Frisco Archives - Weary Wanderer

2025: A Year in Review

Published on December 31, 2025December 31, 2025 by Cheryl LockLeave a comment

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!

Farewell Summer 2025!

Published on August 18, 2025August 18, 2025 by Cheryl LockLeave a comment

Happy Monday, friends! My girls are … back in school tomorrow!

Say what?!

This summer was INSANE. We did so friggin much (please see Portugal, Spain, Venice, Dolomites, driving from Dolomites to Paris, France, Bruge, Amsterdam, Ireland, and New York for reference). Then, because we hadn’t done enough, we closed out the final weeks of summer with two weeks of camp, a visit from our favorite New York people AND one final trip to the mountains.

Tired. I’m oh-so-verily tired.

But I’m also pumped! We definitely made the most of our summer, this is going to be a fantastic school year for the girls (a mother just knows these things) AND Emilia is finally is school full-time.

Holy hell.

Here’s what we got up to the final few weeks of summer before we are in the back-to-school-grind tomorrow!

My littlest baby turned nine. Insert sob face here.

She’s a nature lover, so she requested a day at the aquarium. We happily obliged.

The big girls loved their two weeks at Majestic View Nature Center camp! They went on hikes, learned about bugs, went bird watching, built tunnels, did crafts. Heaven in a nature center.

Loves grasshoppers. Even though this is a caterpillar.

We had the best time showing them some of our favorite spots. Including, of course, the zoo!

These cuties got to spend some quality time together while Lotte and Grace finished out camp the Friday they arrived. I like to think it helped bring them a little bit closer <3

These two, obviously, are too much cute to handle.

Here’s a hack if you have littles who blast through the aquarium and make you feel like it’s not worth the price tag: Book lunch reservations at the aquarium restaurant! They have a super cool tank with all the best fish and it’s just as good as the aquarium if, like us, you run through it in about five minutes flat.

We even made it to the Frisco Bay Marina one day!

The kids had the best time building sandcastles and splashing around in the water.

We had lunch and drinks at Outer Range Brewing, right down the street from the Marina.

We even managed a very amateur photo shoot at Standley Lake <3

We had the best, most chaotic time. Love this crew so much.

We spent the last weekend before school started on a press trip at the YMCA of the Rockies — Snow Mountain Ranch. Since it was a press trip I can’t share a ton here. What I will say is that it was a delightful way to spend the final few days before the chaos of the 2025-26 school year descends.

Look at this cutie little cabin! Rose was my Grandma’s name, so we saw it as a sign that it was going to be a great weekend.

As if a cabin named after my Grams wasn’t enough, the rainbow on the way to dinner was ANOTHER sign.

We spent Saturday morning hanging out with some of the same sled dogs that drove our sled when we came to visit Snow Mountain two years ago in the winter!

We went tubing! So wild and fun and NOT AT ALL CALMING!

We visited Rocky Mountain National Park on Sunday morning, since it was only 30 minutes away.

We didn’t spot any moose, but we sure had a lot of fun trying!

It was a delightful final summer weekend spent in nature.

We definitely don’t take for granted that we live in a gorgeous place in the world. We’re so grateful for trips like the YMCA of the Rockies and visitors like my sis and her crew, all of which help remind us that to be out in this beautiful world is to be reminded what it’s all about.

We’re small, my friends. And we’re here for a short time. Leave some big (but environmentally friendly!) footsteps 😉

Until next time … bis bald, friends! Welcome to the school year!

Falling in Love With Colorado Fall

Published on October 14, 2024October 14, 2024 by Cheryl LockLeave a comment

You guys … it is FINALLY fall in Colorado!

I mean, today is still supposed to hit 80 degrees. But the weather is slowly changing, and we have made the most out of the past few weekends, with multiple trips to the mountains (peak fall foliage!) and a gorgeous run/bike along the trail behind our old house. It’s been glorious.

This Thursday & Friday is Fall Break for the girls, so we’re off on another adventure. But until then, enjoy these fall photos from our past few days.

Last weekend we spent our Sunday in Frisco, which was truly the first time we felt like we saw fall colors this season.

We grabbed lunch at Highside Brewing and sat outside while the kiddos entertained themselves.

I am gearing up to run the Apex Center’s Trick or Trot 5K the weekend before Halloween. So we grabbed the kiddos and their bikes and hit up the trail behind our old house on Saturday morning. So much fun. So many memories.

It’s easy to forget how pretty this place is when you don’t live 15 feet away anymore. We had the best morning!

Yesterday we packed up the car and headed back to the mountains. This time for the St. Mary’s Glacier hike.

Did Emilia spend 99.9% of the hike on Dad’s shoulders? Sure did.

Emilia had never been to St. Mary’s Glacier, and Lotte & Grace were last here when they were teeny tiny.

It was some kind of special to be back this time <3

Never not picking the more adventurous route.

A stranger took this picture, and it’s probably one of our best ever.

In four days we’re off to Great Sand Dunes National Park, which is yet another place that Emilia has never been to and Lotte & Grace only visited once when they were very little. Call this an unintentional revisiting of our past … whatever it is, I’m here for it.

Happy fall, ya’ll!

Bis bald!

2021: A Year in Review

Published on December 30, 2021December 30, 2021 by Cheryl LockLeave a comment

Welp, friends … there goes another year. As the photo above indicates, we’ve had our highs and lows. I think the year didn’t quite pan out the way most of us were hoping it would, but still, there were bright spots to be found.

Here’s hoping 2022 brings you and your family all the happiness and cheer that you deserve! And here’s what we were able to get up to in 2021 …

April

We dusted off our travel boots for the first time in more than a year (!) this past April for a trip to the mountains. We headed to one of our favorite low-key spots — Granby Ranch — and the older girls even tried their hand at skiing for the first time.

Lotte, Grace & Emilia cuddled up on our couch in the cabin.

Chris and the big girls posing on frozen Grand Lake.

They look a little weathered here because this was after their lessons … but I HAD to get a pic of the two of them with their adorable little set of skis!

We wrangled the kids to take a quick selfie when we got out on the lake in Grand Lake.

June

By the time June rolled around, Chris and I were fully vaccinated, and we were able to start hosting some of our favorite people at our house again. We also went on a fun mountain/lake hike, Lotte continued her adventures in skiing and started running (well, that was pre-June, but I blogged about it in June!) and we continued to find adventures everywhere we could in the great Colorado outdoors. We also spent Father’s Day in one of Chris’ favorite places.

Grandpa came for his first visit in more than a year!

July

The end of June and beginning of July was a busy time for us, as we packed up the car and hit the road for our trip out East! We started in Colorado and made out way out to New Jersey and New York and then back, stopping in a number of states along the way. (You can find all the gritty details here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.)

Staying at a real, working farm in Pennsylvania was … interesting!

entering Colorado on the way home — Colorado State Line

Then, at the end of July, our firstborn turned FIVE!

August

We hosted more of our besties in August, Lotte started kindergarten, Grace returned to preschool and we managed to make it to Frisco for one final summer mountain visit.

September

We hosted one of Chris’ good friends in September, and they hiked a 14er (a tradition they started years ago). We also spent Labor Day at Standley Lake with friends.

October

We spent October in our traditionally favorite way … with all the fall activities!

December

As the holidays rolled around, we were really looking forward to spending Christmas and New Years with family back in New York. Unfortunately, Covid had different plans for us. Perhaps we’ll have better luck next year. Still, we managed to get a day in Manhattan, and we did get to spend actual Christmas Day with family, which was an upgrade from last year, so we’ll call it a win.

Grace was very taken with the Rockefeller tree 😉

And that’s 2021, my friends. We’re looking forward to a quiet New Years Eve (and wedding anniversary, for myself and Chris <3) and planning for (hopefully) some fun travels to come in the New Year.

But until then … bis bald, friends!

The Start to a Crazy New Year

Published on August 30, 2021August 30, 2021 by Cheryl LockLeave a comment

One of our favorite spots in Colorado — the Frisco Bay Marina

Friends. How is it that no one told me how hectic life gets when you have kids in school?! And in activities?!

O.M.G.

Lotte started kindergarten a few weeks ago (sob!) and Grace is back in preschool, while little Em continues to delight us from home. Lotte also started ballet/tap, and Grace is starting up with swim lessons and music classes in the month of September. And honestly, at this pace, I’m not sure how long I can handle it!

Sweetest little dancer, who forgave me for the fact that I didn’t have her ballet outfit ready in time for her first class 😉

I mean, I know we’ll get used to this as our life, and so-on-and-so-forth, but sheesh, I’m way more exhausted than the kids. I think the fact that we’re still coming out of a pandemic (which is so not over yet) adds to the exhaustion.

Anyway, I’m rambling. The point is, life is crazy busy right now, so when we get a chance to break away from the madness, I’m all-the-more grateful. This weekend we took a day to head into the mountains. We hadn’t been to Frisco in years, and I’m dying over the photos of itty bitty Lotte and Grace in this post! It was Em’s first trip to Frisco (only second trip to the mountains ever, actually, with this trip to Granby being her first), and it was an all-around success, I’d say.

I’m not usually one to climb on the playground equipment with the girls (I have Chris for that!), but something about that mountain air changes me, friends 😉

We adore the Frisco Bay Marina — it’s the perfect, low-key spot for families!

It’s also the perfect spot to live vicariously through people who rent things there, like kayaks and canoes.

Em is happiest checking out her surroundings … the older girls are happiest when snacking.

After hanging in the bay for a while, we walked into town and headed straight for our favorite outdoor lunch spot, right next to Foote’s Rest Sweet Shoppe (because ending a trip to the mountains with ice cream is a must, obviously).

Em has started standing (with help), and even though it literally pains me how quickly she’s growing up, I’m so, so proud of her.

After our busy Sunday in Frisco, I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about actually getting out the door on Monday with all three girls like I planned, but Lotte happened to have the day off, and I was determined to make it work. So we packed up the car, and I headed to the Denver Zoo with my girlies.

Lucky for me, Lotte was more than happy to help push Grace, since I had Em strapped to me the whole time.

We had our ups and downs on this little outing, but overall, I’m so grateful that I have a flexible job that allows me to do fun and spontaneous things like this with my girlies.

Heading to the Zoo first thing in the morning is without a doubt the best time, we’ve found. It’s less busy, of course, but also the animals are always out and about!

We did something new on this trip, which was to feed the Lorikeets! So. Much. Fun!

We road the train, too, which as you can probably tell by these faces is one of our all-time favorite Zoo activities.

Anyway, a very happy and healthy start to the week to you, my dear friends! I hope whatever craziness you’re getting up to right now, that your able to take a beat and enjoy the little things, too.

Bis bald, friends!

Frisco, Colorado for the Perfect Labor Day Weekend

Published on September 3, 2019 by Cheryl Lock1 Comment

Happy Tuesday, friends! I hope you all had a happy (and hopefully relaxing) holiday weekend. Chris & I took our lot to the mountains for a little getaway in Frisco, Colorado. We had only been there once before when we stopped for breakfast on our way back from Beaver Creek two summers ago, and I made a mental note back then that we would have to come back and stay for longer. Plus, spending one of the final summer weekends in the mountains seemed like a good way to top off a summer of adventures.

Continue reading “Frisco, Colorado for the Perfect Labor Day Weekend” →

Final Summer Weekends in the Mountains

Published on August 28, 2017 by Cheryl Lock1 Comment

Hi friends,

I know, I know – there are still weeks left in summer, but to me, everything is already changing. The kids are back in school here. It’s chilly in the mornings. There’s lots of talk of snowboarding and skiing. I don’t know – it’s been a good summer, but I’m actually ready for the fall.

Late summer/early fall is one of my favorite times to visit the mountains, and we spent a lovely couple of days this past weekend in Beaver Creek and Frisco. We got a great deal to stay at the amazing Beaver Creek Lodge on Travelzoo, so we packed up the car and headed out. Even though we didn’t arrive until around 11 on Saturday, we packed it in. We checked out and had lunch (and gelato, of course) in the village, took a hike, Lotte & Chris swam in the pool (which they had all to themselves and Lotte was obsessed with!) and we went out to dinner. It was a really great day.

On Sunday we stopped at the Frisco Marina Park on our way home, took a little walk and grabbed lunch in town at Butterhorn Bakery & Cafe. All-in-all it was a great way to spend a weekend. Hope you guys had a good one, too, and are gearing up for some fun Labor Day plans! We’ll be getting ready for our trip to California next week (San Francisco, Sequoia and Yosemite! We’re so excited!), so it’ll be all packing and cleaning for us here. (Although we may try to at least take in the local parade.)

Have a great week, friends!

^^ My sister got Lotte this onesie before she was even born, and it’s by far the outfit she’s worn the most in her life!

^^ The ice skating rink behind this statue was closed during the day, but they actually opened it up at night when we came back for dinner. If I weren’t almost six month preggers I would have been all over that!

^^ Gelato — yum! We had sandwiches and dessert at Rimini Chocolate and Gelato in the town square, which were all delicious, if not very overpriced!

^^ While I’m sure Chris would have enjoyed a hike with more oomph, the 5 Senses Trail was just perfect for me in my current state 😉 It was also really cute for kids, with signs along the way about our five senses and how they relate to the wilderness.

^^ Always trying to get a good family shot with the self timer …

^^ And always failing!

^^ It’s mountain bike season, can you tell?!

^^ There were at least two weddings going on this weekend that we saw. Can you imagine a prettier backdrop?

^^ My little fam <3

^^ The pool!!!!! This was actually Lotte’s first pool experience, and since she loves, loves, loves bath time, we assumed she’d love the pool, too. We. Were. Right! She was obsessed! She kept kicking her legs and moving all around – it was the cutest thing. Swim lessons, here we come!

^^ All gussied up for dinner at Dusty Boot. (My shrimp tacos were seriously delicious, and we even ordered Lotte her own little salmon from the kids’ menu. Sigh. She’s getting so big.)

^^ Frisco Marina Park!

^^ And finishing up our trip with lunch (breakfast, actually) at Butterhorn Bakery & Cafe in the cute little town.

We sure do love you, mountains. Luckily my friend Lisa is coming to visit the first week in October and we’ve booked a quick night away in Vail, just the two of us, so I’ll back!

Bis bald, friends! And happy last week of August!