Top Ten Stand-Out Moments of 2015

1) Being first in line at the grand opening of the Dublin branch of Clothes Mentor and having Karen later join me to be second in line, then going on a wild spending spree once the doors opened (I think we were awarded with a $25 gift card too).

2) The Friday we visited downtown Cleveland – the West Side Market, the Great Lakes Brewery and especially the open museum night at MOCA, which was a really unexpected surprise.

3) Attending a Tailgate party at a local hotel (Crowne Plaza Hotel) with Andrew. The food was good (and free!), the weather was nice (we sat outside on the patio), and we even had enough time for me to show Andrew around my gym (and prove to him that the track really is the Bahamas!)

4) Getting an armful of free crackers from the Ritz truck (in front of the Crowne Plaza Hotel) after being let out of work two hours early due to a nasty computer virus that crippled our computer system.

5) The Monday before we left for vacation in October when we took a walk around the Scioto Run estate. It was late afternoon and an absolutely lovely day. The houses and landscaping were gorgeous and it felt so nice to have that free time just to take a walk (we had both taken the day off).

6) Riding in a Hot Air Balloon with Andrew over the Rio Grande Gorge in New Mexico. Even though it was my second ride, I was happy because Andrew seemed to enjoy it so much and thanked me for a really good birthday present.

7) Spending most of a weekend up in Kent where we both attended college. We met friends for dinner (a former coworker and KSU alumnus & his wife) and had really great conversations about travel over dinner and then adult beverages across the street at a favorite watering hole (Ray’s Place). In spite of the gray, dreary weather on Saturday, the weather improved and we had a nice visit.

8) Running the Flying Feathers Four Miler – actually running all four miles and doing it in 47 minutes proving you don’t know what you can do until you try!

9) Attending the annual tree lighting ceremony in downtown Hilliard and then watching the ice carver sculpt a block of ice while showering the children in the crowd with the icy debris.

10) Spending the whole day in Cincinnati visiting museums, eating out, and enjoying all the pre-Christmas scenery and activities in the city.