Year in Review Archives - Weary Wanderer

2023: A Year in Review

Published on January 5, 2024January 5, 2024 by Cheryl LockLeave a comment

Not a bad way to spend the beginning of October <3

Another one bites the dust, my friends! So here we are, with 2023 in the rear view mirror, and what a year it was. Travelwise, it was simply stellar. Things in the world, of course, continue to throw me (and everyone paying attention) off kilter. With that always in my mind, I continue to be forever grateful for the opportunities I have with my family to explore and enjoy what’s beautiful about this great big earth we all live on.

So, without further adieu, here’s what we got up to in 2023!

January

Celebrating 10 years married (!) in New Zealand!

At the beginning of the year our family was still on the other side of the world. Chris and I rang in the New Year (ahead of everyone we know!) on our anniversary trip in New Zealand, then finished up our Australia visit with a trip to Chris’ families’ favorite beach, Forster. The girls got to check out the Sydney Harbor area for the first time, too!

The girls and dad at the Sydney Harbor Bridge.

Forster with the fam. We love you Auntie Sare-Bear!

Once we were back in the states, Emilia and I packed our bags (again) and turned around fairly quickly for a trip back east to meet my new twin baby niece and nephew!

February

In February we had a visit from some of our New York besties, so we did our best to show them the Colorado sites!

We also checked out Meow Wolf, which was so trippy!

March

In March we celebrated “spring break” with SO MUCH SNOW at Grand Lake! We stayed in a tiny cabin, walked on a lake, rode sleds off our roof and traipsed through Rocky Mountain National Park up to our knees in fluffy powder. It was a delightful (if somewhat cold) time!

April

April was a big month, what with ME TURNING 40 AND ALL! We celebrated with a tick off my bucket list: A trip to Glacier National Park in Montana. She was all that I could have hoped for and more. So stinkin’ beautiful!

You can’t go wrong with a hot tub in nature!

Polebridge Mercantile was an extra-special treat, especially with the puppies we played with outside!

Thanks for making my bday extra special, Montana. She was one I’ll never forget <3

June

The Museum of Natural History was such a highlight on our kick-off-the-summer trip to NYC!

Right when the girls got out of school we hit the road! We headed back to one of our favorite spots — New York! — but this time with a twist. We stayed in one of my bestie’s Brooklyn brownstone basement apartments and let our family come to us! We traipsed around the city and took in so many sites (blogged about here, here and here). It was the trip of a lifetime, and so much stinkin’ fun!

Meeting up with the fam in Cold Spring was a big perk <3

We love the Museum of Natural History whale!

But really … it was about being with our loves <3

July & August

I blogged about making the most of summer here (because we really, really did!), and our three amazing press trips (to Grand Colorado on Peak 8, the Park Hyatt in Beaver Creek and C Lazy U Ranch outside of Granby) all definitely helped!

Second baseball game for the girls! Seeing the Rockies play in Denver, this time.

Rode the gondola up to the mountain resort above our hotel.

August

Meeting up with my oldest friends from elementary school in Savannah Georgia!

To celebrate the big 4-0 for all of us, three of my besties from elementary school and I met up in Savannah, Georgia, for a weekend filled with fun and walks down memory lane! We had the best time catching up, checking out a new town, and just generally cheers-ing to life!

We took a historic tour and a nighttime haunted stories tour, both of which I would highly recommend!

September

For Labor Day weekend we headed back to New York (as I was fond of saying, New York was needy this year!). My little twinsies were baptized — and Chris & I were the godparents! — and we got to see all our fam again, which is always the best. I even went back to New York at the end of September — all my myself — for my cousin’s adorable and delightful wedding.

Always reminded of how very, incredibly blessed I am <3

Such a fun time watching my baby cousin get married in such a beautiful place!

October

Oh, October, how delightful were thee! I consider October to have been split into two EPIC events — the first was our trip to Disneyland with Grandpa! and the second was Chris’ 40th birthday adventures with ALL HIS IMMEDIATE FAMILY IN TOWN FROM AUSTRALIA!

Look. The joy I felt in Disney — watching the absolute love on my kids’ faces — was very, very real.

Thanks, Grandpa, for joining in on the fun/mayhem!

We were home from Disney for two days before Chris left for a work trip to Disney World, and then his parents arrived two days after that! Little did Chris know, though, that the rest of his siblings — all four of ’em — were also Colorado bound. It was so. much. fun!

Happy birthday babe — thanks for giving us another reason to all be together <3

December

We started our holiday season with a quick trip back to New York (yup, again!) for Grandpa’s surprise 60th and a delightful visit with our besties in the city for some holiday shenanigans!

The girls saw their first Rockette show!

Bryant Park is a delight during the holidays, even in the rain 😉

To close out our holiday season — and the year! — we took an EPIC European holiday trip to Germany and France, Switzerland, and Iceland with Chris’ parents. We visited Christmas markets, ate delicious food, soaked in a geothermal hot tub and just generally had the time of our lives.

Phew … what a year! And now, blink, it’s 2024. We can’t wait to see what unfolds.

Bis bald, friends. Thanks for being here 😉

2022: A Year in Review

Published on January 10, 2023January 10, 2023 by Cheryl LockLeave a comment

Welcome to my 2022 Year in Review post, coming to ya fresh from halfway through the first month of the new year 😉

Happy 2023, friends! Last year was a good one for us, travelwise, with some major bucket list items ticked off. As we begin to fill out our calendar with new travel hopes and dreams, it’s always fun to look back on the year that was …

March

We had the absolute most amazing visit with Nan & Poppa back in March, which included their first time meeting Emilia and our first stay in Winter Park.

We had so much fun on our trip to Winter Park!

April

In April we stayed at a farmhouse with goats and visited the Paint Mines for my birthday.

May

In May we took advantage of the week between the end of school and the start of the girls’ summer camps to check out Seattle. We saw all the sites, visited Olympic National Park and made Grace’s life by riding the famous ferris wheel.

June

In June, Lotte & I took a short but sweet trip back East to hang with fam, just the two of us <3

August

The Royal Gorge in August was a royally gorgeous (!) treat!

October

In October I traveled back to New York on my own to visit friends in the city and throw my sister a surprise baby sprinkle.

Later in October we stayed at the most adorable Airbnb in Colorado Springs for Chris’ birthday and checked out the Manitou Cliff Dwellings, Garden of the Gods and Cave of the Winds.

November/December

In late November and early December we were so lucky to get the opportunity to try out both the YMCA of The Rockies at Snow Mountain Ranch and then again in Estes Park.

And on Sunday morning, we woke up to gorgeous, snow-dusted vistas.

And then late December/early January was, of course, our trip to end all trips — a surprise 24-hour layover in San Francisco, Christmas at Chris’ parents house in Bathurst, Australia, a little getaway to New Zealand that Chris and I managed for our anniversary/New Years Eve, and a trip to Forster, the beach that Chris grew up visiting with his family.

We were able to take so many fun trips this year and spend so much time with people we love, and after the past few years, we definitely don’t take that for granted. Traveling with kids is hard and expensive, it’s exhausting and there are parts that, to be honest, are just not fun. But at the end of the day, we always end up with amazing memories, and as the girls get older it only seems to get better and better.

This year we’re hoping to make some trips out to New York, potentially head to California for my birthday, and then visit Disney Land (the girls don’t know!) in October. Who knows what else we’ll get up to, but having some trips to look forward to always helps me feel optimistic about the year ahead.

Hope you’re all having a great start to the New Year, with some fun things planned for the upcoming months, as well. Bis bid!

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!

our family of four after hiking Old Dillon Reservoir Trail

2019: A Year in Review

Published on December 31, 2019 by Cheryl LockLeave a comment

A very merry, bright and happy holiday season to all of you! It has been super quiet on here lately because, to be honest, the final few months of this year have been the busiest of our lives. Selling a house, buying a house, having two small children and jobs has basically consumed all of our time. We are very happy to be spending some down time at the end of this year with Chris’s brother and his wife (visiting from Australia!), as well as with my sister and her husband and their baby. It’s a quieter holiday than we’re used to, and we are very happy about it! Before the clock strikes New Year, I wanted to take a second to round up a year that included our daughters’ first-ever international trips, my first-ever girlfriend getaway since having kids, Chris & my first-ever overnight trip away from the girls, my first-ever Mom-daughter trip with G, a lot of fun press trips, the happiest amount of trips back to New York, and a bunch of other fun mountain getaways sprinkled in, as well.

Hope you are all having fabulous, relaxing holidays with your loved ones – and cheers to a fabulous 2020!

January
The beginning of this year — which feels like decades ago — started out with our little family having the time of our lives visiting friends and family in Australia (here, here and here). We had about a week back in the states before Grace and I turned around and took our first-ever solo Mom-daughter trip out to New York for my sister’s baby shower. It truly was amazing to be able to start our year off in such a spectacular fashion …

Mount Panorama, Bathurst, Australia

Manly Beach, Australia

Coogee Beach, Australia

February
In February we welcomed Auntie Kate into our home for a three-month visit, which included a trip out to Granby Ranch for some snowboarding, hikes in Golden and day dates in Evergreen.

Granby Ranch, CO

Granby Ranch, CO

Golden, CO

Evergreen Lake, CO

March
March was a special month, when the whole family flew out to New York to meet baby Ro for the first time. We also said a sad farewell to Auntie Kate at the end of the month, but at least we sent her home in style.

Grand Central Station

Standley Lake

Downtown Denver

April
We celebrated my birthday in April by driving up to the top of Pike’s Peak, which was my first-ever 14er experience. I closed out the month of April by meeting up with a girlfriend in Nashville for my first-ever girlfriends getaway since having babies.

Summit sign of Pikes Peak mountain in Colorado

Pikes Peak, Colorado

Pikes Peak, Colorado

Garden of the Gods, Colorado

Nashville, Tennessee

Nashville

Nashville, Tennessee

May
My lovely husband surprised me for my birthday by getting me another solo trip in May — this time over Memorial Day weekend, and out to New York to visit my sister and new niece, all by myself <3

June
June was a very fun month when I flew out to Massanutten, Virginia for a press trip with my best friend from college. We even stopped by JMU for a quick tour before heading into the mountains.

Massanutten, VA

Massanutten, Virginia

July
July was an epic month for us, as well. A new gig as the Denver Ambassador for Happy Active Family kept me busy exploring our area with the girls (a taste of some of our outings can be found here, here, here, here, and here), and we all flew out to New York for the end of July/early August to celebrate Lotte’s birthday, take some family photos, visit New York City with the girls and attend my cousin’s wedding.

Standley Lake, Arvada, CO

Standley Lake, CO

Lair o’ the Bear, Colorado

Morrison, CO

Happy travelers!

Liberty State Park, New Jersey

Upstate New York friends

Upstate New York

Central Park, NYC

Upper East Side Apartment

Bethesda Fountain

Albany Wedding

August
In August, The Source Hotel + Market Hall invited me out to stay at the hotel and attend the New Orleans-style Bacchanal celebration.

September
In September we took a Labor Day trip to Frisco that was glorious and gorgeous and wonderful, and exactly what our little family needed to prepare for the hectic and crazy fall season.

Frisco Bay Marina, Colorado

Our family of four hiking near Frisco, Colorado

Old Dillon Reservoir Trail

Old Dillon Reservoir, Silverthorn, CO

clouds reflected in Old Dillon Reservoir

Old Dillon Reservoir, Colorado

Old Dillon Reservoir, Silverthorne, CO

dad and daughter hiking around Old Dillon Reservoir Trail

Old Dillon Reservoir Trail, Silverthorne, CO

Old Dillion Reservoir Trail

mountain and cloud reflections at Old Dillon Reservoir Trail

Frisco Bay Marina, Frisco, Colorado

little girl looking out over Sapphire Point Overlook

dad and two daughters playing in frisco bay marina, colorado

young girl staring at water in frisco bay marina, colorado

October
October became a super fun month when we hosted Nan and Poppa on their surprise trip from Australia, and then headed over to Colorado Springs for a long weekend while we sold our house back home.

Four Mile Historic Park, Denver, CO

November/December
November and December have been filled with prepping a house to move and moving into our new place. We celebrated a low-key Thanksgiving with friends in town, prepped the house to host Christmas, I flew to New York for a super-quick holiday visit with some family, we hosted MomMom & Papa and Grandpa Robert and celebrated G’s 2nd birthday, and we are now relaxing and enjoying the final few days of the year with Ben & Lauren, Steph & Brian & Rosalie.

Going back through our adventures from this past year I am reminded of how truly, truly lucky and blessed we are. There have been times throughout this year when I’ve felt stressed and overwhelmed. There have been times I’ve felt like I wasn’t doing enough — whether that was with the girls, in my marriage, traveling, in my career or on this blog. The truth is, though, it truly was a wonderful year, and it really is a wonderful life. Life is what you make of it, friends, and if you’re lucky enough to make a great one, enjoy every moment.

Bis bald, friends – and cheers to all the adventures that 2020 will bring!

2018: A Year in Review

Published on December 18, 2018August 27, 2019 by Cheryl LockLeave a comment

Well friends, somehow — and I’m really not sure how — this photo was taken on New Years Eve ONE YEAR AGO. 2018 is coming to a close, and since we leave for Australia the day after tomorrow, I figured I should put together my Year In Review post before we head out, and then just add Epic Australia, as I will from now on be calling it, once we’re back.

So without further adieu, here is a bit of what we got up to in the year that started with us expanding our little family ….

Continue reading “2018: A Year in Review” →

2017: A Year in Review

Published on December 29, 2017August 27, 2019 by Cheryl LockLeave a comment

Happy almost 2018, my friends! This year has felt both incredibly long and exhausting and like it flew by and was exhilarating. And while we didn’t do any international travel, we did manage to make many fun trips to the mountains and back east, and our epic trip to California to check out some national parks was definitely one of my faves.

Next year we’ll be traveling with two kids, which seems somehow both super stressful and lots of fun 🙂 Either way I look forward to making many, many travel memories with this little family of mine. Travel has become such an important part of mine and Chris’ life together, so I hope we can impart some of that love for travel to Lotte & Grace, as well.

So here’s to a 2018 filled with fun, love, health … and lots and lots of travel!

Continue reading “2017: A Year in Review” →

Year In Review: So Long 2016

Published on January 2, 2017August 27, 2019 by Cheryl LockLeave a comment

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^^ A very merry, happy, jolly 2017, from our little family to yours.

Well friends, 2016 is over and I have to say … I don’t miss it one bit. Of course Lotte being born was the best thing that’s ever happened to me, but other than that, 2016 was kind of awful in a lot of ways. So we’re moving on over here, embracing 2017 with open arms and hoping that it’s a much kinder year.

We’ve had family in town since before the holiday so I’m way far behind on my WW postings, but for now, here’s a short look back at what we got up to in 2016 …

Continue reading “Year In Review: So Long 2016” →

Year In Review: The 365 Days That Were 2015

Published on December 31, 2015August 27, 2019 by Cheryl LockLeave a comment

Welcome to the end of 2015, friends. Each year seems to go by faster and faster, doesn’t it? Chris and I had a heck of a 365 days, including a move halfway across the country, new jobs and lots of states crossed off our bucket list. So without further adieu, here’s a bit of what we got up to this year:

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The Year 2014: A Review

Published on December 30, 2014August 27, 2019 by Cheryl LockLeave a comment

Well, friends, it’s been quite the year! When I’m old and grey and looking back on my travels, this will certainly be one of my favorite years to reference. Here’s how our adventure-filled 365 days played out:

Continue reading “The Year 2014: A Review” →

The Year 2013: A Review

Published on December 31, 2013August 27, 2019 by Cheryl LockLeave a comment

Hi friends,

Well it’s that time of year again — the one where everyone takes a couple minutes to take stock of how the past 12 months have gone? This year has been a particularly important one for myself and Chris. It was our first year of married life. It was a year spent celebrating our marriage around the world with family and friends. It was a year that we made some pretty big decisions about our future (not yet shared here!), and one that had a lot of amazing traveling in it …

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The Year 2012: A Review

Published on January 15, 2013August 27, 2019 by Cheryl LockLeave a comment

Hey friends,

So I thought I’d start a new yearly tradition here at Weary Wanderer wherein I share my travels from the year before, along with some of my favorite photo memories from the place. January always makes people reminisce over the past year, and as I gathered together the photos I wanted to share from 2012, I realized how truly blessed I am to have been able to travel to the places I’ve been, and to have the people in my life that I do.

So without further ado…here’s to 2012–quite the year for travel!

Continue reading “The Year 2012: A Review” →

Year in Review: Here’s to a New Year and Fabulous New Travels

Published on December 31, 2010August 27, 2019 by Cheryl Lock1 Comment

Hi friends,

So 2010 comes to a roaring close at midnight tonight. Last year for New Years Chris and I were watching the fireworks explode over the Sydney Harbor Bridge. Still, this year I’m happy to ring in a new year with dinner at a good restaurant and drinks with friends afterwards.

Continue reading “Year in Review: Here’s to a New Year and Fabulous New Travels” →