#6 take the plunge

#6 has so far, been my favorite. we planned a trip to chicago to celebrate a birthday. one of my best friends and old college roommates lives in chicago. so we go there often and have done all of the touristy stuff many times. i was discussing our upcoming trip on the way to church with some friends when one of them suggested i jump into the frozen lake. i'm pretty sure it came out more as a joke than it did a serious suggestion. everything else named were things i have already done in chicago, so they would not count towards my 25 in 25. 

jumping into the lake stuck in my head. once i got home i googled it just out of curiosity. i wanted to see what people who have done it in the past had to say. one of the very first things to pull up during my google search was the 2014 chicago polar plunge. and guess what? it was happening in chicago the same weekend that i already had booked my flight for. it was simply meant to be. and it was an event benefitting the special olympics. can't say no to helping others!

i told all the girls going that i was planning on taking the plunge and extended an invite to join. some of the responses i got were "that sounds dangerous and like a terrible idea" and "well i'm not doing it but i'll cheer you on." i must admit, i questioned whether or not i would actually go through with it. i'm very much a warm weather kind of girl. i didn't make a final decision until i hopped on the plane that friday morning. i even paid for internet on the plane so i could sign up before talking myself out of it. i signed up as a team of one knowing my friends would support me but not join me. but, ah the power of persuasion goes a long way! once we got off the plane, one by one i convinced them all to sign up and take the plunge with me. i can't tell you how excited i was. doing it with my friends cheering me on would have been fun, but with them right beside me? such an awesome experience.

power up!

as my team of one grew to a team of five, we decided we needed a team theme. after an hour or two of scouring though target's vast selection, we decided team "freezin for a reason" was going in the lake as super heroes. we each were a different super hero. there was captain america, batman, wolverine, superman (me) and flash.

the celebratory weekend continued as planned with ice skating, visiting the bean, drinks at reunion, dinners and nights out, and a little shopping here and there. we let just about everyone we met know our plans of taking the plunge on that sunday morning. the responses we got were quite entertaining. people in chicago thought we were nuts. but most thought we were just kidding. 

we stayed out pretty late that saturday night but that did not stop us from an early sunday morning. everyone popped out of bed- i made sure of it- and suited up! we went on the balcony for a little morning dance party to get our bodies warmed up. chicago was freezing cold that weekend. barely hitting the teens. the water in lake michigan was actually still frozen solid. they had to have machinery come and break up a patch of the ice so the plungers could plunge on.

a little morning snow party

sunday morning was no different, it was bitter cold. we bundled up and packed warm, dry clothes to change into afterwards. jimmy fallon was taking the plunge that morning, too. he went a couple of waves before our time dressed in a full suit and was accompanied by men playing bag pipes. we signed up for the last wave at 11 am thinking the later the warmer. as we arrived to the plunge we saw all kinds of people and costumes. there were people in hooters uniforms, polar bears, bikini wearers, banana suits and so much more. some people really went all out with their costumes, kudos to them! there were people running out of the water with huge grins stretched across their faces and others that looked like they were just in pain. i even saw a girl turning shades of purple! we shook off the panic on other people's faces and focused on the overly excited ones. once it was our turn to line up, we all braved it together and hand in hand we all took the plunge.

we came, we plunged, we conquered

the water was cold. very cold. infact once i got out my legs had clouds of steam coming off of them followed by the feeling of pins and needles. there were separate men's and women's heated tents where you could go and change after the plunge. that's exactly where we headed. even though they were heated, it was still pretty stinking cold in those tents. it blocked off all the wind from the windy city, but the cold still crept right through. we changed quickly and immediately got some cocoa to warm up with. there was an indoor area with souvenirs, extra clothes and food for sale. i bought a second pair of socks because my poor little toes felt like they weren't going to hang on without them for much longer. and a button saying "i survived the plunge," just because.

pre and post plunge

collectively, we raised over two thousand dollars for the special olympics within two days time. thanks to all our friends and generous strangers who donated to such a great cause! the plunge was cold but an incredible experience. this was my first, but not my last time to plunge into a freezing lake. it's quite the rush. see you again soon, chicago!

i would rather learn from one bird how to sing than to teach 10,000 stars how not to dance.

e. e. cummings

#5 explore carlsbad caverns

before entering the cave     

#5 became another new mexico exploration. i went to el paso, tx to spend valentine's weekend with my best friend while my boyfriend is out of the country. the trick is to stay distracted, right?

we climbed the franklin mountains once more before i searched for fun adventures nearby. at the top of the list was carlsbad caverns. so my best friend, who will always be up for any adventure i throw her way- love you kimmy- and i took a little road trip to new mexico. once again, i lucked out. not only was it valentine's day weekend, but it was also president's day weekend. per usual, we were cutting it close with time. the caverns stop allowing guests to go down to the caverns on the natural trail at 2pm sharp. you can take the elevator down up until 3:30pm, but who wants to do that? with only 10 minutes to spare, we arrived around 1:50pm. making the cut-off was our first stroke of luck. we walked over to the ticket counter to purchase our tickets, and the smiling lady behind the glass informed us that there was no entry fee during president's day weekend. this was our second stroke of luck. with ten extra bucks in each of our pockets, we cheerily walked to the entrance of the cave.

<3

the whole time i couldn't help but think i was entering the cave of wonders. i kept hearing "touch nothing but the lamp." to my dismay i found no traces of a flying carpet or magical lamp and trust me, i looked. what i did find was one beautiful sight after another. once i got over the fact i was not in the movie aladdin, the more rocks and formations i saw, the more i just wanted to climb on top of everything. the inner kid in me was out in full force. of course, doing that would be "interfering with nature" and was prohibited. fighting the urge was a true challenge, but i did it. for the most part, i only climbed once. okay, twice.

such a cool place!

once inside, the caverns were extremely dark and humid. i would recommend bringing some water along with you. there's a lot of walking and once you're down there, you'll be down there for a while. the darkness made it difficult to take pictures, but we did our best. the pathway has very minimal lighting. normally, i'm a big ole chicken in dark places but with so many people around, i survived. i quickly learned you have to pay attention to your step because you can't see very far ahead of you and a set of stairs would make a surprise visit every now and then. the entire place echoed and again, my inner kid wanted to shout at the top of my lungs so i could test it out. but i didn't. loud voices weren't allowed.

i'm a little tea pot?

there are multiple routes you can take once in the caverns. each room is labeled and the path is lined with plaques that contain fun facts and history about the formations surrounding you. these really were pretty neat to read.

unfortunately we did not encounter any bats, which the cavern is well-known for. the bats were mid-migration. if this is something that would make or break your trip, plan accordingly. for us, we had a great time, bats or no bats. who would have thought walking around and looking at a bunch of old rocks would have made for such an incredible time? i can't wait to go back and when i do it will be on strings, spelunking through that place!

to learn more about the carlsbad caverns click here: http://www.nps.gov/cave/index.htm

o sweet spontaneous earth.

e. e. cummings

#4 enjoy the fort worth rodeo, yee-haw!

#4 took place right in my backyard. not literally, but figuratively. i spent 4 unforgettable years living in the charming city of fort worth, tx. they were my college years. i wouldn't trade those wonderful memories for anything. after all of my time spent in good ole funky town, not once did i make it to the fort worth rodeo. this year, i made it a point to go. i made the short trek from my new home of dallas, to fort worth with some of my closest friends.

aside from it being incredibly chilly, the night got off to a great start. while i was in line to purchase my ticket, a lovely couple politely asked if i wanted to take 2 of their tickets. they had another couple bail on them and ended up with 2 extras. i gladly accepted and handed the other extra ticket to one of the girls waiting in line with me. -- a big texas thank you to that couple!!

we wined and dined at the reata, rooted for cowboys not to fall off of wild bucking broncos, watched crazy men dressed up as clowns jumping around in front of those wild bucking broncos and a cute little show with cowboys and cowgirls roping lassos and showing off tricks on top of horses.

i wanted to gain the full rodeo experience so before the night was over, a friend and i wandered around. i munched on some rodeo cotton candy, played dress up with all the cowboy hats, light sticks and feathered boas. then i snuck off to the concert tent to catch a bit of the music going on outside provided by a local country band. my only previous experience with any form of a rodeo is the houston rodeo, which puts on quite the show. infact it is one huge extravaganza. i came to the fort worth rodeo knowing not to expect any beyonce performances-gotta love queen bey! so i didn't set my hopes too high. the houston rodeo is not one you can beat. however, i was pleasantly surprised. the fort worth rodeo was a simple, cowboy fun-filled event. i'm a little biased towards the houston rodeo if it ever came down to one or the other, but none-the-less a very enjoyable experience with some great company. just one more reason to love fort worth.

no whisper mars the utter silence of the untranslated stars.

e. e. cummings