The Adventure Experiment

Stephanie Sanoja, owner of Drinkology, shares her philosophy on keeping the fun factor high while raising kids.

1. Tell us about a recent experience that qualifies as an adventure.

Do you know what it means to miss New Orleans? I grew up there, (well, in the suburbs) and my soul ached to return.  Here I was, trying to launch a business bottling my great aunt’s New Orleans-style bloody marys….from Dallas. It lacks spirit, culture, passion and zest… all the secret ingredients of my sauce.  I NEEDED to be in the heart of New Orleans to launch. Plus my son was missing out on a magical childhood that awaited him there. But how? My parents had moved two years pre-Katrina. My husband’s wonderfully steady job prevented a move. And could I live there and raise a child in it’s current state?

My mind turned sly. What if we just stayed for the summer?  Hubby stayed at home. Rich people do it all the time. Surely a Tulane student could sublease something cheap to us.  I mean, it is Hades there in summer.

Plus I could make contacts and sell while I was there, right?

Wheels working, I put it out there, half expecting the plan to be slammed. Instead, a friend hooked me up with a friend. How about a place on Royal Street, in the heart of the residential quarter?  Delta Burke’s old place? They left in the summer. At first, rent was too high. But a deal was made. One entrepreneurial woman to another. If I did it cheaply, we could it swing it. It was just for two months, after all. And against parental approval, we were off.

Living in the quarter?!? Such a wickedly delicious treat. Practically forbidden as a teenager. It’s not really easy to maneuver, especially with a rambunctious three-year-old, but every single minute rang with adventure!

D took to it right away. On the way to the river, at the first café jazz band he’d ever seen, he danced up a storm, to the point where he became the attraction. Oh and the river!  Rocks to throw. Huge ships passing in front. Paddleboats. Musicians! Quirky people streaming past. Little boy heaven!  Even after doing this five times a week, it never got old.

Actually, just sitting on our stoop could be a delight (or in his case – swinging from the lamp post). The characters that passed!  And Davis chatted them all up, tourists and eccentric locals alike. Every dog must be pet. One time, a guy and his girlfriend walked byt with a lemon yellow boa constrictor around his neck. Oh boy! After proving the snake was friendly, D inched closer. First touching it with the tip of his finger and quickly and jumping back. Then petting the head and jumping back.  He gradually let the tail go on his arm. Finally, he held the snake around his neck. Have you ever seen a boy look so proud? I’m terrified of snakes and stayed far away, but swallowed my fear to let him explore. And isn’t that what adventure is all about?

2. How do adventurous experiences affect your perspective on everyday life?

I keep watch and actively seek, always on the lookout for something new, untried and interesting. I see things others pass by. Most of all, I do try. And now, so does Davis. Everything is a potential for a new joy.

3. Name one way that people can make their normal lives more interesting.

Seek out notices for new activities and new social groups and give them a try.  Even better, go some where new without an agenda and follow what you happen upon. Go solo so that you will talk to people outside of your normal social circle.

4. Can you tell us about an adventure that sounded great on paper but somehow went wrong?

My parents treated my brother and my family to a vacation in Gatlinburg, TN. It was near Asheville, and I wanted to see the Biltmore castle. (Everyone except my husband and son joined us.) We piled into the Grand Marquis (aka ‘boat’) and headed on our way. My brother and dad insisted we take a ‘short cut’ instead of the way clearly marked on the map, recommended both by the website and Google Maps. We begged them to follow the map, and argued to the point of Ryan pulling over and telling me to get out if he didn’t like the direction I was going.

Off we went, twisting and turning over an entire backwoods mountain, hairpin curves making almost everyone in the car sick and slamming us into each other for over an hour. The entire trip was supposed to take 45 minutes. When we finally came out on the other side, the road turned to dirt. No signal on the cells. Behind us followed a jacked up 4X4 with darkly tinted windows and a mean barking German Sheppard in the back. When it looked like the road petered out, my brother turned around in defeat ready to head back. But I was done minding. So I demanded that he stop and ask directions. Instead of flagging down the bubba truck, we stopped two hikers crossing the road on the Appalachian trail. Although their heads were matted and quite ‘earthy’ looking, we were the ones that scared them. And some hesitation, they pulled out their old-fashioned, fold-out map and told us that another mile further along the dirt road would lead us to the interstate. And so it did. After another 40 minutes, we finally got to the castle, preserved in its day and not updated since.

Think we had a merry old time after that?  After about 45 minutes of touring, my brother, (hungover from the previous night’s extravagances) and exasperated by sharply twisted mountain roads, got sick and forced us to go home. We took the highway this time and made it back in 45 minutes.

5. When you’re 80 years old (or if you’re already there, add few years) what adventure memory will you tell repeatedly?

I took my college roommate on my honeymoon instead of my husband, because his passport was denied. Can’t stop me from adventure!