A New Series of Adventures

I bet you'll have been wondering, "Where is Jen?" I'm sorry for my absence, I have been pretty busy, working, living life, and trying to learn new things. That doesn't mean I have forgotten to have adventures. There have just been some new types of adventures.

Truly, my biggest adventure has been learning how to make myself a priority, how to say no and not let myself be pushed over. That's another story.

So, while I'm making myself a priority, one of the things I'm doing is taking a class. I know, I know, another certification? But, this one, will certify me to teach English, anywhere in the world. I'll leave that as food for thought, while I tell you about my latest adventure.

On a sunny Tuesday, I had reason to drive to Columbus and have lunch with my Grandpa. (For those wondering, he is as cantankerous as ever.) After lunch, (where he did give me directions to where I was going. My grandpa, the walking gps, whose directions were right by the way!!)  I decided that since I had the day off and was going to enjoy myself, I would make a drive towards Hocking Hills to see something I've been wanting to see for a long time, Ravenwood Castle, in New Plymouth.

So, the first thing I'm going to tell you, is that this castle is off the beaten track, off of 93, and you WILL lose your phone signal. So, print out the directions before you leave, or you can do what I did and stop at the tiny post office in New Plymouth, to ask where the castle is. One you're close, you will start seeing signs, but you have to be ready to turn quick.

Ravenwood was built in 1994 as a bed and breakfast. So it's not historical, but it's still fun to look at. The original owner was said to have spent some time in England, and fell in love with the castles there, came back and worked with architects to design.

The castle was originally supposed to only have four bedrooms, but ended up being slightly larger and several cabins were built on the grounds. Each room features a fairy tale, legend or time period. Ravenwood also features a small Pub downstairs, and  a library, as well as a life size chess set outdoors.

While not all of the furniture is old, and some of it is replicated to look older, the dining room and several other areas do feature genuine antique furniture, as well as a knight in shining armor, or two.

The staff is friendly, and will let you walk the grounds, as long as there isn't a private event, and will also answer any questions you might have. (How do you think I got the history). There's a small gift shop also.

I thought the prices to stay were fairly reasonable, but feel free to look it up at http://www.ravenwoodcastle.com/

After the walk around Ravenwood, I thought I would stop into the local Hocking Hills winery, but ...it is closed on Tuesdays! No wine for me this trip, which also meant...no food! I didn't find any new eateries for you guys. I'm slacking and will try to do better.

One of the highlights of my day though, was seeing my jerk face bestie. She recently moved away, so I went from seeing her once every couple of weeks, to when can we schedule a drive. All the the text messages in the world don't make up for me seeing her face in person. I've been through the ringer a time or two, and emotionally, she's always been right there.


So, everyone is used to having some big epiphany from me, some advice on life experience, some sort of feelings, or some hint of things to come. For things to come, some adventures are going to be bigger than others.

The only life lesson I've got for you today, is I've learned in life that I can get through anything. See, last year at this time, I could barely leave the house due to panic attacks. This road trip for me, was a huge celebration. It was a celebration that I can make it through, that I'm tougher than I ever realized.

Without the friends I have, I wouldn't have made it through, and as much as I love to drag them along, I needed to prove to myself that I could still have those moments by myself.

Soon, I'll be entering my next decade. That decade, is going to be the decade of ME!.

Are you guys counting? There are 8 castles, how many have I seen now? More importantly, what will be my next adventure when I've seen all the ones in this state?