Favorite Adventures: My Top 5 from 2017
My Year of Adventure is Wrapping Up
It is hard for me to believe that 2017 is wrapping up! And, along with 2017, my Year of Adventure series is also wrapping up. So, I thought I would do a look back and highlight a few of my favorite adventures from 2017!
My 5 Favorite Adventures from 2017
These are not really in any particular order. These are just all favorite adventures that I really enjoyed, but didn’t come in the top 5 for “most popular” post. The Top 5 Most Popular posts will be coming out on Dec. 31, so keep an eye out for that one!
5. Quidditch US Cup 2017
There were two aspects of going to a quidditch match that really made this one of my favorite adventures. First off, everyone there was in someway a fan of the Harry Potter world. But, at the same time, it wasn’t the focus of the weekend. The weekend was about quidditch – not Harry Potter. I guess it was just assumed that if you’re going to a quidditch match, you’re obviously a Harry Potter fan, so they didn’t feel the need to capitalize on it!
The second aspect that appealed to me is that quidditch is a sport. These hundreds of young adults that came to compete in the competition were athletes. There were rules, strategies, winners and losers. It took us a little while to actually figure out the rules, but once we did it was a lot of fun to follow along.
I shared the day with my two teen kids and one of their friends, and quite frankly, any day that they want to hang out with mom is a great day!
US Quidditch Cup 11 will be held in Round Rock, Texas on April 14-15, 2018. So, if you happen to be in Texas and want to check out a quidditch tournament, head to www.usquidditchcup.com and get all the details for times, teams and tickets!
4. Re-Reading Favorite Books
This year, I didn’t keep track of all the books I read (I wish I had), but I do know that a lot of what I read this year I had already read before. It got me to thinking about whether other people enjoy re-reading books or not. For me, I find it comforting to re-read favorite books. I have discovered that when life is stressful or extremely busy, I gravitate toward comforting books that I know I will enjoy.
I received a lot of comments on this post, so it was fun to hear others’ opinions on this topic. A lot that responded also enjoyed re-reading favorite books and were willing to share some of their favorite books to re-read. Here’s that list if you would like some ideas on books to read!
But, a number of people were of the opinion that there are way too many books to be read to waste time re-reading books. I totally understand that!! I always have a list of books that I want to read. And, if I didn’t re-read books, I would certainly get through that list quicker!
Next year, I’m going to keep track of my books again. I enjoy seeing what I’m spending my time reading. Non-fiction, fiction? Fantasy, romance, adventure? At the end of the year, it’s fun to look back!
3. The Women’s March
Going to the Women’s March wasn’t something that I had planned on doing, but it was definitely one of my favorite adventures this year. When my 16 year old daughter asked me if I would take her and a friend, I couldn’t say no. It was a real education to go with them and to hear the voice of two smart, educated and interested young women. To hear their thoughts on politics and the world that they were soon going to be entering was really interesting.
Supporting my daughter and young women in general is really important to me. With everything that is going on in our country right now, I feel like helping my kids find their voice and teaching them how to use it is so important. I know that I’m sending my daughter into a world that doesn’t value women’s skills as much as men’s (especially in her chosen field). And, I also know that sexual harassment is all too real, and she will more than likely deal with it at some point in her career. I know that being a strong, well spoken woman is not particularly valued or appreciated by a lot of society. But yet, I’m still going to teach and encourage her to be a strong, well spoken woman!
The Women’s March may or may not have solved anything. But, I do know that it showed my daughter that having a voice is powerful and using it is part of our job as Americans!
2. My Favorite Beautiful Beaches
Reflecting on vacation past and figuring out which beaches we’d been to that I really enjoyed was a fun exercise! I realized through this post just how much a part of my life beaches are. I have been going to beaches since I was born basically. Since I was born in California, we went to the beach fairly often as it was cheap and easy entertainment.
Then, when we moved to Florida, we were again within 30 minutes of beaches and they continued to be easy and inexpensive entertainment. Currently, we live about 30 to 45 minutes from east coast Florida beaches and 2 hours from west coast Florida beaches.
When we travel now, my husband, kids and I, we often find ourselves at a beach. In Florida, North Carolina, Iceland, Spain… they continue to be a big part of my life! So, it was fun and interesting to think back on all the beaches I’d been to and narrow it down to put on this list.
1. College Tours with my Daughter
It’s hard to believe that my daughter is a senior this year. Next year, she’ll be off starting a whole new adventure of her own. So, when the opportunity to go look at colleges came up, I was all about it!
We went on a road trip together that included 7-days, 5 colleges and 8 states! Not only was it fun to see each of her college choices, but it was fun to road trip with her. I think we each learned a few new things about each other, and came away from the experience with a new respect for one another.
My Favorite Adventures
All in all, I’ve really enjoyed my Year of Adventure! While many of my adventures don’t seem particularly adventurous, it’s been a year of learning to make the most of what’s in front of me. My biggest lessons from these favorite adventures are:
- Savor each moment! Life is short and constantly changing. What you have today may not look the same tomorrow.
- Step outside your comfort zone. That is where growth happens!
- Have fun! Even, or maybe especially, in the small moments of life ~ enjoy yourself!!
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Becki is the author and founder of A Book Lover’s Adventures. She has a degree in elementary education, has worked and volunteered in libraries for years, and spent several years in the travel industry. All of this has led to a love of books and travel. Becki loves to share her love by finding literary escapes to share!
