Golden Gate Bridge.  Even though I've lived in the Bay Area all my life, I hadn't had that experience before.  

We took a helicopter ride for our anniversary.  Going through the Grand Canyon and having a picnic on one of the ledges was a terrific experience.   

I've been trying to experience more sunsets at the beach lately.  I live so close it seems a shame to miss them and they are free!

                                                              Getting our picture on the jumbo screen at AT&T Park was a pretty neat experience too!

In 2017 we had a really great time in Reno with a  Let's Roam Scavenger Hunt.  At that time it was called Big City Hunts but even though they have changed their name, they still offer great experiences in many different cities.  My Word of the year that year was Believe and you can imagine how moved I was when I saw it in the middle of the city in huge metal letters.  I actually cried.  

Valentine's Day is coming and I think a great experience you can give to yourself and your significant other is a Date Night Scavenger Hunt.  It doesn't matter if you have been together a short time and are just learning about each other or if you have been together forever as we have, the scavenger hunt can be such fun.  Even though we had been to Reno many times before, we found some new and very interesting spots while on the hunt for clues to the next stop. 

I particularly liked this experience because while you are using your phone to get the clues and answer the questions, it is pretty much self-guided and you can take your time to enjoy the scenery.  We found some spots that were not part of the hunt that we would not necessarily have seen if we weren't strolling through the city.  We got some really great pictures too.

It is also reasonably priced.  I think they are having a sale now and with the Date Night Scavenger Hunt you can add an option for a proposal!  How cool would that be? 

I do need to disclose that I am an affiliate for Let's Roam and may get some compensation if you use my link, but I was writing about the great experience we had even before I was an affiliate.  They also have regular hunts if you want to do it with friends or family.  They have Ghost Tours, Bar Hopping Tours, Bachelorette Party Tours and Birthday Party Tours as well.  Definitely worth it to check out the site and see if a city near you is included, or to add to a vacation you have planned somewhere else.

Also, special offer for anyone who does use my link and decides to go on a Let's Roam Scavenger Hunt, I'll be happy to make a mini-album of your adventure at a discounted price!

Have you been enjoying the Just Jot January experience so far? 

November Novelties - 2019 - Grateful Edition

I sincerely hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving yesterday with their families and friends.  Ours was very small and low key since our eldest daughter spent the day with one of her friends and my mom spent it with my sister and her family.  That meant there was only the four of us and to be honest, we didn't even sit at the table, we ate in the living room but at least we were together.  I took only one picture:

I also ate a few more carbs than I usually allow myself but I just can't resist the stuffing and cranberry sauce.  Today it will be pretty much back to my usual eating although I may still have some stuffing, just won't stuff myself - LOL.

I have a whole list of things I am grateful for, as I'm sure everyone does.  I try to remember them even when it is not Thanksgiving.  In addition to those, I am really grateful that I connected with my famous author friend, James J. Cudney, IV.  He has done a great service by featuring me in his latest blog "Tips and Advice" post.  It is wonderful to have people support you in your endeavors and Jay is gracious about doing that.  If you haven't read any of his books, you really should.  You can find them all on Amazon and I believe he has some specials going on.

Also, I am grateful for the partnership I have had for the last 15 or so years with JoAnn Wall of JSTS Transcription Services.  We met at a picnic organized by a mutual friend, Gloria Merino, and we started discussing what our jobs were.  We found that we both did transcription work.  Mine is primarily medical transcription and hers is more general transcription.  She asked if I wanted her to send medically related transcription requests to me and of course I said yes.  Since then we have been working together and recently, as my medical work has been decreasing, she started sending other types of work my way.  It has truly made a difference.  There is a learning curve of course but the topics are interesting and I feel like I can handle the challenge.

Each of these connections came totally by accident.  You never know where a chance meeting will take you.  It's that Universe thing again, you know?

Now it is my turn to share.  I am an affiliate for several different companies and while I may receive some compensation if you use my links, it doesn't affect the prices for you.

The first is Creative Live.




There are so many interesting online courses in a variety of subjects including photography, writing, money, crafting and personal growth.  I have taken a few of them and have found them to be very helpful and informative.  Through today they are offering 70% off but they have specials all the time and even offer some classes for free.

CreativeLive Black Friday Deals: Take 70% Off Sitewide

The second is Let's Roam.  This is a scavenger hunt type adventure that you can take.  We did the one in Reno and it was so much fun.

 https://www.letsroam.com/?utm_source=partner&utm_medium=uwdsb5zx 
  
If you are looking for a unique gift for that hard to buy for person, consider these.  They are inexpensive and fun and there are a lot of different places and subjects to choose from. 

Grateful also for all of you who read my little tidbits.  Thanks! 

Must Be May - 2019 - Stream of Consciousness Saturday - Let's Roam

Quite unexpectedly the other day I got an email from a representative of "Let's Roam."  I had not heard that name before but the message said that since I had previously requested to be an affiliate, they were offering me the opportunity to join them now.  Upon researching, I found out that "Let's Roam" is the new name for "Big City Hunts." 

Indeed, I had requested to be an affiliate of "Big City Hunts" a couple of years ago after my husband and I had such a good time on the Reno Hunt we accomplished.  I had never heard back from them so I forgot about it.  Apparently, they've been undergoing some changes and now they are "Let's Roam."  Their Mission Statement is to "focus on connection through exploration, creating new ways for people to see the world, create memorable experiences and meet new people.  Our mission is to reimagine the way people explore and connect."  I like that mission!

Of course I said that I would definitely like to participate and I sent the link to the blog post I had written about our Reno experience.  I was excited to get the response back from them stating that I could be an affiliate!

"Let's Roam" is a treasure hunt experience leading you, through an app on your phone, around your chosen city with a series of hints and clues from point to point.  There are trivia questions and you really need to take a look at your surroundings to get the answer which leads you to your next spot.  Picture taking is a part of the fun as well and you earn points for solving the riddles.  You can choose to "role" play by being the "Photographer," "Braniac," or "Explorer" or you can just be tourists as my husband and I did.  There are no tour guides, reservations or time constraints, you can move along at your own pace. 


There are currently over 350 different cities in the program over four continents!  There are programs for large groups and corporate events to help with team building and there are also hunts for special occasions like birthdays, bachelor/ette parties and date night!  It is a great way to introduce the kids to new places as well.  In fact, one of the long-term plans of the company is to "launch a non-profit that helps children get out and explore the world."   The tickets are reasonably priced and once you purchase, they are good for two years.  They make great gifts too.

This is one of the spots we were taken to when we went on our scavenger hunt. 

Since "Believe" happened to be my "Word of the Year" it was especially moving for me.  

There were even some things that we found that were not part of the hunt, but we probably wouldn't have noticed them if we hadn't been looking more closely at our surroundings. 

     

Obviously the fact that I am an affiliate means that I would get some compensation for anyone who books a "Let's Roam" trip using my link but I really believe that the experience will be a great one.  If you decide to go on a Scavenger Hunt, I'd love to hear about it. 

Also, I am developing a mini-album to go along with the hunt that will be available in my Etsy shop.  If you want to have your pictures put in an album to commemorate the experience, I'll be happy to work with you on one.  There may even be a special discount!  Just send me a message with your details.   

Technically this was not a true "Stream of Consciousness Saturday" post because I didn't really just let my mind wander but I did start the post with an adverb, which was the prompt from Linda for today.  Have a terrific Saturday all.