Cache-a-Day: Five Times Around the Sun

It all started on March 2nd, 2012. During a birthday adventure with my sister, WikidKriket, I found Almost Diagon Alley GC2QVWX -- the first cache in a 1,825 day odyssey! On Wednesday, I celebrated the 5th anniversary of my Cache-a-Day streak!

The timing was perfect for an awesome event - my milestone falls on the day after TaGeez's Birthday, the day before my birthday, and the scheduled Livonia event. With great fanfare, TaGeez and I created the Livonia Traveling Meet #58 - The Celebrations event GC6ZWYB for March 1st. 

With the help of RayQix, we hid three event caches, printed up souvenir labels to wrap Hershey Bars, printed out our signs and gathered raffle prizes. Completing a 5-year streak doesn't happen every day, and we were going to party! 

The night of the event was awesome! The weather cleared enough for friends to arrive from Down River and Flint and everywhere in between. Reports came in that Panera filled with many cachers in high spirits. The only person missing? The host. I was diagnosed with strep throat, and the doctor said I was contagious.

TaGeez, RayQix and WikidKriket

Luckily, with only two hours notice, my sister WikidKriket stepped into the breach and stood in for me. From all accounts, she and TaGeez did an amazing job! They even accepted my Golden PBN award from SCOOK and CITOcacher!

Thank you, SCOOK and CITOcacher, for my golden PBN

Thank you to everyone who attended the event!

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EVIL, EVIL TEAM GATES

So, the first question everyone asks, "Are you ending your streak?" And, honestly, I was thinking maybe it's time. My five years included 7,132 finds in 26 states/provinces, from -26 degree snowstorms and 110 degree heat waves, 5 Megas, completing my JASMER, and 433 first-to-finds. It's been five years, the caches in the area are drying out, and I have proven to myself I could do it.

And then Team Gates released his caches!

He said he would. The day after my milestone party he was going to release brand new caches right on my doorstep. DRAT! How could I resist? They were signature Gates puzzles! So I ran for them - getting two FTF's with WK. 

Hey, it's no big deal. As TaGeez said, it's only 175 more days until the big 2000 days. That's a nice round number, and it will be summer!