COINTEST For Christmas, 3 Prizes

[+Dr. Whoever]

In the spirit of giving for Christmas I thought a cointest for sharing with our community here: What Geocaching has done for your life.

 

RULES: Simple, post here in this thread a short or long "essay" on what Geocaching has done for your life.

 

I will read each one midnight (US Pacific Time) December 24th and then post the 3 names of the cachers who win the Christmas Geocoin Prizes. Since each post will express personal feelings and everyone has their own special feelings regarding our hobby I will not be "Judging" these posts. Each cacher who posts his/her story will have their name tossed into my special Geo-Raffle/Contest Container and I will draw three at random for the Geocoin Gifts. Each Coin is trackable at geocaching.com, new, unactivated. The coins will be: Tranquility, Bit 'O' Luck Heritage Edition, and a 6 Pak of Cacher Tag Geocoins.

 

So, let's hear it folks. Share your story with us and let the cointest begin.

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Edited December 25, 2007 by Castle Man

[+fairyhoney]

I've met some truly wonderful people. I mean, they seem So genuine! Geocaching has also gotten me out of the house. Geocaching has also gotten me into geocoin collecting and with THAT, some serious spending of dollars.

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS to ALL of you Wonderful people!

[Theotokos]

Geocaching has brought our family closer together and given me the opportunity to spend more time with my children doing something together that we all love.

[+Team FIREBOY]

I was in a auto accident in 2001. It was a bad accident and it took 16 spine surgeries to put me back together. The last surgery was Dec. 2004.

In 2003 I was reading National Geographic Adventure Magazine, hoping someday to be doing more active stuff. I came across an article about Geocaching and a cacher was born. I was slow at first, only logging a few caches the first year. I thank my husband Fireboy for urging me to continue and for putting up with my slowness. I used Geocaching as physical therapy. I was able to get out and walk with a reward at the end of the walk. I placed some of my titanium screws into caches. These screws were taken out during one of my surgeries and sterilized and they symbolized a "new beginning" for me. I went back to work in July 2005. The doctors told me I would NEVER work again as a nurse. They were wrong! After going back to work Geocaching got put on the back burner. In March of this year I really was missing quality time with my family because I was working so much. Well, we started caching again and have done about 450 caches this year. So you can say Geocaching got me walking and helped me spend more time with my family. We have discovered that each of us 4 family members has a strength in caching. I can't do terrain 4 or 5 caches, but they can. My daughter and I do the puzzles. My son is "Eagle Eye". Hubby fetches all the "more than a mile away from parking" caches. The people we have met are the most generous people on earth. Don't get me started on Geocaching coin people.

 

Thanks for this cointest. Now you all know way too much about us. Jodi of Team Fireboy

Edited December 24, 2007 by Team FIREBOY

[+NeverSummer]

Geocaching has really been a blessing for me. I dabbled in GPS technology right after the selective availability switch was flipped. I waited and waited to get my own GPS handheld, as the only GPS I knew of was a giant Trimble backpack. Many years later I moved from Minnesota to Oregon and had to learn a new state and a whole new neighborhood. I had purchased a GPS, but had not geocached formally yet...but that all changed. I met up with my aunt, ohjoy!, and she got me hooked in 3 caches. From that point on, I was out and about finding new roads, shortcuts to work, beautiful parks, and hidden spots all over the state. Eventually I took the same experiences to other states, and really began to appreciate what this beautiful world has to offer all of us, if we just share these spots. Each cacher has sent me to certain spots for a reason, no matter the "value". The time it takes to do this on my own would be crazy!

 

I am blown away by the efforts of all of the users of this, and other websites devoted to exploring the world and leaving a note that you were there.

 

I get outside, walk the dog, find cool places and all because of geocaching. I'm very happy that I've found this hobby! Now...if I could only get my coin addiction under control...

 

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone!

[+zazth]

I have always been a bi of an outdoorsman. Before we discovered geocaching we had covered almost every bit of out local parks or so we thought. We have since been to EVERY park in our area. Geocaching has given me an excuse on countless occasions to drag my husband and five year old out on expeditions to check on a cache or discover a coin that turn into photo shoots of butterflies and deer or whatever else crosses our path. My son can tell you more about butterflies and their life cycles than most adults. I can only imagine what geocaching will mean to him later in life.

[+Astartus]

As a student of applied computing in civil engineering, I had collected some weight during my studies and as a typical programmer, going outside was a big "NO WAY".

 

Geocaching brought me back to the outside world, and during my first months, I not only lost nearly 10 pounds of weight, but also improved my overall endurance. Caching gave me a goal to achieve. I even started to cache under the most difficult scenarios, like with a sprained ankle, in the heat of summer (around 35°C) without any sun-protection or on a 40km bicycle tour with a bad cold.

 

All this has helped me to get into a much better physical state, as I'm suffering from Asthma since my childhood. Also, geocaching has shown me many interesting places in my neighbourhood, that I had never known of although they were just in throwing distance.

[+schwalbe]

Hiking with my parents was always boring. Until the Day i started with Geocaching. Since that day in November 05' i was very often outside, visited intresting locations and had simply fun. There are places, I wouldn't come accross if I wouldn't do Geocaching. It is simply more than hiking. Often it's a challenge. But it has something, which helps to relax very easy. And also my self-confidence grew.

 

I wish you all a happy Christmas and a happy new year

[+Geo.Error]

What geocaching gives us:

 

* We have a lot of pleasure

* We are learning every day (difficult caches)

* We walk throug beautiful surroundings

* We see a lot of animals

* We meet another people (events)

* We mail all over the world to another cachers

* It makes us happy when we are geocaching

* We like to place tb"s and geocoins and replace them again

* We bought our own geocoins and let them free into the world, so we can follow them and enjoy the logs

* We enjoy the silence of nature

* We read forums all the world and keep our english so up to date

 

With another words, we are a little addicted and won't want to miss geocaching

 

Thanks for the cointest and a merry christmas and a happy new year

[+LeslieDodson9]

Geocaching has given me back my life. Both my husband and I are not in the best shape and when we started caching, we knew the exercise we would get would be very good for us! We (officially) started caching on Christmas last year. At the begining of February I found out I was pregnant. All through my pregnancy I did my best to get out and still go do this fun hobby. The day I went into labor the doctor made me get on the evil scale. I weighed the same the day I had my son as I did when I got pregnant. It was all baby weight- my son was born perfectly normal and healthy. If I had done that when I wasn't pregnant, I probably could have lost about 30 pounds. (in just 9 months!!) Move over "Biggest Loser"!!

 

Thanks for the contest!!

[+Rockin Roddy]

Ohhh...I could go on FOREVER here, but I'll TRY to keep it short.

 

I used to mountain bike a lot, went mountain climbing and loved hiking, but my body was feeling the effects of a couple bad car accidents mixed in with a bad bike accident and finally a car/bicycle accident which has robbed me of some of my memory, left me with a bad back, neck and several other needed locations like my knees. I had stopped biking as much and was gaining the pounds quickly when I bought my Jeep and found out about caching!

 

Since then, I've met MANY wonderful friends through MiGO and am now S.E. RVP there. I've also had the joy of coming in here and becoming a member of the forums!! Sooo much greatness here and in MiGO, it's amazing!!

 

I've learned many great things caching...how to use a GPS unit, a new way to vacation and what an event is all about are just a few!! I also learned that people who cache are a breed apart from non-cachers...it's truly amazing to see! Everyone cares about each other here and in caching, everyone looks out for one another!! WOW! Day and night from the everyday!!

 

I have much to be thankful for and count my blessings every day...but I think the most important thing I've taken away from caching is all our FRIENDS!!

 

Oh yeah....and my back is a bit better, my body seems happy to go out and wander in the woods...so my health is another great takeaway!!

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS one and all!!!

[+Smort78]

When I married my wife I moved to a new city. Geocaching have given me many friends, a good excuse for getting out and shown me many nice places.

I have also been addicted to this geocoin forum and "met" many nice people here

 

Merry Christmas!

[+aa8bj]

Geocaching has number one, made me a lot healthier. Before I didn't do that much health wise, but now and feel a whole lot better. I am thankful for all the new friend I have meet and even gotten close to a few. I really enjoy hiding caches and reading all the find reports. The only down side is all the money I have spent on geocoins and travel bugs and then turned loose into the wild. But the upside to that is seeing all the post as they get moved around and enjoying the pictures others has posted.

Merry Christmas to all.

[+The Skylark Four]

It's a wonderful hobby that the whole family can do together. It has allowed us to discover many wonderful places and people.

[+Nochipra]

Geocaching for us has become a great way to get out and get some fresh air and exercise (more so for Chip than me). It's also something we love to do together. I usually gather the information off gc.com and put it into the gps and we drive to the location and Chip usually gets the hard part of searching through bushes and woods with me tagging along giving directions:) Once in a while I find one that I can get to but we usually open the cache together and check out the contents. It not only is the "active" part of geocaching I like though. It is also being able to join a great geocaching forum community with lots of great people and it has also has gotten us into a new hobby of collecting geocoins which has pretty much become an obsession now, lol. For me though the best part is coming into the forums as much as possible and being part of a great community.

 

Merry Christmas everyone

[+derschlings]

This sport continues to increase the quality of my family's life. It takes us to so many places that we've never been and never would have known about or visited. It has drawn us closer together as a family. It causes us to enjoy the exquisite detail in nature.

It causes us to learn much about life of which we were blissfully ignorant before... like everything you ever wanted to know about ticks but were afraid to ask.

It introduced me to so many new friends on this forum.

I could go on and on... but you get the idea.

Thanks everyone for becoming part of our life.

[+PSU Fan]

Geocaching has opened me eyes to all the interesting and fun areas within my town as well as around the country. It has gotten me out of the house and actually exercising more then I would otherwise. It has been a great network for friendships on hte trail or at events.

 

Happy Holidays to all,

 

PSU Fan

[+DresselDragons]

Geocacaching rekindled my love for the outdoors. I grew up practically living outdoors (thanks to my dad...he was an avid fisherman...he and I spent TONS of time outside hiking, fishing, etc, we even dabblle in coin collecting and metal detecting for a few years). After I graduated and got a "real" job, it seemed that I never had time for the great outdoors, unless it was work-related. Then, when the kids came...HA! If I thought that I had no time before, I quickly learned that I was sadly mistaken. What spare time we had, we seemed to spend divided...Brian downstairs, Brenda in her room, me at the computer and Heather zipping from room to romm trying to get our attention (lol).

 

Geocaching has done a lot for us. It has brought us back together. I found that I was now making time for the family to spend together. We've found close to home places (including some pretty cool playgrounds that the kids loved) that we never knew existed. We were not aways glued to the TV, computer, gameboy, whatever. We are setting those things aside to be together. Geocaching helped us slow down, and pay attention to more important things than work and where we needed to run to next. It helped to instill a greater appreciation for nature in my kids. They are asking to go outside to find or hide a cache. It has also instilled a sense of generosity in them...because when you place a cache, you are sharing something special with other cachers (an adventure, a special place, and yes, the loot in the cache). I swear that Brenda enjoys hiding them more than finding them.

 

When I am caching, I feel closer to my dad, who became ill and passed away before he could experience the joy of geocaching. Each hike reminds me of those times that I spent with him tromping in the woods or out with the metal detector, looking for treasure (he found someone's gold teeth once!). His spirit joins us on each hunt. Before he died, I would take my bubble mailers over to his house to share my latest trades with him...when we were big into the metal dectecting, he was an avid coin collector (so I come by this addiction naturally). Some of my last memories of him are me sitting at his side, showing off my geocoins.

 

Geocaching has brought so much into my life...it has brought my immediate family closer together and is continually extending my not-so-immediate family to include all of you guys. Life is good!

[+bearly_sane]

Geocaching has done so many things for me and some of the things, you would probably think wouldn't be considered good but they are. So here goes:

 

First, geocaching has allowed me to meet some very interesting, generous, caring and genuine people that I may never have had the pleasure of meeting or getting to know. These are people who contact you to make sure you're okay, would give you the shirt off their back and who hide caches to drive you completely insane.

 

Second, geocaching has taken me to places I would never have gone before. When my ex husband hid his first cache, before our divorce, we actually saw the neighborhood that was right behind ours. We would never have gone over there had he not chosen to hide his cache there. When we saw the neighborhood, we were surprised at what it looked like and surprised that we lived so close and had never seen it.

 

Third, geocaching helped end my marriage. This is one of those things that I said most wouldn't think was a good thing but it is. We met a fellow geocacher and I thought *we* were becoming friends with her and her kids. I soon found out I wasn't a friendship she was interested in. Needless to say, we got divorced and they are still together. But this divorce allowed me to face fears and find happiness in my life again. I didn't realize how unhappy and borderline depressed I had become. Now I am a very happy person and I harbor no ill will towards either of them.

 

Lastly, geocaching has given me the opportunity to experience nature which I have loved since I was a kid. The man that I date has also learned to love geocaching and we go out every chance we get. We take his boys when the opportunity is there and they love it. They even draw us treasure maps so that we can go out again.

 

So, I guess to summarize, geocaching has allowed me to make friends, helped me to exercise more (which I need), shown me new areas where I never would have gone, and the most important thing to me, helped me to find my happiness again.

 

Merry Christmas

[+bluecherry]

Well I have told you before a very personal thing that geocaching has done for me and my family. But geocaching has also helped us in other ways. Because we are military and move a lot geocaching has been a constant in our life it has also lead us to meet some great people in the local community and everywhere else. The friends that have been made are more like family now and are always there to lend a helping hand when we need it.

[+Accordiongal]

Caching has:

 

-Introduced me to wonderful new friends

-Helped me to think outside the box when solving puzzles

-Back outside, espically in the winter.

-Taken me and others to truely great American places

-Increased myself confidence

-Increased awarness of my surroundings

-Spend too much money on coins

-Collect potentional cache containers that have yet to be placed

-Learn about unique geological areas because of Earthcaches

-impacted the amount of books read

-increased knowledge of technology

[+MustangJoni]

When I first discovered caching, I was a workaholic. I spent not only my 8 hours a day at work, but I'd bring home a laptop and work into the evenings. I had only work friends and no outside interests.

 

I watched an episode of Law and Order and discovered caching. I logged onto the site and discovered caching. So I bought an inexpensive GPSr and tried it out. Had a great time. Then I started going to a couple of events, and made some great friends.

 

Then at one event, I started talking to this guy named Hedge Hopper. He seemed like a pretty hard core cacher. Here was a guy who did the hardest caches in the area and has an eye for the evil hides. He invited me to go caching with him, and we have been a team every since.

 

I couldn't ask for a nicer fella! He is my best friend and their is nobody I'd rather spend time with.

 

So in addition to all the friends and adventures I've had, geocaching has also brought me "the guy"! LOL

[+Dr. Whoever]

ALL EXCELLENT STORIES, KEEP 'EM COMING!!

[+luckycharmer]

I began geocaching just over a year ago and have had a wonderful time since then. I found that this is something that the entire family can do together. We love the hikes in the woods and finding the "prize" at the end. The kids work together right up until the final opening then it's every man for himself. LOL. Since the caches are getting further and further away we spend more time together in the car and it's a great time to talk. I love the way geocaching has help draw my family closer and has given us several new friends.

[+Frank n Beck]

Well here goes: Geocaching has brought my family closer together. As my kids were getting older it seemed they had no time for Me and the wife, but when we were introduced to geocaching it was something we all liked. So now the kids and us find time to go and do it together. We get to see unique things or areas we would have never visited before. My kids are actually learning things through geocaching also. So that is what geocaching has done for us, brought us together.

Thanks for the cointest Castle Man and thanks for the stories everyone.

[Maine Family]

We had always liked just taking an old dirt road and seeing where it would go so when we heard about geocaching it sounded like something we would enjoy. It has taken us to some really fabulous places that we would never of known about if not for caching.

Our grandson was born 7 weeks early and came to our house when he was released from the hospital two weeks later. Being a really high risk baby he wasn't allowed contact with people but was ok'd to go caching. He thrived and loves to cache and has two caches that he takes care of. One at his house and one at nana and papa's house, our house.

We didn't realize how educational geocaching was until our daughter met a man with a daughter and she started caching with us. We made it educational and fun and now she is an honor roll student. Playing sports and heading for a great life.

So for us geocaching has been a life saver, and it is part of the foundation of our lives. So we have a very strong foundation that we share with others and it is amazing the changes in people when they discover caching.

[+DanielMorgan345]

Well having only been geocaching twice now, I wouldn't say It's done alot for me.

 

But thinking about it more I see that already the five of us have had two extremely enjoyable days! And everything else that geocaching can bring is second to that. Yes, we've become a better team, my navigation has improved and I'm already out of the house more (which I really enjoy, orienteering has been a big interest of mine for years, but now I have an excuse to go out regularly!). Now I can only hope that my fitness will improve, I'll get to see so many more new and interesting places and I'll get the chance to meet some new friends! Geocaching is definately something I will be sticking at for as long as I can, for all the reasons I've stated, but mostly for those enjoyable days out with friends!

[+jAY miLLS]

I had weight loss surgery June 20, 2006 and it was difficult and exhausting for me to do many things. I had developed diabetes, sleep apnea, and other weight related problems. In January of 2007 and more than a few pounds lighter I discovered geocaching. What caching did for me was despite it being the dead of winter it gave me a purpose to get out and gleefully frolic in the snow and ice and bitter wind to look for a mysterious container hidden somewhere in the woods. It was one of the most enjoyable winters I have had since childhood and quite possibly it may have even contributed to saving my life or at least extending it.

 

Happy Holidays to you and yours Jim, thanks for the cointest.

[+n8turgrl]

What geocaching has done for my life:

 

To start it all off... geocaching connected me to an online friend that I hadn't talked to in a couple of years. One night we were both online and in our chatting he told me of a new hobby he and his wife had discovered. Curiousity got the best of me so I looked over the GC website. Still a bit confused, I decided to ask questions as it was a little intriguing. After 2 or 3 days I decided to ask for a GPS for my birthday so I could give this a try. Figured, if I didn't like it... I wasn't really out of anything and at least i'd have a GPS.

 

The next week or so I plugged my zipcode into the site...interested to see what was located near me. I read over other peoples Finds and DNFs. I clicked on the links they had attached to their posts, etc. A few of the links led me to group sites, etc. So I decided to join these sites so I could ask questions in the future if I needed to. The night I joined all the group sites for my area I received an email from a very kind geocacher welcoming me to the world of geocaching. He lives about an hour from my area but he is very active where I live. So in the back and forth emails ...Low and behold....he was a friend of mine from school. We had lost contact with each other over 13 years ago. So geocaching has brought us back together and i've enjoyed caching with him several times throughout this past year.

 

Geocaching has also given me the opportunity to meet several people of which I have become best friends with and have formed a relationship outside of just geocaching.

 

It gives me the opportunity to be outdoors, give back to my community by attending CITOs and well....there is just nothing more special than being in the comforts of nature with those you love.

 

Also, and i'm sure this will go for most all geocachers....geocaching makes traveling so much more fun! Geocaching takes me to places I would have never thought to explore or otherwise found.

 

So thats what geocaching has done for me

 

Happy Holidays everyone! Be safe!

[+mrjiffy]

Geocaching gets me out and exploring areas I never would have gone to if I was not involved with the hobby. After a long day at work, trekking through the woods in search of a hidden cache melts away my stress and gives me a great opportunity to take my dog out for a fun time during the searches.

[Highland Geofairy]

I've come to know the area I live in, discovered beautiful places I might otherwise never have found. Constantly learn something new and interesting. Enjoy the mix of technology and just getting out there in there in the fresh air. Warmed by the generosity and thoughtfulness of people that form this community.

Merry Christmas to one and all and all good wishes for 2008.

[+darnjoeSNARG]

Geocaching has given my family and I something that we can all do together and enjoy. I'm a gadget freak, so I love using the GPS, downloading waypoints, google earth, etc. I've recently been turned on to geocoins and I"m finding that quite addictive. My wife likes the hide-and-seek aspect of geocaching and some of the interesting hides and containers. My kids both like the trading of swag and the geocoins.

 

Everyone have a great Christmas and be safe out there!

 

Snarg

[+tsunrisebey]

Merry Christmas all! Thanks for the cointest

 

Geocaching has made me loco...

 

I drive around thinking; 'there's a great place for a cache' and 'that would make a cool geocoin.'

 

It's helped me spend more money on gas, swag, coins and snacks than I did before I got involved in this hobby.

 

It's helped me become more messy with coins laying all around, I've come to own a huge padded mailer collection (maybe I could sell them on ebay) and I'm even starting up a multi-sized cardboard box collection. I've got a pile of pine cones, rocks, sticks, camo tape, glue gun, etc. laying next to the door in case I feel the urge to create my next evil hide.

 

It's helped me lose sleep at night planning out my next hides, thinking of geocoin designs, and wondering where that DNF really is and do I really want to drive 25 minutes back to town tomorrow to look for it again.

 

It's helped me to almost poke my eye out, fall down and hurt myself (numerous times), hit my head on an overhang, draw blood, lose and break several pairs of sunglasses, use potty mouth language, yell at my dogs or spend more time looking for them than the cache, become paranoid that I was being stalked by a mountain lion, and sing to myself in hopes that the bears will hear me coming because I can't outrun my dogs (so I'll get mauled first).

 

It's helped me be late for classes to be FTF, it's helped me daydream while in a boring class and even caused me to write an entire story for my expository writing course on the adventures of geocaching.

 

It's helped me become the goofball of the family, for instance: when I showed up to church yesterday with my camelbak in my church clothes and my dad asked me what I was doing with that in church, I told him I was going caching afterwards and my wallet was in my pack. He just smiled. I get the eye rolls when I show up late to family functions because I had to hike 2 miles to a cache first and completely underestimated the time it would take me to hike and actually find the cache.

 

I thought this was suppose to be cheap and easy entertainment?

 

Stunning views, communing in and with nature, new friends, new places, fun finds, and lots of laughs..... it's all worth it

 

edit for spelling, spilled tea on my laptop last night while logging caches....a few keys haven't dried out yet

Edited December 24, 2007 by tsunrisebey

[+woodduck870]

I was told about geocaching from a friend who works offshore with me ! And I signed up in Jan. 06 got me a Nic and I was ready to go except I did not have a GPS ! So I read about it and went over the cache pages around my state till June when Fathers day rolled around and my Family gave me a Garmn legend ! well found my first cache June 23rd ,06 and since I work offshore on a 21 days on 21 days off schedule .I could not wait to get off work and cache on the way home ! Well a year later on my 1 year anniversary of caching I signed the final log sheet on the Ms. Delorme Challenge , and finished the day over 400 finds ! I have met the Greatest people caching ! I have so many new friends ! I have went all over the State and seen so many Historical sights and Beautiful things it is unreal ! After attending 10 events the people I have met and important things that they have set up to do , CITO events , The toy Drive for the Hospital at Christmas time . And the fellowship is the Greatest thing I have ever seen and been apart of !! I am honored to be caching with this group of people ! And I have lost 40 pounds to boot ! Yes now I have a Laptop, and New Garmin 60 Csx , Streetpilot in my wifes van , I now own a JEEP !! I am into collecting Geocoins ! And making new friends !!! Yes Geocaching is better than sliced Bread !!! Am I hooked , addicted you ask ??well I need to go a New cache just popped up !! MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL AND HAPPY NEW YEAR

[+Ble68]

Geocaching lets us go out and explore new places as a family. Merry Christmas!

[+ByrnedFish]

Geocaching has given me a chance to get out more with my dad. Its a great way to exercise, and "hike for a reason". It has been a great opportunity to get out in the fresh air and away from the hecticness of life. It has also given me and excuse to go camping more across NY state as i search for at least one cache every time im out. Geocaching has also taught me time management, as i need to get all my homework done in order to have time to go out!! Geocaching has been great, im so glad i got a GPS exactly 2 years ago today!!!

[+PengoFamily]

Geocaching has done so much for me and us as a family. It has allowed us to find a great hobby/activity that we can do as a family. It has allowed us to discover wonderful trails, parks and areas that we didn't know about previously. Because of geocaching we have also made so many new and wonderful friends...around the globe!!

 

On thing that geocaching particularuly helped me with was last August 2006. We had a sewer backup and lost everything in our basement (which is our family room, a storage room and laundry room). It was very difficult to lose all the sentimental stuff and live in a house for a few months that was totally upside down but geocaching kept us together and gave us excuses to get outside and not mope around. It helped to lift up our spirits. For that I am very grateful.

 

We hope that you all have a very Merry Christmas!! Thanks for the cointest Castle Man!!

[+Marpomem]

I love hiking and being in the woods. Geocaching gives me a chance to do plenty of that. Plus, the thrill of the hunt!!! I have always loved treasure hunts.

 

The geocaching family is a wonderful bunch! I really enjoy reading the forums. Have had a blast trying to figure out my new GPS. Also, like gadgets.

 

Am now totally addicted to the geocoins and have a collection of 5! There is just so much to enjoy about geocaching. Plus, these cointests are super great fun!

 

Thank you,

Marilyn

marpomem

[SCYoli]

What has Geocaching done for me by SCYoli

 

Geocaching has brought my family together. My daughter is hitting that preteen age and nothing we do is cool enough for her and geocaching fortunately still is. She loves to go out bushwhacking to find a cache. My son loves looking for treasures. Also its great exercise, seeing as we dont have many park and grabs around here most of our geocaches are long walks through the woods. Geocaching has brought us to many great historical and beautiful places that we would have never found by ourselves. Lastly geocaching has introduced us to many great people who are now lifelong friends. We werent members of any clubs and didnt really do anything social. But now we have CITO's, meet n greets, group caching, and general get togethers with our Lowcountry caching group. I've also met the greatest people on in the forums I've only been a member for 6 months and I have emailed and talked with the most amazing people. The people here are giving, sincere, and loving. True friends that are more like family everyday. Geocaching is really a blessing and I am very thankful for that this Christmas.

[+Tank Hounds]

I don't really have any "life changing" stories like some people here...but geocaching gets me out and makes me less of a hermit! I tend to not do much after work but come home and grade papers for my online classes, but geocacing gets me outdoors. I love finding parks and things that I never would have seen before...and of course it helps me meet some neat people!

[+intolerable]

Here's mostly what I posted for a similar cointest just about a month ago. As not much has changed, not much will change with what I post here :-)

 

When I started staying home with mightyzinn, it was a pretty drastic change for me. Most of the things I was involved in stopped, most of the people I knew where connected to those things or work, etc. I also really didn't feel like I fit into my new life very well. I was a stay at home dad who liked making really strange music and had a deep interest in somewhat unusual bits of history. The transformation into soccer mom (um, dad) of the year just never really took ;-)

 

Over the past few years that really started to take its toll on me and my family. I'd became more withdrawn and disconnected, never did anything, became really despressed. More recently, I really started living up to my username and all was not going too hot here.

 

Caching has since really made a huge difference for me, and in turn, a huge difference in the lives of those closest to me. Its hard to be a good husband and father if you're not happy, and caching really has helped me be happy :-)

 

Plus, some of the best times I've ever had with my son have been out caching. How could I stop after that!

 

So, thank you hiders of caches and makers of coins. I'm sure if it wasn't for all of you great folks who make caching what it is I'd otherwise be sitting on my butt, miserable, complaining about nothing or something much more worse!

 

Although, I have to admit, I want to see Bigfoot too.

 

Thanks for the cointest!

[dimkasmir]

Many of these things are probably cliched in this topic by now, but they are all true. Geocaching has made me more comfortable walking through a forest (well more like a park here) on tiny trails, only guided by a small blue object in my hand, because I know that there's gonna be something for me to find there, and that someone has already made this walk. Moreover, I saw some things in the city I live in that I would have never seen, or even heard about without caching. Finally, it gives me something to talk about, and I'm really hoping that I have convinced some other people to join, though nobody seemed to express much interest in the article I wrote for my school newspaper.

Oh, and if I ever need to hide anything for some reason , where could I learn better techniques?

[+AtlantaGal]

Geocaching has gotten me back outdoors exploring nature and given me numerous beautiful things to photograph. It has also allowed me to travel to places I never would have known existed if there were not a cache placed there. Geocaching has gotten me more interested in cleaning up our beautiful world by participating in and hosting CITO events. Finally, it has introduced me to many people from all over the world and I've made some excellent friends simply by being a geocacher.

[+tsunrisebey]

Here's mostly what I posted for a similar cointest just about a month ago. As not much has changed, not much will change with what I post here :-)

 

When I started staying home with mightyzinn, it was a pretty drastic change for me. Most of the things I was involved in stopped, most of the people I knew where connected to those things or work, etc. I also really didn't feel like I fit into my new life very well. I was a stay at home dad who liked making really strange music and had a deep interest in somewhat unusual bits of history. The transformation into soccer mom (um, dad) of the year just never really took ;-)

 

Over the past few years that really started to take its toll on me and my family. I'd became more withdrawn and disconnected, never did anything, became really despressed. More recently, I really started living up to my username and all was not going too hot here.

 

Caching has since really made a huge difference for me, and in turn, a huge difference in the lives of those closest to me. Its hard to be a good husband and father if you're not happy, and caching really has helped me be happy :-)

 

Plus, some of the best times I've ever had with my son have been out caching. How could I stop after that!

 

So, thank you hiders of caches and makers of coins. I'm sure if it wasn't for all of you great folks who make caching what it is I'd otherwise be sitting on my butt, miserable, complaining about nothing or something much more worse!

 

Although, I have to admit, I want to see Bigfoot too.

Thanks for the cointest!

 

If I run into him/her first, I'll send it your way

[+backhiker]

I started Geocaching in July of this year. It has changed me in many ways, some great, some bad

 

The bad: I have been late getting home from a quick shopping trip because I thought I would "just grab this quick micro" on the way home, which turned out to be evil and took me 2+ hours to find! LOL

 

The great: I had a bad heart murmur and was suffering from pretty frequent heart palpatations. Doctors where concerned enough to put me on a monitor at one point. Since caching I hike almost every week. (I like those long multi's in the woods best) I have lost 15 lbs and the heart palpatations are COMPLETELY GONE Yeah!

 

I have started collecting coins again (did as a kid) but now it's geocoins!!!

 

I have met so many wonderful new friends; through the forums, coins, and events. It is nice to find people who enjoy the outdoors as much as I do. Years ago I was and avid camper/backpacker.

 

But best of all the whole family can go out and have a good time together. This is no small feat as my boys are 10 years apart in age (17 and 7) and have completely different interests! Like others we have seen places we would not have gone otherwise.

 

Keep the stories coming, it's fun to read them! Thanks for the cointest Jim!!!

[+PaRacers]

My Dad was an avid hunter and a local history enthusiast. As a youth I spent alot of time talking and walking with him in the woods while hunting or trapping, but I usually wished I was somewhere else - playing with my friends or watching TV. I had no interest in local history or ANY history for that matter either. I didn't much care about what happened last week, let alone what happened 100 years ago! He never let that stop him from trying to teach me about the things he loved. Looking back, he was so insistant that I think he must have known that someday I would come around.

My Dad has been gone for about 10 years now and 2 years ago my wife and I started geocaching. The love of nature that was introduced to me so long ago has reemerged and I realize how much he would have loved caching. Some of the caches that we've hidden have to do with places and events in our local history. I enjoy bringing people to these places and offering the history that goes along with it in the cache description. Not everything that my Dad tried to teach me went to waste, but what I'd give to be able to sit with him and talk about "the old days" for an afternoon!

[+Cache Maine]

Geocaching has changed my life, in such a positive way. I have met some amazing people who I consider true friends, and I have seen many places that I would have missed it if wasn't for caching. It gets me out of the house and away from work, both good things. I try to live by the idea to work hard, and play harder.

 

Thanks for the cointest...the entries have been wonderful. Happy Holidays everyone!

[+mohr11]

Geocaching has given our family more time spent together in sharing the same hobby, has given us the opportunity to meet people with the same passion and has lead us to places we otherwise had not seen.

 

Happy Holidays from Germany

[+Moozer]

Geocaching has done several things for me - it's allowed me to make some new friends, to connect with some old ones in new ways, it's gotten me off the couch and away for the computer for my own good, and its allowed me to spend oodles of one-on-one time with my son.

 

Oh, and my wife would like to add that it's gotten the guys out of the house once in a while!

[+GEO*Trailblazer 1]

Well to make a long story short.

 

Geocaching,Benchmarking and Waymarking have brought my family closer together.

We have now had the priveledge of traveling from Ocean to Ocean.

We walked in the Footsteps of Lewis and Clark 200 years to the day later.

 

We have seen more places from the following up on geocache sites,learned alot about History from Benchmarking and Waymarking our way across this great Nation.

 

Got to meet The President of the United States while geocaching.

Also met the Secret Service in Washington DC doing the geocache there.

 

Stood at Plymouth Rock and Got the geocache there.

National Monument to our Forefathers.

 

We were not at all dissapointed at the other side at Cape Dissapointment.

Camp Dissopointment in Glacier National Park was no slouch either.

 

I still have active geocaches across this great Nation as well.

So I get to see the logs of those that also followed in our footsteps.

 

I have had the great priveledge to design many geocoins as well.

 

So you could say thet Geocaching has truly enriched my life.

Being disabled you do not know how this can make one feel.

 

You all are AWESOME!!