(A gift from Pat & Tom — photo credit: Grace Church)

Week #53 – The Next Wave

Greetings Happyness Tribe — and Welcome to Week #53!

A BIG thank you to everyone who took the time to respond to my survey questions last week — and to share your thoughts and ideas so generously!  Your continued encouragement and support is appreciated — but your feedback is invaluable!!!  There’s a lot of emotion tied up in this blog — and your objectivity was just what I needed.  Without it, I wouldn’t know whether to stop or start — or how best to proceed.

Throughout the week I’ve poured over the responses, thoughtfully processing each one, and steadily tallying the feedback.

The results…?

The single most frequent comment I received was this:  KEEP GOING!!!

And so today, I’m ready to paddle out to catch another wave of Happyness in the year ahead!

But first — I’d like to share with you the top five remaining results of my little poll:

1. FRIDAY TIMING — Most of you mentioned that you like the Friday timing, that it’s a kickstart to your weekend, or that it helps put the focus on something positive as you transition from the work week.  I’m glad this resonates with you — because the timing’s not accidental.  Rob died on a Friday morning — so the post day/time honors his transition.  I’m grateful to be able to continue with this timing!

2. OTHER STORIES — The second most frequent comment had to do with guest writers and/or other stories about Happyness in action.  I’ve been toying with this idea myself and promise to give it more thought.  While this blog was definitely inspired by Rob — I know there are many other Happyness-Spreaders out there and I’m eager to hear about them!  If you know someone who fits the bill, please let me know and we’ll see how this idea develops!

3. PICTURES — The third most frequent comment was that you’ve enjoyed the weekly pictures of Rob and the family stories that go along with them.  This is good to know — especially as I’m trying to expand the blog to other stories.  Hopefully I’ll be able to strike the right balance!

4. CHARITY/GIVING — The fourth most frequent comment had to do with paying it forward — and many of you remembered the 50 for #50 virtual toy drive last year.  One of the most interesting questions I received was “What would Rob want?”  Other than getting his life/health back — Rob frequently said to me, “Grace…if I get through this, I want to help other people.”  Sadly, he didn’t get through it — but we did.  It’s my hope that we can continue to carry that torch forward, as well!

5. COMMUNITY — The fifth most frequent comment had to do with community.  Whether we get together online or in-person — it seems many of you are looking to connect with others who are committed to Happyness.  There are many ways of accomplishing this — and I’ll be noodling on this one for sure!

For now…

Your challenge for this week: GIVE SOMEONE A PUSH!  You’ve blessed me with encouragement, support, and the honest feedback I asked for in order to push forward.  Now…go out and give someone else that extra push into their next wave!  When someone asks you for feedback or your opinion, don’t hold back.  Give ’em your best!  (And don’t be afraid to ask for help if YOU need a push!  Just remember…not everyone is a cheerleader.  Asking for help can be hard…so proceed with caution!)

Spread Happyness — encourage someone to KEEP GOING!  (YOU may be just the push they need this week!)

And remember — share your thoughts in the comments!

To Life!  To Love!  To Happyness!

9/18/15 by Grace Church
© Grace Church

Fun at J&D’s (photo credit: Dena S.)

Greetings Happyness Tribe — and welcome to week TWELVE of our Summer Fun Challenge!

WE MADE IT!  Twelve weeks ago I challenged you to “come play with me” and make the commitment to have FUN this summer!  Each Friday — as the weeks counted down to Rob’s anniversary — we made a conscious decision to focus on FUN!  We rode the rides, walked the boards, surfed the waves, took a drive, got wet, found some quiet time, protected family time, took a lesson, planned a meal, sat and watched, and kept our dreams flying!

There’s only one thing left to do: CELEBRATE!!!

This weekend will mark the one year anniversary of Rob’s death.  There are no words to describe to you what was going on in our world a year ago today…and there will be plenty of opportunity in the future to share the lessons we’ve learned since then.  Today, one thing remains certain: I believe Rob’s legacy was his natural ability to spread happiness to anyone who was lucky enough to cross his path.  And I don’t believe this ended with his death.  Whether you knew him or not, I believe his light shines through each of us…every week…each and every time we choose happyness!

Your assignment for this week: “CELEBRATE!”  Not only have we completed TWELVE WEEKS of Summer Fun Challenges…but together we have MADE IT through the entire year!  It is so easy to look back at what we have lost — but this week I challenge all of us (myself included) to look back at the wins — and CELEBRATE!  Did you have FUN this summer?!  What were the highlights?!  The successes?  Are there new and precious memories to cherish?  Did you try something new?  Learn something amazing?  Did you have a breakthrough?  Did you touch the life of another person?  Above all…did you SPREAD HAPPYNESS?!

Please join with me this weekend in celebrating the life, health, vitality, love, and friendship of the one and only Rob Church — by CELEBRATING your very own!

Spread Happyness — did you have FUN or WHAT?!  Share your CELEBRATIONS in the comments!

To life!  To love!  To Happyness!

9/4/15 by Grace Church
© Grace Church

PS: WE DID IT!  Our FUN LIST is complete!  How many items did you check off?!

– Take a 3-4 hour “swamp walk” in the Florida Everglades — behind Clyde Butcher’s Everglades Gallery in Ochopee, FL!  (Thanks, Ms. Whelan!)
– Have breakfast for dinner — or dinner for breakfast!  (Thanks, Jeannette!)
– Tubing down the Delaware!  (Thanks, Jenn!)
– “One Tank Trips”
– Surprise trip for spouse or loved one
– Kayaking
– Beach time
– BBQ’s
– Tourist for the day in nearby city
– Walking the boards
– Rock climbing
– Scuba diving
– Touring an estate
– Time with family
– Sitting on the porch
– Watching for rainbows
– Learning to surf
– Gardening
– Writing a book
– Working on a “summer” project
– Moving to a new town
– Planning a spa day (or half-day, or even lunch hour)
– Taking Fridays (or Mondays) off!
– Day at the ballpark (Minor League stadiums are great, too!)
– Outside concerts/music events
– Hot air balloon ride/festival
– Pool volleyball (a Church-family classic!)
– Take yourself or someone you love for ice cream!
– Weed your front yard garden (and talk with neighbors and folks walking by!)
– Lose yourself in wonderful music, either listening or singing
– Play in the grassy backyard
– Play with your dog (or maybe your neighbor’s dog!)
– Sing karaoke
– Explore your town, county, state…through food and drink!
– Visit a farm
– Make plans to see friends you don’t often get to see (or schedule a gathering!)
– Blind-folded Make-overs!  (Great for a rainy day!  Bonus points if you go out in public after!)

(Thanks to all who submitted their ideas for this list!  You make Happyness possible!)

The Texan (Rob’s prayer card)

Week #50 – Summer Fun Challenge: “Keep ‘Em Flying!”

Greetings Happyness Tribe — and welcome to week ELEVEN of our Summer Fun Challenge!

Growing up Church, the last weekend of August always meant the same thing: AIR SHOW WEEKEND!  Mom and Dad would pack us up in the car and cart us up to Sussex County Airport for a full day of aerobatics, wing-walkers, and fly-overs in the hot sun.

As we got older, three of us drifted away from the tarmac and on to other things  — but Rob did not.  The screaming kid who held his ears with each fly-by grew into an adult who not only continued to LOOK at planes — but took flying lessons, logged his hours, served on a crew team, and even flew in historic aircraft as often as he could!

In short — Rob kept his interests flying!

Many people will accurately tell you that the first year of grief is notably marked by “the firsts” — the first holidays, birthdays, seasons, etc.  But as we approach the one-year mark, we are also painfully reminded of “the lasts.”  The last time we saw him, the last thing we ate with him, the last phone call or text…you get the idea.

One of the many “last things” I remember was Rob’s frustration that he couldn’t attend last year’s “Wings of Freedom” fly-in at Monmouth Executive Airport — which brings three beautifully restored vintage aircraft to the Jersey Shore for display, tours, and flight experiences.  It was August, he already wasn’t feeling well, and it was HOT.  Rob didn’t often express regret — but he recounted to me that the year before he had passed up an opportunity to fly in a P-51 Mustang.  The “flight experience” was expensive — but something he had always wanted to do.  I remember the tension in his already breathless voice as he remembered the words, “maybe next year.”

“Keep ’em flying!” is the tagline for the Collings Foundation — the organization responsible for that P-51 (among other vintage aircraft) and the “Wings of Freedom” tour, which coincidentally arrives at Monmouth Executive Airport this weekend!  (If you or someone you know are really into aircraft — check it out!)

Do you have things your fun list this summer that you’re already thinking…maybe next year?

Your assignment for this week: “KEEP ‘EM FLYING!”  A balanced life takes planning and purpose, of course — but we also need to grab moments as they come.  This will mean different things to different people — but as the summer winds down, think about those things that you really wanted to do this year, THIS SUMMER, and then pick one thing and make it happen THIS weekend!  Maybe it’s a ride in a P-51 Mustang…who knows?!

Regret is a stingy thing.  But with each drone of those aircraft as they buzz up and down the beach this weekend — I will remember Rob, and remember to keep my own dreams flying!

Spread Happyness — and share your last-minute flight plans in the comments!

8/28/15 by Grace Church
© Grace Church

PS: ONE WEEK TO GO!  Our FUN LIST still has room to grow — keep ’em coming!!! 

– Have breakfast for dinner — or dinner for breakfast!  (Thanks, Jeannette!)
– Tubing down the Delaware!  (Thanks, Jenn!)
– “One Tank Trips”
– Surprise trip for spouse or loved one
– Kayaking
– Beach time
– BBQ’s
– Tourist for the day in nearby city
– Walking the boards
– Rock climbing
– Scuba diving
– Touring an estate
– Time with family
– Sitting on the porch
– Watching for rainbows
– Learning to surf
– Gardening
– Writing a book
– Working on a “summer” project
– Moving to a new town
– Planning a spa day (or half-day, or even lunch hour)
– Taking Fridays (or Mondays) off!
– Day at the ballpark (Minor League stadiums are great, too!)
– Outside concerts/music events
– Hot air balloon ride/festival
– Pool volleyball (a Church-family classic!)
– Take yourself or someone you love for ice cream!
– Weed your front yard garden (and talk with neighbors and folks walking by!)
– Lose yourself in wonderful music, either listening or singing
– Play in the grassy backyard
– Play with your dog (or maybe your neighbor’s dog!)
– Sing karaoke
– Explore your town, county, state…through food and drink!
– Visit a farm
– Make plans to see friends you don’t often get to see (or schedule a gathering!)
– Blind-folded Make-overs!  (Great for a rainy day!  Bonus points if you go out in public after!)

(What are we missing?  Send me your ideas and I’ll add them to the list!)

The Next Set (Photo credit: Grace Church)

Week #48 – Summer Fun Challenge: “Just Watch!”

Greetings Happyness Tribe — and welcome to week NINE of our Summer Fun Challenge! 

The summer is flying by!  We’re having fun…playing games…riding the waves…getting stuff done…walking the boards…taking some lessons…and even getting some quiet time.

Good work, everyone!

If activity comes in waves…then the rest between “sets” is important.  (A “set” is a group of waves within a swell.)  As a surfer, that’s when you stop to catch your breath, assess your position, maybe rest your arms, and look out at the horizon.  This is when you’ll see most surfers sitting up on their boards…waiting for the next set.

And while you’re doing that, you might just take a minute to look around for a second — and see something EXTRAORDINARY!

(Rob was known to paddle out…even on flat days…just to look around!)

This past week has been full of storms, rainbows, butterflies, sunflowers, and meteor showers…

…did you stop long enough to see any of it?!

Your assignment for this week: JUST WATCH!  The week ahead is bound to bring you some sort of lull — a delay, jam, detour, long line, stall, set-back, or some kind of hold-up.  Don’t just wait it out…WATCH!  Watch for rainbows…watch the wildlife…watch your dogs run in the yard or your cat dreaming a dream.  Watch the wind blow or the grass grow.  But most important, watch your children or loved ones at work or at play.  Whatever you do, open your eyes and be AWAKE to the world around you!

Don’t just wait…WATCH!  (And get ready for the next set!)

Spread Happyness — and share your thoughts in the comments!  What did you SEE this week?!

8/14/15 by Grace Church
© Grace Church

PS: THREE WEEKS TO GO!  Our FUN LIST is still growing — keep ’em coming!!! 

– Tubing down the Delaware!  (Thanks, Jenn!)
– “One Tank Trips”
– Surprise trip for spouse or loved one
– Kayaking
– Beach time
– BBQ’s
– Tourist for the day in nearby city
– Walking the boards
– Rock climbing
– Scuba diving
– Touring an estate
– Time with family
– Sitting on the porch
– Watching for rainbows
– Learning to surf
– Gardening
– Writing a book
– Working on a “summer” project
– Moving to a new town
– Planning a spa day (or half-day, or even lunch hour)
– Taking Fridays (or Mondays) off!
– Day at the ballpark (Minor League stadiums are great, too!)
– Outside concerts/music events
– Hot air balloon ride/festival
– Pool volleyball (a Church-family classic!)
– Take yourself or someone you love for ice cream!
– Weed your front yard garden (and talk with neighbors and folks walking by!)
– Lose yourself in wonderful music, either listening or singing
– Play in the grassy backyard
– Play with your dog (or maybe your neighbor’s dog!)
– Sing karaoke
– Explore your town, county, state…through food and drink!
– Visit a farm
– Make plans to see friends you don’t often get to see (or schedule a gathering!)
– Blind-folded Make-overs!  (Great for a rainy day!  Bonus points if you go out in public after!)

(What are we missing?  Send me your ideas and I’ll add them to the list!)  

Outside OG Surf & Skate (Ocean Grove, NJ)

Week #47 – Summer Fun Challenge: “Lessons Available!”  (Learn to ________________!)

Greetings Happyness Tribe — and welcome to week EIGHT of our Summer Fun Challenge! 

I couldn’t help but notice this sign outside of our local surf shop.  This was the shop that started it all for us!  About a decade ago — OG Surf & Skate used to be called OG Surf Shop.  That is where I took my first surf lesson, bought my first wetsuit, and my first and only surfboard!  It wasn’t too long after that Rob wanted to give it a try…and, like most things he attempted, he picked it up annoyingly quickly and easily!  Soon he had his own wetsuit, his own board, and his very own hobby that he loved so much!

Surfing is a tricky sport.  It takes place on an unpredictable, moody, and moving surface.  Much has been written about The Wave…but one thing is for sure: you cannot control it.  It doesn’t stop, or wait, or even play nice sometimes.  Without question — YOU must adapt to it.  And if you take the time to learn and cooperate just a bit — you just might get to experience the absolute thrill of standing up and riding a wave in for the first time!

I never would have gotten there on my own.  I needed someone to teach me.

And I’m so glad I did!

We think nothing of sending kids off for all kinds of lessons: swim, cooking, acting, dance, karate, band, and yes — even surf lessons!  Why do we do this?  To increase their learning curve?  To learn good habits?  And with surf or swim — to possibly save their lives?  Why then, as adults, do we try to do everything ourselves?  Why is it hard for us to humble ourselves to the expertise of another — all for the sake of learning, expediting, enjoying, and yes — possibly even saving our lives?

The best experiences I’ve had as an adult have been learning something new.  I took a ski lesson a DECADE after I first went skiing — to UN-learn bad habits and learn the “right” way!  I took a motorcycle class to learn how to properly (and hopefully safely) ride a motorcycle.  My sister and I treated my mom to a group golf lesson one year — and had a great time learning something new together (and playing a few rounds after that)!  And yes, I took surf lesson to not only learn how to surf — but how to fall, because wipeouts are inevitable!

I know a 20-something who takes piano, a 40-something who learned to swim, a 60+ year old who learned to play the trumpet, and an 80-something that will happily teach you how to knit!

I’ve used mentors, coaches, and webinars to learn — and try — something new.  I even used a tutorial to start this very blog!  You are never too old to learn something new — in fact, learning might be the very thing that keeps you young!

This week’s assignment: TAKE A LESSON!  Learn to surf, to cook, to play tennis, paddleboard, yoga, skeet shoot, whatever!  Whether it’s been something you’ve been doing for years — or something you want to try just now.  Give yourself the gift of experience and take a lesson!  Two things will happen — you’ll either realize the thing you’ve been wanting to do isn’t quite for you; or you’ll realize it is and have a whole new hobby to keep you busy!  Either way is just as important — to eliminate options opens you up for something else; to nurture and grow a budding interest opens you up to a something new!

Take a lesson!  (Or give one!)  You can’t stop the wave — but you can learn to surf!

Spread Happyness — and share your thoughts in the comments!  What would you like to learn (or teach)?!

8/7/15 by Grace Church
© Grace Church

PS: FOUR WEEKS TO GO!  Our FUN LIST is still growing — keep ’em coming!!! 

– “One Tank Trips”
– Surprise trip for spouse or loved one
– Kayaking
– Beach time
– BBQ’s
– Tourist for the day in nearby city
– Walking the boards
– Rock climbing
– Scuba diving
– Touring an estate
– Time with family
– Sitting on the porch
– Watching for rainbows
– Learning to surf
– Gardening
– Writing a book
– Working on a “summer” project
– Moving to a new town
– Planning a spa day (or half-day, or even lunch hour)
– Taking Fridays (or Mondays) off!
– Day at the ballpark (Minor League stadiums are great, too!)
– Outside concerts/music events
– Hot air balloon ride/festival
– Pool volleyball (a Church-family classic!)
– Take yourself or someone you love for ice cream!
– Weed your front yard garden (and talk with neighbors and folks walking by!)
– Lose yourself in wonderful music, either listening or singing
– Play in the grassy backyard
– Play with your dog (or maybe your neighbor’s dog!)
– Sing karaoke
– Explore your town, county, state…through food and drink!
– Visit a farm
– Make plans to see friends you don’t often get to see (or schedule a gathering!)
– Blind-folded Make-overs!  (Great for a rainy day!  Bonus points if you go out in public after!)

(What are we missing?  Send me your ideas and I’ll add them to the list!)

Fun with Photo Booth! (photo credit: Grace Church)

Week #46 – Summer Fun Challenge: “Quiet Time!”

Greetings Happyness Tribe — and welcome to week SEVEN of our Summer Fun Challenge! 

We (my siblings and I) grew up in a house with “Quiet Time.”  That meant that after a certain time at night — you simply did not make noise.  And if you did — well, my parents were the type that actually imposed consequences for actions!  So…let’s just say, you didn’t want to go there!

As a kid, being able to stay up late to watch Honeymooners re-runs seemed like no big deal.  In retrospect, I totally understand.  My father had to get up very early to go to work — and my mother got up with him — so sleep was really important.  It’s pretty important to me now, too — and I don’t even have kids!

As grown-ups, we Churches still love our quiet time!  Rob especially.  He loved hours upon hours of solitude.  It’s one thing he really taught me as an adult — the value of time alone.

And yet…here we are, at the height of summer and busier than ever, right?!  The shore is bustling with activity…daytrippers, weekenders, extended-stayers, landscapers, lifeguard whistles, concerts, activities, something to do…every…single…day!  Perhaps you feel it too — the pressure that builds as we turn the calendar to August and “Back-to-School” looms in the distance.  So much to do…so little time…and the countdown clock to Labor Day is on!

Our instinct is to pack it all in…to do more, to take advantage of the nice weather, to make hay while the sun shines!

And yet — our bodies are telling us just the opposite!  To sit, to rest, to watch, to wait.  Can you feel it too?  The outside pressure to squeeze every last drop out of our long summer days — and the internal pleading to stop and slow down?

It’s enough to make a girl (or boy) crazy!

Your assignment for this week: Don’t get crazy…GET QUIET!  It is easy to get swept up into the busyness of summer.  Even vacations — intended to take you away from it all — can take on a life of their own so big and harried, you come back feeling like you need a vacation from your vacation!  Fight the urge to pack it all in…and take some time to get quiet.  This may be as simple as turning off the TV and going to bed early.  It may mean sleeping in or lounging in bed with a good book rather than rushing out to run errands.  It may mean sitting on your porch or deck and watching the sprinkler sprinkle and the grass grow for a bit.  It could mean staying on the beach until after sunset, rather than rushing out to eat dinner at the same time as the rest of the world.  Or sitting on a bench and watching night fall and the moon rise over your hometown.  It may even mean a few precious hours home alone to clean or tidy up — or blasting your favorite rock music when there’s no one else around to tell you to turn it down!

When the world turns up the noise — take a hint and schedule some QUIET TIME!

Spread Happyness — and share your thoughts in the comments!  What does QUIET TIME mean to you?!

7/31/15 by Grace Church
© Grace Church

PS: FIVE WEEKS TO GO!  Our FUN LIST is still growing — keep ’em coming!!! 

– “One Tank Trips”
– Surprise trip for spouse or loved one
– Kayaking
– Beach time
– BBQ’s
– Tourist for the day in nearby city
– Walking the boards
– Rock climbing
– Scuba diving
– Touring an estate
– Time with family
– Sitting on the porch
– Watching for rainbows
– Learning to surf
– Gardening
– Writing a book
– Working on a “summer” project
– Moving to a new town
– Planning a spa day (or half-day, or even lunch hour)
– Taking Fridays (or Mondays) off!
– Day at the ballpark (Minor League stadiums are great, too!)
– Outside concerts/music events
– Hot air balloon ride/festival
– Pool volleyball (a Church-family classic!)
– Take yourself or someone you love for ice cream!
– Weed your front yard garden (and talk with neighbors and folks walking by!)
– Lose yourself in wonderful music, either listening or singing
– Play in the grassy backyard
– Play with your dog (or maybe your neighbor’s dog!)
– Sing karaoke
– Explore your town, county, state…through food and drink!
– Visit a farm
– Make plans to see friends you don’t often get to see (or schedule a gathering!)
– Blind-folded Make-overs!  (Great for a rainy day!  Bonus points if you go out in public after!)

(What are we missing?  Send me your ideas and I’ll add them to the list!)

The Red Bandits! (photo credit: Grace Church)

Week #45 – Summer Fun Challenge: “Pool Volleyball” (and other ways to GET WET!)

Greetings Happyness Tribe — and welcome to week SIX of our Summer Fun Challenge!  We are HALFWAY there!  (And if you still have ideas to share — please send them my way!)

Volleyball has long been a Church Family tradition.  As a little girl I remember the “grown-ups” playing volleyball in our backyard at home during family picnics.  These were adult games with high stakes — and the kids simply were not allowed to play!

Fast forward a decade or so — and my older brother and sister got homes (and yards) of their own!  Volleyball was back — and Rob and Jim were the team to beat!  It was the “Red Bandits” (as Rob would call them) versus everyone else!  (Some kids were brave enough to join…but it was definitely still a play at your own risk situation!)

And then…someone had the brilliant idea of moving the volleyball game into the pool!  And a whole new family activity was born!  It was still the Red Bandits versus everyone else — but at least we stayed nice and cool while we lost…over and over again!  😉

Whatever it is you usually enjoy doing — get creative and modify it to a water activity!  I recently saw a video of a kickball game modified with slip-n-slides as base paths and kiddie-pools as bases.  You can pitch batting practice with water balloons.  I’ve seen more than one video of a bikes and skateboards being launched off a ramp into a lake.  And there are plenty of strength training and cardio moves designed for water resistance…and now you can even up the ante and practice your yoga on a paddleboard!

Your assignment for this week: GET WET!!!  I know many of you are living in areas with record temps right now — and with that comes the tendency to limit physical activity.  Sometimes the heat just makes it plain hard to move.  But don’t despair!  Head to your favorite lake, pool, or watering hole and jump in!  When we were kids — we spent HOURS in our neighbor’s pool playing Marco Polo, Aquaman, and other pool games.  As teens — we headed to the community pool to practice our can-openers, watermelons, and cannon-balls off the high dive!  Now — as working adults — we each still head to the water after a long hot day of work or commuting.  There is nothing like the attitude adjustment that comes after a long, cold soak in the pool (or lake or ocean) — not to mention the sleep that comes afterward!

So beat the heat…and GET WET this week!

Spread Happyness — and share your favorite water activities in the comments!

7/24/15 by Grace Church
© Grace Church

PS: Our FUN LIST is still growing!  I’ll keep adding your ideas to the list — and pick one at random for each weekly challenge.  Keep ’em coming!!! 

– “One Tank Trips”
– Surprise trip for spouse or loved one
– Kayaking
– Beach time
– BBQ’s
– Tourist for the day in nearby city
– Walking the boards
– Rock climbing
– Scuba diving
– Touring an estate
– Time with family
– Sitting on the porch
– Watching for rainbows
– Learning to surf
– Gardening
– Writing a book
– Working on a “summer” project
– Moving to a new town
– Planning a spa day (or half-day, or even lunch hour)
– Taking Fridays (or Mondays) off!
– Day at the ballpark (Minor League stadiums are great, too!)
– Outside concerts/music events
– Hot air balloon ride/festival
– Pool volleyball (a Church-family classic!)
– Take yourself or someone you love for ice cream!
– Weed your front yard garden (and talk with neighbors and folks walking by!)
– Lose yourself in wonderful music, either listening or singing
– Play in the grassy backyard
– Play with your dog (or maybe your neighbor’s dog!)
– Sing karaoke
– Explore your town, county, state…through food and drink!
– Visit a farm
– Make plans to see friends you don’t often get to see (or schedule a gathering!)
– Blind-folded Make-overs!  (Great for a rainy day!  Bonus points if you go out in public after!)

(What are we missing?  Send me your ideas and I’ll add them to the list!)

My Co-Pilot! (Photo Credit: Grace Church)

Week #44 – Summer Fun Challenge: “One Tank Trips!”

Greetings Happyness Tribe — and welcome to week five of our Summer Fun Challenge!

I’ve mentioned before that Rob loved long rides.  I have his car — and I’m amazed at how many miles he put on it in just a couple of years!  That boy LOVED to drive!

Summer is now in full swing — and what better way to satisfy your wanderlust than by jumping in the car and taking a nice long ride?!  But where?  Before you beat the usual path…get out an old fashioned map (or print one off the web) and draw a couple of circles around your town: a 50-mile radius, a 100-mile radius, and a 150-mile radius.

One Tank Trips are designed to work with your gas tank.  The average car can drive about 300 miles on one fill up — 150 miles out, 150 miles back.  That could mean 3.0 hours worth of driving though…and an overnight stay.  That’s why I recommend a 50-mile (under 1 hour) and 100-mile (under 2 hours) radius, as well.

• 150 miles: These destinations are likely to require a little planning, some advanced preparations, and possibly an overnight stay.  Don’t just look to the beach or the lakes…look for parks for camping, mountains for climbing, historic towns for exploring, or amusement parks for a full day of fun.  From the Jersey Shore, this covers a radius from West Point, NY to Lancaster, PA to Rehoboth Beach, DE and almost all of Long Island!
• 100 miles:  These are your day trips.  Think of concerts, antiquing, hiking, swimming, museums, aquariums, and exploring.  Again — from the Jersey Shore this includes Coney Island and Jones Beach to the East, Sleepy Hollow and the quaint little towns along the Hudson River to the North, Bethlehem and the Delaware Water Gap to the West, and Cape May and Atlantic City to the South!
• 50 miles: These trips are less than one hour away.  Have lunch or dinner at a special place, plan an activity, organize a play date or reunion, attend a fair, pamper yourself, or spend some time on the porch with a friend!

Finally — and these are the fun ones — look in your own backyard!  Play tourist in your own town.  If a friend visited you — where would you absolutely have to take them?!  Where I live — this means a visit to the beach, a walk on the boards, a tour of our little Victorian town, and a romp through historic Asbury Park.  Back home, this might include a drive around our beautiful lake — and definitely a stop at Cliff’s for ice cream!!!

Your assignment for the week:  HIT THE ROAD!  Gas up, stock some snacks, open your windows, and let your hair FLY!  (But wherever you go…stay off your phone!)  Enjoy the scenery, talk with your travel companions, open the windows and breathe the air of a different place or town.  Listen to music…or drive in silence.  Get out, explore, stretch your legs — and let the good times roll!

Where would you go on a full tank of gas — and what would be on your playlist?

Spread Happyness — share your One Tank Trip ideas in the comments!!!

7/17/15 by Grace Church
© Grace Church

PS: Our FUN LIST is still growing!  I’ll keep adding your ideas to the list — and pick one at random for each weekly challenge.  Keep ’em coming!!! 

– “One Tank Trips”
– Surprise trip for spouse or loved one
– Kayaking
– Beach time
– BBQ’s
– Tourist for the day in nearby city
– Walking the boards
– Rock climbing
– Scuba diving
– Touring an estate
– Time with family
– Sitting on the porch
– Watching for rainbows
– Learning to surf
– Gardening
– Writing a book
– Working on a “summer” project
– Moving to a new town
– Planning a spa day (or half-day, or even lunch hour)
– Taking Fridays (or Mondays) off!
– Day at the ballpark (Minor League stadiums are great, too!)
– Outside concerts/music events
– Hot air balloon ride/festival
– Pool volleyball (a Church-family classic!)
– Take yourself or someone you love for ice cream!
– Weed your front yard garden (and talk with neighbors and folks walking by!)
– Lose yourself in wonderful music, either listening or singing
– Play in the grassy backyard
– Play with your dog (or maybe your neighbor’s dog!)
– Sing karaoke
– Explore your town, county, state…through food and drink!
– Visit a farm
– Make plans to see friends you don’t often get to see (or schedule a gathering!)
– Blind-folded Make-overs!  (Great for a rainy day!  Bonus points if you go out in public after!)

(What are we missing?  Send me your ideas and I’ll add them to the list!)