December is literally the darkest month of the year, but the darkness brings reflection and preparing to welcome the light back in. We were homebodies for the first month this year, and while I’m craving the road in a very specific way, I’m also loving the nesting we’ve done this year.
Travel Planning this Month
This month has been a fair amount of Patagonia prep. My dad and I are going on a TrovaTrip hosted by someone I follow on Instagram (@wanderful_em) and we’ve been doing the last of the forms and I’ve been doing a little shopping for some new items I need (realistically want) for this trip.
Other planning for me has involved trying to choose which TrovaTrip I WANT TO HOST! That’s right! In 2026, I’m going to be hosting one or possibly two small, active tours with TrovaTrip! Woohoo! So keep an eye out for more updates on this, and if you’re interested in potentially joining me, fill out this survey so I know more about where YOU want to go!
Travel this Month
This is the first month that we’ve done zero travel. No day trips, no tattoo sessions…. nothing. Part of it has me itching to get on the road even more than normal, but we’ve also opted out of doing more this month to save more for next year’s adventures. It’s been a lot of working, a lot of saving and a lot of motivation for money saving.
Local Adventures This Month
Honestly, with December being such a busy month, we haven’t even taken many local adventures. I took the kids to Wonders of Wildlife one day with Shea, and my women’s hiking club hit a trail I’d never done before. So that was a ton of fun! My grandma took my mom, Charleigh and me to go see Frozen at a local theater here in town and that was a really lovely four generation ladies’ night.
We had an unseasonably warm Christmas season, so we took a Christmas Eve hike at the nature center and it went unbelievably well. Matt’s parents, his sister-in-law and her sister all joined us and it was a really beautiful day that meant a lot to me. Then, my dad, the kids and I did a quick little hike our at Fellow’s Lake during our unseasonably warm winter stint.
Shea, Kate and I had intended to do a hike none of us had ever done for our girls day this month, but, alas, my daughter got sick and I had to stay home, but I feel like that’s something we’ll be able to do next month if we get lucky with weather again.
Blog Posts from December
Girls Trip to Asheville, North Carolina for Thomas Dambo Trolls and Beyond – This is a fun little recap of the trip my mom, Charleigh and I took out to Asheville, North Carolina. I love making memories with my two favorite ladies.
Visiting National Parks in 2026 – Fees, Permits, and More from A to Z – Every year things get more complicated when it comes to visiting national parks because they’re putting in more steps to protect our public lands. Plus, there have been large changes in the fees to our national parks for non-residents of the United States.
Things to Know Before Visiting Capitol Reef National Park in Utah – This is a list of all the things to know before visiting Capitol Reef National Park. This covers entrance fees, hours of certain things, trail info, and more.
2025 Blogging and Travel Roundup – This is my year’s roundup and it was an amazing 107 days filled with adventure. Plus, this roundup includes our blogging roundup and top experiences and places from 2025. What. A. Year.
Quote of the Month
At this big age, I’m more interested in how my life feels than how it looks.”
Best Thing I Ate in December
We went to Avanzare for my brother-in-law’s birthday dinner and I had that sensational brown butter sage steak and OMG. I will forever be obsessed with that meal.
What I Read in December
I had dreams of finishing multiple books in this dark month of December, but, alas. I got busy… again and listened to a couple of audiobooks (including Brimstone – so steamy!, but I only made some progress on The Nature Fix and Devotions: Selected Poems by Mary Oliver. Here’s hoping I’ll be able to read more in January. I have a daily page count to read that I want to take more seriously in 2026.
Most Popular Blog Post in December
The Ultimate Gift Guide for National Park Lovers – This has topped the charts the past few holiday seasons. In fact it’s the top ranked gift guide for national park lovers! If you need a gift idea for the national park lover in your life, no matter the holiday, look no further than this post!
Wild Motherhood Update
What I’ve learned this month is I have a hard time getting outside and staying outside when it’s cold outside. I also didn’t get my winter clothes out until halfway through the month… so I’ve been brainstorming more ideas on how to get outside even when it’s cold outside, but then we had a week of spring weather that gave me life and got us all outside a whole lot more! Matt and I also got the kids a climbing dome that I’m really excited about for the coming years. I love that it’ll be a fun space for them to climb and play in our own backyard because we don’t have any trees to climb. We had a beautiful Christmas season weather-wise and they’re already so obsessed with it. I even opened the windows and did chores inside while they played outside on their own, and it was everything I’ve ever wanted.
Home and Life in December
I feel like this was the craziest month of the year. The holidays are always super busy, but this month I took on a lot more at work at the brewery both for this month and planned for the next year/month. So, I’ve been insanely busy. The blog has also kept me busy, which I love, but it certainly does take time.
The kids have been going through some growing pains as siblings as they both want to assert their independence but are also both very reactive. So, it’s a fun new chapter that we’re working through, but those moments that they’re happily playing and laughing together are unbelievably sweet. It has gotten better as the month went on, I will say.
In the midst of all the craziness of the holidays, Matt and I decided to do some home renovations, because why wouldn’t we? Matt bought me a Victoria Rose Park canvas print that I’ve been dying for since it was released a couple of years ago. After he built a frame for it and hung it we decided well, we need a new light fixture for over the stairs, then I wanted to paint one accent wall. We started with terracotta and didn’t love it so we switched to green and then painted two more walls in our kitchen the same color because we loved that color so much! Then we replaced the fixture in front of our door, which was our only non-updated fixture in the living room. Then I thought, it’s time for curtains, so we hung curtains in both the kitchen and living room. Yes, all in a 6-day span in the midst of the holidays.
What’s Coming in January
January is one of my favorite months… not because it bring a lot of adventure, but it does bring that sweet, sweet feeling of a fresh, new start. Which I absolutely love. I have so many goals for 2026 – more than ever before, I think. I have set my words for 2026: abundance and reciprocity. Two words I had so beautifully redefined in the book Braiding Sweetgrass in ways that it has altered my brain chemistry. I can’t wait to write more about that book soon too. I have just been feeling an insanely motivated, inspired and ready to grow in really big ways in 2026. And I hope that you all are feeling that too!
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