Geocaching Adventures 7.12.14

Hey there! I headed to downtown Fort Worth today to do some research for my new blog project at the Central Library. While I was out and about I decided to check out what local GC’s were around.

**WARNING-SPOILERS** – If you geocache (in the DFW area especially) be warned: This post does show pictures and give specific tips that will pinpoint some geocaches.  Please do not use this blog as a way to find the cache’s.  The point is to showcase our geocaching journey and to grow the desire in others.

First I came across #GC46Y3F: What a “birdseye” view.

Whovian101 (AKA – the MiniMe) was with me last time we tried to find this one. Unfortunately, we were in the wrong corner of the building.  I followed the clues and looked at old pics to find my error and made my way right to the cache.

This is the view I should have been looking for and finally found.

Here is the cache:  The hint said it would be hanging upside down – so I was looking for a cord or rope of somesort…. Nope.  I soon figured it out though. 🙂

I found a really cool geocoin:  I love geocoins and trackables. I love the idea of sending something on a journey and being a part of it’s stop in my corner of the world. This one has a patriotic meaning to it which is always kind of cool.  The Mister served in the Navy for 8 years so I love finding stuff that has to do with the military – especially the Navy.

Swag:
There were several cute little pieces and had Whovian101 been with me she might have wanted a thing or two.  Since it was just me I chose the foreign currency for #OJATW (you can click that hashtag and follow our awesome project!!  It will open in a new window and then you’ll need to log into your Facebook account to see it – but it’s totally worth it. 🙂 ) and the geocoin to pass along. I left some kid friendly swag and a quarter. If I am correct about the value of the currency it is worth about $.16 American cents right now so the quarter did trump the value – but certainly not the coolness factor.

I signed the log and took a pic of the bottom of the container so I could remember where to pick up some for my own caches.  This one was from Ikea…good to know!

Then it was over to another is been eyeing: GC1KR38 Masonic Temple

Mostly just a log but there was room for a few tiny kid friendly trinkets.  According to the past comments and logs this one has disappeared a few times.  My guess is because it is right next to an apartment complex and any muggle (especially the young ones) would be curious if they found someone lifting that skirt.

Then I hopped a few blocks over (after maneuvering through the one way streets – which are a real pain in the rear.  They honestly don’t make sense to me!  Why not make them ALL two way streets and then no one is confused!!) and found GC4PDRV Lucky Clover.

Fun find.  It was a clever container and a cute little hide.  They guys that work nearby are friendly and as you can see from my log, get very excited when someone finds it.  Hopefully, this cache has instilled an interest in some of them and they can start geocaching with their families and friends.

Took my little monkey traveler to visit this one.  He was too big to leave in the cache. Still looking for a home big enough (and worthy enough) to send him on his journey.

Then I figured I would grab one more. Checked the logs. It was just found yesterday – which is generally a good sign!  Phone led me to GZ in a parking lot.  Just a few feet away was a tree with a perfect little hiding place in the trunk.  From all of the posts left before I am pretty certain this is supposed to be the site.  Unfortunately, there was nothing there.  I looked around and there were other places a GC could be, but none that really fit the past logs.  My guess is someone saw the person putting it back and then came and took it.  That stinks. 😦  I squeezed my phone into the hole and took a pic with my flash just to make sure I wasn’t missing anything and this is all the picture shows…. 😦 Bummer.

All in all – 3 smilies and 1 sad face. Muggles suck.  However, there were a few fun finds and I got a few ideas about what I want to do with our first cache.  I want us to place our first cache before school starts this year in August – so we’ve been looking for the right container and the right place.

I’m off to go work on a painting for the Big Kid.  Hope you enjoyed my finds and I hope you’ll share this post with anyone that has children or an adventurous side of their own.  Geocaching rocks…just sayin. 😉

Holy cow – Are you for serious?!

So I have been given an amazing opportunity…..and I am so stinkin excited!!

A quick little history – For those of you that don’t know, I am an Independent Educational Consultant for Usborne Books & More (EDC Publishing).  Usborne is a company that provides amazing educational books for children of all ages – from newborn to teen….and then some.  I joined about 2 years ago because I wanted to buy a few books for my kiddos and their friends for upcoming birthdays.  When I found out that I could get 25 books for $129 – I was sold.  I told the woman (my now friend Kim) that I signed up under that this would NEVER be a business – I was only using this as a discount for my kids books – she said that was fine and she was glad she could get me these books at such a great deal.  I found out that there were no monthly minimums!  As long as I make a purchase every year – I was still active!!  Even if it was just one $5 book!!  So that was 2 years ago – but I found that I was always talking about them – and people wanted to buy them! So I began to think about the bigger picture.  If my kids enjoyed them, surely other kids would too!  Ok… I’ll call a couple of people and maybe a few schools and libraries – and then I was hooked!  I loved seeing those tiny little hands grasp the books and WANT to look at them!  I really do make a difference in the lives of children every day…one book at a time – and I love it. ❤

Obviously, you can see my passion…  Anyway, as an Educational Consultant I get the opportunity to touch children’s lives every day in so many different ways. Now – back to my awesome story!!

Usborne offers a ton of different programs because every organization or group has different needs.  One of my favorites is a Book Fair that benefits a charity.  Those are a total win/win for everyone! 

So last week I was online checking out my Facebook page and I saw an interesting post.  I live in the Dallas/Fort Worth area (No, we don’t all ride horses or wear boots – just incase you were wondering.).  This post was from a fellow Uzzie (that’s what we call other Consultants with Usborne.) 🙂  She had just covered a booth at the Austin Home & Garden Show and the Home & Garden Show contact was wondering if there was anyone in the D/FW area that would be available to do the Dallas Home & Garden Show in September.  Another local Uzzie and I were definitely interested, but the problem is that booth space can be E.X.P.E.N.S.I.V.E. – so we needed the details.

That is when the Heavens opened up, Angels began to sing and I could hardly believe it.  The contact for the show has a personal connection to the Shriner Hospital – so all she asked in return for the booth is for us to give some free books to the Shriner Hospital!!  Um…..what? No, seriously – what else do we need to do? Just share Usborne books with everyone at the show because you think they are awesome?  Ok – Sold!

Within 24 hours the contract was signed and we began to brainstorm.  Instead of just giving them “some free books”, we decided to run the show as a book fair.  Why, you ask?  Because with an Usborne Book Fair – the school/organization/group/church – or in this case, the charity gets 50% of all sales back in FREE BOOKS!!! 

They expect over 8,000 people to come to this event and walk past our booth.  If only 5% of those people stop at our booth and buy 1 book at $4.99 – that is $1,996 in sales – which means the kids at Shriners Hospital will get $998 in FREE BOOKS!!!!

So – what was next?  Well, Tiffany (my local Uzzie friend that is sharing the booth with me) and I began to brainstorm because we got a CRAZY bit of news.  Apparently, because this is essentially a charity booth (because the charity is the whole reason the booth is going up to begin with) we don’t get a booth space assigned to us until last minute.  That way once they have everyone set, they pick the space that is left and give it to us.  They were so excited to find an Usborne Consultant (or two) that could do the show they gave us a 10 X 40!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Holy crap…that is 40 feet!!!!  For those of you that have ever done a booth space – you know the typical booth is 10 X 10 or maybe 10 X 20.  But 10 X 40?! Oh my! 

Ok…so now you are wondering how some little ol’ Texas Gal has a random inventory of over a few thousand dollars available – enough to fill up 40 feet of space.  I don’t – well…I didn’t.  Usborne is so AWESOME that they basically said, “Hey – you’ve been a Consultant for over 2 years and you’ve done such a great job, and we are so excited that you have the opportunity to benefit such a great cause, we are going to let you pick out $2,000 worth of books to sell at this event.”  Shut. Your. Mouth. –  No – this is not my joking face!  Totally serious!

So what do you think I did?  Well I hopped my little Texas hiney online and picked out a selection of books that I thought would most benefit the little gardeners that would would be tagging along behind mom & dad/grandma & grandpa – bored out of their minds – at this show.  And then I hit “Submit” just incase the last two zero’s on that $2000 were typos!

And wouldn’t you know it – a slick 4 days later (including the weekend and a National Holiday) I had six big boxes of books on my doorstep!!  I opened them all up one by one and marveled at all of the books I had not gotten to actually see yet.  (We have over 2,000 titles to choose from and new ones come out all the time.)

Oh the fun.  Now, my 11 year old was none too happy that these weren’t going on her bookshelf (how awesome is that?!) – but she got to add a few things to her wishlist for Christmas!!

Ok.  Booth – check.  Inventory – check. 

Oh yeah – and did I mention that we have a week and half before show time?  Yes.  Yes, we are crazy!!  We got this!! (holding breath)

Stay tuned….for the rest of the story…

P.S.  Yes I was sort of quoting Paul Harvey at the end there.  hee hee.

P.S.S. You don’t know who Paul Harvey is?! Gosh – I am old…