Happy New Year! I love a fresh start and this year feels like just that: a fresh start at a lot of things. I had this intention of saying yes this year. Being more spontaneous, giving more time to my kids, and just growing as an individual. I had no idea that this would literally start on the first day of the year, and it hasn’t stopped since! I’m feeling very excited and optimistic for 2025. This year feels life-changing. I can’t wait to see all the ways we grow as individuals and as a family.
Travel Planning This Month
I’ve been doing a lot of planning for our Badlands trip. It’s a little ways away, but I am so excited about it. I discovered that we’ll be really close to Wind Cave National Park and I am hoping we can visit another national park that none of us have been to while we’re on this trip!
Another trip that got planned on January 1st with my dad. I got a random phone call with one question “Do you and the kids want to go to Canada?” I asked, “Uh, when?!” and he said, “The 18th!” Of course, we’re in! So my dad booked a trip to rural Manitoba on a quest to see the northern lights. Luckily for me, the only planning I had to do for that trip was to get all the snow gear. That was really refrewshing, but did also come back to bite me a little bit. Haha.
Travel This Month
My dad and I went to rural, northern Manitoba with my kids. It was a week-long road trip with a few days in a cabin on a frozen lake. We had really low expectations for doing things on this trip, but it was filled with so many beautiful mini-adventures and even more beautiful memories. We saw northern lights, we hiked in the snow to a waterfall, ran out on a frozen lake, saw some interesting wildlife and so much more. This trip woke me up and fed my wild heart so much. I cannot wait to ride the inspiration from this trip through the rest of the year. I owe my dad so much for giving my kids and me such a beautiful experience.
Travel Laughs and Mistakes This Month
We missed a day in our cabin because my dad didn’t realize the cabin he booked was actually 2.5 hours further north than he planned and we literally didn’t realize until we were driving there that morning – from South Dakota, so we had to make an unexpected stop in Winnipeg for the night. But we made it work!
We learned just how cold cold can truly feel. I naively thought that once it hits zero, cold is just cold. Nope. -23 to -34 is painful. It’s so cold that it hurts. It’s like needles stabbing your skin and it literally takes your breath away. I will say, though, once you’ve experienced a windchill of -46, -12 feels a little warm!
Blog Posts from January
Looking Ahead to 2025: This is a little post about my goals for the new year: travel, personal and blogging. I love a fresh start and that’s how January first always feels for me. Full of inspiration and possibility.
National Parks That Will Require Reservations or Permits in 2025: Each year the US national parks are studying to see what would make the best experience for visitors and the wildlife within the park. But, that means that it’s constantly changing. So this post lists all the reservations and permits that will be required this year.
Things to Know Before Visiting Canyonlands National Park: This is another post in my things to know national park series (there are several others you can search for). Canyonlands National Park is such a special place in southern Utah and these are the things I’d want to know if I was visiting for the first time.
My Journey to Raise My Children Wild: This is one of my biggest goals of 2025. I want to foster nature connections, outside time and a love for the outdoors in my kids. This is a thing I’ve thought about a lot last year. I’m learning a lot and putting it into action in 2025!
Things to Know Before Visiting Grand Canyon National Park: Grand Canyon National Park is the second-most visited national park in the country, and for good reason! This post will help you make the most of your trip by sharing all the thing you should know before you visit.
Local Adventures in January
We took a little mini snow day adventure to Springfield Lake which was a lot of fun. Matt and I took turns doing the short bluff trail to overlook the lake and the snowy drive was beautiful.
We also went to Wonders of Wildlife. I feel so lucky to have this so close to us! I feel like our kids notice something new every single time. We went with my parents for the first time, which was fun. Charleigh loved being a little tour guide. My favorite was her showing my parents’ John Muir and Teddy Roosevelt’s photo. We love raising a little national park lover.
Best Thing I Ate in January
I didn’t take a picture of the best thing I ate this year, but the food I got from Caracas House – a local Venezuelan food truck – was unreal. I had the pabellón criollo – a meat dish with plantains and beans on the side, and tequeños! They were so delicious and I cannot wait to have more food from there soon!
What I Read in January
I finally finished Braiding Sweetgrass. It was such a beautiful, wonderful read. I feel like I learned a lot of really invaluable lessons from this boo. Kimmerer does a fantastic job of weaving personal narratives, indigenous myth, and science. I can’t wait to read another of her books later this year.
I also finished Rewilding Motherhood: Your Path to an Empowered Feminine Spirituality. It’s a really beautifully written book about empowering yourself to be a whole person in addition to being a mother. It is a Christian book, which I didn’t realize initially, but I appreciate that Evans takes a critical look at tradition interpretations of Christian teachings and takes inspiration from several different religions, historical texts, and women with different viewpoints. I found a lot of inspiration in her outlook of rewilding motherhood in the way that we’re rewilding lands. By adding back native things to ourselves we become a more nourished and inspired version of ourselves in all aspects of life.
For everyone way behind the times Onyx Storm (the next in the Fourth Wing Series) came out this month, which means half of the world has probably been reading or listening to this!
I’ve also been listening to the Stephanie Plum series still when I’m cleaning around the house. It’s light, breezy and easy to listen to, even if I let my mind wander a little bit.
Quote of the Month
“She’s getting better at being okay with her path looking less like others’ and more like where her heart is at peace.” – from this Instagram post from Tivka.
Most Popular Instagram Post and Reel This Month
Most Popular Blog Post This Month
My post on the Things to Know Before Visiting Canyonlands National Park in Moab, Utah was the top post in January 2024. I was kinda surprised by this because it was published this month and they usually take a little longer to settle in.
Home and Life Updates in January
We had multiple snows this month, which isn’t super common where we live – especially the second one where we got multiple inches of snow! My kids had so much fun playing in the snow, and we absolutely did too. I am really loving getting outside as much as possible with my kids already.
For me personally, I’ve been getting back into my yoga practice and trying to move more. I have had a knee injury that really limited my movement at the end of 2024, but I’m trying to work through it and do some physical therapy. I’m desperate to have it feel completely better before the spring.
What’s Coming in February?
Liam is starting school alongside Charleigh in February! I’m so excited for him to get a totally different experience, make new friends and grow. We’ve loved Charleigh’s experience there and we’re so excited for Liam to be there with her! We’re loving our experience with Montessori learning and have no regrets with the money we’re spending on our kids’ education.
Charleigh will turn FOUR! It doesn’t seem possible to have a 4-year-old, but I’m so unbelievably proud of the person that she is and that she’s growing into. She is so smart, curious, creative, funny, and beautiful! I cannot wait to see what this next year holds for her.
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