As our girls get older, we’re becoming more mobile. It’s bittersweet because I miss them small and round and squishy, but we get to do so much more now that they’re bigger. Yesterday the girls and I finished up our Christmas shopping. We were gone over six hours and no one had a meltdown, we got everything done that was on the list, and we actually had fun doing it. It was a new experience and kinda awesome.
With that being said, we trekked near and far in 2015. Some of my favorite places this year:
Savannah, Georgia // This was our first spring break trip to a warm location in (what seems like) forever. Really, the last time we did it was before kids. So when the longest winter in the history of mankind (might be a slight exaggeration) rolled on in early 2015, we headed to Savannah. As we escaped the car after our twelve hour drive, Ellie exclaimed, “I forgot what warm air feels like!” Me too, sister, me too.
Holiday World in Santa Claus, Indiana // Remember when my BFF Christine and I packed up four kids (two named Elliott) and spent a few days on a mom road trip? It was lots of fun. While only a few hours away from home, I had never been to Holiday World before and it was a blast. Plus, it’s never a boring (or completely legal) time when Christine and I are together. Already dreaming about next year’s mom adventure.
Boyne Mountain Resort in Boyne Falls, Michigan // Speaking of Christine, we got to spend a week with her family at a ski resort this summer too. Biking, hiking, swimming, ziplining, and hours by the pool where they delivered pizza (and alcohol) to your lounge chair was a pretty sweet set up. Who knew ski resorts were the place to be in the summer? I follow Boyne Mountain on Instagram and the mountains that we hiked up as we sweat in the July sun are now fluffy with snow cover. We need to get back there to see the winter action soon.
Denver, Colorado // This was a solo trip for me and while I didn’t blog much about it (I was there for a writing conference), I loved traveling alone and spending time away from my family just catching my breath. Although, it wasn’t as fun as I planned it because as much as I’d like to think I’m an independent woman, I really like traveling with those suckers.
St. Louis, Missouri // We did not get to spend enough time here in July. It was an action-packed weekend that was over way too soon. We’re heading west next summer and we’ve already scheduled the first leg of our trip for another St. Louis stop. Our kids, seriously, have not stopped talking about the City Museum. If you’re within a five hour drive of St. Louis, you need to get your kids there ASAP.
Washington, DC // Chris’ brother got married in October so we made a vacation out of it by spending the following week in DC. It was a fun and exhausting trip. I would say go when your kids are older, because, while it was wonderful and we’re glad we went, it was a little boring for a four year old and six year old. We saw so many great sights and learned a lot, but I think the little Graham girls didn’t enjoy it as much as the bigger Grahams did.
Home // I love to adventure, but what I love more than anything is returning home. Seven to ten days exploring a new place is great, but soon Indianapolis comes calling, and we long for our cozy beds, our quaint kitchen, and our favorite rescue dog, Blue. Traveling makes me appreciate this place more. Returning home feels sweet and right. The call of the road will always tempt us away, but home will always be our starting and ending point.
What about you? Where did you go this year? Tell me where we should go next! We’ve got some major trips coming up in 2016 and, if everything goes as planned, a camper purchase in the spring! Where should the Grahams park our trailer next year? Give me your best ideas.
Mary, we moved to New Castle, CO in May and love it. We both work in Aspen which is incredibly beautiful in the spring/summer. Plus Western CO is so different from the rest of the state with sweeping mesas and super yummy orchards. If you’re here in July, you can get peaches straight off the trees. Nothing tastes better. Unless you don’t like peaches. Then you can get strawberries or plums. Come visit!
Emily! That sounds magical! We don’t know exactly where we’re going yet, but I will write this down on the list. Once we buy the camper, we’re going to explore a lot so we will definitely make it out to you someday. Thanks for the invite!