One Last Look At 2025

Another new year is upon us. As the calendar turns from 2025 to 2026, events and moments of years past seem like only yesterday. The new year is both a fresh start and a constant reminder of what came before. And as each year comes, it has different meanings to each person. Some will tell you it was a good year. Others will say it was awful. Each year brings different swings of life, but ultimately, if you're still breathing as January 1st arrives, that in itself is enough to be grateful. Without further ado, here's a look back on my journey through 2025.

January wasn't going to be outdone by the gifts of Christmas and decided to bring me a second nephew. Tim and Kay had another boy and he's been a cute bundle of joy. Some friends from our sister church in Australia paid us a visit and we took them to a Cavaliers game. It was ironic because exactly nine years prior, we took another group of Aussies to a Cavs game as well. And before January bowed out, Carlf and I drove down to Columbus to see a Blue Jackets hockey game and visit some friends in the area.

February wasn't too exciting, but I was living on cloud 9 as my favorite NFL team, the Philadelphia Eagles, beat the Chiefs to win the Super Bowl. Not every fan gets to witness their favorite team win it all, so when it happens, I soak in every moment. March was also quiet for me in terms of life adventures, but I did stay up until 1:30am to see a lunar eclipse and captured the moment on my phone. I also hit the 10 year milestone of when I started geocaching. It's crazy to believe that I've been doing this hobby for 10 years now.

April was when everything began kicking into high gear. At the end of the month, I drove back to my hometown to attend my cousin Dave's wedding. It took place at a lovely barn overlooking the beautiful countryside. And while rain threatened earlier in the day, the weather was perfect at the time of the  wedding. Congrats again Dave and Tara!

May arrived the following weekend and I kept the adventure going by hoping on a plane to Boston. A group of geocaching friends (George, Amy, and Dave) and I were attending a large geocaching event in Attleboro, MA for the weekend. I flew in before them and took the time to pay a visit to Grace Wang, a dear friend living in the Cambridge, MA area. We caught up, ate some delicious food in an Irish pub, and enjoyed discussing life. I returned to Boston after where I met the rest of my crew. We got a rental and drove to Attleboro. The next morning we drove all over the New England area, finding geocaches and exploring new places. I added two new states to the visited column in Vermont and Rhode Island. I also got to finally see Cape Cod for the first time. The geocaching event was great as well with lots of people in attendance, cool events, and lots of geocaches to find. SEMAG 2025 was quite the adventure.

The beginning of May kicked off with a bang, and the end of it wasn't going to be outdone. I drove 3 hours down to Morgantown, WV to attended the US's second biggest geocaching event ever in the history of geocaching called GeoWoodstock. Along the way, my 2018 Ford Fusion that I bought in 2020 with 18K miles, hit the big 100K. Of the three cars I've owned, it was the first I got to see hit that milestone. I've put 14K more on it since then. As for GeoWoodstock, it was incredibly well done with thousands in attendance. Since I went solo, it was a lot of fun bumping into other geocachers I knew from Ohio. I had a blast exploring Morgantown and all the new geocaches it had to offer. May did have two final mini highlights for me. The first being that Ryan and I attended a Guardians baseball game with the Dodgers in town. Ohtani hit his 20th home run of the season and it landed about 25ft from us. I wasn't quick enough to react to secure it, but the guy who did was nearby and the Japanese media came over and swarmed us to see it. The other was my 30 year old washer stopped working. Thanks to the power of youtube, I was able to fix it myself and it didn't cost me a dime. That was a feat I am proud of.

June brought my next big adventure as I went to visit Keith and Coyee in Denver, CO. I had never been to Colorado before, so this was new state #3 on the year. Keith took me out exploring and I experienced a mountain river that remains ice cold year round, even in the sweltering heat. We explored Red Rocks Amphitheater and the beauty of it was breath-taking. I have to see a concert there some day. We also explored more of Colorado's natural beauty and hiked a trail were dinosaur footprints were discovered. And I got to check another baseball stadium off my list as a group of us attended a game at Coor's Field. Fun fact, the row we sat in was exactly 1 mile above sea level. I also spent time with the people they met out there and members of the church. It was a breath of fresh air meeting them and talking with them. Thanks again for having me Keith an Coyee!

July did July things with its summertime magic. While I didn't go on any major adventures, I took part in a handful of youth camps. I returned to Laurelville, PA to serve a jr. high camp where I had done so many times before. But this was the first time in 8 years that I had gone back and it was a real treat to be able to participate once again. I also took part in our high school camp which was held here in Cleveland. We planned this 10 challenge activity that I oversaw which required groups to complete 10 daunting tasks in the quickest time they could. I acquired a full costume for the bit and it was a blast. The other important event that occurred in July was our annual fantasy football competition. While we do get overly competitive, it's always a grand time when we can get the whole crew together for a weekend, especially when we don't see each other as often due to work, taking care of our families, being out of state, etc. I also attended the annual Midwest Geobash and camped in a tent there for the first time. I even ended up riding out a severe thunderstorm at 4am inside of it which was quite the experience and something I hope to not ever do again. So while I didn't travel far, but July was crammed full of excitement.

In August, I held an event to celebrate my 10 years in the game of geocaching at Lakewood park. Folks came out and we had a dandy of a time enjoying goodies, cornhole, and each other's company. August was also the month we took our family vacation up to Wisconsin. Not all of us were able to make it, but every time I go, I savor the moment. We rented a large cabin on a lake I had never been on before. We did a lot of fishing and boating, all while enjoying the natural beauty. We joined the family for a church pig roast, had fires on the farm, and spent time with the family. Other highlights included my cousin bringing his little speed boat and tube so we went tubing on the lake. I told him to not hold back and he went nuts trying to toss me. I went airborne 3 times and still managed to not be thrown. That was a great day. My dad, Stephen, Lydia, Hannah, and I took a day trip to Minneapolis to catch a Twins game at Target Field. That marked MLB stadium #18 for me and would be my last one of the year. My brothers, Nathaniel & Stephen, and my sister's boyfriend, Ben, and I tackled the 60th ranked disc golf course in the US. It was 27 holes all on a large piece of land. It was fantastic and one of the best courses I've played on. We ended the trip with dinner by the fire on the farm. No fish fry this year as my two bros left early for a wedding. Wisconsin is always a dandy time.

 September started off as a chill month. There were some baseball games, geocaching events, and end of summer shenanigans, but as September came to a close, I was about to go on what one would call, and adventure of a lifetime. If you've been following this blog or my facebook page, you know what I'm referring to. Japan. My longtime high school buddy Ryan approached me in 2024 about this trip. He had already gone before, but wanted to do it again. He asked if I wanted to go and the answer was obviously yes. While there's so much I could put here, I'm already in the process of blogging it now. So I'll just add some photo highlights and let them speak.

The Japan adventure went into October and five days after I returned, I got in my car and drove all the way back again to my hometown in PA as my other cousin, the younger brother of the one who got married in April, was also getting married. They had their wedding about an hour away on a beautiful venue in the countryside. I got to see my nephews again and my grandmother who turned 90 in July. Congrats again Joe and Megan!

I turned 35 in November which I'm still undecided on how to feel about that, but for now, I'll take it as another year. This month was filled with small geocaching events with friends, multiple friendsgivings, and just being around great groups of people. We also got our first snowfall on Thanksgiving and other than a few days here and there, the ground has been consistently covered in snow and it's been quite cold. 

And finally we come to December. The holiday season saw many events with friends and family, with the final adventure being a trip down to Maryland to Tim & Kay's new house for Christmas. I spent four days there with the family. We ate good food, went disc golfing on a surprisingly warm day, toured Longwood Gardens in the cold, exchanged gifts, and spent a bunch of quality time to close out the year. So overall, 2025 was pretty good to me. And with that, I say so long and hope for many joys, thrills, and blessings for 2026. Happy New Year y'all!

Tales From the Land of the Rising Sun: Part 4

The sun was going down and with the small amount of daylight left, we hopped on a local train and bid the ancient city of Kyoto adieu. Kobe was our destination. While it is home to the world famous wagyu beef, we were not able to secure a booking at the restaurant famous for it as it's booked six months in advance. But Ryan has a soft spot for Kobe, having been here once before and wanted to return so that's what we did.

First thing we did after getting off the train was go straight to the hotel. The long day in Kyoto had us beat. We checked in and recharged both our phone batteries as well as our human batteries. Taking a breather from heavy travel does both the body and soul good. Approximately 2 hours later, we left the hotel and went looking for a bite to eat. There was a restaurant right around the corner with tempura advertised on the glass. We decided to go there. Upon entering the doors, there was a kiosk where you placed your order. Very conveniently, it has a button to translate everything to English. I ordered a bowl of tempura, rice, and a noodle soup. As I stuffed delicious tempura in my face, I let the warm steam filled with the wonderful smells of what I was consuming rise through my nose. After satisfying our stomachs with another taste of Japan, we set off for what I originally thought was going to be a short walk, but turned into a new adventure.

I noticed that there was a virtual geocache not too far down the street from where we were. We had to go to an observation deck at the top of a hotel. Ryan was game so off we went. We walked down sidewalks washed in the glow of warm evening lights. People were out and about, but not enough to cause us to break our stride. We made it to the hotel and took the elevator to the 24th floor. Exiting our lift we entered a large, enclosed room with big windows. As I peered out them, I could see the lights of Kobe showing life in the city. There was a park directly below that had a nice glow from the pathway lighting installed there. In the distance was a Ferris wheel whose neon lights made it a beacon in the night. All I had to do to claim the virtual was snap a picture of myself at the observation deck with the city in view. So that's what I did. 

After we got our fill of the view, we took the elevator down to the main floor. I expected we were headed back to the hotel to call it a night, but Ryan asked if I wanted to go to the boardwalk. Normally I would be all over that, but it had been a long day and I was a bit beat. When he mentioned it was a 25 minute walk from where we were, I groaned slightly. He said it was worth it and reminded me that we were in Japan. I couldn't argue so off we walked. The 25 minutes actually went by pretty quickly as we chatted and it gave me opportunity to catch more pokemon in Pokemon Go. Before I knew it, we had reached a massive plaza surrounded by the sea. The sky was dark, but the boardwalk was lit as if the area was celebrating Christmas. Before me was the tall Kobe Tower. All lit up in red lights. To my right was the maritime museum with its artistic metal roof jutting out like mini mountains. Closed for the day of course, but we would visit when it opened the next day. From another direction was a large BE KOBE sign that you could stand against and get a picture with. There were quite a few people waiting to do so, even at this hour. 

As I was still taking in the scenery, a big screen off to the side announced that a light show was starting. Then it boomed out a countdown. Once it reached zero, the night sky was flooded with some upbeat music. Then, all the structures I had observed prior began flashing and changing lights with the beat of the music. The museum roof flashed brilliant blues, the Kobe Tower majestic reds, and others fired off vibrant purples, oranges, and yellows. It was an unexpected, but pleasant surprise. Ryan then suggested we go up in the Kobe Tower. It cost about 1500-1800 yen ($10-$12 USD) so it was a no brainer. Up another elevator we went and saw the city of Kobe from a different high point view. The ocean, the lights, the cars, and whatever else moved in the city once again was spread out before us. We discovered that there was a restaurant one floor down and it rotated around the tower. So we grabbed some refreshments, took a seat, and enjoyed moving view. I experienced something similar when I was a top the Space Needle in Seattle in 2018. Now I was experiencing it on the other side of the world and with a good friend. Eventually we called it a night and made the long walk back to the hotel. We would revisit the streets of Kobe the next morning.

With the morning sun came another interesting hotel experience. The hotel's continental breakfast was one of the most intriguing I've ever had. While we got to choose from standard breads, fruits, and pastries, everyone got the same main course. The chefs called out when it was ready. I walked up to the counter and picked up an assortment of food on carrying try that I was not expecting to see. There before me was a freshly prepared salad, with a thick rectangular slice of fish, a fried egg, a cup of yogurt with jello, and a small cup of warm tomato soup. It all tasted really good, that that was the first time I've ever had soup and salad for breakfast.

We continued our morning by exploring the colonial part of Kobe. Kobe was one of the first cities to open to western influence when Japan opened to the world. Westerners came and built a bunch of colonial style houses in the city. One is really famous as it has now been turned into a starbucks. So we paid it a visit, got a cup of joe, and experienced a cultural fusion in Japan. After we installed Java, we wandered around the old embassies and the rest of colonial town. In the process, we realized the gondolas that took us up to the herbal gardens way up on the hill were operating. So we purchased tickets and took the sky rides to the top. The ascent in the metal orbs with glass walls was just the right speed to both take in the view of the Kobe skyline as we rose above it and to anticipate what awaited us at the top as we climbed higher and higher above the tree canopy. I gazed through the translucent floor beneath my feet and stared in awe at the gardens below. Before I could fully take it all in, we had reached the top.

Before us awaited a path to a gate, that led to a slew of shops and an artistically designed patio area. We decided it was a good time for refreshments, so we ordered some and found a countertop that we could sit and stare over the massive city we just rose above. Just being able to take a moment, soak in the view, talk about life, and stare at the beauty before us, is something to be grateful for. 

We finished up our break and went to enjoy the gardens. We followed the large stone path as it wove back down the mountain. Each bit we walked, the cultivated beauty before us changed. There were areas dressed for a fall harvest, areas with water fountains flowing free, areas with flowers grown into familiar shapes and formations, and so much more. There was an area I spotted from the gondola that I wanted to check out. At that time, there weren't people in that area yet, but by the early afternoon when we had arrived, the people were there. This section had a patch of green grass on the hillside that was covered in hammocks. I always love a good hammock. Ryan and I found two open and plopped our semi-weary carcasses in them. There I was, swaying in a hammock, with the sun beaming down, a gentle breeze blowing, and the greenery of Earth around me. It was another one of those moments. 

We weren't going to stay long to see the full gardens as we had other places to be, but we wandered through the green house area and other old style buildings that contained museum-like pieces from days of cultivating past. My favorite was the scent room where there were a couple hundred scent bottles you could smell. I flooded my nose with lemon, lavender, cinnamon, turmeric, mint, and so many other wonderful smells.

After sending my nose on a wild ride, we caught a ride of our own from the gondolas back down the mountain. We then made our way to Chinatown for a brief site-seeing excursion. We meandered through the crowds, street performances, the Chinese lanterns that hung above our heads and the liveliness of it all. Once we had our fill, we headed back to the docks where the Kobe tower stands as we were going to see the maritime museum. 

The docks and the ocean were in different light at that of the day. I could see the water lapping the docks, the birds were about, and folks were more abundant. But we were here for the museum, so we entered in and paid for our ticket. Before us were case after case of models of many types of ships that have roamed the sea. So much hand crafted detail went into each one. But in the center of them all was a massive ancient wooden ship. Full size, just there in the center of the room. We continued to wander and as we did, there was a section on aircraft, a section with hands-on experiences, including flight, ship, and even motorcycle simulators. Kawasaki sponsored a chunk of the museum, so they had an entire wall replaying a brief video documentary of the evolution of transportation they have provided. Then further down was a full display of their motorcycles. It was quite a site to see. We lingered a little longer to cover the rest of the museum that wasn't at an additional cost. We then stepped back outside to take in the docks one more time. Then it was off to the hotel to get our stuff and begin the adventure to Nara, where more fun and surprises would await us.