Holy cow! How has a whole other month already flown by?! And beyond that, a whole other year. Our December was, once again, marred with highs and lows. I think that’s just life, huh? We all took turns being sick – Hand Foot and Mouth made its way into our home – but we also had a ton of fun for the holidays!
Travel Planning This Month
We got our destinations figured out for our 24 day summer trip, or as Matt is very cutely calling it, Nomad Summer. We decided to break it into 3 camping destinations filled with the ability to day trip or road trip to different adventures from these jumping off points. Our destinations are: Ouray, Moab and Estes Park. That’s right, I’m going to Moab twice next year! I could not be more excited!
My dad and I have our father/daughter hiking trip destinations planned! We’re going to New Mexico and Texas! I’m so excited because we’ll be visiting three national parks we’ve never been to and we have a couple other fun stops planned too! Plus, we’re going to go for a full week, which we haven’t done in over a decade, and without my kiddos. I’m so excited to have a trip like this with my dad again, even if I’ll miss my babies like crazy.
Super spontaneously on Christmas night, we booked a trip to South Dakota to visit Badlands National Park (and beyond) for Mother’s Day! I’ve wanted to go camping for Mother’s Day for the last two years and it just hasn’t worked out, so this year, Matt sweetly made it a priority and we’re going to spend it exploring a new park and state for Matt, Charleigh, and Liam and a park I’ve been wanting to do more hiking in! Plus, we’re going to go to Devil’s Tower, which I haven’t been to since I was eight or so!
Travel This Month
My mom and I took a really wonderful girls trip to the little German town of Hermann, Missouri. We had heard that there was a Christmas Market at a winery up there, cute shops and more. While we didn’t see as much Christmas festivity as we had anticipated, we still had an absolutely incredible time, met some fun people and spent to much quality time together. It was just a really special trip!
I spent my last day of travel getting tattooed! I have the best tattoo artist and she killed it framing this geometric piece she gave me in 2021. I can’t wait to finish sleeving out this piece, starting in February. Matt had an appointment the next day and his second sleeve is off to an amazing start too! He’s got a stunning elk and mountain-scape.
Travel Laughs and Mishaps This Month
This isn’t a real “mishap” but my mom and I chose Hermann for its Christmas festivities and it wasn’t quite what we had in mind. But, that said, it was still an amazing time and we made the absolute most of it!
Blog Posts from December
A Monthly Recap: November 2024: This is a monthly recap, just like this one, of all the adventures and craziness we got up to last month.
Our Favorite Toys for Adventurous Toddlers: We have 2 very adventurous toddlers, and what I love about them is that they’re super adventurous in very different ways. We put together a list of our favorite toys we use on road trips, outside and in the camper. Plus, our kids’ favorite books as well!
My 16th Annual Father/Daughter Hiking Trip (Plus Kids) in Central Kentucky: This is a recap of 2024’s father daughter hiking trip! How lucky am I that we’ve done 16 of these and that my dad is so easy-going and adaptable enough to bring a 1-year-old and 3-year-old with us!?
The Dells Trail At Matthiessen State Park, Illinois: This was our favorite hike on our trip up to a couple of state parks in Illinois. And the craziest part is that this was a total happenstance. We had no plan to go to Matthiessen State Park, but we followed our wanderlust… and one of those little brown signs.
Things to Know Before Visiting Zion National Park: Zion National Park is the latest in this national park series I’ve been working on this year. This post holds all the things I’d want to know for my first visit to Zion National Park.
2024 Travel + Blogging Roundup: This is my post wrapping up the year of 2024. I share some top travel moments, a handful of different “top 3” superlatives, and a blogging roundup of the year. I love wrapping up a year. It feels so clean and crisp and has me looking ahead to 2025!
Local Adventures in December
I went to a new-to-me coffee shop with my friend Shea called Trailer Perk Coffee. She and I have been doing a coffee date just about each week, and I really love it. Then, Alaina and I went to a new-to-me restaurant called Señor Julians and holy cow! I am obsessed with their Quesabirria! I have already had it three times this month… no shame.
Best Thing I Ate in December
The best thing I ate this month is the quesabirria I mentioned above. Holy cow! It’s truly just so good. I order mine sin cilantro, so that’s why it looks like something is missing.
What I Read in December
I’ve been listening to the Stephanie Plum series. It’s silly and entertaining and easy to listen to during this busy season of life while still engaging my brain to a degree. I listen to it a lot when I’m cleaning house or driving in my car.
I’m still working on Braiding Sweetgrass. I had hoped to finish it before the end of the year – I’ve made great progress, but still not finished. I am learning so much from it. And I got four new books for Christmas that are kinda on the same theme of this and How to Raise a Wild Child, that I’m really excited to dive into in 2025. I’m constantly wanting to learn how to be a better, wilder mother and woman. I’m always trying to build a stronger nature connection in myself and for my babies.
Most Popular Instagram Post & Reel in December
Life Updates in December
This probably will seem like a silly “life update” but I took a coffee date with Charleigh for the very first time. She had cocoa and a cake pop and felt (and looked) like such a big girl. It was one of those things that I was excited about, but had no idea that it was a moment I had been waiting for my whole life – core memory, for sure.
We had a wonderful Christmas season – I hope your holidays were merry and bright! We had the most fun we’ve had this time of year with Charleigh! She’s just old enough to be really into it. Liam is still a little young and was pretty fussy this holiday season, but we enjoyed the beautiful moments with him that we did have. We’re already looking forward to next year again. Both kids were amazingly patient with all of the gatherings we had.
What’s Coming in January?
At this point, we have no travel planned for the month of January, but we do have a lot of planning that I think we’ll be doing through the month for the upcoming year. I am getting so excited and so inspired for 2025. I’m sure in January, we’ll start filling in some weekends for the camper season to have adventures and make memories.
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