Celebration Archives - Weary Wanderer

A very, merry happy New Year to all you lovelies 😉

It’s that time again. An introduction. A blank slate. A chance to start over, continue being amazing, set new goals, or aim to keep the old ones. AND …. it’s reflect-on-the-past-year time, too. 2025 was a good travel year, for us, with lots of love, laughs, cuddles, and adventure. Here’s what we got up to.

January

In January, Chris and I booked it to Florida for a quick 48-hours so he could run his 10th marathon. We hadn’t been away from the girls overnight in about two years, so it was really quite fun to take that time <3

Chris ran his marathon in three hours and eight seconds. LEGEND.

February

In mid-February, Steph, Rosalie and Robert flew out for President’s Weekend to celebrate Valentine’s Day and Rosalie’s 6th birthday. We had such a blast!

We checked out the Bubble Planet Immersive Experience in Denver!

Lotte, Steph & Ro got their ears pierced!

Lotte sang the National Anthem at a CU basketball game with her school choir!

March

In March we headed off to Taos, New Mexico, for spring break! It was a new state for the girls, and we had such a blast.

Pottery at the Imagine Children’s Museum was an unexpected delight.

April

I posted an ode to winter at the end of April, with highlights including lots of Lotte choir singing at fun events, art exhibits, author events (both mine and other authors!), plays, fancy tea services, tons of skiing .. and lots more!

The Maurice Sendak exhibit at the Denver Art Museum!

Easter tea at The Brown Palace in Denver was delicious!

Lotte performed with her choir for a festival and we got to hang at Elitch Gardens!

June & July

You guys. June and July were epic. We met up with all three grandparents for a month in Europe that did. not. disappoint. There was the press trip at an insane resort in Portugal. All the culture and food in Barcelona. Italy. (More specifically the Dolomites and Venice. Enough said.) Driving from the Dolomites to Paris, with a stop at the city where I was born. Paris and the French countryside. The shocking adorableness of Brugges. The out-of-this-world salty attitude of Amsterdam. And the gorgeous, glorious greenery of Ireland. It was the trip of a lifetime, to say the least.

As if that weren’t enough, when Lotte and Grace had their horse camp canceled last-minute, I booked a quick trip back East for the week before Lotte’s birthday! Grace was meant to come, too, but after a month in Europe, girl needed some R&R at home, which was totally fine. She’ll catch NY next time round!

We had a lot of good food and drinks AND a lot of time to chat, which was so much fun and so different from how it usually is. My brother-in-law was a doll and watched the twins a bunch, and Lotte & Ro entertain themselves, which left my sis and myself to our own devices on several occasions. I do not take those times for granted.

August

I wrote a farewell to the Summer of 2025 covering the final few weeks of our break before we were back-to-school. It included a birthday, camp, a visit from our NY loves and one final out-of-town trip.

Phew. What a summer it was!

Just a couple’a cuties at the Denver Zoo.

Rainbows in the mountains? Can’t beat that.

You also can’t beat a National Park. This one — Rocky Mountain National Park — is near and dear to our hearts.

September

September started with a bang when we celebrated Labor Day in our own Colorado backyard. Sunshine. Hikes. Moose. Bear. Glaciers. Lakes.

Oh, Colorado. You beautiful beast, you.

November

In November we hopped on the earliest flight possible to high-tail it to New York for the Thanksgiving holiday! We saw Wicked, had tea at the American Girl Doll store, drank hot cocoa in an igloo in Bryant Park, hung out with Bluey, deep fried a turkey … and so much more <3

Hot cocoa and cocktails in a cozy igloo by the Bryant Park ice skating rink? YES PLEASE.

December

Less than one week after getting home from our New York Thanksgiving, we were back on a plane! This time, it was to Knoxville, for the AAU Youth Track & Field Championships, which Lotte ran with her team, the Colorado Coyotes. We were so stinkin’ proud of her, I could cry. Oh and also … how cute is Knoxville?!

Then we spent Christmas in Hawaii with Chris’ parents, and it was SO FRIGGIN’ WONDERFUL!

And that was our near in a nutshell, friends! We had pretty amazing travel experiences and I never stop being grateful for all of it for even just one second.

I hope you all had a wonderful year … and cheers to an even better new one!

Just a couple of happy parents … on a vacation without any kids 😉

Happy Monday, friends! Chris and I just got back from a less than 48-hour quick trip to Celebration, Florida, where Chris ran his 10th marathon.

I know, right? My legs hurt typing those words.

Well he crushed it, obviously. Finished in three hours and eight seconds (who does that?!), and we got to spend some much-needed alone time (in the sun and warmth, no less!), while Grandpa held down the fort back at home with the girlies.

It was a fabulous way to spend a January weekend, if I’m being honest 😉

We stayed at the Melia Orlando, which is a wellness-focused hotel with lots of health-focused amenities. What we really cared about, though, were the pool and hot tub…

The race was Sunday, but on Saturday we got to chill. I rented a bike from the hotel and tagged along while Chris did an easy 2-mile run. We ate yummy food. Checked out the town. Saw a crocodile. Went in the hot tub. AND ALL WITHOUT CHILDREN!

This was too close for comfort for me. Chris, of course, loved it.

We had lunch on Saturday in town at Avocado Mexican Grill, which was so yummy, and this was our burrata appetizer from our dinner at Reggiano’s. It was *so good*, and they had all the gluten-free options you could want for pasta and pizza.

Then Sunday was race day! Luckily the course passed by the hotel twice — once at the 2-mile marker and the second around mile 14 — so I got to catch my running man there twice. Then I walked a short (and so pretty) 30-minutes into the town center to catch him again at the finish.

Finished! Everyone laughs at this picture of the man in front of Chris who is lovin’ life, while Chris looks … tired. Let’s be clear: This was a half marathon AND a marathon. Mr. Heel-Clickin’-Good-Time had just completed the half in the same time it took Chris to complete the full. Still impressive. Not quite the same 😉

Then it was back to the airport and home to the kiddos! We had originally thought the whole family would make this trip, and that we would throw Disney into the mix, as well. When that turned out to be astronomical, we ditched the kids and came ourselves (courtesy of Grandpa’s watching the girls, of course.) I sure am glad we did it this way 😉

And that was it, friends! A quick and lovely time in warm and sunny Florida. It was a delight, especially as we landed back to 19 degrees and snow on the ground in Denver. Blurgh.

Until our next adventure … bis bald, friends!