Father's Day

Before I start I'd like to say sorry for not posting this sooner. My site wouldn't allow me to blog for few days due to odd glitches that kept happening in my computer but with the help from a friend (thanks Logan) I was able to get it working again. 
Here's part 1 of todays post. 

It was Father's Day and the weather in Flagstaff was perfect. I pulled out my GPS about a half hour from town to check the signal strength but it was still strong. I was excited to cross off more cache's but first we went to pick up Lex (sister).
Flagstaff is pretty small town but there was always "something" to do I guess.

We started out at a couple antique stores (since they close early) and mom ended up finding me this beautiful ceramic ballerina wall pocket for my room. I've been antiquing since I was really little and always thought of it like a game. I liked the thrill in finally finding something really unique that I could give new life. Even now I still find antiquing to be more fun than even clothes shopping...well, maybe half and half.
So afterwards we went out to eat at this place called "Lumberyard" which had a cool industrial look to it. The food ended up being really good too scoring bonus points for the creamed corn (yum). The funniest part of the day though was when dad ordered six tiny beer testers to try. His face was priceless as he could barely gag down one.
All he could say after sipping the first two was that one "tasted like a pine tree" and the next was like "chewing on a pine cone".
I have no idea what that means but I guess Flagstaff doesn't taste very good..
I thought two of them smelled like cotton candy though so I don't know what's weirder...or maybe we're the weird ones.... However, in the end he was a bit mortified but we all had a good laugh about it.
Time flew by and we ended the day by trying to find some of my five cache's on my GPS.
The first one was called Christmas Tree so obviously I knew what to look for. The problem was there were "Christmas like" trees all over Flag.
When we parked I got out with dad and started walking towards my destination. It kept saying I was close but it still took me across the street, through a long grass ditch, into a wooded area and finally at the check point. Had I zoomed in it would have been more accurate but hey, I was still learning on the thing.
I laughed when I realized it brought us to "THEE Flagstaff Christmas Tree" I looked way up at it's huge fake structure not even knowing Flag had such a thing. How had I never seen it before?! I was even more confused when we didn't have a CLUE where it was around it or even a hint. We found a huge stash of alcohol bottles around the tree though so once again some jerk took our fun away and muggled⬅(Stole) it.
I was bummin' but I had 4 more and I really only needed one so onward-ho to the next one we went...

An unfamiliar environment...

It was Saturday afternoon and the day before we planned to take a short trip to Flagstaff for Father's day. I decided I really wanted a handheld GPS so I could track down some cache's in Flag easier so I spent the whole morning researching. I had found the perfect one that was picked #1 for geocaching, the only issue was the price. I had no idea these things could cost so much, suddenly my new found hobby was turning into a small investment. I at least wanted to go look at it though before my purchase so we headed down to Bass Pro to check it out.
I'd just like to say, I'd never been inside a Bass Pro before and I was honestly blown away. Maybe it was just the one we went to but it was huge! Both mom and I stood motionless in the entrance for a good ten seconds, overwhelmed by the realistic features and design. There was even an indoor waterfall and aquarium. Sports authority should seriously up their game! I'll admit we both felt pretty funny though walking around with our purses, fresh painted fingernails and flip-flops on but I doubt anyone cared.
See, we've never really been the "Let's go camping!"...family.
We were always the "Let's hit the beach!"...family.
Nothing against camping we just have an issue with animals that eat people in their sleep.
So anyway, we're walking around the huge store and notice a waterfall and aquarium near the elevator. I finally get over to the GPS systems and spot the one I want. I decided to buy it so I could start using it the next day when the guy said it was not in stock. I was totally crushed. "But we have some other ones too you know."
I knew nothing about the other ones though because I'd only researched the one I was going to buy. When I was 14, it took me 6 months of researching before I picked a cell phone and 5 months for the one I have now. Call me crazy but in the end it always paid off.
So I decided to think about it and walk around a bit first. I laughed when we came to the piddly golf section that was hardly noticeable next to all the Nascar gear. Then there were the creepy animal heads which were...everywhere. Other than that though cool store.
I started to feel kind of dizzy and light-headed the more I walked around. This usually only happens when I haven't eaten much or if I stand up too fast. You know its hunger though when the aquarium fish start looking delicious.
We needed really go now so I went back to the GPS's and ended up meeting someone who cache's as well. He was very helpful and pointed me in the direction of one he uses. I ended up paying a bit more but overall got a really good deal for the quality. I went home and tried it out on a nearby cache for a test run. It worked great but the cache had been stolen unfortunately thanks to the jerks who left behind broken beer bottles. However, I spent the night entering coordinates into it for the following day and very excited for some different scenery.

My First "Cache"

So lately I have taken up a new hobby that I'm rather excited about. It's called Geocaching and I highly suggest others check it out.
Before you read the rest I recommend you click this link that explains the game if you're unfamiliar with it.
The Geocaching Guide

Basically what it is, is treasure hunting.
So I signed up on the website and clicked the online map. I found out there are cache's all around our area less than 3 miles away. I click the two closest to start and since I don't have a handheld GPS yet I printed out the maps. Before I could go I needed to pick of some things I could "leave in exchange" for whatever I took in the bin. I decided to go to the dollar store and pick up some toy cars. I left feeling anxious and the sun was going down fast. I wanted to go so bad though so I brought dad along to help me find it. That's the thing about geocaching, you really shouldn't ever do it alone.
It ended up being too dark to see and if we used a flashlight it would have drawn too much attention to us. That's another thing about the game, you have to make sure nobody is watching or they might steal the bin. I left a bit bummed but ready for tomorrow. I felt like a 5 year old kid on Christmas again it was silly but I missed that feeling.
The next day we had errands to run so we were going to stop by again on the way back. I looked for a while completely baffled that it was so hard to find. There were only so many places it could have been hidden. I ended up leaving in defeat and very irritated. We stopped by the second one which was by the golf course. There was a large stone covering a hole and I knew it had to be in there but when we lifted it up there was no bin. This time I was positive a muggle (none geocacher) had stolen it. I sat there in the car holding my two toy cars very disappointed. I was 0-2 but I wasn't ready to quit just yet. I was pissed and wanted my first cache!
I asked mum if we could go back to the first one that same day because I had a better idea where it was now. I had a feeling this one wasn't stolen and I was right. I was just about ready to leave yet again when there it was. Hidden deep inside a bush was the cache. "FOUND IT!!!" I opened the jar and revealed many knick-knacks inside along with a log book. I signed my name in the book and took a little plastic toy penguin. I left my yellow car in exchange and stuffed everything back inside for the next person. I put the cache right where I found it and left feeling like I'd won in Vegas. It's amazing how something so silly and small can still give you that jolt.
I crossed the two maps off my list and as for the penguin he's currently sitting on my shelf as a reminder to keep searching. Even if it takes you 3 times.
I can't wait to go find more of them now that I know it's real and I think I know which one I'm headed to next...