Travels Since December

Well, hello 2017! I can't believe I have not posted this calendar year. I should do well for the next several months. Most of you who mention this blog to me talk about two things: our travel adventures and the posts where I share my thoughts about life. So, for this post, I will update you about our travel adventures since December. (If you have recently befriended us or if you are a new reader, please take note: I write for enjoyment. Rarely do I proofread. If I read/write that close, I expect to get paid!)

Alrighty...For Christmas this past year, we gifted the boys with a trip to climbing camp at High Point Climbing Gym in Chattanooga, TN. Parents please take note: experiences are so much better than junk you accumulate!

 John Gannon geared up for his first day of camp. Jackson just wanted his hair blue.

During the first day, Johnny and I had our own climbing adventure.

Now, if you know us or have read this blog very long, you are well aware that Mr. Cox is the adventure creator and ultimate risk taker. With that being said, I laughed until tears stained my cheeks at us as we first began our climbing adventure. You see, when you get ready to climb a wall, you just hook yourself up to this automatic belay system. The rope is your safety in case you fall. And more importantly, it helps you get down the wall without wearing yourself out. Well, that is IF you trust it. After climbing about two walls, I was having extreme trust issues with the belay. As a matter of fact, I had decided I was just going to tough it out and not trust the thing. This was normal for me. However, when my non-fearing of most things husband looked at me as he desperately clung to a hold and said, "I don't trust this thing. I just can't let go!" I laughed until I hurt. Really, he hugged that wall for a minute. Just in case you are wondering, it didn't take us but a few more walls to start trusting the little belay. You see, it is quite the workout, and at some point you just decide that it is better to fall to your death than try to rely on your jello legs one more second.

The second day, the boys returned to camp while Johnny and I enjoyed downtown Chattanooga. The boys really enjoyed the camp. When we picked them up at the end of the day the last day, Jackson was exhausted. Please know people...for our children, this is a rare occurrence. 

Our next excursion was during President Day weekend. We packed and headed to Indiana. This trip made 26 states for the boys since 2010. We started counting when Jackson was born and collect magnets from most places we visit for a wall in our house. The first night, we just stayed in Bowling Green, KY. The next morning, we drove over to Paoli Peaks, Indiana. 

 In Paoli, our family parted ways. Johnny and John teamed up to hit the slopes on a snowboarding adventure. For those of you who remember John Gannon's experience last year with the ski lift in North Carolina, you can rest assured...he didn't repeat it!

 Jackson and I teamed up for a day of snow tubing.

 It was an adventure filled day for all of us. However, John Gannon was concerned that his feet may never be the same again.

After the snow adventure, we stayed overnight in Collinsville, Illinois. We stayed there because room rates were so much cheaper. While there, we visited their claim to fame: the world's largest bottle of ketchup! Seriously, I am not joking!

From there we went to French Lick, Indiana to stay over night at Big Splash Adventure. It is a resort with an indoor water park. Besides these pictures, everything else is video footage and because the tunnels were not lighted it is not that great. The resort has several large slides, a lazy river, pools, kiddy slides/play area, adult only hot tub, obstacle course, water basketball, and a small whirlpool pool (the current in the pool makes you go in a circle).

For the biggest accomplishment here--I finally went down a toilet bowl slide. Most water parks have them, and I have always avoided them. Here is my conclusion: If I can go down on a tube (like this one) I will go. If I have to go with just my body---NO!

As always, we planned to see where the road would lead during Spring Break but decided not to due to the freezing cold weather every where we wanted to travel (to do outdoor things).  Since then, we have completed several outdoor projects at home and are counting the days until summer. As a matter of fact, we are on a 7 day trip in Florida right now. We have the patio door open and can see and hear the waves crash at this very moment. This trip came at the perfect time. We really needed a break. My schedule since August has been jam packed. The slow pace of life without obligations for a week is very refreshing.

I'll post about this adventure sometime after it ends. However, I may write about a few things that have been rolling around in the brain.

In the meantime, Live a Meaningful Life. For us, that meaning is found in Jesus Christ!