Dart ~ America by chance: The Dart Vacation

Back when Bob and I started dating, we would talk on the phone for hours as he lived in Ohio and I was living in Florida at the time. During one of our conversations, we were asking each other, "If you could go anywhere, where would you go on vacation?" Bob made the comment, "I'm happy wherever I go". In fact, he stated, "some day, I'd like to take a map and spin it, throw a dart and go wherever it lands."

A few months later I went to work constructing a spinning map by taking a trip to Home Depot on Alafaya Tr in Orlando. I walked up and down the isles until I had cork, a lazy susan apparatus, and adhesive. For Christmas in 2003, I surprised Bob with the gift. He was confused at first and then I reminded him of the conversation. That year we hung the map, and he threw the first dart ....landing in Marsh Island, LA.

Since then we have taken turns and then as our memory began to fail us, we eventually chose to flip a coin to determine who would throw the dart. We decided to make a few rules:

1) If it landed in our home state of Ohio, we would re-throw.

2) If it landed on a state that we have already been to for a Dart Vacation, we would re-throw.

3) In 2011, we determined that we would aim to make a difference where we went, putting our faith in action.

The Dart Vacation was just a quirky idea in the beginning followed by a fun Christmas present. It has become a very special tradition for our family. Our country is full of diverse beauty and places that we may never know existed if it wasn't for this method of traveling. We are really excited to see where the Dart will take us...

Do we recommend this way of traveling to others?

Absolutely ~ if you are spontaneous and especially if you enjoy history. There is always something fascinating to learn about each place you'll go.

About us: We live in Waynesville, Ohio with our 3 young children and 1 on the way (due 11/2012). Bob has two grown children; a daughter in Tampa, FL and a son in Centerville, OH. We own and operate Side Effects, Inc. (www.sideeffectsinc.com) a mid-sized sports marketing company. Our company and personal mission is to develop and nourish relationships within communities while making a difference, serving Christ and positively impact the lives of others.

Above is Matt Westerfield with significant other, Katie Vieira and her two children Jake & Ava. Matt & Katie are expecting their first child together in August 2012. (Aubree Rose was born 8/8/12)

Above is Michelle (Westerfield) Hudock with her husband, Andrew, and their daughter, Kyla. In this photo, Michelle was pregnant with Kellen, their son born 12/7/11.