In the words of Tom Petty, the future is wide open. 2023 is just waiting for us to start filling in our calendar and our travel map. Last year, my goals were to take at least one getaway each month and to go somewhere new. Scott and I met the challenge head on with fifteen getaways, traveling to 10 states and going to several new-to-us places. And sometimes the family came to us!
Here’s the run down:
- January – Palisade and Grand Junction getaway and a weekend in Colorado Springs with friends
- February – Valentine’s Day trip to Ouray
- March – Anna Maria Island with our friends with a stop in Arkansas for a niece’s wedding on the way
- April – Two camping and riding weekends in Utah with friends, plus the Sip Into Spring Palisade Wine Fest with friends
- May – Action-packed long weekend in Kansas City to visit family and celebrate a niece’s graduation
- June – Ridgway State Park camping weekend
- July – Keystone Wine & Jazz Festival with our daughter and son-in-law
- August – A very eventful Montana family reunion and memorial for my Uncle Ed (stopped at Shoshone Falls for the first time)
- September – Bryce Canyon, Utah, camping trip with friends (my first time there)
- October – Norman and Purcell, Oklahoma, for a mini family reunion and Arizona to pick up our new motorhome
- November – Rifle Gap State Park to try out the new motorhome
- December – Littleton, Colorado, with our son to visit our daughter and son-in-law
WHEW! I’m glad I set the goal and made it a priority to plan getaways, staycations and vacations. The very best part of the year was spending time with so many of our family members, some we hadn’t seen in more than 20 years! We saw Scott’s parents, our siblings, all of our nieces and nephews except two, my Aunt Charlotte and lots of cousins.
This year, I have the same goals with an additional one to keep spending time with family and friends. I’ve booked two trips so far. This coming weekend we are going to Palisade for some wine tasting, yummy food and a night at the Wine Country Inn. (January, check!)
I’ll be flying to Kansas City next month to spend time with my brother’s son Spencer and his wife Mikiko. They are both dentists and are stationed in Okinawa. They met and fell in love at UMKC Dental school. Spencer in the Air Force and Mikiko in the Navy. It’s been two and a half years since I’ve seen either, and I’m very excited about it. (February, check! Family, check!)
We will also go back to Anna Maria Island in February or March, but haven’t nailed down the dates yet. The rest of the year is up in the air, or more accurately, on the road in our groovy new motorhome Vanessa. We can’t wait for camping weather!
What’s on your list for this year?
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