Archive for "Things to Do"
Sunflower Hunting on Labor Day Weekend
Posted on September 12, 2017 by Ching under Things to Do, Travel.
I managed to talk Brian into taking me to visit a couple of sunflower fields over Labor Day weekend. The first one was close to Wheat State Wine Company in Winfield, which we were planning to visit for the Moreland & Arbuckle concert on Saturday night. Our friend Joe recommended it so I talked Brian into making a detour on the way to the show.
Here are some of my favorite pictures from that adventure.
Lots of people turned out for the Moreland & Arbuckle concert, the finale of the winery’s Uncork the Music Concert Series.
This was the best attendance we had ever seen at this event since we started going.
It was the perfect weather for an outdoor concert.
The other sunflower farm we visited was Grinter Farms in Lawrence. This is probably the most popular sunflower patch in the area. The field is vast and goes on forever. Here are some of our favorite pics from there.
I’d never been up close and personal with a field of sunflowers before now. It’s pretty amazing. I highly recommend doing it next summer.
The sunflowers usually peak in late August. I would go before the Labor Day weekend because then the sunflower patches will probably be less crowded. I also recommend going either early in the morning around sunrise or late in the afternoon, right before sunset, for the best light for photos.
You can visit Mickey Shannon’s travel blog for a list of some of the best sunflower fields in the area. Have fun and happy sunflower hunting!
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Have You Tried BOGAFIT Yet?
Posted on August 28, 2017 by Ching under Health, Things to Do.
Brian and I got to try BOGAFIT for the first time last week and neither of us fell in the water! Granted, I played it pretty conservatively. I didn’t do any jumping jacks or squat jacks on the board. Actually, I kept my feet firmly planted for the most part. Balancing on the board takes a bit of getting used to and I suspect I won’t be doing any crazy moves for a while.
Unfortunately, BOGAFIT isn’t included in your YMCA membership and requires a $35 monthly fee. However, they’ve got some free demos coming up at the Downtown YMCA. If you’ve been wanting to try it, this is your chance.
It is a fantastic workout and I’m actually considering signing up. I just need to check the schedule to make sure that it’s offered at a time that we can consistently make since you do have to pay for it. I don’t want to sign up and then have to miss.
If you have tried BOGAFIT before, let us know how long you’ve been doing it and what you think of the class/workout in the comments below.
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2017 Wichita Corporate Challenge
Posted on August 22, 2017 by Ching under Community, Things to Do.
Here are a few of my favorite pictures from this year’s Wichita Corporate Challenge.
This is our second year participating in the Wichita Corporate Challenge. We took third place in our division yet again this year, behind Cargill (second place), and Koch (first place and overall winner). Last year we were only half a point from second place but Cargill brought their A-game this year. It wasn’t close. We had a ton of fun competing though; and we learn and grow every year.
You can view all of the results on the Wichita Corporate Challenge web site but here’s a summary of our best events.
Events that we earned Gold:
Golf
5k Bike – Women
Table Tennis
Events that we earned Silver:
Briefcase Shuttle
Tug of War
Tennis
Events that we earned Bronze:
5k Run – Women 31-45
100m Dash – Women 45+
3 on 3 Basketball – Women
Volleyball
Softball
Anyway, you can draw a few conclusions based on these results. The one I immediately jumped to is that our female employees kick major butt!
Also, it should come as no surprise that Isaac medaled in all of his events. His teams earned Gold for Golf (he played with Dante, Sherii, and Kelly) and Table Tennis (he played doubles with Amy), and Silver for Tennis (he played doubles with Lindsay). He is both athletic and super competitive, which is great for our team.
I suggested that he play in every single event next year. LOL.
I’m pretty competitive but lacking in talent so I’m not much help. I do love participating though, so I always just volunteer to compete in any events that need participants whenever I can. I’m just grateful to be included. I hope they let me play again next year.
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Chocolate Kingdom
Posted on August 11, 2017 by Ching under Things to Do, Travel.
Since Brian and I arrived in Orlando a day earlier than usual, we decided to do some exploring. We found this place called Chocolate Kingdom conveniently located across from the Orange County Convention Center. Anyway, we’ve been coming to #ZINCON for several years and we didn’t even know this place existed. I suppose this is because (a) we’ve never really had that much time to spend exploring and (b) it’s kind of tucked behind the Walgreens, which we have never, ever ventured beyond.
Apparently, Sarah was familiar with the place because it’s right across from the Red Roof Inn where she and her convention roomies usually stay but the running joke is, because the of the business’ nondescript façade, it’s some kind of front for some sketchy operation. Yeah, we probably watch too many movies. Jokes aside, they do kind of need to work on their storefront more than a smidge.
The business looks pretty legit once you’re inside. It’s just the outside that looks sketchy. LOL. Besides taking a tour, you can also purchase various truffles. They have lots of different kinds to choose from.
A tour had just started when we got there but they were nice enough to let us join the one that was in progress. They next one wouldn’t have been for another hour or so. Honestly, I’m not sure we would have gone through with the tour had we not be able to do it right then and there.
Our tour guide told us that we hadn’t really missed anything, just a little cartoon where the prince talks about the chocolate shoes and all of that.
The tour, which talks about how you end up with a chocolate bar from a cacao bean, is definitely geared for children. They have little cartoon videos they play at each point of the tour.
Here are a few pictures of our tour guide.
The interactive parts of the tour included shooting marshmallows into the dragon, eating a candy-coated cacao bean, drinking a weird chocolate concoction similar to how it would have been served in the early days when chocolate was first discovered, and sampling some chocolates as we went.
Some of the other things we tasted were a bit iffy but I was definitely not averse to sampling the processed chocolate.
We got to taste some dark, milk, and white chocolate shoes.
This is one of the old school tools that they use to process the chocolate and turn it into something delicious for us all to enjoy.
Incidentally, chocolate – whether white, milk, or dark – has some pretty basic ingredients. You can see them listed in the photo above. High quality chocolate doesn’t require much. Unfortunately, chocolate makers these days add a bunch of other fillers. So, remember, the fewer ingredients the better.
At the end of the tour, you can purchase one of these delicious candy bars that they make right before your eyes. You can also customize them to add your favorite mix-ins. Brian and I didn’t buy any though, because we were pretty much eating chocolate (various forms of it) throughout the factory tour.
That’s pretty much the story of our Chocolate Kingdom tour. Before I sign off though, I’m leaving you with this: here are top ten reasons to feel great about eating chocolate. Enjoy!
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Carlos O’Kelly’s Summer Drink Tour
Posted on August 5, 2017 by Ching under Free Stuff, Things to Do.
Speaking of drink tours, Brian and I are scrambling to finish my Carlos O’Kelly’s summer drink tour. This is a “ladies only” offer so all of the drinks are pretty frou frou. Brian is more of a beer drinker so he hasn’t been much help. I suppose he could drink the Cuba Libre.
I’m a light-weight and can usually only drink one drink each time so this drink tour is taking FOREVER to complete. Although, since we’re down to the wire, I made an exception last night and drank two. The promotion ends on Labor Day.
These are all of the drinks you have to drink in order to complete the tour and earn your reward:
- Patrón Top Shelf Margarita
- White Peach Sangria
- Blackberry Long Island Tea
- Raspberry Gin Slushy
- Horchata Rum Shake
- Corazón CocoLoco
- Pink Paloma
- Blue Lagoon
- Jumbo Margarita
- Cuba Libre
- Blueberry Ginger Mojito
- Blackberry Mint Julep Margarita
The ones in bold are my favorites with the Horchata Rum Shake being my favorite of the favorites. It tastes like a milkshake. You can’t taste the liquor at all! It would be awesome if I could just drink 12 of those. That wouldn’t complete the drink tour, though.
I bet you’re wondering what’s the point. Your reward is an amazing set of handblown Mexican glassware. You get the glasses after you complete six drinks and then you get the bottle once you complete all 12 on the list.
Honestly, I’m not as concerned about getting the bottle but I do want two sets of the glasses because three glasses is just an awkward number to have. I want a pair of each. I got my first set of glasses a few weeks ago but then we left for #ZINCON and so now I’m trying to pick the tour back up.
I only need a couple more drinks on my new punchcard so I’m hoping to get my second set of glasses this weekend. Hurrah!
P.S. It’s not too late to start your tour. Wendy started hers last night. I gave her one of my punchcards that already had one punch on it. After her two drinks last night, she only needs three more to get her glasses. Come join us!
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