travel

Keeping Cool with Watersports

- Mama 4 Comments

It has been a very wet month around here. In general, of course, we’re in a pretty bad drought, but that doesn’t stop my younger brother and our sister from Germany from participating in some very fun water sports!

Sometimes, I get so caught up in traveling other places that I forget that some of the coolest things are right here in our backyard. The Kansas City area has some really great ways to participate in water sports, from the comfort of your own metropolitan area.

While my sister, Carolin, was here visiting from Germany, Jeffrey insisted he show her one of his favorite places… KC Watersports! KC Watersports is a cable lake near Paola that allows you to learn some of their watersports from the very beginning if you’ve never tried them out before, or to compete at much higher levels! Wakeboarding, wakeskating, waterskiing, and kneeboarding are all options you can try out at KC Watersports.

Jeffrey is a natural when it comes to the kneeboarding and other watersports there. As soon as he gets suited up, he’s ready to hit the water!

Sometimes, though, he hits it a little too hard. The first few runs, the cable can move a little unexpectedly, but soon after that, it’s easier to get the hang of it and make it around the lake.

Carolin was able to take one of the beginner classes, called the LTR or Learn to Ride program. It’s perfect because she could learn step-by-step how to hop on the board and go! Of course, in the beginning, it takes a few attempts to learn how to stay on the board.

By the end of their time there, though, both Carolin and Jeffrey had an easier time staying on the board!

My brother could stay at KC Watersports forever, and in the summer, it’s a fun way to cool off that shakes things up from the usual “let’s go swimming” sort of thing.

You do need fair warning, though… you will be sore the next day. From head to toe, you get a workout on these boards.

Honestly, KC Watersports is a pretty affordable place to spend the afternoon. An hourly pass is $19, or you can go all day for $39, plus there are several packages in between. You can even rent gear there, so if you’re just wanting to try it out, you don’t have to commit to purchasing equipment. If you do decide you’re a total addict, you can purchase gear and season passes there, to save a little money on your frequent visits.

You can keep up to date on their events, including Trifecta Tuesdays, day camps, ladies nights, and more on their website at www.kcwatersports.com. You can also like their facebook page here or find them as @kcwatersports on Twitter.

In addition to hitting the wakeboard a few times during Carolin’s trip, they were able to try another new and exciting experience… Kayaking!

When Jeffrey and Carolin first decided they wanted to do some kayaking, we worked hard to find a place that they could actually try it out, but we kept finding places that were far away, or not really an option for kayaking in general. Enter Clifton Bencke, who teaches sailing classes at Olathe Lake, and also offers affordable kayak and canoe rentals at the lake!

When we first encountered Clifton at the lake, he was joined by a feathery friend, named after a character in Treasure Isle.

Jeffrey and Carolin were able to grab the kayaks and head to the water. They were ready!

I couldn’t resist snapping a pretty picture of a lone canoe on the shore.

Clifton ran through some basic lessons for them, and taught them exactly how to paddle and get going in the kayak. He even told them the best places to see in the lake (like a bridge they could cross under to see a waterfall and some wildlife!)

The lessons weren’t even necessary—both of them were naturals! They both knew exactly how to cut the paddles through the water.

They had a blast on their two hours on the lake!

There is so much to see on that lake, from natural features like the waterfall to the wildlife that makes the lake it’s home.

Kayaking is another great, affordable water sport that you can do to keep cool in the hot Kansas City summers, and honestly, they had a blast with it. You can rent the kayak or canoe for $15 per hour ($10/hour for Olathe residents!) If you’re not renting during a sailing class, there is a two hour minimum, but that’s really not bad—there’s a good amount of lake to explore. In fact, you can even fish from the canoe (I don’t know about fishing permits at that lake, but I am sure you can find out more about it).

As I mentioned, Clifton also teaches sailing classes in the evenings, for ages nine and up. It would make a fun parent-child bonding activity, or sibling activity, or just fun to go solo. You can find more information about canoe and kayak rentals, as well as sailing classes, on the Olathe Parks and Rec website, here or find them on facebook.

The summer is filled with great opportunities to try water activities out, and both of these were a hit with my brother (age 11) and sister (age 24), which makes them great fun for all ages. I promise you, you will not be disappointed if you decide to head out to KC Watersports or check out Clifton’s kayaking on Olathe Lake.

What are you doing to stay cool this summer?

On the Road Again

- Mama 3 Comments

It seems like lately, we have done nothing but travel, travel, travel. As I mentioned in last night’s blog post, I’m currently visiting my grandmother for her birthday. In a few short hours, I will be leaving here to visit my grandfather for a few days. From there, I’ll return home with only two days to spare before I head off to New Jersey for my Duncan Hines’ trip.

Following my Duncan Hines’ trip, I’ll have less than two weeks before I head to my grandfather’s house again, and from his house, I will head down to my annual vacation destination, a full 11 hours from his house (which is four hours away from my house).

The trip I’m currently on comes only a couple of weeks after my last trip down to visit each of my grandparents.

It seems that time has truly been moving very quickly, that I’ve been on the road much of the past couple of months, and it seems I will continue to be on the road for the month to come. It is so wonderful getting to see family and friends, and getting to travel to unique destinations and try out new places that I can enjoy.

What is difficult is those times when you come home, unpack your bags, throw the dirty items into the laundry, and as those are washing, re-pack your bags with clean clothing because in a few short days, you’ll be leaving again. We have been keeping our bags packed almost non-stop, and it seems some days that we are living our of our luggage at times. Some times we will get home and pack for two or three of our trips at once, because there’s just not enough time between them to re-pack, so we pack in different bags and grab the next one upon arriving home.

So, sometimes, when I’m away for a day or two, it’s not because I don’t love you, because I’m neglecting my blog. My internet access is spotty at times, but I assure you I have many great blog posts coming your way.

Is summer a busy traveling season for you? What sort of travel plans do you have coming up?

Hey there, Delilah, what’s it like in New York City?

- Mama 6 Comments

I just got my itinerary for my trip to visit the Duncan Hines test kitchen near New York! I couldn’t wait to share it with my readers, so I decided first thing this morning that I would tell you all about what I’m going to experience on my trip.

I will be getting up incredibly early, because I have to leave my house no later than 6:30 in the morning. (Yeah, usually Zach and I wake up around 9). I will be heading to the airport and departing around 8:30. I’ll make the trip to Chicago first, around 10 in the morning (oh, dear! The last time I flew into that airport, I was stuck there for 13 hours between mechanical failures and planes just getting lost… how exactly do you lose a plane?) and taking off from Chicago just before noon. At around 3, I will arrive at Newark, and I will have a driver (yes, I love that they used that wording… a driver. I feel so… fancy!) waiting for me at my baggage claim, not that I will have any baggage… I’m trying to stick with carry-on only so I don’t have to worry about getting my baggage where it’s going.

So, about my driver. He’s going to be from Flyte Tyme Limo. Seriously, take a second to look at their fleet. I’m pretty sure those are some sexy cars. Now, I’ve ridden in some really cool cars and everything before. Don’t get me wrong, I swear I’m not a total shut-in. I am just incredibly excited about the VIP (or, rather, VIB– Very Important Baker) status that Duncan Hines is treating me and my fellow winners with.

That evening, after we all arrive, we will be transported over to Delicious Heights in Bedminster, NJ. This restaurant looks awesome, and it looks like it’s going to be a fun evening out with my fellow winners (I still don’t know who they are, but I am so thrilled to meet them!)

The next day, the exciting stuff starts happening, y’know, in case the first half wasn’t exciting enough for you…

Here’s a peek at the things I will get to participate in when I’m in New Jersey (yeah, I’m not actually going to make it quite to New York City… I’ll just be very close!)

  • Tour of the Duncan Hines state-of-the-art test kitchen
  • Learn about new products coming soon from Duncan Hines
  • Sample my way through their flavor selection process with the production team
  • Decorate at a Technique and Decorating class with the Duncan Hines chefs

During that time, we will have a lot going on (it will be a very busy day) so we will end up eating lunch there… and the dessert? They’re making our prize-winning recipes! I am so excited to see how the chefs envision my award-winning recipe, and how it translates to their skill and effort.

And then, it will be time to return home… I’ll be flying out just before 6:30, getting back to Chicago before 8:30, leaving there just after 10 at night, and arriving at my home airport after 11:30. I’ll get back to my own home just before 1 in the morning, cuddling up with my sweet baby boy, and going to bed.

I did want to give you a few disclaimers now… first, I want to share with you that I will be so busy on the actual weekend, that I don’t know if I will be able to tell you all about it while I’m there. My hope is to come home, rest, and then hopefully blog about it the next day. Oh, and legally, I can’t give you a sneak peek at the products coming soon from Duncan Hines, until Duncan Hines announces the products themselves… but I am sure there will be plenty of great information and my feelings about the trip that I can share with you all! Stay tuned to find out more about my trip, and to find out how it all went right after my trip! I am so excited I could almost pass out from all of the excitement!