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
HOT TUB TIME!Chris ran his marathon in three hours and eight seconds. LEGEND.I was quite proud, to say the least<3
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 saw Lyle the Crocodile!We checked out the Bubble Planet Immersive Experience in Denver!We went swimming at the Apex Center!Lotte, Steph & Ro got their ears pierced!We went to the Science Museum!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.
New Mexico!We stayed in the most beautiful spot!Spring skiing is the best!Pottery at the Imagine Children’s Museum was an unexpected delight.Such a gorgeous trip <3
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!Lotte singing at a Rockies game!The Wiz at the Buell Theater in Denver!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!
Madeira Island, PortugalBarcelona, SpainVenice, ItalyDolomites, ItalyNuremberg, GermanyReims, FranceParis, FranceDisneyland ParisBruggeAmsterdamIreland
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!
Solo NY trip with my girl <3We 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.Lake swims!Fun at the fairground!
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.The Frisco Bay Marina always hits. 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.
Gem Lake, Rocky Mountain National Park
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
Core memories, ya’ll.Hot cocoa and cocktails in a cozy igloo by the Bryant Park ice skating rink? YES PLEASE.Nothing beats it.
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?!
Santa at the Sunsphere!SO PROUD OF LOTTE!Ice skating for the win!
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!
I mean, amazing, but also … hot! There were heat advisories on both Monday and Tuesday which, of course, were the two days that we had our biggest outdoor plans. But you know what? Heat. Be. Damned! We did ’em anyway! And yes our faces were flushed and we drank our body weight in water (and champagne and Aperol Spriztes) and sweated it all out as soon as we drank it … but it was a damn good time 😉
Chris’ mom came to visit us when Lotte was three months old and when she would change Lotte’s diapers she would read from the world ABCs poster above Lotte’s changing table. The “P” was for Paris, and Nan used to say that some day she would bring Lotte to Paris to visit.
Dream trip complete.
We stayed in an old hotel-turned-Airbnb about 30 minutes outside of Paris, which was so much fun for our crew!Look at these cuties, all ready for adventures and Bucket Lists and all the things!<3<3<3I’m honestly so proud of how these girls handled the day, considering that it was sweltering.We paid to head all the way to the top, and it was a delight. Seriously, the crowds were way less, and it was breezy and shady and beautiful. Totally worth it. If you want to head to the top, check the website and note the day that tickets open up, because they sell out FAST. Like, Taylor-Swift-concert fast 😉Those views!I cannot.Plus … champagne! For the price of your first-born’s college tuition, you can get a glass 😉Worth it.Chris, Emilia, Grandpa & I walked down from the 2nd floor observation area, which was actually a lot of fun!A well-deserved lunch afterwards. The place we stopped didn’t get great reviews so I won’t link it, but for us, the proximity to the Tower was worth the price tag. (And it was a HEFTY price tag!)This ended up NOT being vegan and DID give Emilia a small reaction. But at least in the moment she enjoyed it.Tuesday was … Disney Paris Day! We had the best time!
It was about 100 degrees on the day that we visited Disney Paris, and while yes, that’s insane, I also thoroughly believe that spending a sweltering day at Disney was far better than it would have been to be in the city of Paris. Disney just does everything well. The rides were air conditioned. The restaurants were air conditioned. They had water stations and misters and there was plenty of shade. It just really wasn’t as bad as you would imagine a 100-degree day spent outside would be.
These cuties.Pinocchio with Nan and Poppa! We ticked off SO MANY rides and I was so proud of our entire crew!Macaroons and the It’s a Small World ride. Perfection.Walking through Alice’s Maze was the best!Top of Alice’s castle.Colonel Hathi’s Outpost was the perfect mid-day pitstop. Cold. Dark. Humongous enough for the kids to run around in. Emilia loved the Star Tours ride!We hung out around our cute town on Wednesday (the Disney Drag is REAL!). The Wednesday market near the church — which is open until 1 — is a do-not-miss!We went to the market in the morning by ourselves, then came back later in the day with the girls to have them splash around in the sprinklers for a while.Ice creams and Aperol Spritzes to finish the day, obviously.
France, what can I say? You were above and beyond. Despite the heat, we had the best time. And now we’re on to Country No. 8 … Belgium! I’m so excited to stay in Brugge. I’ve heard the best things? Has anyone stayed there before? I’d love to hear!
My babies in the Germany town where I was born. The absolute best.
Hi friends! Welcome to the insane drive portion of our summer in Europe. We left the Dolomites around 6 a.m. on Friday to begin our journey to Paris, which would take us two days and include several stops along the way.
Most of the time the drive was stunning.
Our first stop was Innsbruck, Austria, for a park runaround and some sugar to wake us up.
Rapoldi Park was so much fun! It was huge, had beautiful gardens, a cafe, duck pond, and two playgrounds.Duck pond!Back at it!
Our second stop was the Chinese Beer Garden — located in the English Garden — in Munich. Chris and I had been here with his parents the last time we were in Munich, and Chris had such amazing memories of the food that we had to go back!
So pretty!YUM.This girl truly came into her love of meat on this trip!The merry-go-round was a hit!
Then we were off to our final stop of the night: Nuremburg, where I was born! Hotel Victoria was so perfect. Right at the beginning of the town center, and with a beautiful breakfast included in the price.
I couldn’t believe I finally made it to my birthplace with my girls!
It meant so much to me to be in Nuremburg with my babies! I hadn’t been back since I lived there as a kid, either, so it was truly a special night.
Oh Germany. I love you.We walked up to the Imperial Castle, which had amazing views of the city.Emilia basically ate pretzels the whole time. Le sigh.Twinning <3Core memories made, for sure.
After a 6-hour road trip back in the car on Saturday, we arrived in Reims, France! Our Airbnb was super close to the town center, so we went exploring right away.
Watermelon in our French courtyard.Reims, you are so super cute <3Obviously this carousel was a hit!Grace is a bit over photos. No one tell her we have two weeks left …Dinner at Brasserie Le Gaulois was SO GOOD. Breakfast was obviously of the bread and pastry persuasion.We toured a little bit around the Champagne region on our way out to Paris.Such a beautiful area of the world!
And then it was a little under two hours to our next stop … our Airbnb in France! But, that’s a story for another time 😉 Until then, bis bald, friends!
Happy New Year, friends! How it’s 2024, I’ll never know.
Okay, full disclosure before I get into this post: It was really hard for me to narrow down photos 😉 Like, harder than it usually is, which is already usually very hard. This European Christmas Trip of ours was EPIC, and it was made even more epic by the fact that we were able to do it all with Chris’ parents. Any time that we and the girls get to spend with them is special. To spend that time on vacation over Christmas in Europe?? I mean. What can I say?
To start, our place. We stayed at this sweet Airbnb in the Black Forest, and it surpassed my wildest dreams. The house itself was huge, with plenty of space for four adults and three kiddos. Plus, it was filled with so many games and toys that even if we never left the house, the kids would have stayed occupied for days. There was also a hike directly accessible from the back of the house that had breathtaking views. It was the perfect spot for us, and the best place to begin our European journey and spend Christmas.
How sweet is this cute little covered outdoor picnic area, too?! Here is poppa, hosting his ladies to a (brief but very sweet!) afternoon tea.The outdoor hut was also the perfect spot for housing some of our Christmas Day necessities 😉Our host even decorated for Christmas, leaving us a live Christmas tree and all her ornaments to adorn it with! It was the sweetest touch on her behalf.Here she is on Christmas Eve, fully decorated and ready for celebrating!Here’s one happy Grace, with a little of the view from our house behind her.Two of my little loves on Christmas Day <3Another two cuties on Christmas DayThe absolute best.Also the absolute best <3Even my mom came to hang for a bit. This was by far one of the most incredible moments of the trip, and trust me, there were many. IYKYK.There were tons of balconies, which made for amazing sunrise/sunset viewings!Cheers to this amazing spot in the world.
Although hanging out in the house would have been enough, I had specifically formulated the plan for this holiday with one goal in mind: CHRISTMAS MARKETS! Europe is known for them, and I wanted in. So … are you ready to market it up? Here’s where we went.
Thursday, December 21: Freiburg, Germany
Lotte looks fairly miserable in this photo, but that was after what was, trust me, a very fun night!
Our first Christmas Market was in Freiburg. Since this was our first one (well, Chris’ parents had already been to a couple by the time we arrived, but it was my first one!), I didn’t realize that the market is actually spread around the city. We kept stumbling on different sections of it as we walked around, which was a really nice surprise.
As a person who thoroughly enjoys holiday decor, these markets were MY JAM.We started in early on the treats, and did not stop.We went on every ride we saw!We drank ALL the Glühwein (hot wine!) we could find!I couldn’t love this holiday hopping crew any more <3
Friday, December 22: Baden-Baden, Germany
As you can see, in Baden-Baden, we weren’t messing around!
Next up was the Baden-Baden market, and the fondu igloo lunch I had booked us weeks before. This felt like the perfect excuse to don the matching Christmas sweaters that Nan had brought for us 😉 The day was chilly and rainy, but snuggled up inside our heated igloo with our fur blankets and tasty treats (you rent the igloo for three hour blocks and are welcome to walk around the market during that time and then go back to the igloo whenever you like) was the perfect way to spend this day and see this particular market.
The coziest!The cutest!Despite the weather — or perhaps because of it — this particular market felt so magical and festive. The girls loved checking out the ornate booths, and Nan loved teaching them how to shop!So much fun!The absolute best.We had the sweetest time! Nan & I have vowed to make a special trip back to Baden-Baden, which means “bath” and is actually known for its amazing spas!
Saturday, December 23: Gengenback, Germany
Such a beautiful spot!
We had a tough decision to make this day: Travel 3.5 hours each way to visit the Nuremberg (where I was born) markets, or head about 25 minutes away, to Gengenbach, to see their world-renowned life-size Advent Calendar. Ultimately we decided to stay local and head to Gengenbach, which I think was the right decision. All the more reason to make another trip back to Germany in the future to hit up my birth spot. Perhaps when we have a little more time.
This was the smallest of the markets that we visited, but it was also the sweetest town with the cutest Advent Calendar Town Hall.Each day leading up to Christmas they perform a short play with live music in front of their beautiful Town Hall building, then they lift the one (hand painted by a different artist each year!) window that corresponds to the day. We were there to see the 24th window get lifted — a fish for the Feast of Seven Fishes! — which felt extra special.Smiles all around <3
Sunday, December 24: Strasbourg, France
Glorious Strasbourg, France!
We classed it up on Christmas Eve and decided to head out to FRANCE. Strasbourg was about 45 minutes away, and it was easy to drive, park, and hop on a quick train to the Christmas markets. This event was sprawling, and so, so beautiful. We were even lucky enough to catch the tree lighting, accompanied with Christmas music, of course.
The markets were gorgeous, but even the buildings in the area were so ornately decorated.More Glühwein! You could get a small refund if you returned the cups that the wine was served in, but you best believe we kept all of them!When a picture says it all.Such a gorgeous area! They say this is the biggest Christmas tree in the world … but you know 😉More gorgeous buildings. I honestly could have spent days here wandering the streets and been quite content.This girl clung to her dad like glue the whole trip, which was super annoying for him but VERY nice for me! I didn’t have to carry her AND I always knew where she was 😉Insanely beautiful …Everywhere you looked …Thank you Strasbourg for a very special, unforgettable Christmas Eve!
Of course there are a very many more Christmas markets in Germany (and France and everywhere else in Europe, really) to visit, but these were centrally located to our house and I had read great things about them. After having now actually been to them, I can agree: There is nothing like Christmas in Europe. It stands alone. Nowhere else compares. The end.
After spending a relaxing Christmas Day and Boxing Day eating, drinking, hanging at our house, watching movies and playing games, we spent our final day in Germany checking out a bit more of the view around our town and heading to Lake Mummelsee, a beautiful lake with a quirky story.
Glorious views (and sun!) on our final day in Germany!Driving through the Black Forest to reach the lake also provided for some gorgeous views! Don’t forget the Dramamine! We’ve arrived!So pretty!Every day in Germany was fabulous, and the last day was no different.
I’ll be honest, friends … I had a lot of anxiety leading up to this trip. I worried someone would get sick or get hurt, and as our friends started dropping like flies to illness as our departure date got closer, I only got more and more nervous. Once we were on our flight to Germany, though, I realized … there’s nothing you can do about that. I could spend the trip worried, or I could relax and enjoy and know that we would handle whatever came our way.
Luckily, I can now say that other than a few coughs here and there, we were all GREAT. No illnesses to note. So see that? All that worrying was for naught. Wouldn’t a crystal ball be great so we could know all ends well ahead of time?
Anyway, that was about it for our Germany (and France!) expedition, friends! I’ll be back tomorrow with the second installment (third country!) of our adventure: SWITZERLAND!
