Checking Off Dreams, One Ballpark at a Time: Renata & Jon’s Story

Some trips are planned around schedules. Others are planned around what matters most.

For Renata and Jon, travel became a way to hold onto time. Long drives, ballpark lights, and shared moments turned into something lasting.

Their Wander Club collection tells a story rooted in love, baseball, and the choice to keep showing up for life together.

Jon’s love for baseball began early. Growing up on the East Coast of Canada in the 1980s, he was a devoted Montreal Expos fan.

When he was just 11 years old, his dad surprised him and his brother with a trip to Montreal to see the Expos play the Philadelphia Phillies at Olympic Stadium.

“My 11-year-old eyes and ears had never seen or heard 50,000 fans in a stadium until that moment. It was magical.”

That memory stayed with him for decades. Years later, it resurfaced in an unexpected way when Renata gifted Jon The Wander Club’s MLB Stadium Token Collection and Wanderchain for Christmas. 

What began as a thoughtful gift quickly became something much more. It became a family treasure and a way to tell Jon’s life story through the game he has always loved.

When Jon added the Olympic Stadium token, now a defunct ballpark, his mind raced back to that childhood trip with his dad. It was a reminder that places do not just mark where we have been. They hold the moments that shape us. 

Today, those tokens carry even deeper meaning.

In August of 2023, Jon was diagnosed with glioblastoma brain cancer. Given an 18 to 24 month prognosis, Jon has continued to meet each day with gratitude, hope, and an unshakable love for life.

Visiting all 30 MLB stadiums became more than a bucket list dream. It became a way to mark time, celebrate movement, and choose joy in the present.

“As I work toward seeing every MLB stadium before I leave this earth, I love knowing my Wander Club tokens get to mark my journey.”

Last summer, that journey came to life.

Renata initiated and thoughtfully planned an unforgettable baseball road trip, and together they hit the road, savoring every mile, every game, and every quiet moment in between.

Their adventure began in Toronto and took them through Illinois, Wisconsin, and Iowa.

In Chicago, they caught both Cubs and White Sox games and toured iconic Wrigley Field, a lifelong dream for Jon.

From there, they headed to Milwaukee to cheer on the Brewers and take in another storied stadium.

But the final stop was something truly special.

In Dyersville, Iowa, Renata arranged for them to stay overnight in the actual Field of Dreams house.

Together, they played catch under the lights on the field itself, a moment pulled straight from baseball lore and made real through love and presence.

“It was truly heavenly,” Jon said. “A moment I will cherish forever.”

Each mile driven, each stadium visited, and each token added to Jon’s Wanderchain tells a story of partnership and resilience. What began as a gift is now a living timeline of joy, memories, and dreams still worth chasing.

“I love that my Wander Club tokens get to mark my journey,” Jon shared. “Adding a new token feels like opening a Christmas gift every time. Who doesn’t want Christmas every day?”

Renata and Jon, thank you for trusting us with your story and for reminding our community that life is not measured only in years, but in moments shared, roads traveled, and memories made, one ballpark, one journey, one token at a time.

Do you have a story behind your collection that means the world to you?

We would love to hear it. Share your journey with us on social @thewanderclub or email hi@thewanderclub.com for a chance to be featured as our next Wanderer of the Week.