What a whirlwind November was. It feels like just yesterday was the first of the month and we were throwing Liam’s third birthday party and now the month is over. This was a month that felt insanely busy, but also easy and just filled with joy as we settle into the darkest days of the year.
Travel Planning This Month
Well, guys. We planned a thing… Nomad Summer 2026. It’s going to be 38 days across Utah and Colorado! We have campgrounds booked in three destinations. We really love having a home base for a week or more and using it as a jumping off point. It’s easier not having to set up again every few days and we spend less on gas doing this. So, we got our campgrounds lined up for that trip and we cannot wait!
We also booked a week of camping in the fall in Ponca, Arkansas. It’s so close to home, but we’re excited to wake up there every day for a week. Matt will work from there and it’ll still give us time to explore in the evenings all together and I will get to take the kids on trails and finally go to the elk education center during the day.
Travel This Month
I went to Bennett Spring State Park to do my annual hike with Stacey where we meet up to get outside together and hang out, just us. I got there before her and did a really scenic and pretty hike along the river and then she and I did the longest hike in the park to a huge natural tunnel. Then, we went to Lebanon, had a snack and walked around shops. It was a lot of fun, and it’s always so good to catch up together.
My mom, Charleigh and I took a trip to Asheville, North Carolina to see the latest exhibit of Thomas Dambo trolls. There were 12 on exhibit at the North Carolina Arboretum and I loved hiking to each of them on the trails with my two favorite ladies. We also saw the Biltmore all decorated for Christmas, saw some friends, shopped, and ate at some of my very favorite places. I’m already super excited for the next girls trip.
Local Adventures This Month
We went out to see the aurora on the second night that it was showing, so we didn’t get the intense show that everyone got the night before, but we were still able to see it, in Missouri, again! I love these little gifts from the universe.
Matt and I took the kids down to Branson to do the Polar Express and it was so much fun. I think the price was a little steep for us, but it’s a once a year, maximum, situation and they honestly did a really great job. We sprung for the Dome VIP, but I think next time I’d just do the regular VIP where you still get cocoa and a cookie because there weren’t so many lights that you needed the dome. But they read the story, used some audio from the movie, we had a cookie and some cocoa, and Santa came onto the train to give us each a little bell. It was a really fun time.
My friends Kate, Shea and I do a monthly girls day and this one was spent down in Branson. We ate at a restaurant none of us had been to before. Kate showed us her favorite local trail at the Paul and Ruth Henning Conservation Area and then we went back to Kate’s house and ate allllll the cheese and did a super fun craft project together. I love that it’s such a perfect combo of adventure and coziness.
I learned that there is a museum right here in Springfield, MO that holds that world’s largest triceratops fossil, Henry. So one day, I asked my parents to join us and we met Henry, were impressed by how much these volunteers knew, and CJ especially – being older – was really interested in the different fossils and the rocks and minerals they also had on display there. There are so many artifacts in this small museum and it’s free to enter – donations are obviously welcome.
I hit up a lot of local greenways. Mostly, they were ones I’d done before, but I did do a few new trail for me. I finally did the purple trail at Busiek State Forest which was a lot more scenic than I was expecting. There’s another one there I’m itching to try that I’m hoping to take with my dad next month! I did the Lost Hill Park greenway with my dad up to Ritter Springs, which was lovely and then the kids and I walked a portion of the West Branch greenway. I’ve been taking my 4 By 4 Women’s Hiking Club on more rugged hikes and fewer paved trails, which I really love. It was a great month to be outside.
Blog Posts from November
I’m pretty behind on posting again this month. My goal is typically a weekly post, but ’tis the holiday season, when life gets hectic! But I did manage to get a couple in.
October 2025: A Monthly Roundup – This is a monthly roundup, much like this one, but from last month.
Druid Arch Trail in Canyonlands National Park, Utah – This ended up being my favorite trail from my solo trip to Moab in September. This trail was challenging, fun, long and ended at one of the most unique arches I’ve ever seen!
Quote of the Month
“Abundance is connected with a deep sense of gratitude.” – Jack Kornfield
Best Thing I Ate in November
The yam scram from Early Girl Eatery in Asheville. It’s just so good: scrambled eggs, yams, shitake mushrooms, sausage, bacon and I add cheddar cheese! Yum, yum, yum! If you get this, it’s bigger than it looks, my mom and I split and both still had a couple of bites left.
What I Read in November
I’m continuing The Nature Fix. I’m really enjoying it, but just not finding as much time to read as I have in previous months. I am also dipping back into Devotions – the Mary Oliver poetry collection.
I’ve been going back through the Into the Wilderness Series on Audible. It’s such a comfort series for me and I like listening to it in the cozy season while I’m walking or cleaning or even driving to and from work.
Most Popular Blog Post in November
My most popular post this month was my guide to the Best Hikes in Northwest Arkansas. It’s been a top post for a lot of the year. I love seeing how many people are googling hikes in Arkansas because we love spending time outside down there – especially along the Buffalo River.
Most Popular Instagram Post and Reel This Month
Both of my most popular posts have to do with… you guessed it… hiking. The most popular post was from hiking club – I love having the honor of hiking with my Women’s Hiking Club. The reel is from my little solo hike I did at Bennett Spring State Park while I was waiting on Stacey to get there.
Wild Motherhood Update
As the season gets colder, but more than anything darker, we’ve had a harder time getting outside as consistently, but I know that’s an ebb and flow of the season. But, we’ve been reading a lot of books together this season and we’ve discovered a couple of new ones that we love: The Shortest Day and Mable Meets a Black Bear. The Shortest Day is a really sweet story about the winter solstice and how, as humans, we’ve been celebrating this season for essentially forever in all these various traditions that we still practice today. Mable Meets a Black Bear is a really wonderful story for kids who have the potential for exposure to black bears. I’ve seen reviews saying it crossed a line because it does have a bear being euthanized for a child who intentionally left food out for a bear and then gets knocked over and hurt… While I think it might be a little “intense” for kids who don’t understand that this is a real thing that can happen and would never have to put that into practice, but because we spend a lot of time in areas with black bears, I loved the gravity of this book and understanding that this is what would happen and that it is important to respect bears, and other wild animals for that matter. Charleigh and I have the best conversations after reading this book about nature, responsibility and stewardship of the lands we explore.
Home and Life in November
My youngest child is officially three. How wild is that?! We had a lovely time celebrating our sweet Liam with family and friends. He has grown so much in the last year and can’t wait to see what this coming year brings to him and to us as a family.
The Christmas-season is in full swing in our household. We started decorating on the first and it’s officially festive to the max in the Wunder household. We always add a little more to our Christmas decor each year, and this year we added a whole new tree: a national park tree! Our kids’ play area in our basement living room is national park themed and we always get ornaments at the national parks we visit. So it’s a whole new tree in our house.
What’s Coming in December
‘Tis the holiday season! We have so many family functions and friend functions that I’m really excited for. It’s always an incredibly busy season, but this year I’m really focusing on how lucky we are to have so many people in our lives to see and spend time with. Plus, it’s the final month of the year and I love a countdown to a fresh start and a feeling of getting as much done as possible to meet goals. Here’s hoping everyone’s December is full, rich with love, and oh-so cozy.
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