Archive for "Things to Do"
Pre-ZINCON Fun with Friends
Posted on August 3, 2018 by Ching under Movies, Things to Do.
Here’s what we did the weekend before we left for #ZINCON.
Brian and I went to checkout a new dance club in Old Town with some friends. Hideki was actually the one who suggested we check out Fever. It’s where Pandora and Bounce used to be. It’s actually really cool and we plan to go back very soon.
The following night was Mamma Mia! 2 night.
We had a watch party at our house for the first Mamma Mia! movie the previous weekend and then a bunch of us went to see the sequel the following weekend before Brian and I left for #ZINCON. It was perfect timing too, because I signed up for the Best of ABBA session with Steve and Kass so watching the movie right before put me in the right mood. I was super excited to attend my ABBA session after watching both movies.
Here are some pictures of us after watching the movie.
It was super fun watching it with everyone. I was amazed that we didn’t suddenly burst into song and dance in the middle of the movie. Even Alex, who loves and knows all the words to the songs, behaved herself.
Then we went to the Dairy Queen by the movie theater right after. Apparently everyone had the same idea because their drive thru was super busy!
It was the perfect night for sitting outside and visiting.
The next morning we met Jeff for breakfast at Dempsey’s Biscuit Co.
No pickleball for us that day because we had to finish packing. Check out our Zumba-fied suitcases! These are the decals that I got from Jaime at the ZIN Jam.
Our suitcases looked so legit! Anyway, I have one more non-Zumba-related post and then I’ll recap #ZINCON. Have a fabulous weekend and GNG!
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Carlos O’Kelly’s Summer Drink Tour 2018
Posted on July 23, 2018 by Ching under Food and Drink, Free Stuff, Things to Do.
I did the Carlos O’Kelly’s summer drink tour for the first time ever last year. This year I couldn’t wait for it to begin! I kept asking my friend Missy who does it every year, “Has it started yet? Has it started yet?” like an annoying child in the backseat of a long road trip.
Guess what. It’s started and, even though they give you until Labor Day to complete your drink tour, I’ve completed it already — twice.
It helped that you only had to drink five drinks this year. Last year you had to drink twelve different drinks to complete the entire tour. You got three hand-blown glasses after the first six drinks and then a matching glass bottle after completing the entire tour. Naturally, I completed the tour twice because it’s just weird to have a set of three glasses. It made more sense to me to have six.
I know it’s supposed to be FREE but this is probably the most expensive glassware I will ever own.
This year you got two hand-blown margarita glasses and Carlos O’Kelly’s “legendary” margarita mix for completing the tour.
I planned to complete the tour twice to get four margarita glasses so I started two punch cards right off the bat. And, before you freak out, no — I did not drink all of those drinks in one visit.
I’m kind of a lightweight and can only handle one drink each time. I know some people who could easily complete this tour in one visit. Unfortunately for me, it took several. I did manage to complete both tours, though, and well before Labor Day to boot! I know this probably isn’t an achievement worth bragging about but you gotta celebrate the small victories. Otherwise, what else is there to live for?
Here’s what the bottle of Carlos O’Kelly’s “legendary” margarita mix looks like. It’s a decent size bottle.
Here’s what the fancy margarita glass looks like. It’s got a nice weight to it. It’s the same ones that they serve margaritas in at the restaurant.
Brian and I decided to skip pickleball yesterday because he needed some new sneakers for ZINCON. He mostly just goes to hang out but that doesn’t mean he can’t hang out in style. Anyway, since we were already out and about, we decided to hit Carlos O’Kelly’s to complete my second drink tour because I only needed one more punch on the second card.
Here’s my set of our margarita glasses that I worked very hard to earn this summer. LOL. It would be nice to have six and I have plenty of time to complete another tour before Labor Day but I’m not quite sure yet if I will go for round three.
Anyway, for those of you who are yet to start your tour, here’s the daily drink specials so you know the best days of the week to go.
Have fun on your journey and always remember to drink responsibly. GNG.
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Symphony in the Flint Hills 2018
Posted on July 4, 2018 by Ching under Events, Things to Do.
I’m super behind on the blog so it’s now July and I’m only getting around to posting pictures from this year’s Symphony in the Flint Hills. Before you call me a slacker, you have to understand how crazy busy my schedule has been both in and out of work. It was actually very lucky for us that we were both able to carve out some time for the Symphony this year. If there was any year to go attend the event, this was the year to do it because the site was only 45 minutes from our house. It’s usually about three hours away. It’s rare and special when it’s this close.
The last time that the Symphony was at Rosalia Ranch was four years ago. I couldn’t for the life of me remember why we missed it because we never would have skipped it knowing full well how conveniently close it would be to Wichita. I actually had to look up what we were doing that year. It turns out, we missed the event for a very good reason (and I can’t believe I forgot). We missed the 2014 Symphony in the Flint Hills because we traveled to the Dominican Republic that year to celebrate Brian’s 40th birthday. Can you believe that was four years ago? It’s wild how time just seems to fly by.
Fast forward to 2018 and the Symphony is back at Rosalia Ranch again. The event usually falls around Brian’s birthday but, as soon as we found out about the location, we made a pact not to make any plans that would prevent us from going. We even took it a step further this year and volunteered with the Westar Energy Green Team on the Friday before the event.
Here’s a picture of some of our group in waiting in the parking lot of the school in Rosalia, down the street from the site. To minimize the impact to the prairie, we met and parked most of our cars at the school and then carpooled to the Symphony site. That way we’re not parking a bunch of cars there.
Here’s a picture of Ben giving us our briefing.
Here’s a panoramic view of one side of the Symphony site.
I took a fun selfie with Caylin (left) and Alex (right) during one of our breaks.
We worked on several tasks that day. Setting up the patron chairs was one of them. It was very meticulous work. The chairs had to be a specific distance apart and the rows had to be spaced just so.
A few more selfies… I think we took these during the lunch break.
This might have been when we were in line for food. That’s my friend Faith with me in the next photo. She and Krystee volunteered with me last year. Krystee wasn’t feeling well and didn’t make it this year but we had a great group from the Contact Center with Alex, Alicia, and Mike volunteering with us.
Brian disappeared after lunch. He had a heyday driving the telelift forklift. When it was time to leave, we had to have Ben track him down and tell him to quit. He just wanted to drive that thing all day. If it were up to him, he would have worked clear up until sunset and we would have missed Ginger’s retirement party.
Brian and I went back the next day for the Symphony.
Here are a few photos.
These next ones are from the after party.
Here’s an aerial shot of the Symphony site that I found online courtesy of Kansas Drone Imaging. Do you see us? 😉
I’m so glad that we had the opportunity to volunteer and also attend the event this year. Next year the Symphony will be back in Chase County. It will be tricky to attend but I hope that we are able to find a way. I just love this event. There’s no better way to enjoy the Symphony and the beautiful Flint Hills sunset. GNG.
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New Movie Theater in Wichita
Posted on July 3, 2018 by Ching under Movies, Things to Do.
Brian and I finally got to check out the new (I guess, not so new now) AMC movie theater at the old Northrock 14. We used to go to this theater when we first started dating, before it started getting run down. Eventually, we stopped going there and just went mostly to Warren Theatres for our movies, which had dominated the Wichita movie market. And then eventually the theater closed altogether. Fast forward several years later and the old Northrock 14 has been reincarnated as AMC.
It’s been completely gutted and remodeled inside. It actually looks very modern and nice. I like the kiosks where you can purchase tickets. There’s very limited contact with people, should you choose. The butter and soda are even self-serve.
The auditoriums vary in size. Some of them are smaller but they all have the same reclining seats. I also like that they didn’t try to cram so many rows so there’s plenty of room to walk across without getting on top of people.
I also like that it’s all reserved seating because I’m very picky about sitting smack dab in the middle of the auditorium. This way I don’t have to get there early or fight anyone else for it. I just need to buy my tickets in advance.
Our first AMC movie was Deadpool 2 a few weeks ago. And then we went back again this weekend for Solo: A Star Wars Story.
We were in smaller auditoriums both times. I wasn’t so keen on the smaller screens at first but I really like the comfortable seats and the auditorium set up. I also like that I don’t have to pay a premium for reserved seating. We will definitely be back!
In the meantime, here are a couple of movie previews for you to enjoy:
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I Feel Pretty
Posted on May 24, 2018 by Ching under Things to Do, Zumba.
Some pretty girls and I went on a movie outing last month to see Amy Schumer‘s “I Feel Pretty” movie. I never really go on girls’ only outings but the Zumba peeps seemed so excited about this one I couldn’t help but go along with it.
The movie (check the preview above) actually has a really good message. And, it was funny and entertaining so I’m very glad that I went.
Wendy, Laurie, Chelsea, Missy, and Danielle all brought their daughters so we had to take a mother-daughter pic. It was really cute.
Speaking of cute, Sarah and Rose wore matching outfits. We kind of talked about wearing Zumba gear, but the rest of their attire ended up perfectly matching completely unintentionally. I just love, love, love my Zumba family!
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