Sheldon: Why are you crying?
Penny: Because I’m stupid!
Sheldon: That’s no reason to cry. One cries because one is sad. For example, I cry because others are stupid, and that makes me sad.  ~The Big Bang Theory

Kyle @LegoKidsFest at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, Pa. He found his Star War friends! 12/1/12

Just about everyone loves the TV Show The Big Bang Theory, or at the very least has heard of the program.  Well, I am parked in that camp, as well as my sister and now-a-days, my mom and most of those I encounter.  For anyone who has been like Patrick Starfish, living under a rock, or who has just arrived to planet earth, The Big Bang Theory is about a group of four highly intelligent scientists who work together at the local university, two are roommates living across the hall from an inspiring actress.  The roommates,  Sheldon Cooper and Leornard Hofstadter are Caltech physicists; their co-workers Howard Wolowitz is an aerospace engineer and astronaut; and Rajesh Koothrappali, an astrophysicist.  Then there’s Penny, the always trying but never succeeding  actress who waitresses at the Cheesecake factory.  Yep, it’s about a group of geeks and Penny!

This year mark’s The Big Bang Theory’s seventh year.  I remember the first time I saw the show, the guys went to a Halloween party and Sheldon was dressed as the Doppler radar.  I almost died!  At that moment, I was hooked!

Why am I pouring my heart out about a television sitcom?  This past Saturday, I saw it unfold in real life.

Let me set the stage.  Yes my little man, who my sister and I always refereed to as a mix between Sheldon Cooper and Leonerd Hofstadter started showing interest in Dungeons and Dragons.  I’ve always made comparisons between Kyle and Leonard and Sheldon Food Has Many Tastes.  Recently, out little man was on a mission for the complete fantasy game and earned enough money to purchase one of the D & D boardgames.  Kyle has always loved the sci-fi type of movies and shows, so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.  He’s been a Star Wars freak since I can remember, a Lord of the Rings fan, a Legoman and list goes on and on.  Not that I disagree with any of these, but Kyle, like others of his genetic makeup, who have been labeled geek status, takes these interests to a whole different level of obsession and experience.  After all, Kyle was the one who wanted to learn Elvish and looked it up to start and believed it would be too cool to know.  I might have had a hand in his interests, after all I was the one who bought him his first comic books, but on my defense I thought it was a great intro to reading books.  He loved them.  My sister also had a big influence too!

What happened this past Saturday that gave me this epiphany?  After our Witches Brew Scavenger Hunt at North Park Saturday morning, which turned out to be a beautiful sunny day, Kyle wanted me to drop him off at his friend Duncan’s house.  Great!  Then, I was to retrieve him later on that day to hang for the rest of the weekend.  On a side note, I love Kyle interacting with his friends, he doesn’t do much of it, so when the opportunity arises, I am all for it!

Prior to Saturday, Kyle and I were making arrangements, trying to plan out times and such.  As I was talking to him on the phone, he was referring to his friend.  For the life of me I could not understand what the boy’s name was.  Kyle still has this very young child voice on the phone.  Even though he’s twelve, he sounds very much like a five year old.  He speaks very articulately just squeaky like a kid.  So as we were laying out the plans, I didn’t understand the name he was saying.  Deacon? Bacon?  Kyle was just laughing at my lack of understanding until he said, “Duncan, like Donuts.”  I died!  I said, “O, Duncan!”  We were both giggling.  Now don’t get me wrong, I love the name Duncan, a very old Scottish or English name, but at that particular moment Kyle and I were being Beavis and Butthead.  When I was talking, I kept throwing the name Duncan to see how many times I could say it in a sentence.  Ya, maturity runs very thin in the Piper line.

Kyle @LegoKidsFest at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, Pa. Yep he hit up the story for more Legos! The Lord of the Rings naturally… 12/1/12

On another side note, I saw the contact Kyle placed in his phone for Duncan.  He spelled it Dunkin, just like the donut!  I couldn’t believe it.  Laughing at his mistake I asked Kyle, “Is that how he spells his name?”  Kyle said, “I really don’t know.”  Trying to catch my breath and already knowing the answer, I said, “Buddy, I’m pretty certain he wasn’t named after a donut joint.  I think you have the spelling wrong, you might want to fix that.”  Kyle, usually assuming he is right (just like my sister) said, “Well, how do you know how to spell his name?”, as if I’m just a plain idiot wrong.  What a stinker!  Kyle must have asked about the spelling of the kids forename, because later he confirmed I was indeed correct.

Upon our completion of the Thrill of the Hunt Witches Brew Scavenger Hunt, Kyle and I headed towards Duncan’s house.  Naturally, I was not going to leave  my little nephew with complete strangers, so I followed Kyle up onto the porch to introduce myself.  Kyle was not happy about that, but I wanted to meet one of the parents and of course, Duncan!  As my little short Leonerd Hofstadter climbed the porch steps with his Dungeons and Dragons game tucked securely under his arm and his iPod in pocket (containing a list of games), out pops a tall thin Sheldon Cooper from the front door.  I was slightly taken aback and I couldn’t help but grin.

After meeting the dad, who seemed very nice and I gave him my digits in case of an emergency or issue, I left Kyle for a day of fun.  Once making my way to my car, I busted out laughing.  I had to share this realization of what just unfolded, with someone.  Who?  My sister!  She would totally understand, even if she never met Duncan.  Nicole shared in my vision and laughed when I outlined the scene.  She told me “Don’t pick on our little guy Aunt Heather!”, as she laughed along.

While reiterating the story with my mom, because you know I wouldn’t let it drop (dad would have never understood) I said, “I hope he finds his Howard and Raj, then they have their Halloween costumes set for next year!”

I love my little geek!  If he does turn into the real life The Big Bang Theory, I couldn’t be happier for him.  Kyle is who he is, and I hope he always remains that way and never compromises his principles and his true nature.  Plus, if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.  Looks like I’m learning to play Dungeons and Dragons.  I even told Kyle we will go larping!  Bazinga!

Nobody ever figures out what life is all about, and it doesn’t matter. Explore the world. Nearly everything is really interesting if you go into it deeply enough.  ~Richard P. Feynman

Statue of Saint Boniface Wimmer in front of Saint Vincent Church at Saint Vincent College. I received the Sacrament of Confirmation in this church… Ryan was the alter boy.

Since I recently wrote about Random Fun Facts:  Latrobe, Pennsylvania, it wouldn’t be complete without addressing Saint Vincent College.

This past June, for Kyle’s birthday gift I got him, Bricks 4 Kidz, Kyle’s Lego Camp Birthday Surprise at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe!  Actually I got him two different sessions, Animal Grossology for the morning session and Space Adventure – Star Wars for the afternoon session.  The Lego camp lasted a week, from Monday June 24 through Friday, June 28.  Kyle’s birthday is in July, so he was really surprised.

Saint Boniface Wimmer, Saint Vincent College

The first day of Lego Camp, on Monday, I thought it would be neat to hang out with Kyle for lunch.  So I packed us a picnic and we ate on the college grounds.  It was a warm day but really pleasant under the trees.  Afterwords, I thought he might find a tour of the campus interesting.  In my head, I remembered how cool it was when Father Alred gave our sixth grade class a tour of the college when attending Sacred Heart.  He talked about the history, the architecture, the stain glass windows, and so on and so forth.

Well, as it turns out, I remembered the feeling more than the facts.  I must say, I fell short and needed a refresher.  Kyle wasn’t amused at all!  It was at that moment when I thought, I need to revisit Saint Vincent College, in the books.

Ironically, when I was doing research for the Discovering Greensburg Scavenger Hunt for Seton Hill University Discovering Greensburg in the Rain  (the sister college of Saint Vincent), at the Westmoreland County Historical Society, I came across a lot of intriguing content on  Saint Vincent College.  I hope you find the history of the college as interesting and almost mind blowing as I do!  Please read to the very end!  I promise it will shock you!

Sportman’s Hall, built in 1790 by Father Theodore Brouwers- later become Saint Vincent

Random Fun Facts: Saint Vincent College

• Founded in 1846 – Saint Vincent Arch-abbey and College
• In 1766, before the monks John Fraser, an Indian trader, acquired land on part of which Saint Vincent is now situated
• February 10, 1766 granted a tract of land along the Forbes Road to John- made in the name of the King George II of Great Britain by Captain William Murray, Commander of Port Pitt.
• December 3, transferred teh entire parcel of land to James Hunter, a farmer for Five Pounds Lawful Money
• James Hunter owned the land for 21 years
• March 12, 1790, the Supreme Executive Council of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania granted Joseph Hunter “a certain tract of land called ‘Sportsman’s Hall’” – 1st time the name of Sportman’s Hall was given to individual tract of land (name retained for over half a century)
• Sportman’s Hall was called “the Cradle of Catholicity in western Pennsylvania”
• April 16, the deed to Rev. Theodore Brouwers, O.F.M.
• Father Brouwers died on October 29, 1790.  As per his will his body was laid to rest in a plot overlooking Sportsman’s Hall.  Since 1869 his remains have reposed under a a stone cross in Saint Vincent Cemetery
• Father Brouwers provided his successor by bequeathing all of his real estate “to a Roman Catholic priest that shall succeed me in this same place, to be entailed to him and to his successors, forever.”
• In 1787, 6 Catholic families moved from Philadelphia and settle near Greensburg
• A small log church was erected
• Sportsman’s Hall stood northeast to the present Saint Vincent Archabbey Basilica until 1883 – in 1930s a marker was erected on this site
• Reverand Michael Galllagher succeeded Father Stillinger as pastor, serving until October 21, 1846 – then Rev. Boniface Wimmer, O.S.B. was pointed as pastor
• Boniface Wimmer was a monk from the Benedictine Abbey of Metten in Bavaria

Hence the name Wimmerton for the neighboring housing development

• Boniface Wimmer received the monastic name of Boniface upon his entry into the monastery, a name with deep significance for German Catholics
• Saint Boniface was an English monk who in the 18th century brought the Gospel and the Benedictine Rule to the Rhineland, where he established  monasteries and served as bishop of Fulda

He wanted to provide education for the sons of German immigrants and train clergy for the German community in the United States.

• Saint Vincent is the 1st Benedictine college in the United States
• Saint Vincent sits on roughly 200 acres of land
• First buildings were built by the monks
• The Benedictine Rule is known for spirituality and practicality
• By 1855, Saint Vincent was divided into the Seminary, the Classical Department, and the Commercial Department – basic structure of college for next 50 years
• In 1870, the college was incorporated by the State Legislature of Pennsylvania and given the power to grant degrees in the arts and sciences
• February 25, 1931 Benedictine Sisters left Germany to go to America, set up residence in Saint Vincent, to earn money to send back to mother house during World War I
• By 1987, one sister retired and founded Saint Emma’s Retreat House in Greensburg
• In 1948, there were 19 majors available in the divisions of Humanities, Social Sciences, Science and Business
• January of 1963 – a fire destroyed part of the campus – no life was lost

On the campus they have a memorial with a rescued bell saved from the bell tower.  The bent and torn metal of the once perfect bell is so surreal yet intriguing.

• In 1983, Saint Vincent became co-educational

Until that point it was an all male college, sister college to Seton Hill University, which used to be an all female college

• The college is sponsored by the Benedictine Monks of Saint Vincent Archabbey and shares the campus with Saint Vincent Seminary (4-year graduate school of theology), and Saint Vincent Parish
• Saint Vincent College offers undergraduate degrees in business, education, medicine, engineering government service and church.
• Saint Vincent College offers Masters degree programs in education and business
• The Fred M. Rogers Center for Early Learning and Children’s Media (yes THE  Mr. Rogers!) is a college center
• Nationally known, students from 24 U.S. states/territories and 20 foreign countries – half of these students are in the top 20% of their high school graduating classes
• Accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and School

Bell Tower at Saint Vincent, built in 1871 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the arrival of the Benedictines in the U.S. In 1963, destroyed in a fire

Ok, now for the the really fun and interesting information I stumbled across.  Evidently, the students at Saint Vincent College need or did need to write a senior thesis before graduation.  Using primary resources, they were permitted to write about anything.

One student narrowed his focus to Latrobe and decided to write about the history of Latrobe’s volunteer firer-fighters and the Latrobe fire company.  Nice little topic!

Unbeknownst to him, he was going to stumble upon some really ground breaking news that was overlooked, even by Saint Vincent scholars, even to present day!  When I had lunch with my cousins John and Sherry Business Leader in the Form of a Youngster, in September, I asked John if he ever heard of the news I will reveal to you below.  He didn’t.  Dr. Olczak who also translated books for Saint Vincent College and most certainly was knowledgeable in the history of his Alma Mater, had no idea!

In the 1870′s, the Latrobe Advance, the local paper which is now the Latrobe Bulletin, circulated a story which dealt with a recent incident at Saint Vincent College.  What made the news but never made any other history books regarding the college and was forgotten?

Boniface Wimmer, yes the founder of Saint Vincent monastery and college, made the paper in the form of a small hidden story.  On October 1, 1879, the newspaper reported that the then 70 year old Abbot was nearly assassinated by a “lunatic”.  YEP!  No joke!  Keep in mind at this point in history, Boniface Wimmer was no stranger to the world, especially when concerned with his dedication and progress towards education and as a missionary.  In fact, he was recognized by many as the American Roman Catholic Church leader.  Kind of a big deal!  The paper reported that the mad man tried to assassinate Boniface Wimmer in his monastery room.

The story goes, a stranger was found lurking around, outside the monastery for several days.  On Saturday, September 13, 1879 the stranger gained access to the monastery where Boniface Wimmer resided.  A monk cut him off at the pass and ejected him from the premisses.  A week later the creepy stranger, on Tuesday September 23rd made his way back in the monastery and proceeded towards Brother Nicholas room.  He was the Porter or the gatekeeper of Wimmer.  This crazed stranger struck Brother Nicholas on the head and bolted up the stairs to the Abbot Boniface’s room.  (currently located in Mauer Hall and is used as a guest room) The lunatic took the key and tried to lock himself inside along with Boniface Wimmer.

Quick witted and matching reflexes, even from an aged man, the Abbot noticed this unusual sight and took the would-be assassin off guard before he could lock the door.  There was a tussle between the two men and that’s when Boniface Wimmer received a blow to the head, but not before gaining a hold of the intruders arm and managing to gain the upper hand. The 70 year old Abbot took down his attacker!  Yes!  He wrestled him to the floor!  This just proves, you have nothing to fear with God on your side and when you have complete faith in Him.

The recovering Porter came to Boniface’s assistance, after gaining his wits about him, and eventually a couple of monks arrived at the scene, hearing yells for help.  They removed the determined stranger from the premises.  No charges, no cops, no finger pointing, nothing.  Now-a-days that would have made front line news and opposing sides would be talking about it and pointing fingers at everyone including the Abbot for days, or weeks, heck months.  Everyone would have someone to blame.

The reason for this situation?  Not an Anti-Catholic message nor a hatred against Saint Vincent nor its Abbot.  The intruder was a Latrobe native who had mental issues and recently escaped from an asylum.  He felt if he killed the Abbot Wimmer he would in turn take his place as the Abbot of Saint Vincent.   At least the mentally disturbed man had goals!

Since this was not recorded anywhere else or brought to the spotlight, how can we know this actually happened? Even though back then the reporters needed to check and verify their sources, so I would be pretty confident they did their due-diligence before including the story in the paper.  Well, I came across documentation of a letter Abbot Wimmer wrote to the Vatican giving them an update on the church and the college.  This was a standard letter, with pleasantries and general day-to-day stuff.  At the conclusion of his letter, yes not as a headline, the butt end, as if just mentioning it in passing or as an afterthought, Abbot Wimmer made note of this incident.  Why didn’t he make it out to be the big deal it was?  Simply, because he was a humble man and didn’t want to upset anyone or have the general population turning on the assailant.   At least that’s my guess.  Or perhaps he didn’t like the negative publicity.  Either way, it was real history.

Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole.  ~Roger Caras

Winner of best Costume! Way to go Molly! Doggie in Disguise Scavenger Hunt in Latrobe, Pa. 10/19/13

It’s funny, this is my first year not planning for Kyle’s Halloween costume.  I guess once you hit twelve years old and are in the seventh grade, kiss trick-or-treating goodbye, as well as all the candy.  I’ve always looked forward to this time of year with Kyle, but my little man is maturing.  Well, as much as a Piper can.

What fills this void?  A Doggie in Disguise Scavenger Hunt of course.  Yes, Thrill of the Hunt hosted the first ever Doggie in Disguise Scavenger Hunt in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.  What exactly does this mean?  No, the dogs were not expected to find items but they did dress up in disguise, walked alongside their owners and joined in on an adventure throughout the city of Latrobe.

Zoey as Batman at the Doggie in Disguise Scavenger Hunt in Latrobe, Pa. 10/19/13

This event was a laid back and easy going scavenger hunt, an activity for dogs, their owners and the whole family to enjoy.  After all, The Piper Corporation does encourage family fun and togetherness, building and reinforcing the bonds of the family. The participants were given clues and riddles to find out which store in downtown Latrobe they needed to stop by.  As I’ve always said, part of my scavenger hunt strategy is to encourage foot traffic directly to specific participating local stores and shops to reinforce branding and to give them an advertising opportunity.  I want to help local merchants and the communities alike.

Once the Thrill Seekers (those who participate in a Thrill of the Hunt scavenger hunt) arrived at a correct location, the participants collected dog toys and treats with each stop.  This particular scavenger hunt contained a total of seven missions and online challenges, an increase from past scavenger hunts.  I might just add a few more stops to next year’s Doggie in Disguise Scavenger Hunt, extending the fun even more!  Everyone was also asked to conduct online challenges that included taking pictures and video of them with their dog at specific locations, making the event more thought provoking and interactive.

Angie & her family joining the Doggie in Disguise Scavenger Hunt in Latrobe, Pa. 10/19/13

What makes this scavenger hunt so much fun and just plain hilarious?  The dog costumes!  Yes, the dogs were dressed in their Halloween best!  When everyone finished finding their clues we gathered at the finish line, which happened to be the Family Video parking lot.  There, our non-bias outsider, John was present to judge the costumes, picking a winner.

Congratulations Molly, Super-girl won!

I will admit, that was the best part of the scavenger hunt!  Some of the costumes totally cracked me up!  There was a turtle, batman and joker, a witch and Elvis, among other very creative costumes.  In fact, one family told me since their daughter was too old for trick-or-treaing, they thought they would dress up the family dogs and take them out. Perfect idea!

Elvis even made his appearance at the Doggie in Disguise Scavenger Hunt in Latrobe, Pa. 10/19/13

Prior to planning the event, I worked with Darlene Smucker from the B & D Activity Center in Latrobe.  She owns a huge indoor dog facility that she brings in vets, hosts competitions and dog training sessions, among other 4-legged activities.  Perfect start location.  Both parties, B & D Activity Center and Family Video graciously let us use their space for the morning.  I also worked with Nick from the City of Latrobe to coordinate this scavenger hunt on the day of Latrobe’s Autumn Fest.

Everything certainly came together nicely.  God even blessed us with a nice brisk sunny day, perfect for walking around in the fall air, among the multicolored foliage of Latrobe.

Since the completion of the scavenger hunt, the Action for Animals Humane Society in Latrobe contacted me about maybe joining efforts to create one big event to benefit both parties.  I think that would be a great idea!  I’m totally game!  My friend Tree actually suggested the same thing earlier this year, but it looks like it might happen for the next annual Doggie in Disguise Scavenger Hunt.

I’ve been working on Thrill of the Hunt full time for nearly six months now.  And as I’ve been developing and administering to these hosted scavenger hunt events, I thought how I could give back, making my scavenger hunts even more community friendly?  Eventually, when our popularity and participation increases, I will have the resources to donate a portion of the proceeds back to local charities, with respect to the themed scavenger hunt.  Another goal I would be happy to fulfill.

Our participants had a lot of fun at the Doggie in Disguise Scavenger Hunt in Latrobe, Pa. Can’t wait till next year! 10/19/13

My buddy, Kyle joined in administering to Saturday’s Doggie in Disguise Scavenger Hunt.  Even Aunt Nikki made her appearance with Avery (a.k.a. Acron) wearing her angel wings, just as the judging was to begin.

I really truly can’t wait for next year!  It’ll be even better!

On a side note, I want to give my friend Holly a big shout out!  She not only walked around with me passing out flyers for the Doggie in Disguise Scavenger Hunt but she also was my biggest cheerleader with her fellow dog friends, spreading the word on our event and building the excitement!  If she ever wants to quit nursing, she has a job with me in marketing and event planning.  Thanks Holsters!

Check out all the pictures on the Thrill of the Hunt Gallery Page, the , the , as well as the videos on the .  Please support our local start-up company and Like US and Follow Us!  Remember, everyone needs to … Experience the Game!

Behind every small business, there’s a story worth knowing. All the corner shops in our towns and cities, the restaurants, cleaners, gyms, hair salons, hardware stores – these didn’t come out of nowhere.  ~Paul Ryan

Olympic Champion Kurt Angle, Kyle & me! At the Race Expo in the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, Pa. 9/28/13

A few Saturdays ago, Thrill of the Hunt participated in the Race Expo, September 27th thru September 28th, held at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  The Race Expo is the prelude to the Great Race 5k and 10k held in Pittsburgh every year.  I ran the race in years past, but alas not this year.  Why?  Because I’ve joined a different kind of race, one to get my company up and running and sustaining itself.  While doing this, I’m also busy tackling roadblocks and obstacles falling in front of me, as all business owners do.

I’ve never heard anyone say starting a business was easy.  Naturally, if it was everyone would want to partake.  Being a business owner has its benefits equal to the pitfalls, making it the career choice of passion and sometimes blind faith and sometimes complete insanity.  Right up my alley!

The Race Expo was a great place for me to continue branding the company and getting the word out about our scavenger hunt packages and events.  In fact, the Pittsburgh Marathon people contacted me asking Thrill of the Hunt to build a scavenger hunt for the two day event.  Great!  I’m in!

Greyhound, Pittsburgh Marathon at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Race Expo 9/28/13

The Exploring Inspiration Scavenger Hunt was a unique way to have the participants explore the booths and products at the expo as well as learn about the participating vendors.  Most of the merchants had their very own start-up and inspirational stories.  How do I know?  Before building any scavenger hunt, I try and look into the area, companies, vendors and such to make my scavenger hunts educational and informative, as well as fun and interactive.  I do my homework.

Was the Exploring Inspiration Scavenger Hunt a success?  Yes and no.  Building and executing any scavenger hunt is great practice and perfect for my portfolio, so yes.  Yet, unfortunately, my booth was hidden within the mix of the other vendors and activities.  The option to participate in this free scavenger hunt was also not promoted and not highlighted, so Thrill of the Hunt never really was given center stage.  Some comments from participants and interested parties  included, ‘I’ve already walked through the expo and I don’t want to again.’ or ‘I have to leave now, I don’t have time.  I wished I knew about it when I got here.’ and so and so forth.  Lesson learned!  But it was still great exposure, great feedback and great contacts!  Those that did participate had an adventurous time and won some pretty sweet prizes.

A couple participants in the Exploring Inspiration Scavenger Hunt, presented by Thrill of the Hunt at the Race Expo in the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, Pa. 9/27/13

I held down the fort on Friday, getting there around 8:00 am and working the booth till 7:00 pm.  Trying to watch every penny, I was the sole workforce for the day.  So yes, it was a very long long day.  However, Kyle joined me on Saturday from 9:00 am till 5:00 pm.  Well, actually we left a 4:30 pm for two very good reasons, one because we passed out all of our brochures.  Not bad, as long as they are put to good use, a.k.a. call me to set-up a scavenger hunt for someone’s special event or occasion.  And the number two reason, Kyle had to serve mass on Saturday night.  Since we were at least an hour away from home, we had to hightail it out of there to make it back to my parents house, allowing him a few minutes to get dressed and get to the church for 6:00 pm mass.  The race is always on!

Having Kyle by my side, always makes the time more interesting.  He did walk around passing out brochures as well as wasting time, avoiding work at our booth.  Not that I mind.  It was still nice to have someone help with the clean up and he is always good company in the car.  He’s funny, as soon as we got down to the Convention Center, Kyle asked “Isn’t this the location where they shot Jack Reacher?”  What a card!  He was right!

Our participants in the Exploring Inspiration Scavenger Hunt, presented byThrill of the Hunt had a blast!! Race Expo at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, Pa. 9/27/13

I am looking forward to my next event for the Pittsburgh Marathon, the North Park Race.  Can’t wait!  That one is called the Witches Brew Scavenger Hunt.  Again, paid for by the Pittsburgh Marathon, free to anyone who wants to participate.

On a side note, did I mention Kyle and I were in a booth beside Kurt Angle?  If you don’t know who he is, Google him, his career list is quite impressive!  His participation and winning in the Olympics is what really stands out to me.  I met him and got his autograph a few years ago when I was working at DeNunzio’s Restaurant, while in college.  He’s a really nice guy and he’s a Pittsburgh local too!

These are all great opportunities, with few minor roadblocks and problem solving situations mixed throughout.  Recently, I’ve encountered different types of serious roadblocks.  Well, I should say the same problems that reoccur since the commencement of Thrill of the Hunt to only remain and increase in severity and become more problematic.  What are these horrible problems and issues?  As with any start up company there are many, depending on the business and the person behind the obstacles, the intensity may appear more or less so.  Mine?  The internet!

Mostly my days consist of a good gripe regarding the internet.  Yes, something we all take for granted, yet expect it to work whenever called upon.  Rightfully so when you pay for a service you expect it to work, at least as good as it’s suppose to!  Nope, not Verizon, and they don’t care!  Really, they don’t.  I’ve called for months now, every time it goes down, which is a lot.  Sometimes a few times a day, sometimes a few times a week.  If they can’t get it to work, they just say “Well I’m sorry there’s nothing I can do.”  Really?  And that’s that?  Unfortunately, my office, a.k.a. my parents kitchen, has no other options when it comes to high speed internet.  So they know they have me pinned to their mercy in a big way.  Another downside to this irritating problem is my email.  Yes the Verizon servers don’t play nice with my business email, meaning they don’t always go through and they are as slow as a tortoise.  Frustrating!

Me & Kyle in the Thrill of the Hunt booth at the Race Expo, David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, Pa. 9/28/13

Occasionally my obstacles include trying to help other small business owners by incorporating them into my scavenger hunts, giving them a free opportunity to have traffic driven directly to their store front.  Yes, that is a challenge!  Free advertising and foot traffic!  Most businesses shy away from my events and don’t want to be bothered.  However, I have encountered the few forward thinkers and adventurous ones that welcome Thrill of the Hunt with open arms.  Thanks guys!

Then again there are problems that appear out of thin air and fortunately can be rectified fairly easily with little cost.  I’m talking about my keyboard.  Yes my beloved iMac keyboard became a huge roadblock.  Why?  Well, first let me set the stage that I am not the only one using the iMac, and let’s face it we all eat and drink around the computer.  I have a feeling the keyboard became the catch all plate over the years.  Especially me!  I drink a lot of water and I know the condensation on my bottle of water always seems to drip on my keys just at that perfect moment, when the bottle passes from desktop to my mouth.  Next thing you know, the letter “x” was not working.  Manageable, that is until the letters “v”, “r”, “f”, “c”, “h” and the delete button joined suit.  Try typing an email!  Not a pretty sight!  That problem was easily fixed by Amazon.

Maybe these will be problems of the past.  I’m sure I will always encounter other obstacles and roadblocks, I guess I need to accept that, handling them in the most efficient and productive manner to not create brand damage.  Hopefully, God will walk me through the fire like He has done thus far.  Either way, I am still grateful for this opportunity to make my dreams come true.

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Thrill of the Hunt is proud to announce we made it to the second round of the .  Help us win big!  What do we get?  Our very own professionally produced TV commercial and a 30-second TV Spot played during the Superbowl, plus chances for much much more!

As of now, Intuit is deliberating to pick the Top 20!  Counting down to hear the lucky few.  Right now we need your prayers to get to this round.  If we make it, then we will need your !  Everyone can vote daily!

Read about the company and my Intuit submission, I even had to make a video.  Thank you for your support!

Elliott, MaRissa & Chris participating in the Thrill of the Hunt, Discovering Greensburg Scavenger Hunt for the Seton Hill University Homecoming weekend. Great job! 9/21/13

This past Saturday Thrill of the Hunt was commissioned by Seton Hill University to develop and administer a custom scavenger hunt for their homecoming weekend.  It was called Discovering Greensburg Scavenger Hunt.  This was exiting for me for many reasons.  The most obvious reason, it was a paid job.  Being a start-up company every business and every opportunity is a blessing and is needed for survival, let alone taking Thrill of the Hunt to the next level.

Also, building this scavenger hunt gave me additional experience.  The more scavenger hunts I can outline and manage, the better I become at developing them and getting a feel for what works and what doesn’t.  I already have ideas on how to push my limits to offer even more interactive and exciting hunts.  Want to know one?  I would like to build a ‘Singing in the Rain’ type of scavenger hunt.  But I guess that ones for down the road.

Not only did building the Discovering Greensburg Scavenger Hunt build my portfolio of events, but administering the game gave Thrill of the Hunt great exposure.  Again, every point of contact, every lead, every bit of feedback a start-up company can receive, will only help in the growth.  Seton Hill was gracious enough to allow me to share the Seton Hill Alumni booth to pass out brochures and business cards, speaking to curious onlookers and of course checking-in and giving direction to registered participants.

Thrill of the Hunt shared the Seton Hill University Alumni tent for the Discovering Greensburg Scavenger Hunt in Greensburg, Pa. 9/21/13

When it comes down to it, I guess the true focus of my excitement was working with Seton Hill University!  My two time Alma Mater.  Yes, I graduated with two different degrees at two different times.  Proudly, I use both degrees, Bachelor’s in Arts (Marketing) and Bachelor’s in Fine Arts (Graphic Design) daily.  To this day, I can honestly say I received a great education and I value my contacts at the school.  Seton Hill is very encouraging, to not only their alumni, but also to local entrepreneurs.  So having the opportunity to work with the school was on my ‘want’  list of businesses, and I got them!  A goal accomplished!

With every scavenger hunt I build, the more I enjoy what I’m doing and the more unique Thrill of the Hunt becomes.  This particular scavenger hunt allowed me to camp out at the Westmoreland County Historical Society for a couple of days, digging through books, old newspaper articles and such.  I find that research is a lot of fun and intriguing.  A great way to spend my time!  Keeping with the theme, I wanted to make sure my facts were correct and I wanted to bring possibly unknown information to the participants, educating them a bit while having fun.  My scavenger hunts typically bring something new to light or introduce some small corner of the area.  This one was no exception.

MaRissa & Chris submitting their online challenges for the Thrill of the Hunt Discovering Greensburg Scavenger Hunt at the Seton Hill University Homecoming weekend 9/21/13

Seton Hill’s Homecoming and family weekend had a lot going on, in addition to the Discovering Greensburg Scavenger Hunt.  It was also graced with rain.  At first the rain was light and doable, but then it became stronger and heavier.  Now don’t get me wrong, I certainly don’t shy away from falling water, but when it’s a cold windy rain, not really my cup of tea.

Believe it or not, I had last minute participants sign up to partake in the Discovering Greensburg Scavenger Hunt.  Great!  A few brave souls.  That is until the rain intensified and the wind joined in.  I was safe with my fellow Seton Hill Alumni until that point.  Then, it became a scramble to cover all brochures and such.  We were also very luck to have the SHU wrestling team beside us, especially to hold down our now airborne tent.  Really?  Yes!  It was almost comical.

Eventually, they took down the tent.  Where do I go?  And guess what?  I still had participants braving the rain and going through the scavenger hunt.  Wow!  Most people quit when the sky opened up, but I will give a special kudos to MaRissa Boros, Chris Herrera and Elliott Moore who maintained their online communication with me and finished the scavenger hunt, soaked through and through.  Yet happy!  Once I got to shelter, I continued following and reaching out to my brave souls, until they finished all the physical and online challenges.  Great job guys!

Seton Hill University Alumni & Thrill of the Hunt tent at Homecoming weekend. Discovering Greensburg Scavenger Hunt, Greensburg Pa. 9/21/13

Usually I have my sidekick with me.  But alas not this time.  Kyle had other plans and to be honest, it worked out pretty good.  It was not a lot of work to manage the registrants and most of my efforts had to be focused toward the online activity, which Kyle can’t do, at least not yet.  I wouldn’t have wanted him to get drenched like I did either.  Perfect timing!  Now next weekend, when we have the Exploring Inspiration Scavenger Hunt for the Race Expo at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, I will need all hands on deck.  No fear of rain interrupting that one.

It’s funny, just a week prior I was just commenting on how blessed I’ve been, having great weather with each and every one of my scavenger hunts.  I knew that would not always be the case, but it was certainly encouraging.  Almost as if God was saying, ‘You’re on the right track and I will take care of you’.  Was it a bummer for the rain?  Sure, not just for me, but for the rest of the activities planned.  Even though, it was a nice time and I can’t wait for next year.  I truly hope Thrill of the Hunt will be invited to join in on the Seton Hill University Homecoming festivities.

I know as I grow I won’t be able to administer to all Thrill of the Hunt Scavenger Hunts, and it won’t be possible to write about each and everyone one of them, but while we’re small, I want to remember my roots and how I got started and those who helped me along the way.  Thank you Seton Hill University!

The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things.  ~Ronald Reagan

One of the dogs from the Dog Gone! Scavenger Hunt in New Hope 9/14/13

On Saturday, Thrill of the Hunt had another Dog Gone!  Scavenger Hunt in New Hope, Pennsylvania.  Is that far from me?  Heading out there is about a five hour trip, 300 miles one way.  So it’s certainly a hike and a half.  Why did we have a scavenger hunt so far away?  Simply, because I love the area, it’s so quaint and charming and I’ve found the business owners and locals very easy to work with and very positive about what I have to offer.  Not to mention, breaking out into New Hope was my way of introducing Thrill of the Hunt to the eastern side of Pennsylvania and the surrounding areas.  New Hope is just across the Delaware River from New Jersey, and is relatively close to New York, Maryland and Delaware.  Yep, New Hope, a borough in Bucks County, my next stop.

Kyle still loves being apart of all things with The Piper Corporation.  I mean that!  He never snubs his nose or whines when we have work to do with the company, well almost never.  In fact, Kyle got a new Macbook Air for this past birthday.  His comment to me?  “Now Aunt Heather I can help you out with the scavenger hunts!”  He meant it wholeheartedly.  Kyle always shows the most enthusiasm when it comes to the company work.  He really enjoys it and I enjoy having Kyle help me out and be apart of hopefully his future legacy, if desired.

Everyone knows Kyle is pretty money centric.  Not with Thrill of the Hunt.  Every now again, I will pay the kid in movies and popcorn, but no hard cold cash is ever transferred.  One day soon I hope to be able to put him on the payroll, but until then, Kyle understands and is just happy to help out.  And he truly is a huge help to me!

Kyle manning his post at the Dog Gone! Scavenger Hunt in New Hope. 9/14/13

We left Saturday morning around 3:30 am on a long day of fun.  It was a little difficult to get the twelve year old up, but let’s face it, it would be hard to get anyone up at that hour.  Without a second thought, Kyle even went to bed early so he could rest up for the long work day.  My little planner!

Once in the car he slept, and slept, and slept, and slept.  He did wake up briefly, while I made a pit stop, but he stayed in the car and relaxed.  I had a heck of a time waking him up when we finally got to New Hope.  He really didn’t want to join the land of the living.

Getting there early to set up and address any last minute issues and get our bearings straight helps to reduce stress.  I try to practice such behavior whenever possible, teaching Kyle the same lesson, after all I had my car packed and ready to go by Wednesday.  The one thing about the scavenger hunt events, almost everything needs to be done prior to, at least all the hard leg work.  So come the day of the event, it’s enjoyable not only for the participants, but also for us.

Usually Kyle stays with me, helps with registration, taking pictures and addressing questions, but alas this particular scavenger hunt I needed Kyle to pass out a prize at a participating business.  Did he mind?  Not really, he doesn’t prefer to be by himself, but he loves being needed and helping out.

Kyle is mingling with a few dogs during the Dog Gone! Scavenger Hunt in New Hope, Pa. 9/14/13

Part of my business model with the Thrill of the Hunt Events, is to help local communities and businesses by bringing the customer directly to their storefront, driving direct traffic.  There is more to the Thrill Sponsorship Program, but that’s how it came to be and the basic idea.  Well, I did have a local business who wanted to participate, but was unable to have dogs in their store.  They also didn’t have the staff on a Saturday to have someone stationed outside of their facility passing out prizes.  Problem solved, Kyle.  Normally, I wouldn’t have offered his service, but I’ve done this event already and I was an old hand at it.  So if I could help out, then I will, and I did.  Plus the business owner gave coupons for the participants’ goodie bags and branded them Thrill of the Hunt.  They too were trying to promote my company.  Now that’s working together!

Kyle helping me out during the Dog Gone! Scavenger Hunt in New Hope, Pa. What a businessman – a true leader! 9/14/13

So my little man and I were separated for the better part of the scavenger hunt.  He was cracking me up while he was sitting on his little perch outside the storefront.  He was passing out flyers promoting the Dog Gone!  Scavenger Hunt to any late comers.  Brilliant!  He even took one for the team.

Apparently, as per Kyle, he was trying to hand out a flyer to someone walking their dog and saw a few more dog owners walk past him.  He changed his mind and made an about face to approach the other set of dog walkers and splattered on the ground!  What?  Yep!  I saw the bark removed from his leg.  When he came to me later on in the day, he explained his story and showed me his minor scrapes on the knee and hands.  He did so without drama and without complete agony, very unlike Kyle.   To be honest, as soon as he told me his story, I busted out laughing.  Without controlling my laughter, Kyle joined in and proceeded to tell me that he had no idea what made him fall.  He didn’t trip, he just fell.  Boy does he remind me of Nicole!  He said, “I bet everyone that saw me wondered why I fell!”  I bet!

Anyway, while he was sitting there, I did receive several phone calls from Kyle.  He was keeping me updated on who stopped by and the new recruits he was sending my way.  Once he called me to tell me, “I got lonely so I called Gigi.”  What a stinker!  I said, “O that’s good buddy, I bet Gigi wanted to hear from you. I bet you made her day.  Did you tell her how things were going?”  He did and he gave me a report on Storm.

Kyle continues to socialize with the dogs during registration of the Dog Gone! Scavenger Hunt in New Hope, Pa. 9/14/13

You see, the day before Storm, my cat wanted out.  No problem, except she didn’t come back in before dark, which she usually does when called.  No Storm by the time we left, no Storm by the time dad got up at 5:00 am and no Storm when I called in around 9:00 am.  Now that made me nervous.  It seems like every time we have a Dog Gone! Scavenger Hunt, we have family pet issues.  Dog Gone! Irony  Storm did eventually come back unscathed and ready to sleep the rest of the day.  No worries.

While manning his post, Kyle received a call from my sister who was checking in.  I guess, it was not a good time, because Kyle told Nicole, “I gotta go Aunt Nikki, I have customers.”  That’s my boy!  Priorities!  Laughing, Nicole called me to inform me of what just went down.  We both found it humorous and I found it inspirational.

Throughout the day Kyle did pull out his iPod to play games and he couldn’t stand at the registration table passing out flyers and answering onlookers’ questions for too long, but after all he is only twelve.  But he did try his best.

I think Kyle had to pet every dog that participated in the Dog Gone! Scavenger Hunt in New Hope, Pa. 9/14/13

At the conclusion of the scavenger hunt, a few of the participants came up to me, not knowing he was my nephew, and commented on how helpful and professional “the little boy”  was during the event.  He was given kudos from many, even from a few of the businesses that met him.  Kyle is getting accustomed to shaking hands, using his manners and speaking directly and speaking business.  What a great leader and an impressive youngster!  Thank you for all your efforts buddy!  They are certainly noticed and appreciated by all.

On a side note, on the way back it was pretty uneventful.  Kyle slept and slept and slept and slept all the way up till about hour from home.  Once he did wake up he was back to being a kid again, asking me when we were going to arrive, over and over again.  I told him, “Just go back to sleep.”  Once we arrived at my parents house, which was closer and lets’ face it they really missed our little man, Kyle was wide awake and ready for a late night snack.  Me?  I was ready for the pillow.  After all I was going on nearly twenty hours without sleep.  Was it worth it?  Absolutely!  Can’t wait for the next scavenger hunt this Saturday, Discovering Greensburg sponsored by Seton Hill University.

Music is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy.  ~Ludwig van Beethoven

Kyle at his 1st piano recital, at his 1st grand piano. 5/17/09

Last night I took Kyle to his piano lessons.  I must admit, I truly love getting my little man, eating dinner together, and just plain hanging out.  He is back in the swing of school and back to a standard routine.  As with most special memories, this one was unplanned and came as a surprise.

My phone died early in the day.  Why didn’t I charge it you may ask?  Well, simply because I had no idea what I did with the plug.  I have a stock pile of cords from my last iPhone, which also charges my iPad and Kyle’s iPod Touch, but alas I only have the one plug for the iPhone 5.  I’ve been meaning to get another one, but like many people, I put it off until there’s an issue.  Guess what?  Issue!  I needed my phone to call on Greensburg businesses to get the Discovering Greensburg Scavenger Hunt ready and finalized for Seton Hill University.  Crap.

Anyway, I had to leave to pick up Kyle.  Naturally, once in my car, he reached for my phone to probably play a game and it was dead.  He looked at me in shock.  I know!  We both felt really off our game.  Almost as if we were being detoxed from an addiction.  Now that I’m thinking back on it, that’s a shame we are like that with our phones.  But we are a product of our surroundings.  Did we survive without it?  Most certainly!  Did it help that Kyle had his phone?  Yes!  Only so my parents and my sister could touch base with him, no dire emergency.

Why is this relevant?  I’m so used to getting my emails via my phone, as well as text messages and Facebook messages, it didn’t dawn on me that Kyle’s music teacher would be reaching out to me through my online communications.  Yep, he had to cancel Kyle’s piano lesson.  Well, as I found out the next day, after recovering my long lost phone cord (1 day) and juiced up the handheld addiction, his teacher did indeed cancel his lessons.  Actually, using common sense, it didn’t take a phone to tell me Kyle’s piano teacher wasn’t there.

Kyle’s music recital group. 5/17/09

While sitting in the waiting room, and as the minutes passed, Kyle became impatient and wouldn’t let me read, (he forgot his book The Lord or the Rings: Return of the King).  At that point, we both decided to get up and look around for his teacher.  His teacher, David is a Seton Hill student and who is always on time and very responsible.  Just out of curiosity, Kyle and I walked down to his piano practice room to check out the situation.  Nope no David but there was THE PIANO!

Not being able to resist a beautiful baby grand piano, I walked in, sat down and started striking the keys.  I’ve always wanted to learn to play the piano but my parents didn’t have the money when I was younger and it never was a priority for me as I got older.  Maybe one day I will take the time and learn.  But for now, it’s all on Kyle.

Kyle knowing that I had no idea what notes I was hitting, and no clue how to combine them to form a single song, he sat beside me on the piano bench and started to play a few memorized tunes.  Show off!  But I loved it.

Without saying anything and almost as if by muscle memory, Kyle opened his piano book and started to play a song,  It was one he previously covered in a past lesson, totally new to me.  Kyle started to actually instruct me, showing me were to place my fingers and how to play.

It was AWESOME!  He played a few notes and I watched his little chubby fingers to mimic his actions, messing up every other time.  He was very patient and showed me the fingering a few times so I could follow along.  He even went as far as to instruct me how to play with both hands, and I did!  Now there was certainly no mistaking me for Mozart or Beethoven, but I was playing an actual song, all because of Kyle!

Close up of Kyle at his 1st piano recital. 5/17/09

Kyle sat further down on the keys to my right and played along side me.  He was too cute, even waiting for me as I slowly hit the notes.  We both enjoyed sharing in on the same song, side-by-side, in our space, just the two of us. (As I wrote that, the song, Just the Two of Us popped in my head! I crack myself up!)  We played together for at least twenty minutes or so.  Yes the same song!  I think Kyle was really enjoying playing with me, as I know I was most certainly having a great time.

Then, out of nowhere, Kyle turned to another one of his piano books and started to teach me about notes, and counts.  He was actually instructing me!  I loved it.  Sitting there attentively and taking in all his knowledge, I started to grasp the music theory.  As he reviewed the notes, it came back to me how to read music, not that I was ever very good at it but I got by.

Once Kyle started to get bored with the situation he busted out one of his standard songs, which happens to be his pappy’s favorite Ode to Joy (German: Ode an die Freude) by Ludwig van Beethoven, always a favorite of mine too and always beautifully played by Kyle.

We sat and played, mostly in silence until it was half past the hour.  Then we decided we were done for the day and headed home.  As we left I told Kyle how much I always wanted to play the piano and I asked him if he would teach me.  He smiled this grin that was almost ornery mixed with excitement and nodded his head in agreement.  Cool!

Our family is not the most musical.  My mom played the piano in her younger days and my sister played the flute for a few years.  I did learn to play the scales on the saxophone, but none of us is fluent in music.  Kyle is the closest we have and he is pretty good.  No prodigy, but I’m happy with his musical abilities and his love and appreciation for the musical arts.

We had a great night!  Before our musical performance we watched Parental Guidance, which I rented and was never able to watch.  Kyle really wanted to see it and we had just enough time to squeeze it in before his lessons, since he didn’t have homework.  It was a funny movie that we both got a kick out of.

I will admit, I enjoyed my music lesson so much more than sitting there watching a movie with Kyle.  I literally could have have stayed in that practice room all night and played and listened to the beautiful music leaving Kyle’s fingers.  Can’t wait for my first lesson!

The road to success is always under construction. ~Arnold Palmer

Nick & Kyle hanging with Brutus at Legion Keener Park in Latrobe Pa. 2013

Being a Latrobe native doesn’t just mean that I have a specific location I can point to on the map and declare, ‘I’m from here!’  Nope!  Stating this fact holds a lot more, the history, the traditions, those who have paved the way for others and also the pride of the people and surrounding areas.

Many can claim the same about their area, but we, Latrobeans are truly a special breed. I’m not saying my broad stroke, ideal perception is consistent across the board one hundred percent true for everyone, but from my observations and where my heart stands, it is.

Latrobe is one of those typical small towns. You know the kind, most everyone knows each other and in my case because I’m a Piper, somehow I’m related to everyone. Latrobe is also large enough to give a little elbow room when desired. Originally it was a borough and then made into a city. Latrobe was named after Benjamin Latrobe. It’s true, it’s not suppose to be pronounced with a long “a” sound. However, if you are from Latrobe, you use the incorrect pronunciation, that’s our badge of honor and proof that we are true Latrobeans.  Yes I know, we also have the typical Western Pennsylvania slang, and distinct accent criticized by all, but there is so much more.

Me & Kyle at the Banana Split Festival at our Thrill of the Hunt booth in Latrobe, Pa. 8/24/13

What else makes Wildcat Country truly special? Well, lets start with the accomplishments surfacing from this area and the people. Even though it’s not official because it was never really proven, Latrobe is home to the first professional football game ever played. At least, that’s how I always understood it. Incidentally, Latrobe is home to the Pittsburgh Steelers Training Camp, held at Saint Vincent College every year. Latrobe, mirroring our neighbor Pittsburgh has very much the same die hard type of personality. “Pittsburghers” are known world wide for their dedication to the city, especially the Steelers. I mean, we have Steelernation! Latrobe projects the same pride and love of the city, for both Pittsburgh and Latrobe.

Me & what I thought was a Guerrilla Girl (nope). Banana Split Festival in Latrobe Pa. at the Thrill of the Hunt booth. 8/24/13

Saint Vincent College, Latrobe’s very own, unbeknownst to many has a history that impacted many around the world for different reasons. Long before the college was the Steelers training home base, Saint Vincent Church was the first Benedictine monastery in the United States, founded by Boniface Wimmer, a monk from Bavaria Germany. The monks not only started the Catholic tradition and built a beautiful church that turned into the college, but they also held the recipe for Rolling Rock Beer, home grown form the fields of good old Latrobe Pennsylvania.

Growing up around the Rolling Rock Brewery, I never realized how famous the beer really was, until one trip changed all that. During one of my senior high band field trips, we went to New York City. A small town Latrobe girl in the big apple. Naturally, we did all the touristy things, but on our final day, we participated in the Saint Patrick’s Day parade. On a side note, up until that point, that was the most I’ve ever walked in one trip, ever! My feet and legs were so sore from marching miles on the New York streets I thought I would collapse. Anyway, as we marched along, and the crowds took note of our banner, ‘Greater Latrobe Marching Band’, they began to yell. It wasn’t making fun, or ridiculing us in any way, it was praise and excitement! They were yelling, “Latrobe! #33 Rolling Rock!” I’m not talking a small group of drunken individuals. I’m talking pretty much the entire city of New York! We were famous! Living in my own corner of the world being oblivious to outsiders, I had no idea that anyone knew who we were! Let alone loved us! People, cheered for our group of Latrobe natives and truly loved recognizing us. It was great! It was at that moment, I didn’t take it for granted that I was a Latrobean, a Wildcat!

Nick & Kyle making a friend (Brutus) at Legion Keener Park in Latrobe, Pa. 2013

Beer is not only our claim to fame and neither are our black and yellow footfall fans. Latrobe has birthed some inspiring people. One being Mr. Fred Rogers who graduated from Latrobe High School. Actually, my grandpap Chester went to school with him and I believe Mr. Rogers was the class president. Graduating from the freshly built Latrobe Senior High School, my mom and brother and sister all walked down the same halls and graduated from the same alma mater. Mr. Rogers lived not far from my parents house in Edgewater. Some may not know or remember the TV personality, but he had a show for children on PBS, Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood (1968–2001). One of his sweaters is actually on display at the Smithsonian Museum of American History. He had many more accomplishments, but he was made famous from his show and calming personality.

Ice-Cream Joe, Valley Dairy (My first job) in celebration of the Banana Split Festival in Latrobe, Pa. 8/24/13

A friend of Mr. Rogers, and matching or perhaps exceeding in popularity would be our very own golf professional, Arnold Palmer. Yep the inducted World Golf Hall of Fame Latrobean was born and breed in the area. He too doesn’t live far from my parents house, right down the road from the Greater Latrobe High School. Every once in a while, I would see him pulling out of his driveway and I heard he still flies his plane in and out of the Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Latrobe. Personally, I’ve never met the man, but I’ve known many who have and have commented on what a great guy he is. He was not only known in the golf world but to presidents too. I remember when Mr. Palmer’s wife, Winny (Winifred) passed away, former president George Herbert Walker Bush came to town to pay his respects.

More recently, Latrobe made their mark again with proving they are the home of the original banana split. Yes, invented by Latrobean David Strickler came the banana split. He didn’t just stop there, he also created the banana split boat to hold the ice-cream dessert.

This past weekend was the Banana Split Festival in Latrobe. Great time by all! I represented Thrill of the Hunt as part of the local vendors. We had a perfect sunny day and I loved running into old friends and meeting some new ones. Everyone was very encouraging and supportive about our start-up company. It was inspiring!

The New Playland in Legion Keener Park, Latrobe Pa. 2013

Latrobe has produced greatness, yet remains humble and true to our roots. I love this city and what it stands for. Thrill of the Hunt is home grown in Latrobe, Pennsylvania and I hope my company will continue to bring the pride back to Latrobe like many before me.

There is a lot more to Latrobe and I just touched on a few. Everyone should take some time and visit this lovely area, nestled in at the base of the Laurel Highlands. And those who have since moved away, should stop back. It’s a great place to live and do business. I am proud to be a Latrobean through and through. Even Kyle has taken on the title of Latrobe native, well after all he was born and partially raised here. He considers himself a Wildcat and I agree, he is!

Learn what is to be taken seriously and laugh at the rest.  ~Hermann Hesse

Me & Kyle at the WannaBe 80′s Scavenger Hunt Event in Shadyside. Great time! 8/17/13

This past Saturday proved to hold an exciting day!  My sister was on her way home with a new bundle of puppy.  The very same day, my company, Thrill of the Hunt, was holding another scavenger hunt event in Shadyside, in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, called the WannaBe 80′s Scavenger Hunt.  Not to mention a big day wouldn’t be complete without a little attitude and whining from Kyle.

Let’s start in the early afternoon with the arrival of Avery Piper.  This 20 pound cute playful puppy really turned the house inside out.  Scooby, being a grumpy old man was not too pleased to have the rambunctious visitor.  He was growling and nipping and just plain being a bully.  Pretty much everything we expected out of Scooby.  Seven on the other hand was curious and almost excited to have a new friend.  Maybe he remembered how hard it was to be the new doggie on the block.  Seven had to deal with Scooby solo and maybe Seven just wanted to be a mentor, a friend to Avery.

Nicole hanging with Avery! Don’t let her cute looks fool you! She’s a stinker! 8/17/13

Then let’s discuss, Storm, my cat.  She is a year old and is not very friendly with other people, strange places and certainly not puppies.  She was clearly the one who was the most upset.  She sat up in her perch (This is a tree house type of structure I built for her.  It stands about six feet tall and is equipped with multilevel sitting areas and carpeting.  It’s a place for her to escape the dogs.) and puffed up till she resembled a soft fluffy ball of cat.  She was hissing, and growling, and spitting and swatting her razor sharp claws (I can attest to that!) at the completely ignorant puppy.  Did I mention, as far as we know, Avery has never seen a cat before?  So this was a real treat for her.  Her Avery, not her Storm.

Avery, a.k.a. Acorn (yes I already gave her another name to instigate my sister!) was just so happy to be hanging with all of us and truly didn’t understand the disdain of Storm and Scooby.  She was jumping on the furniture and wanting to play like it was a big party.  Even though I did soak up the playful energy projected from this short haired, pig tailed eared, clumsy, teething youngster, I was still concerned for the stress levels of my Storm.

My perfect little Thrill of the Hunt assistant! He is a great businessman & he worked at the WannaBe 80′s Scavenger Hunt Event. 8/17/13

While all this was going on, Kyle and I needed to get ready for the WannaBe 80′s Scavenger Hunt in Shadyside.  It started at 3:30 pm, which means we needed to be there between 2:30 pm and 3:00 pm to set up, sell any last minute tickets and hand out brochures to continue to get our name out there.  Not to mention it takes at least an hour from Latrobe to get to Pittsburgh, depending on the traffic.

Kyle and I had the car packed and everything ready.  I am not a procrastinator, I figure why give myself added stress that I can control, when there is always something unforeseen or uncontrollable that inevitably pops up.  That’s enough excitement for me, so that’s why Kyle and I packed the car and ran through our checklist the night prior.  We also went through the same list one last time before heading out, to cross our T’s and dot our i’s.

Pap & Avery taking a nap together! 8/17/13

God has really blessed us in our new adventure.  I mean it.  Recently, Thrill of the Hunt has been commissioned to develop and administer the Discovering Greensburg Scavenger Hunt for Seton Hill University, the Pittsburgh Marathon is having Thrill of the Hunt build a scavenger hunt for the race expo, Exploring Inspiration Scavenger Hunt and for their 10k, 5k, Pet Walk in North Park this October, Witches Brew Scavenger Hunt.  Did I mention thus far, for all of our scavenger hunt events we’ve had perfect weather?  Yes!  I know the weather will never cooperate one hundred percent, but to start out and get acclimated to our scavenger hunt events, it certainly does help.

I’m ready to get the WannaBe 80′s Scavenger Hunt on the way! We had a perfect day! 8/17/13

The WannaBe 80′s Scavenger Hunt went off without a hitch!  It’s funny, Kyle was being such a kid during the day, wanted everyone to play his card game and wanted to sit on his iPod and play games and not practice his piano or read his Lord of the Rings The Two Towers book, yet when he was in the car with me and most certainly when we got to Shadyside to set up, Kyle changed his tune quickly, without being asked.  Kyle didn’t complain one bit, he went right to work helping to set up and he even started reaching out the pedestrians supplying them with brochures.  He was supporting Thrill of the Hunt in best possible manner.  When he met with people, he shook their hands confidently and truly was the perfect assistant!  I don’t know if Kyle likes the work, enjoys being part of the company or is just innately aware I would kick his butt if he misbehaved.  But he was a great business partner and the perfect assistant!

Either way, as like most times hanging with Kyle, we had a great time!  I try to be very approachable and friendly to potential clients when I’m representing Thrill of the Hunt.  I stand by my station ready to answer inquisitive looks and comments as those unknown to Thrill of the Hunt walk by.  Yes, I stand for the hours it takes to complete the scavenger hunts, unlike Kyle.  One of his weaknesses.  To keep his body from complete shock, I had him stand with me in little spurts before he would retreat to his bench to sit and relax.  I’m fine with that, for now!

Kyle cracked me up!  During the WannaBe 80′s Scavenger Hunt, the participants not only had to figure out the riddles, but they had online challenges to execute as well.  I also had to review the online activity to see if anyone was stumped or questioning a specific clue.  Yes, so while I was greeting “passerbyers”, I was also following the online activity.  During all this, Kyle was texting my sister to see the status of the mad house back home.  Then, to throw me off my concentration, Kyle began to send me funny text messages, like asking if my legs were tired and calling me a Bad Girl (inside joke within our family due to the labeling on the butt of my sisters underwear).  Kyle was cracking me up!

Side story.  The last time I was down at my sisters, we were commissioned to develop and administer to the Discover Scavenger Hunt for a five year old birthday party.  That Friday night, after I got in, I came around the corner to ask Nicole something, while she was in the kitchen and what did my eyes read?  Yep, Bad Girl written across her underwear as she stood at the sink.  Immediately, I lost it!  I could barely say, “Bad Girl” when Nicole instantly busted out laughing, while running to the bathroom.  She was laughing so hard she had to pee!  Now I couldn’t just let something like that only be shared between the two of us, so I told my family.  Mom, died laughing!  Even dad got a chuckle out of it.  But Kyle thought it was the funniest thing he’s ever heard.  Since then, everyone once in a while we just say, “Bad Girl!”.  It cracks us all up!  Especially Kyle, who loves being in on the inside joke.

Me & Kyle promoting Thrill of the Hunt & getting ready for the WannaBe 80′s Scavenger Hunt in Shadyside, Pittsburgh Pa. 8/17/13

Well, the feedback from the WannaBe 80′s Scavenger Hunt participants were very positive.  I didn’t have a huge turnout, but enough to make the event fun.  It seems like I can’t give the tickets away for my scavenge hunt events lately, at least at present day.  Although I have a feeling, that comment will be just unbelievable and silly in the future.  Especially, when it catches on that these themed scavenger hunts are challenging, interactive and just plain fun!  Not to mention, my scavenger hunts also help to support and promote small communities and local merchants.  Win, win for everyone!

When we got back to the house, it was still standing and everyone learned to calm down a bit.  Kyle was back to being my fun little man again, especially after I was praising him for his help and behavior.  We celebrated with Primanti Brothers sandwiches and we rented The Burbs.  Perfect evening to a crazy day!

Please vote for Thrill of the Hunt!  We have a chance to win a commercial during the Superbowl!  We need all the votes!  Everyone can vote daily, so keep them coming!!

Check out the pictures / videos from the WannaBe 80′s Scavenger Hunt from our Gallery page, , and !

Follow the Hunt!

Adventure is worthwhile in itself.  ~Amelia Earhart

Jenny Singer & Me at Steerlerfest 2013 at Saint Vincent College, Latrobe, Pa. 8/2/13

I’ve always loved adventure, always!  I can turn a simple trip to the local grocery store into an adventure.  And I’d be happy to write about it and tell the story over and over again, refining it and intensifying it with each pass.  That’s probably why I enjoy traveling so much!  It’s the adventure I love, the journey, the sometimes unexpected and unknown, new discoveries, the eye opening moments and the opportunity to learn first hand.  I love it all.  So I guess it’s no surprise that my sister and I embarked on a little adventure of our own, The Piper Corporation.

Mentioning it a time or two, we started The Piper Corporation, which currently has two divisions, Thrill of the Hunt (www.ThrillScavengerHunt.com) a company that develops and administers themed scavenger hunt events for the public and packages for private birthday parties, fundraisers and business functions; and SpyRing (www.SpyRing.com) the world of spies and espionage brought to life through a simple to play educational card game for children, that reinforces scholastic school subjects including reading and reading comprehension.  Yes, that’s a lot to do and a lot to take in!  Hence, why I am focusing my efforts towards Thrill of the Hunt.  It requires less resources, we have the potential to see immediate results, it’s easier to get in the hands of the public and we have the opportunity to indirectly help small businesses and local communities.

Jenny Singer helping the kids play our fishing game at Steelerfest 2013, Saint Vincent College, Latrobe, Pa. 8/2/13

Recently, last Friday, I was at Steelerfest 2013 at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.  I had a booth to promote Thrill of the Hunt.  As part of reaching out to the Steeler fans, I created a game for the kids to play as they stopped by my tent.  After all, it’s not always about making money, sometimes it’s just as important to support the community, even if it was from a magnetic fishing game standpoint.

Creating this game just for something simple and cheap for the kids to do, I personally thought it was kind of stupid and I thought no child would want to participate.  How wrong I was!  Purchasing small random items at the dollar store and gluing magnets to them, I placed the items in a small plastic kid pool for the kids to fish.  We used Kyle’s old plastic fishing pools that I “sooped” up with larger magnets.  Hence where I got the idea.  These poles were made new again when I saw them sitting with dad’s actual fishing polls in his office.  Brilliant!  To make it Thrill of the Hunt challenging, I made up riddles for each item.  Jenny Singer, my Thrill of the Hunt Team Member, who graciously helped me out all day (including setting up the tent and our table of stuff and tearing down) read the riddles to the kids and they had to first figure out the answer and then they had to fish for the item.  What did they win?  A Thrill of the Hunt stamp on their hand.  It was a hit!  Not only were the little kids lining up to join the fun, but the young-ins around Kyle’s age wanted to play too!  I was flabbergasted and excited!

Jenny Singer working the Thrill of the Hunt’s tent at Steelerfest 2013, Saint Vincent College, Latrobe Pa. 8/2/13

On a side note, Jenny was such a tremendous help!  Sincerely, with her hard work and suggestions, the day went off without a hitch.  She is a hard worker!  Never once did I hear her complain, speak negatively about anything, heck she didn’t even take a lunch break.  She was in it with me for the long haul.  Such a great little girl.  Jenny is already a success in life and over time she it’s only going to intensify.  I know it!

Jenny Singer giving the kids at Steelerfest clues to figure out for the fishing game. Steelerfest 2013 Saint Vincent College, Latrobe Pa. 8/2/13

On another side note, I missed my Kyle terribly.  He is always at my side helping me with functions such as this one.  Kyle is, and will always be my inspiration.  He is also a busy little man with a lot going on, maybe next year!  Although we do have the Banana Split Fest coming up in Latrobe!  I’m sure I can count on his assistance.

Thinking about it, maybe entrepreneurship is in my blood.  After all my pappy started his own business, Walter Piper & Sons Lumber, his own sawmill, like many of the Piper’s before and after him.  Pap was not scholastically smart, only finishing out the fifth grade due to a lack of opportunity and support.  I mean he could barely write his own name, yet he had something, something not a lot of people have.  I’m not sure if it was vision, natural business skills, or a guardian angel.  Maybe it was all the above.  I will say, my pap was great at math!  I mean quick!  He could add and subtract simple math, figure out decimals and add and subtract fractions like he was a calculator.  That doesn’t surprise me.  He adapted to his surroundings, and working with wood in the wood industry, you need to learn measurements and to do them without thought, with one hundred percent accuracy.  I’m guessing similar to carpenters and construction workers.  I bet if pap had the opportunity he would have been able to do higher level math.

Me & Jenny Singer at Steelerfest 2013. Sporting our Thrill of the Hunt Tees. Saint Vincent College, Latrobe Pa. 8/2/13

On the opposite, pap had certain qualities, which were not very business smart.  He was too nice.  I know what sounds mean, but he was!  He would take people on their word to pay him, or he would shake on a deal and trust that was enough.  Pap came from the old time when those practices were honored and upheld.  The world was changing around him and pap remained the same.  My brother was a lot like pap.  They both possessed the same business sense, yet their hearts were two sizes too big and they wholeheartedly trusted everyone’s word.  I can admit that I am guilty of the same, even to this day, but I’ve learned some cruel lessons over the years to not be so blind.

The sawmill sustained for quite a few years after pap’s death, the timber industry is a tough one to thrive in, let alone keep your head above the water with obstacles in the way.  But my pappy did the best he could with the resources he had.  I can only speculate what kind of businessman pap would have been if he had a formal education.  He naturally had a marketing mind.  How do I know?  Just from simple things he did without anyone telling him what to do, like giving out baseball caps and pens sporting the company name.

Steelerfest 2013 at Saint Vincent College, Latrobe Pa. Thrill of the Hunt was part of the vendors & had a kids fishing game! 8/2/13

Working for oneself certainly has its benefits, equal to its challenges.  Let’s start off with my day.  I love making my own hours and not having my schedule dictated by others, at least not entirely.  I wake up around 5:00 am, go to the gym come back and get started by 6:30 am or 7:00 am.  Since I am the workforce, all design, writing, PR, advertising, social marketing, website updates, scavenger hunt planning, business development and such are up to me!  I love every minute of it!  Granted sometimes it’s hard working solo, but I do have my sister and friends to kick around ideas.

The biggest perk of being an entrepreneur?  No it’s not working for myself, and that’s not a good enough reason, nor is it wanting to be the boss making me the top dog or the leader.  Putting yourself in a position of leadership, doesn’t make a leader.  The way I look at it, my customers are my bosses and a good leader can lead in any situation.  No, it’s knowing I’m filling a niche, something new, something never been done before.  It’s giving people adventure while embarking on my own adventure.  It’s falling and getting back up and learning from my mistakes.  It’s also knowing I can indirectly help small businesses and local communities by bringing awareness to these areas.

Steelerfest 2013 at Saint Vincent College, Latrobe, Pa. Thrill of the Hunt was part of the vendors! 8/2/13

How do I do this?  Simply, when I bring a Thrill of the Hunt Scavenger Hunt Event to an area, I create my game to crisscross around the neighborhood, bringing unknown nooks and crannies of the community to light.  I also use the small businesses as part of my scavenger hunts, driving traffic directly into their doorsteps.  My heart and soul is in local merchants and quaint little towns, couple that with my love of adventure and you have Thrill of the Hunt!

Yes, there is also the negative side of being an entrepreneur, but I would prefer to stick with the positives.  Stop by the website and peruse the Events and Packages or Suggest An Event.  I’d love to hear from you!

Remember, everyone needs to …. Experience the Game!

Aunt
She isn’t my mother.
She isn’t my sister.
She’s one of the family
Who’s more like a friend.
Aunt
She has fun with me,
laughs with me,
listens to me, encourages me.
Aunt
She spends time with me,
believes in me,
shares with me, cheers for me.
Aunt
She understands me like a mother.
She’s there for me like a sister.
And perhaps best of all –
she loves me like a friend. ~Kimberly Rinchart

Me & Kyle at Idlewild for the Gutchess Picnic

My little man, what else can I say? I’ve reviewed how Kyle resembles my brother – his dad, my sister – his Aunt Nikki, my dad – his pappy, and my mom – his Gigi. There are a lot of cross over similarities and yet there are some traits that are distinctly a particular person.

Does Kyle resemble me at all? He sure does! Yes it’s true, Kyle is more of the engineering mind, but he is also a rare bread, complete with innovation, a strong personality, social skills and a  business visionary.

Obviously, Kyle’s physical traits don’t really resemble mine much. I will admit we do have the same type of skin, at least at this point in his life.  Also our noses.  We both have the perfect button noses.  A trait I’ve claimed as ours.  As for all other physical traits, you can’t even tell he’s related to me, our body types are different.  We don’t stand the same, or walk the same, and our outward presentations are not similar, not in the slightest.  If we talk about personality traits, now we’re getting somewhere!

As a baby just learning to walk, Kyle was always very structured.  What I mean is that everything had to be perfectly aligned.  Perfectly!  Kyle loved his Matchbox Cars, literally having hundreds of them. He would take the cars out one-by-one, examine them, and then line them up on the coffee table in rows. Every car was facing the same direction, front bumper to back, in perfect lines, until the entire coffee table was covered in Matchbox Cars.  That’s all he would do until it was time to put them away. Well, except if I was being ornery.

Me & Kyle screwing around with my sunglasses 11/18/03

Once when Kyle was nearly finished placing the cars, I waited for the perfect time for him to look away to retrieve another car.  I took my foot and pushed the coffee table over so the cars slid off and all landed on the floor. I know it sounds mean, but the look on his face was hilarious!  He was first in complete shock like he just witnessed an earthquake for his cars.  Then, as he noticed my foot still on the evidence, a complete realization of what just happened settled in.  His nose crinkled, his face soured, and he came over to me and begin to push my foot off the side of the table saying “No Aiya! No!”  Making it very clear that this was no acceptable behavior.  He looked like my sister when she gets angry with me!  I know, it’s not nice to tease, but it’s good to shake things up with these engineers.  Keeps it real.

Kyle not only aligned his cars but also his juice boxes in the refrigerator.  They had to be right side-up, facing front in a perfect line on the shelf. Let me tell you about convenience stores. If I would extract a bottle of water from inside the cooler, Kyle would realign the bottles making sure all the labels were facing out.  If the second bottle didn’t slide down to the front, then Kyle would help it along.  Bystanders that have actually witnessed this behavior, smiled at the precious narcissistic little boy.  I will admit, I tend to have the same disposition, everything orderly, tidy and aligned.  I do notice details, as does Kyle, and sometimes the smallest things drive me crazy.  Although, Kyle tends to be very selective with his details and neatness.  He is not always consistent but the natural tendencies are certainly there.

Granted as Kyle grows and as he is presented with different situations, he shows traits from all of us, including his business mind. Not everyone has the ability to be structured and think out of the box and use forward thinking.  My brother had a business mind, as does my dad and both equally have the work ethic to accompany such talents.  I do believe I possess these traits as well, similar to Kyle.  He has this unique thinking of setting and accomplishing goals and the ability to understand the idea of profit while maintaining the integrity of business.  A regular businessman.  How do I know?  I’m not just making a broad statement.  He has proved it through the interaction and assistance of my company The Piper Corporation (Thrill of the Hunt, SpyRing).  Yes with the little involvement he has had, he has shown me all these traits.  He is also a natural leader and he knows how to (and does without any quorums) delegate.  Once I teach him to properly follow up and address everyone with respect, and learn how to really utilize resources, he will be a force to reckon with.  I just hope I am able to instill a good work ethic and appropriate business practices with good moral intentions.

Me & Kyle at Idlewild… he is always a lot of fun at every age!  I love his perfectly round head!

Kyle’s people skills are pretty impressive!  He knows how to use his manners and speak directly to others.  Granted, sometimes he is a bit too direct, but like me, I love the candor and tend to steer in that direction.  Again as he matures, I can see his social skills tightening up and sharpening.  He already knows how to work a crowd to get their attention and to get what he wants, similar to his Aunt Heather.

As much as Kyle thinks, and he is a thinker, he forgets to think equally as much.  This behavior tends to get us both in sticky situations.

We both love to fish and I will admit, like Kyle, if I’m doing something I like, I want to perfect it and practice beforehand. Story time! Once when I was in elementary school, probably a little younger than Kyle is now, I decided to go outside and take advantage of the nice day and practice casting my fishing pole.  At the time mom had a dogwood tree in the middle of the yard.  Why is this relevant?  Because as I repeatedly cast my pole, I would caught a branch and have to pull my line out.  One would think that I would have just moved away from the tree, after all I had an entire yard.  But nope, I stood my ground until I cast my line in the top of the tree and couldn’t pull it out.   Yikes!  I didn’t know what to do.  Naturally the smart thing to do would have to cut the line.  Not me!  Instead I decreased the slack on the line and pulled the entire pole toward the top of the tree.  Yes, I let the fishing pole hang there in the dogwood tree.  Later that day, when dad came home from work, he noticed it instantly and asked no one in particular, in a very even toned voice, “Why is there a fishing pole in the tree?” I said, “I was practicing my casting and it got stuck.”  Nonchalantly dad replied, “Well don’t you think you better get it out?”  I knew I should, but for the life of me I didn’t realize at the time, breaking the line was an option, that is until weeks later when dad did just that.

Me & Kyle rocking the night away at Chad’s Wedding

Sometimes Kyle goes on his one track-mind and doesn’t bother to open his eyes to those around him.  I’m sure this will change as he grows, after all he is a sincere caring kid.  He is not malicious in anyway.  Although, I do the same, but it’s only because my mind is usually focused on other things, probably similar to Kyle’s.  At this point in his life, I would put my life on it, that it’s Legos!  Over the years, I can’t even tell you how many people would say they saw me, and I NEVER saw them.  Even if I walked right past them.  This happens a lot when I’m driving.  Hopefully, I’m concentrating on road, although I’m guessing my mind is wondering elsewhere, but not towards Legos.

Kyle’s a dreamer too.  Not just uses his imagination, which he totally does, but he is a visionary.  He always creates these grandiose ideas of how something should be, or how it will be or how it’s going to unfold.  I tend to be that dreamer too.  But I do believe that’s a great quality to have, especially being an entrepreneur.  Dreaming big is never a bad thing, just failure to act on it is.

There are so many more comparisons including the love of snow!  We both enjoy sled-riding, snowboarding and the crisp cool days.  Neither one of us like to be hot and we certainly don’t enjoy sweating, even though he does more than me.

We both love to cook and to experiment with ingredients.  Maybe more me than Kyle, but we love to try new foods and learn and understand different culture.

And like the rest of the family, there is one trait we all posses besides believing in God.  I don’t mean to omit the big Guy because to me that’s a standard, however I’m learning it’s not the case with most people.  But this time I’m talking about TRAVELING!  We are all equally intrigued by the rest of the world, new sights and the sense of adventure.  None of us has ever been afraid to explore and my parents have always encouraged this behavior.  Which speaking of, this week is ‘Aunt Nikki and Kyle’s Week of Fun!’  They are doing a road trip tour of the New England States.  How fun!  Next trip, I’m going to sneak my way in on the action!

I guess Kyle is a little bit of each of us, making him the perfect mix!  He’s a little bit country and a little bit rock n’ roll.  (That’s for mom’s benefit!)

Read the complete list of comparisons

Who Does Kyle Favor More, His Dad?
Who Does Kyle Favor More, Pappy?
Who Does Kyle Favor More, Aunt Nikki?
Who Does Kyle Favor More, Gigi?

You educate a man; you educate a man. You educate a woman; you educate a generation.  ~Brigham Young

Kyle’s 2nd day of Lego Camp at Saint Vincent College – Bricks 4 Kidz Program 6/25/13

Most people celebrate their birthday the day of their actual birth, or sometime close.  Others take a week or so in preparation and to celebrate the anniversary of their birth.  I really do neither, I’ve never been much of a birthday person.  Seriously, I could care less about my birthday, except it also happens to be my parents wedding anniversary (I was born six years after they were hitched).  Going out to eat, or birthday cakes and such never appealed to me.  Well, cake certainly peeks my interest, but not the celebration.  Yes, as a child I loved to get presents, but it wasn’t like it is today.  Even back then, I remember asking mom to stop the birthday parties.  Just not a big fan.

Kyle on the other hand is a big supporter of birthday celebrations, specifically his own.  Literally, from December 26th up until his day of birth, July 30th, he is preparing, scheming and throwing hints left and right.  Keep in mind, Easter falls between this time and he gets more gifts, not to mention his report card money that tends to go toward more Legos.  But his birthday, day, opens his eyes and fills his head with possibilities like no other.

Keeping with tradition, I never get Kyle toys or video games, basically what he asks for.  Nope!  I get him unconventional gifts.  They are items that I believe give him skills, introduces him to thinking differently, gives him life long knowledge or interests and helps him to grow as a person.  Others, mostly my parents and my sister get him the items that make his childhood bucket list of desirables.  (Happy Lego Birthday Kyle – 11 Years Old!, Flying Back to Kyle’s Ninth Birthday, Family Time Through an ipod Touch, Happy Birthday Kyle- 10 Years Old!)  I’ve mentioned it in the past about buying him piano lessons, swimming lessons, flying lessons, books etc.  So what to do for his twelfth birthday?

Starting to mill around ideas in my head back in May, which is when Kyle started to throw out hints, I really had no clue.  I’ve been known to give him a saving bond, again another practical gift to force him to save for the near future, but I really wasn’t sure.  Then, thanks to a family friend, Lori Planinsek Rodgers, she gave me the perfect idea!  Lego Camp!

She mentioned it while we were at the 24th Annual Planinsek Fishing Derby, Gone Fishing!.  At the time I just thought it might be something fun Kyle would enjoy, so I mentioned it to him.  Naturally, anything with Legos causes the kid to jump out of his skin.  Well, that is until he found out he doesn’t get to keep the Legos he builds.  Too bad!  Looking online into the programs, the light came on in my head and bingo, his birthday present was established.

Yes, another Lego even while at Lego camp – Bricks 4 Kidz at Saint Vincent College. That was his report card money courtesy of his Aunt Nikki 6/27/13

This gift accomplished more than just his gift.  Kyle always loved going to daycare (Come and Play) every summer.  He truly looked forward to hanging out with his friends and playing.  The kids not only played, but the daycare ladies  would make them bring books to read and they would have to go outside and run around and do some schoolwork.  Kyle’s days were very planned, very organized and very structured.  All the qualities that make for an enjoyable day for Kyle, truly!  Well, this summer Kyle didn’t go to daycare.  He was seriously bummed and bored!  I wish he was sent at least a couple of days a week, but nope, his summer consisted of hanging by himself at home.  That’s when I thought to send him to camp.  Granted the kid takes more vacations then any other child I know, but it still stinks to sit at home by yourself, not being mentally or physically challenged and being socially deprived.

Originally, I was going to sign him up for the third week in July, bringing it closer to his birthday, but alas that week was the ‘Aunt Nikki and Kyle’s Week of Fun’.  No good!  So I had to work backwards deciding on the week of June 24th through June 28th, last week.

Signing Kyle up for Animal Grossology in the am session (8:30-11:30) and Space Adventure – Star Wars for the afternoon session (1:00-4:00) at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, all I could think of was how excited he was going to be.

Kyle received 2 certificates for finishing his Bricks 4 Kidz Lego Camp at Saint Vincent College. Animal Grossology & Space Adventure- Star Wars 6/28/13

Keeping the Lego camp a secret, I alerted the rest of the family and I made arrangements for us both to stay at my parents house all week, which made my parents really happy.  They were looking forward to his Lego camp too for two reasons.  One, to spend the week with Kyle and two, to share in his excitement, knowing how much he loves to build Legos and being challenged.

Leading up to the birthday present surprise, I started to prod Kyle a bit, although he never really took the bait.  Probably because he knew his gift from me wasn’t exactly what he wanted.  I did tell him he was getting his gift early and it involved animals and space.  That sparked one of our dashboard silly conversations Laughing About Nothing…Dog in Space.  Throughout Kyle’s short life, you would think he would learn to trust me.  Our activities are never items he’s thought about or thinks are fun, but he can never deny he loves the gifts I get him.

One of the hints I slipped him, was that he was going to college and it was an educational gift.  He politely smiled and gave me a grunt.  Then he said, “I can’t go to college, I’m not old enough.”  Love that kid!  I told him he’s going and he better pay attention!  I could tell he didn’t know whether to take me seriously or not.  Sometimes I can be such an instigator.

Sunday night, the eve before Kyle was going to partake in his Lego camp adventure, I told him where he was going.  His eyes lit up and excitement shot over his entire body, leaving his mouth ALL night!  To be honest, I was trilled at his enthusiasm but it was getting late and I was tired.  He kept speculating on  what he was going build and what he was going to do.  He commented, how much he loved animals and told me how much he knows about animals.  Then he went into his dissertation on space and Star Wars.  It was a long night until the sandman knocked Kyle out.

Kyle his a great little guy! Check him out helping another, at the Bricks 4 Kidz Lego Camp at Saint Vincent College! 6/24/13

The next morning and all week he was up early, got himself his breakfast and got dressed, all without incident.  The first day was a bit rough, especially at lunch.  I packed us a lunch and thought we could picnic at Saint Vincent College and then walk around a bit.  I wanted to share with Kyle, some of what I remembered Father Alred teaching us about the buildings and the history when I was in the sixth grade at Sacred Heart.  (I found out that I remember very little and need to research the college again to bring back what I knew.)  Kyle was very quiet and almost blasé about his morning and kind of complained about his lunch.  Then, he didn’t want to walk around, didn’t want to sit, didn’t really care to go back.  I was in complete shock and let’s face it, irritated.  Only because I thought Kyle didn’t appreciate this opportunity.  Keep in mind it was pretty hot and humid out.

I dropped Kyle off for his afternoon class and then picked him up at 4:00.  Same attitude, same almost lethargic demeanor.  At this point, I thought Kyle was getting sick or maybe he was tried from getting to bed so late and waking up pretty early.  That is until the next day brought me my answers.

As I dropped him off for his morning session, I spoke to the one teacher to see how Kyle was doing.  She informed me that the room was really hot and evidently since it was an old building, putting the air conditioning on cool meant they were turning on the heater!  Yikes!  Kyle was sitting in not only a hot room, but it was being heated too!  No wonder he was so miserable.  The kid HATES being hot.  Not that I can blame him.

Kyle loved the Bricks 4 Kidz Lego Camp at Saint Vincent College! 6/26/13

By the time I picked Kyle up for lunch on Tuesday, it was like he did a one eighty!  He was ecstatic, energetic and completely excited to tell me about his day and what he built!  I was so happy I didn’t make a mistake with the  Lego Camp.  I did not!  It was a hit, now that the temperature in the room was bearable.

What a great week!  Everyday, Kyle and I ate breakfast together; then I dropped him off for his morning class; picked him up for lunch, which we made and ate together; dropped him off for his afternoon session and then picked him up when his day was done.  Actually, everyday except Friday, mom picked him up for me since I was getting the Dog Gone! Scavenger Hunt ready for the following day.  (For my company Thrill of the Hunt)  That was the start of the Dog Gone Irony!

Kyle had a GREAT time!  He not only got to feed his addiction of  building Legos, but he fed the brain too with animal knowledge and space talk.  As much as Kyle won’t admit to it, he loves to learn and discover new things and experiences, much like the rest of my family.  Lori, who introduced me to the  Program, messaged me this:

I see you’ve been busy dog hunting the past couple days, but I’m wondering if you’ve had a chance to see any of the videos posted for Bricks 4 Kidz! Looks like Kyle loved the programs! His teacher brought their entire class (5 or 6 kids) up to our class to show us how Kyle put a motor on the kangaroo (which wasn’t in the plans) and made it move – WHAT A GENIUS! I was proud of him and he’s not even mine!

Kyle surprises me all the time and makes me proud too!  He is a bright young man, that will no doubt shine in his future endeavors, whatever they may be.

He was an absolute jewel the entire week!  Seriously, the happiest and most non-argumentative child.  Everyday he came home and practiced his piano and read in his book.  Then he would watch some of his Lord of the Rings movies, watched a little TV or played with one of his many Legos.  He never complained about dinner and ate some of his veggies.  He even showered every night with little resistance and brushed his teeth without being asked, morning and night.  He was in a routine of structure, family, and good eating habits.  Believe it or not, it made the world of difference on his attitude.

I highly recommend the Lego camp or any of the offered classes!  The teachers are really great to deal with, they have such a positive attitude and the benefits the children receive are priceless.  I’m not just talking about learning to build, but the socialization, the structure, the added knowledge and the attention are so good for the kids.  Kyle was looking into other Lego classes and wants me to sign him up for more.  If he can fit it into his busy schedule, I totally will!

Thanks Lori!  You saved my birthday gift dilemma and brought so much more to one little boy than you can imagine!  You really are a true teacher through and through.

Below is a video I took of Kyle.  I creeped into the classroom, while he was still playing with his creation of the day.  The kid was in complete glory!

My little dog
a heart-beat
at my feet  ~Edith Wharton

They always say when it rains it pours.  Sometimes that’s the case, it certainly was this past weekend, starting Friday morning.

Let me set the stage.  I’ve been developing and organizing the Dog Gone! Scavenger Hunt all month, getting ready to launch our first Thrill of the Hunt scavenger hunt event in Shadyside.  So if you can image, there’s a lot of details and last minute items that need addressed.  All week I was unable to take the dogs, Scooby and Seven, for their daily three mile hike.  That’s my normal lunch break now-a-days.  Plus, keep in mind, Kyle was at his at Saint Vincent College.  My lunches were consumed with Kyle, going to pick him up, getting him lunch and taking him back for his afternoon sessions.  Then, the rest of my day and evenings, I was consumed with plugging away at the Dog Gone! Scavenger Hunt.  Busy, busy, busy week.

Then, Friday morning rolled around.  Naturally, I was up early with my head in my work, trying to wrap some items up before having to drop Kyle off at his Lego Camp.  I knew I had to make a trip to Shadyside and meet with the participating business owners before the work day ended, and I had to send brochures to the printers, pick them up and assemble all the Thrill of the Hunt bags for the participants before the day came to a close.  Needless to say, there was a lot on my mind and I was completely pre-occupied.  I’m not making excuses, just outlining the events of the day.

Roughly around 7:00 am, mom emailed me telling me to change Seven’s tracker, the battery was really low.  We use Tagg, which is a great service for tracking our freedom seeking dogs.  Only keeping a tracker on Seven, we’ve found that the buddies travel together so no need to weigh Scooby down.  My response to mom’s email?  “I don’t have time and I’m not planning on taking the dogs for a walk today, I have too much to do!”  Mistake number one!  Then around 7:30 am, Kyle was playing with my cat, Storm, on the porch and he had the front door wide open, without putting up the baby gate.  I was also going back and forth to my car loading it up with needed Thrill of the Hunt paraphernalia.

Then by 8:00 am, we both noticed we were two dogs short!  Around that time, I had to hurry up and update the Piper Reunion postcard and send it to press, since that was sneaking up on us; my friend Holly wanted to run hills and was calling; and mom called to ask me to bring her a large bowl to work.   Yikes!  Too much to do!  Not to mention I had to get Kyle over to his last day of Lego camp by 8:30 am and now the boys are missing.

Seven & Scooby getting some rest after the rescue mission was a success! Poor Seven still had those porcupine quills in his face. Tired pups after 3 days missing. 6/30/13

Right around this very hectic time, mom emailed me giving me the update on the already known missing dogs.  She saw his last check-in was in Ridilliatown, not far from our house, but his tracker died so we really had no idea where their actual whereabouts were.  My response?  They’ll come back.  Did I mention this was when I was in route, between Saint Vincent, to Latrobe and mom’s work?

You see the dogs have a track record of taking off, running through the woods for a few hours and then making their way back home after they are good and tired and completely muddy (Dog Gone).  So who would have thought they would have deviated off of the norm?  Certainly none of us did!  In fact, we thought they would show up on the porch before dark, ready to sit out there punishment under the kitchen table.  That’s were they go when they’re in trouble.  The thinner, crappy doggie beds reside under there, making them really suffer their punishments out. (sarcasm)

Well, needless to say nightfall came and left and no signs of the dogs!  I woke up Saturday morning around 5:00 am to get ready for the Dog Gone! Scavenger Hunt to find the house still a little empty.  I hate to say it, but when I talked to mom, who incidentally slept on the couch so she could hear are late night arrivals, I said, “I bet someone shot them!”  Mom agreed.  I know what a horrible thought!  I didn’t say I wanted that to happen, I was just trying to be realistic and prepare myself for the worst.  That’s what happened to my cousin’s dog when we were little, it was terrible!  Jack the dog, came back with half of his jaw shot off!

Speaking of shooting dogs.  That might sound like an over active imagination and not a present day reality, guess again!  When we were going around to the local neighbors where the dogs were once spotted, a lady told us that someone in Youngstown, near Latrobe Pennsylvania is known to shoot stray dogs.  She said they shot one before and wounded another!  Can you believe it?  I understand dog owners have to be in control of their dog at all times, but come on, things happen.  There is no reason to shoot a dog!  Maybe if it was bringing direct harm to another animal or person, sure for self defense, but just because they are loose and running around?  Even if they were on your property, shoo them away!  Don’t just shoot them!  What is wrong with some people?  Apparently, they have no heart and we need to say prayers for them.

Wishing I could have stayed to help with the rescue mission Saturday morning, Kyle and I headed into Pittsburgh for the Dog Gone! Scavenger Hunt.  Before I left I had time to make a missing poster and I distributed it to my social sites far and wide.  While we were in Shadyside, the irony of the situation hit me!  I was running a scavenger hunt for dogs, when ours ran away and were lost, called Dog Gone! Scavenger Hunt.  Not funny at the time, but has brought new humor.

My poor Seven. Did he put his face directly up a porcupine’s butt? At least he’s home! 6/30/13

The scavenger hunt went really smoothly and was well received by all the participants and business owners.  During the hunt, besides reaching out to our participants via social sites along with my sister, we were  also helping to spread the word, on our very own missing four legged pals.  I was taking calls, and checking Facebook, keeping in touch with my friend Tree who was following up on leads and touching base with my family.  Talk about a lot going on!

As soon as I got back to the area, I joined the search and rescue team.  Getting in the car with mom, we rechecked the the last areas the dogs were spotted, and a few areas we thought they might have gone through.  What made this so difficult was the location of our runaways.  They were running through mostly woods, even worse, mostly unfamiliar woods to me, making their appearance every now-and-again near someones house or a main road.  Even though it was extremely frustrating, each report brought a bit of hope.  At the start of this all, the last place we knew the dogs were located in Ridilliatown, early Friday morning.  Keep in mind it is now Saturday afternoon.

The sightings included:  Someone saw them together off of route 30 near Sleepy Hallow at 6:00 pm on Friday.  Someone saw them near Kingston on Friday around 5:30 pm.  Someone almost hit them with their car off of route 30 near Ligonier around 6:30 pm on Friday.  What?  How did they make it that far coming from Youngstown?

Well, later on Sunday when I hiked the woods in that area, I found out it didn’t take me long to cross the ridges through the woods, only traveling about four miles.  Piece of cake for a couple of four legged travelers.

Then God gave us another bit of hope, Dave Planinsek saw them off his property Saturday morning around 6:15 am.  Great!  They made the night.  He did say it looked like the black one, Seven was foaming at the mouth.  That would explain why the others who spotted our pups said the one looked like he had porcupine quills in his mouth.  My poor Seven!

Seven in the car after we found him, he was lost for 3 days & apparently met a porcupine on the his travels. 6/30/13

Saturday night was fast approaching and nothing, no sign, no word.  I even walked back in unfamiliar woods of Sugarbush, calling the entire mile in and mile out.  Once darkness completely took away my sense of sight, I reluctantly left the woods.  I will admit, it was pitch black and I had about three quarters of a mile to go just to get out of the woods and meet up with dad, who was on the quad.

We arrived at my parents house Saturday night, feeling completely defeated!  Especially knowing the dogs were going to have to spend another night in the woods and knowing that Seven was hurt and possibly Scooby.

That did it!  I had a new game plan.  I woke up early Sunday morning, we went to church the night before because Kyle had to serve mass, and packed my book bag.  I was going to hike all the woods in the area to try and find them.  Our logic, since no one had seen them since Saturday morning, they were hanging out in the woods.  They were injured, tired, hungry, scared and lost.

I packed up my .22 pistol, some food and water, first aide kit and a few other essentials.  I made sure my phone was completely charged so I could check my location on my GPS.  Mom was nervous since I have a track record of getting lost, (Directionally Challenged) but I had no qualms about walking around the woods.  I knew I’d pop out somewhere.  To play it safe, as long as my phone was on, Kyle could find me on Find Friends apps.  Not to mention I was using my RunKeeper app, which Tree and mom had my login information to track my last checked in status.

Breaking some of my RunKeeper records I continued on foot, while dad was on the quad and mom and Kyle were in the car driving around and checking with neighbors and putting up more posters.

This went on for hours on Sunday, it seemed like a lifetime.  When I would make my way to a main road, I would have mom and Kyle come and get me, to drop me off closer to start again.  By Sunday at 1:30 pm, I was with mom and Kyle in the car.  We decided to call dad to see how his progress was going.  When mom was talking to dad trying to outline our next plan of attack, possibly take a break for the time being, dad spotted Scooby!  We were in complete shock!  He called Scooby, and after Scooby recognized dad, he came running over to the quad, leaping up in his lap.  All dad was saying was, “Bring the car around and get him!”  I said, “Where are you?”  His vague reply was, “By the woods.”  Really?  Is this a joke?  “What woods?” I said.  Again, vaguely dad replied, “The ones we were by last night.”  Really?  Again, we were all over the ridge on Saturday.

Scooby just woke up from hours of sleep after being lost for 3 days. He was looking for his buddy who still was not found at this point. 6/30/13

Trying to get dad’s exact location proved to be as difficult as trying to find the dogs because he just wanted to talk to Scooby.  He was even asking our blond pal where his pal Seven was.

Once we picked up Scooby, who had a few porcupine quills in his face, that I plucked out, Scooby fell asleep in the car on the way home.  Then back we went to track down number two doggie delinquent.  Apparently, the one house saw them, just before dad got to their house while he was on the quad, and they tried to call the dogs over.  Scooby came to our good Samaritans, (to my complete surprise)  but Seven was scared and took off (even more of a shock, I thought the opposite).  Now for the first time in days, the dogs are separated.

We looked and looked, to no avail.  Finally, as we were ready to make another pass at the ridge in the car, we got a call from the same house who found Scooby.  Seven was in their yard!  Mom drove like lightening to get there.  Once I saw my obviously distraught, disoriented and in pain pup, I welcomed him with open arms.  He reluctantly came to me, but eventually made his way into the car, for our ride home.

Seven and Scooby are safe back home!  Seven spent Monday at the vets getting those darn porcupine needles out of his face.  I was going to try and remove them like I did once for Scooby (Scooby Meets a Porcupine), but Scooby’s weren’t in for three days.  Seven was also really dehydrated and starving.  I thought it be best to wait out the night and take Seven to the vet first thing in the am.  They weighed him and it seems he lost nearly ten pounds!  Poor pup couldn’t eat or drink or even sleep for that matter, for three days.

The boys were gone from Friday at 7:30 am and Scooby was brought home around Sunday at 2:00 pm, while Seven didn’t make it home till Sunday at 8:00 pm.  He also had to endure another night with the quills in his face before we could take him to the vet on Monday at 8:30 am.  He’s still not quite himself, but he is coming around, at least physically.  Scooby’s really stiff and his paw is proving to be hard to walk on, but he bounced right back.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to call in the sightings of the dogs, and those that tried to help completely strange dogs and unknowns owners!   Your efforts made the world of difference!

While everyone was extremely helpful, I want to give a big thanks to specific people.  One being my friend Tree.  She gave me all the updates of the reported sightings, posted on Action for Animals Facebook, responded back to posts and inquiries, tracked me as I walked through the woods so I didn’t get lost, sent us phone numbers and helped to remind me to keep the faith and reach out to my inner Wonder Woman!  Thanks Tree, you rock!  She was saying prayers and asking for Saint Francis and Saint Anthony to pray for us too.  Then there was mom’s friend Mary, who called all the police departments, local and state and reached out to specific key individuals in the area to spread the word and retrieve updates.  All of the Planinsek’s were most certainly helpful and patient with us driving around their property yelling for our delinquents, and walking and driving our quad through their woods.  The Seminsky’s went out riding around looking for beasts.  Renee Yazvec Hall’s husband and son drove around after seeing the posts on Renee’s Facebook page.  They also offered their services if we needed them, and truly meant it!  And not to mention the fellows from Frowen’s garage went looking with trucks and quads.  Thanks everyone, and those who I did not mention, some taking it upon yourselves to make calls and assist.  Thank you!

Although everyone in the surrounding areas were more than helpful, a big kudos goes to PJ Self and his family.  That young man, saw the dogs and let us know.  Then joined our rescue team on foot and ran through the woods and made a huge circle to look for Seven.  He actually ran.  Seriously, I mean he actually ran!  He even kicked up some deer, I saw them leaping like gazelles through Steiner’s field, while PJ ran along the tree line, miles from his house!  We never asked, he just wanted to help out.  Thank you so very  much!

Thinking about it now, I wonder if our boys learned a lesson?  Somehow I doubt it!  But for now they are safe and sound!

Elrond: So that is your purpose? To enter the Mountain?
Thorin Oakenshield: What of it?
Elrond: There are some who would not deem it wise.  ~J.R.R. Tolkien The Hobbit 

Ironically, I just stared reading The Hobbit.  Kyle read that book and has since proceeded in the subsequent books and is now currently reading The Lord of the Rings the Two Towers.  I got Kyle that series for Christmas I believe.  Partially because he was interested in the books, certainly a big fan of the movies, and secondly because I always wanted to read them myself.  Win.  Win.  Kyle loves it when I read books he’s already read or visa versa.  He loves discussing the stories, the characters, the events.  As do I, but I really enjoy hearing the story come to life through his eyes and straight from his imagination.

On a side note, Kyle has really come a long way with reading.  With his love of books, not only is he escaping into his own adventures, but the activity has certainly reinforced his schooling.  Reading class goes without saying, but also spelling and I believe social studies.  Looking back, all the trying to get Kyle to read and the arguments were well worth it!  I’m glad I never backed down and just accepted the situation as it was, of course with the help of my parents and my sister.  Not to mention the draw of movies helped assist me in my quest.

Kyle reading Hunger Games at the IHOP. He wanted breakfast for dinner before piano lessons 2012

The Hobbit An Unexpected Journey was made into a movie and was released December 14, 2012.  That I know for certain, because that weekend happened to follow my birthday.  Kyle said he wanted to take me to the movies in celebration.  Let’s get real, he really wanted to see the movie, much like myself, birthday or not and it was an excuse.  I’m fine with that!  Great reason!

On a side side note, Kyle is finally trusting my judgement in books and taking my books suggestions seriously.  Without questioning me, he will take any book and open the pages, knowing I would never steer him wrong. Love him!  As I’ve always told him, we are team!  Enough with the pats on my back, on with the journey.

Yes reading a book, especially a highly acclaimed children’s novel written in the 1930′s can certainly be an adventure.  Most books are to me, and I love every page.  But this journey is different, this is real life, a real leap of faith.  My life is moving in a new direction, an unexpected journey if you will, and I am extremely excited to partake.

It really hit me this past weekend and certainly all week.  Last Friday, was my last day at the office, last day of employment.  What now? Being there nearly eight years,  I walked out those doors, never looked back and was set on a new course of action.  The destination?  Virginia, to meet up with my sister.  Yes, all without a job.  So why head to Virginia?  You see, we sold one of our Thrill of the Hunt birthday scavenger hunt packages to the Falchetta family, who also happen to be my sister’s friend.  I was there to administer to the birthday party, as part of the purchased package.

I guess Storm wants to read the Mortal Instrument Books & the Infernal Devices Books by Cassandra Clare. My favorite is the City of Fallen Angels & Clockwork Princess

The family bought the Thrill of the Hunt Discover Scavenger Hunt for their daughter Isabella’s fifth birthday.  This package was designed specifically for children of five years and up.  Suitable!

It was a perfect day!  Chilly and windy but certainly sunny and pleasant.  The party was a hit, with the children and parents alike.  It was sincerely my pleasure to join in on the fun and share in the celebration.  I look forward to many more Thrill of the Hunt scavenger hunt events.

Ok enough of my Thrill of the Hunt plugs.  Seriously, God has always taken care of me and led me in the right direction (or helped when I made bad choices).  I know He will continue to take care of me and lead me in the right direction, on my new memorable journey.  I guess everyone has a different journey, I see it on the news every night.

I found this blog with very insightful comparisons between The Hobbit and Entrepreneurship.  Enjoy… 9 Quotes From ‘The Hobbit’ That Social Entrepreneurs Can Relate To

And the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, saying: Ask what you will that I should give you.  ~1 Kings 3:5  /  2 Chronicles 1:7

While Kyle was texting me, I took a picture of this display in Barnes & Noble & sent it to him. 4/22/12

This story was too cute to pass up and I had to share it.  About a month ago my sister was home and we were watching TV, one of Kyle’s shows.  Just then a commercial came on regarding a Toys-R-Us shopping spree.  Kyle’s face instantly shined while ‘Alleluia’ played in his head. Immediately, he went to the computer to look it up and to get the details.  Nicole helped him search high and low and behold, there it was, Kyle’s dream contest.  Naturally, he had Nicole enter him right away.  Now the Toys-R-Us shopping spree remained the topic of all of his conversations for the remainder of the weekend.

Nicole and I were working on the details for a Thrill of the Hunt scavenger hunt for a client in Austin, Texas.  We really needed to be focused, yet Kyle kept interrupting us with ideas and dreams of what he was going to get.  Not what he had the opportunity of winning, but what he was sure he was going to receive.  Kyle immediately believed he was going to win this contest, hands down.  I’ll give him credit, when he wants something he puts his whole heart into it and believes it with all of his being.

As we sat around the kitchen table, every topic out of his mouth was Lego related.  Not unlike most days, but this one was intense.  He had it mapped out of what he was going to add to his cart first.  He said, “I’ll start off with the really big Legos and then I’ll hit the Skylanders and if I have time I’ll get some other stuff.”  What a stinker!  Now, me being the realist and personally I was sick of hearing about this contest already, turned to Kyle saying, “Don’t you think you need to first worry about winning?  It’s a long shot Kyle.”  Then mom chimed in saying, “Yes Kyle and I don’t want you walking around pouting if you don’t win.  And getting upset over something you don’t need.”  Kyle not wanting to argue because he was so full of enthusiasm and excitement tried to put us at ease by saying, “Yes I know, but I could have a chance at winning.  And I know I may not win, I understand.”

So now I’m going to take this opportunity to help instill goodness in Kyle, trying to shut out the constant desire to always want stuff and to stop a possible tendency for greed.  Don’t get me wrong, Kyle is not a greedy person, at all!  He does have issues with always wanting and wanting more, but my concern is to avoid him walking down a greedy path.  Reiterating what everyone knows to be true, I said, “Kyle you don’t need any more toys.   You have rooms full of them!”  It’s like he could read me and was preparing for this conversation because he said, “I know Aunt Heather but I don’t have ALL the Lego’s and you know how I like to build.”  Continuing on trying to set an example, I retorted “You know what would be nice?  If you won the contest and you donate it to some kid that has nothing.”  Looking mortified, Kyle said, “Yes Aunt Heather but I really want to do the shopping spree.  I know I can do it.”  Meeting him halfway I responded, “Ok, but what if you donated all your toys to the kids that have lost everything during Hurricane Sandy.”  Being a quick thinker, who wants his own way, Kyle said, “Umm ok, how about his.  I’m sure I’ll get some of the same Lego’s, ’cause you know I do have a lot.  I can donate those toys that I already have and keep the ones I don’t.”  What a stinker!  Kyle almost got the point.  I was trying to have him think of others before himself and make a small sacrifice.  It’s not a sacrifice if your heart isn’t into it and if you still benefit.  I’m going to continue trying on that topic.

Then to really kick my efforts to the side, Nicole said, “Ok Kyle if you win and donate the toys, I’ll match that amount and give you the $1,000 to do your own shopping spree.”  Kyle instantly corrected Nicole, “Aunt Nikki it’s up to $5,000.  It’s a 10 minute shopping spree in the Toys-R-Us store in New York, up to $5,000 of toys.”  The reality hit and Nicole said, “Ya no, I’m not giving you that.”  Mom again jumped into the conversation saying, “Kyle!  You don’t need anymore toys, you have plenty.  You have more than most kids.  Be happy with what you have.”

Kyle seemed to hear us, but I don’t think he was really listening.  There was a wall of ‘Shopping Spree’ and ‘Lego’s’ blocking anything else from entering his thoughts.  Needless to say he continued on this idea, ALL weekend.  At one point I heard him talking to my dad and dad commented, “Well, someone has to win it.”  As if he needed more fuel to that fire.  We all yelled at dad and he defended himself saying, “Well someone does have to win!  I hope it is Kyle!”  Every one of us would be happy for Kyle if Kyle did indeed win, but dad was missing the point that Kyle has too much and he needs to stop obsessing over toys, specifically Lego’s.

At one point, I stepped into a conversation already long on its way and I heard Kyle stress about getting his toys home.  Really?  Keep in mind he didn’t win the shopping spree.  Dad said, “Don’t worry buddy, if we have to rent a truck, I’ll get your toys home.”  Am I hearing this correctly?  Yep!  Seriously what could I say that I  haven’t already.  So, to instigate a little further I said, “We’re going to have to add on another wing to the house.”  Dad jumped in my by saying, “I’ll do that for Kyle if we have to.”  Kyle just stood there nodding his head with a look of ‘Pappy’s got my back’.  Are you kidding me?  He really does believe that!  In a way, I believe dad meant it too!  Are these guys loosing their minds?

As if not satisfied with the truck to bring all the toys back and the new wing added onto the house, Kyle turned to me and said, “Can you get Mikey to make me a large wooden table to display all my Legos?”  I actually was completely stunned!  He was planning that far in advance.  All I could do is smile and say, “Yes Kyle, if you beat out all the nation’s children who also entered the sweepstake, and you get too many Lego’s to be supported in this house, when pappy builds your new wing I will have a table made for you.” Unbelievable, and this was just on Saturday.

All Saturday night while I took him around trick-or-treating Halloween Takes A Turn! he kept bringing up his winnings.   His fictitious booty.  Maybe there’s something I don’t know.

You would have thought his mindset would change by Sunday.  Nope!  I had to threaten him, letting him know if I heard one word of this contest during church he would be grounded.  He knew I meant business.  Church is no place for self-indulgence and to act self-centered, it’s a place of reverence, reflectance and a chance to be humble.  I’ll give him credit, he did good.  I mean it probably killed him that he couldn’t mention the shopping spree, but he certainly made up for it the minute we walked out of church and the rest of the day on Sunday.

Kyle and I went to early mass and then to CCD.  Mom and Nicole went to the later mass.  So to help mom out Kyle and I went to our weekly run of Giant Eagle, picking up a few needed items for dinner.  Then we started cooking, trying to get it ready for noon when mom and Nicole would be arriving.  The entire way through the food prep and food assembly, Kyle just stood there beside me in front of the stove chattering on about all his potential winnings.  Finally I turned to him and said, “Kyle the only person who can guarantee you winning this contest is God.  And that’s only if He wants you to have it.  So I’d better start praying really hard if I were you.”  He looked at me thinking intently and said, “Ok Aunt Heather I’m going to pray everyday really hard for me to win!  Would you say a prayer for me too?”  What could I say to that?  I smiled and said, “You got it buddy.  But I will also be praying for a deserving kid to win.”

Aunt Nikki’s Facebook post

As Kyle was suppose to be helping me cook, he ditched me for a new mission.  All of a sudden I heard Kyle say to my dad, “Pap pap, I know you don’t go to church, but would you do me a favor and say a prayer for me so I win this contest.”  That was too cute and sincere on Kyle’s part!  Dad, without missing beat said, “Yes I know I don’t go to church, but I always pray for you buddy, and yes I will say a prayer that you win this contest.”  As I was standing there stirring the chili, I couldn’t help but wear the biggest smile.

Kyle was sporting the same smile when he walked back in the kitchen with a look of, ‘Mission Accomplished.’  Too funny!  Unbeknownst to me at the time, I guess Kyle cornered mom and Nicole for the same prayers.  Gotta love his spirit!

Later on that day, I heard Kyle start to plan out who was going with him on the trip.  Initially he said that me, Nicole and dad would go with him, because there would be a lot of walking so his Gigi couldn’t do it.  Relieving some of his unnecessary stress I said, “We will pay for Gigi to go too and we’ll take care of getting her around.”  He actually seemed relieved with my declaration.  Then, he started looking into the hotel that was to accompany the winner.  He commented that it was really expensive.  Again, to put his mind at ease I said, “Don’t worry buddy, we’ll pick up all extra expenses so we can all go.”  He nodded and agreed with excitement.

He must have re-read the package deal and saw that the child has to be accompanied by a parent.  He said, “O no Aunt Heather I have to take my mom, so then who are we going to use the other two tickets for?  I guess you and Aunt Nikki!”  Without waiting on a response he went in the living-room, with his head hanging low like he has to share some bad news and said, “Pappy, you and Gigi will have to stay at home.  I don’t have enough tickets.”  Keep in mind, there is no winnings at this point!  Dad simply said, “That’s ok buddy, whatever you want to do.”  You have to admit was have nothing but love for our little man!

His thoroughness didn’t just stop at prayers and outlining the itinerary.  O no!  He seriously covered all bases, even going as far as asking my dad if he would give him WD40 to grease up the wheels so he would wiz through the store faster.  To get a reaction out of Kyle I asked, “If you win can I train you?”  Immediately he said, “Yep, Aunt Heather I will listen to you and you can train me, I don’t care.”  He continued by saying, “Can we maybe practice in our Toys-R-Us?”  I was dying!  He really was thinking of EVERYTHING!  I encouraged him by saying, “Yes Kyle, I will make you, your very own simulated store and prepare you.  Don’t worry, I can get you ready, but you need to listen to me.”  Encouragingly he said, “I will, for this I’ll even run!”  After that conversation I told my sister and my parents what just unfolded.  Kyle just stood there radiating an confirmation smile.

Sunday night Kyle had his youth group meeting.  While we were in the car he said to me, “Ok Aunt Heather, my emails go to your email right?”  It’s true, Kyle has his own email account but I have it forwarded to my account just to monitor his iTunes purchases and any activity.  He’s too young to be set free in the land of the world wide web and encounter others that are not looking out for his well-being.  The conversation never deviated off of this shopping spree.  He even went as far as to lean in to me, to capture my fullest attention, looking me straight in the eye while I was driving, allowing me to glanced over to hear him say “I’m in it to win it!”  Classic!  I have no doubt about that!

God Speed Kyle!  I hope the Nickelodeon & Toys R Us Great Big Toy Run Sweepstakes in Times Square is all yours!

There are no mistakes, no coincidences. All events are blessings given to us to learn from.  ~Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

Rachel Berger-Gregg, Aaron Fish, Sarah Rosenbaum, Alaina Fisher 9/22/12

This past Saturday was the SpyRing Scavenger Hunt, hosted by Thrill of the Hunt in Latrobe Pennsylvania.  Not only were the proceeds donated to help rebuild Playland, but the event was to give the local children a fun activity through the reinforcement of scholastic subjects.

I am no stranger to working with munchkins on educational advancement, well really just Kyle.  Over the years I’ve helped to be an integral part of his learning process and I’ve helped to push him towards excellence.  Not to say he didn’t do a lot on his own, and let’s face it he’s a smart little man, but I’ve had to nudge him a time or two.

In addition to expecting good grades, I’ve also tried to reinforce the importance of community service.  Giving back to make a difference is a great and admirable quality.  Thinking of others and their well-being, especially if the recipients are children, is vital to oneself and our fellow neighbor. It’s a great feeling.  This type of volunteer involvement comes in all shapes and sizes, from money donations, to property or items, to giving time and even intellectual contributions. No matter how small or large the donation or how it came to be, it’s always appreciated and worth it.

The kids had a great time! SpyRing Scavenger Hunt presented by Thrill of the Hunt 9/22/12

My sister and I started the company Thrill of the Hunt based on this type thinking and behavior.  Please note we are a profit based business, not a not-for-profit, but that doesn’t mean we can’t take advantage of our situation and help out when the opportunity arises.  Also being apart of something potentially bigger, from its infancy stages is exciting.  Not only that, but also making the most of it and doing the best job or task given at hand.  Being apart of the something to help make a difference all while being apart of a new business, it’s a win, win.

Now, let me discuss the Thrill of the Hunt Team.  They were stellar!  I mean, a great group of kids!  Building the company on these values of having fun and community involvement are all qualities exemplified naturally by my team.  They truly care for children and the support of family.  I am excited to have them on board and look for good things to come from each of these young adults.  They were not only very attentive to the kids during the event, but they were very helpful and supportive.  This is my sincerest shout out to Alaina Fisher, Rachel Berger-Gregg, Aaron Fish, and Sarah Rosenbaum.  What a great group, whom I want to employ moving forward with all my scavenger hunt events!  You know, I also want to help them out however I can, either for networking, work experience, as a reference or just to help them out with a job.  They are all intelligent, good, honest kids.

Lovely day for a SpyRing Scavenger Hunt – presented by Thrill of the Hunt 9/22/12

Since Kyle couldn’t attend the event, due to his hunter’s safety class, he managed to call and check in.  He wanted to know how things were going at the time.  It’s funny talking to him makes me feel like I need to justify my actions, like he was my boss.  Kyle always seems to step into businessman mode, asking ‘How much money was made?’, ‘How many kids showed up?’, ‘Was everyone having fun?’.  My Kyle, there’s the reason we made him the consultant.  I will give him credit, no matter how pre-occupied or busy he is, he can still separate himself and go into business mode.

Success can be defined in a number of ways.  The SpyRing Scavenger Hunt was a success in terms of going through the process of putting it together and setting up the event.  That in and of itself, is a big task and knowing what to do the next time is invaluable.  Also getting the feedback from parents and the children who participated is extremely important to me.  With respect to the parents I really want to know if these events are favorable with them, if they agree with the layout and the focus of the scavenger hunts, to reinforce education and to get the kids out and moving around.  During the event, I was able to hear what the youngsters had to say about the challenges, and the game in general.  I went through the typical questions, ‘Are the questions too easy, too hard?’, ‘Was the game too short or too long?’, ‘Was it more fun to go through the game individually or as a team?’ and the list went on.  I made my notes and I’m ready for the next scavenger hunt, making it even better and exciting.

Rachel Berger-Gregg, me, Alaina Fisher, Sarah Rosenbaum, Aaron Fish, Nicole Piper… Thrill of the Hunt 9/22/12

As the day unfolded we were able to brainstorm with parents.  At this time, we tried to think of the next big event,  Halloween of course.  Nicole and I decided to look into this theme for the next scavenger hunt event.  So again please check back for this event and get your kids involved.  I am always open to suggestions and ideas.  After all, I want the kids to benefit.

www.ThrillScavengerHunt.com

Scavenger Hunt – It’s the Thrill of the Hunt!

About a year ago, right before Breaking Dawn part 1 was to be released in theaters, I thought it might be fun to participate in a Twilight themed scavenger hunt.  I did what most of us do,  I headed straight for Google to get my answer, without success.  I found there were no such scavenger hunts offered.  Really?  At least there wasn’t anything around my area.  Then I thought, ‘Wouldn’t that be so much fun to have a Twilight themed scavenger hunt for fans?’  So, what do I do when I have a great idea?  I called my sister of course.  Dumping all my thoughts into words, I told Nicole about my idea.  She heard me out, and LOVED it!

Needless to say, my mind started to work into overdrive and do what I do best, plan.  I had so many great ideas for this scavenger hunt, I couldn’t contain myself, I was jumping out of my skin with excitement.  Ok so first things first, I wanted to do this the right.  Where do I start?  Copyright privileges!  Now, that’s not such an easy task.  It’s not like the movies are sitting around waiting on my phone call.  Searching high and low for a contact became a big challenge.  Eventually, I found an old online trail and followed it to success.  Kind of.  Believe it or not, I was able to get in touch with Summit Entertainment who owned the rights to the movies, the soundtrack and the photography.  Yes, I finally got a hold of someone internally in the copyright department!  We played phone tag and spoke on the phone a few nights, as well as corresponded through email.  Unfortunately, they did not give me permission to proceed using any of their copyrighted items.  Not that I blame them really.  Seriously, it’s not like I had any credentials or solid numbers to back up my abstract plans, it was just that, an idea.  And here I was talking to a major motion picture, a franchise worth billions of dollars, about my silly little concept with a bunch of unknown variables.  I will say they were very responsive and super nice!  And frankly, I’m surprised they entertained my free thinking dreams as long as they did.  I was crushed, but not ready to give up.

Next, I decided to contact the publisher, since I knew they owned the rights to the books and the covers.  It took me some time of reaching out to different publishers and several different companies, but finally I struck it rich, in the figurative sense.  I was able to get a hold of the right person, Stephanie Meyer’s agent.  Yep, I reached the top of the chain, second in line to Stephanie Myers herself.  I was so excited just to be conversing with this behind the scenes celebrity and sharing my ideas, again I thought I was going to explode with excitement.  We went back and forth via emails, playing phone tag, and voicemail tag, for a few weeks.  She loved my ideas, at least that’s what she claimed, even the details I shared with her about the scavenger hunt (which I will not divulge at this time, until I am able to execute my Twilight themed scavenger hunt).  Naturally, Nicole and I were declined copyright permission.  Again rightfully so, I really can’t blame Summit and the publisher; here we are two strange people with an idea, no business model, no concrete numbers, or solid plan of action and then asking a major franchise for copyright privileges.  Still it was a neat experience to go through.

*Please note with all of my correspondence between Summit Entertainment and the publishers, I chose to omit names out of respect.

Some may say, I was crazy but I still knew in my heart this was a fun idea and I could make it successful, I still do.  Personally I still really appreciate both parties for entertaining my request and taking the time out of their busy do to do so.  Getting a hold of Summit Entertainment and the publishers, was not an easy task, let me tell you.  Not that it should be, because if it were, then everyone under the sun would be bothering them.  God was on my side and guided me in the right direction through my entire investigation.  Please take my broad stroke statements and be aware, trying to get contact information for the decision makers of these major companies, when I had nothing to go off of, took persistence and a blessing from above.

Thanks to my sister, the idea of scavenger hunts was not a dead dog.  Nicole called me one evening and said, “You know what I think we should do?  I think we should start a company, which focuses on scavenger hunts.  We could do ones for businesses that are team builders or leadership scavenger hunts.” I never really thought about that angel, I stopped short on my idea of Twilight and never looked past it.  So, me being in marketing, I started to scope the potential competition.  I discovered no one was doing themed scavenger hunts, at least not on a large consistent scale.  Now this, I can work with and take somewhere.  Conversing with Nicole over the phone, we discussed the ideas of themed scavenger hunts, ones focusing on movies, books, singers, history events, pop culture etc.  Nicole loved the direction and so Thrill of the Hunt was born.

In order to get started we decided to hold a SpyRing themed scavenger hunt, which will be taking place this weekend at Legion Keener Park in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.  Click her for all the details.  Thrill of the Hunt was created not only to be educational and provide fun themed scavenger hunts for adults and children of all ages, but it was established on the foundation of community involvement and participation.  I want these events to not only hit major cities, but small towns as well.  At the SpyRing scavenger hunt, a percentage of the proceeds will be donated to help rebuild Playland.

Read a few articles below for more on the devastation of Playland.

This play area was really the best outdoor facility I’ve ever seen for children.  It was in a great location under trees at Legion Keener Park, entertaining kids of all ages.  It was really a project that involved the entire community.  I want to see it shine again and I want children to have the opportunity to have a safe place to play.

I usually don’t promote much on my blog, but I will give myself a little call out this time.  Please help support Thrill of the Hunt ( / ) and SpyRing ( / ), follow each company on Facebook and Twitter.  We are small town girls who want to set our dreams in motion through reinforcement of education for children and through the development of fun outlets such as a scavenger hunts, fun for the entire family.  Look for new scavenger hunt events near you or tell me where you want us to show up.  Thrill of the Hunt is a subsidiary of The Piper Corporation.

The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.  ~Aristotle

Kyle sporting his SpyRing Gear c. 2011

Kyle, my nephew has always had good grades for the most part, specifically having a fascination and an attachment for math. When he was a little tike, around three years old, I bought him addition and subtraction flash cards. My thinking was, “What’s the harm? So he might learn something”. He did! Kyle loved those flash cards and he loved to learn.  He wanted to push his knowledge and show it off. Subtraction was a little more challenging but he certainly enjoyed the attention he was receiving from me and the idea of learning. What a little a sponge! I know I’m probably being bias, but Kyle was always pretty bright. He’s a logical thinker, which I still see to this day.

When Kyle was in second grade, his report card grades dropped across the board one quarter. I knew he was smarter than that, and I was not going to stand back and let this situation become his new standard, nor was I going to idly stand-by while his future education was being compromised.  Really?  Did anyone think I was going to accept his grades as they stood?  Did Kyle really think he could fool me when he said he was “Trying his hardest?”  Nope, nope and heck no!  I knew better and I believed in Kyle! Unfortunately, being Kyle’s aunt I don’t have complete privilege to his teachers or daily homework, only once a week and on the weekends.  Roadblock!

To be honest, I was utterly sick over the situation. It was that bad! Not to mention I had no idea why. There had to be a reason for such a sudden change. I asked Kyle if things were good in school, or if there was bullying going on, or anything. He really had no idea what I was talking about.  He felt bad that I was really upset over his grades but he was also basically saying “O well, I tried my hardest.”  That is until I grounded him.  Boy did he change his tone.  It’s amazing what taking away video games and TV time will do to an attitude.  I never did find the reason for the sudden downward spike in grades, but we did get past it.

Me at the CA Baby & Kids Expo, LA CA 1/21/12

Granted I know the days of Kyle learning for fun were over, or wore they?  Now me being me, I decided to take this upon myself and help this child out. I’ve always purchased workbooks for Kyle and helped him uncover the knowledge in the pages.  He used to love them, but the times-were-a-changing, he was giving me resistance with workbooks and flash cards. Yikes! It started to build up fights between us, unnecessary ones.  The last thing I wanted was for Kyle to really hate school and learning.  I also didn’t want there to be constant struggles with our time together, which was a huge concern of my mom’s.  Mom was the one who kept saying, “You need to make it more fun for him.”

Since Kyle is a logical thinker, usually explaining things to him helps to turn on his light bulb.  Not this time.  I explained why I was requiring him to do the extra work.  I even threatened him saying the school was going to hold him back if his grades didn’t improve by the next quarter. And to be honest, if his grades kept up in that direction, it could have happened, especially since he was the youngest in his grade.  For the school, that would have been a logical step.  Nope!  Not on my watch. He was bright and he certainly could do the work without much effort.  I will admit Kyle was lazy when it comes to school work, only doing what is needed and going through it half way. I’m guessing he’s not alone in that manner, but I’m not responsible for other children, or so I thought initially.

Nicole at the CA Baby & Kids Expo LA, CA 1/21/12

During this time, we went to visit my sister, who lives in the D.C. Metro area. Like every visit, we always do something new in Washington, D.C. This time we decided to go into the Spy Museum. Wow, that was cool! I really enjoyed reading about the spies and seeing the spy “tools” or what I like to call them, spy toys. My sister, dad and my mom walked through, reading and taking in the knowledge displayed everywhere, while Kyle and I acted like spies ourselves. The museum had an air-duct type of display, allowing visitors to climb in and spy on the people below.  We had a field day!  When possible, I would read the information displayed on the walls.  Sometimes Kyle would stand still long enough for me to read to him and explain the story at hand.  I must say Kyle made the museum more exciting.

Well, needless to say that visit sparked an idea, unbeknownst to me at the time, that would turn into something a lot bigger.  From that moment on, the wheels were in motion for the birth of SpyRing.

SpyRing was originally created as a scavenger hunt for Kyle.  I designed it to reinforce school subjects in a fun and interactive way.  Kyle and I would take Scooby up in the woods, (Seven was not apart of the family yet) and we packed our book bags with the spy essentials and headed out on our missions.  We would make our way through the woods and track our progress by creating a map of our travels.  Along the way, I made up questions that led to other questions.  Kyle answered the trivia and occasionally he would pull out his binoculars or something he brought along to really play out the spy story.  We both had a blast!  The scavenger hunt not only reinforced what was being taught in school, but it also got Kyle off his backside to stretch his legs.  This relatively simple action with a little effort, not only helped  to create the SpyRing scavenger hunt, but it helped to build our bond.  I was no more, ‘Mean Aunt Heather making me do all this extra work’.  I was ‘Fun Aunt Heather who loved hanging out and learning was something fun’.

Ethan & Kyle playing with the SpyRing cards 2011

It wasn’t until my cousin Casey and I took Kyle snowboarding that the idea to take SpyRing to the marketplace really became a serious thought.  I remember distinctly Casey saying, “Why don’t you sell the game?” At that point it was a custom scavenger hunt made specifically for Kyle. I knew I needed to develop it into a game for all kids no matter where they lived. My goal was to allow other kids to reap in the benefits of learning in a fun and interactive way.  During this time, it was interesting to run into other parents and listen to them discuss their child’s struggles and challenges in school.  This is when I knew I could help.

Suddenly it hit me like a ton bricks! I woke up one morning and I knew how to make the game assessable for all children with a reasonably low cost investment. God must have been working overtime to plant these ideas in my head.  Knowing initially it was going to be a card game, I went to work on actually developing the structure, build the contents and establish the design.  Kyle worked with me on the development of the game, even helping to create some of the questions.  Throughout the process I tested Kyle’s skills on ALL the information.  Pretty amazing, I set out to help Kyle with his schoolwork and we were doing just that, intensified.  I must say it was a fun process.  Kyle was apart of something bigger.  He knew it and he loved it every step of the way.  This is when Kyle’s business side of the brain was revealed.

By the next report card, Kyle’s grades had jumped.  Some grades where back to where they began and others were slowing moving up.  Kyle was proud of himself and now understood what needed to be done and how to do it.  Or least what I expected from him.  I believe without setting expectations, children will not know what to strive for and the right direction they need to move towards.  You see I believe parents are like coaches.  They know how to push their players to get them to strive for excellence.  That is their job as coach, to never settle for average or ‘just ok’.  They need to know the limitations of their players, but also know how to overcome them.  However, coaches also know how to work with their players and set them up for success.  It certainly takes effort from both parties to make this happen but when the game has been won, everyone benefits.  Children should be respected and shown they are important and smart.  They should also be given the opportunity to learn, excel and shine in this world.

Sometime during the developmental stage of SpyRing, I was discussing the game with my sister.  She instantly loved the idea and believed in the goal, to help reinforce education for children. She went to work and started The Piper Corporation with the flagship product being SpyRing. As of now SpyRing is an interactive card game of questions and answers, however we are now developing the SpyRing scavenger hunt, as it was originally created.  Thrill of the Hunt, another division of The Piper Corporation will be hosting a SpyRing scavenger hunt called Your Passport to Education this Saturday at Legion Keener Park in Latrobe, PA.  A percentage of the proceeds will be donated to help rebuild Playland!  Stop by!

The response was overwhelming.  I like to share what I have learned with others about everyday happenings as well as issues that make a difference in the world of business.  ~Bob Parsons

This past Monday, in the middle of the day, I noticed all my websites were down.  Yep, that means good old AuntHeather.com was down.  At first I thought it was something I did while making updates the night prior.  In disbelief over this outage, I turned to Facebook to see if others were experiencing issues.  I first saw the breaking news on Mashable – GoDaddy’s DNS Servers Go Down, Along With Thousands of Sites.   Evidently, anyone who had web hosting and domain names pointed from GoDaddy, were all down due to a hacker issue.

Monday night I had Kyle for his piano lessons.  During dinner I flipped on Channel 4 news, a bad habit while eating, and among other stories, I caught the one about GoDaddy going down.  As I was listening to the news, Kyle was half paying attention, strumming his guitar and playing with Storm.  I did make a comment on the GoDaddy situation, but again it didn’t seem to mean anything to Kyle and I didn’t think much of it until later that evening.

As Kyle and I were heading to his music lesson, a friend of mine was texting me, letting me know GoDaddy was back up again.  Naturally, Kyle checked my text messages while I was driving and read me the contents.  All of a sudden, he got this look on his face of complete fear and disbelief.  He asked me, “Aunt Heather does that mean our sites are down?  Even SpyRing?”  I said, “Yep, but Kelly said her sites are back up, which means ours should be too.  I’m going to look when we get inside.”  Spoken like a true business man, he said, “So how does anybody know about our stuff, if they don’t see it on our websites?”  Answering him, I said, “They won’t, that’s why it’s such a big deal, everyone associated with GoDaddy is down.”  Still in business mode, Kyle requested that I check our sites immediately when we get in the building.  He makes me laugh out loud!  I was planning on it, but it’s funny to see that Kyle feels the need to manage and direct me.

Upon conclusion of his piano lesson, he immediately went back into businessman mode and asked me about our sites.  “Aunt Heather, how’s SpyRing? and Thrill of the Hunt?”  I said, “All looks good, Piper Corporation and Aunt Heather are all back up.”  Naturally he didn’t care about my blog but it was neat to see his understanding for the value and importance of the company websites and his sense of urgency.

The next morning I read a story from CNN Tech – Hacker claims responsibility for GoDaddy outage.  The article claimed

“A person affiliated with the hacking collective Anonymous — named @AnonymousOwn3r on Twitter — claimed responsibility for the outage.”

Really?  Was that necessary?  If hackers need something to do, then I have a laundry list to put them to work.  There is no doubt, these hackers are a brilliant bunch and very intelligent, but they claimed to want to check the security of GoDaddy.  Really?  Was there act so selfless?  If that was the case, then don’t take down the company who in turn effects a large part of the population and their businesses, and not certainly for a better part of the day.  But then again, I’m no hacker, so what do I know.  Putting a positive spin on the situation, maybe GoDaddy has beefed up their security.

I can honestly say, I am a customer of GoDaddy’s and this situation has not changed my view of the company.  In fact, I thought they did a pretty good job returning things to their original state.  Personally I think GoDaddy is reasonably priced and they have GREAT customer service.  In the years that I’ve been a patron of GoDaddy, I’ve never had an issue.  I know I’m not the only one in this camp.  GoDaddy!

Also, thank you GoDaddy for the credit I received today because of the mishap.  That really helped to strengthen my view of your customer service.  I know you value and appreciate my patronage.