Wow, 2014 was a year of travel near and far. A year that was busy and fulfilling, was also a year of change for the site, though the migration to self-hosting is still not complete!  Maintaining a writing focus, while working full-time (sometimes more than full-time), and managing a household is a struggle of a balancing act.  Sometimes, it’s more about living the experience, than writing it all down for y’all.  Sorry, but it’s true.

Looking back on all of the mini-trips, visitors and experiences we had over the year, I thought I’d put together a recap of sorts.  So here it is folks, your 2014 Travel Retrospective.

WINTER

January was a month of lingering cough and cold that felt like it was never, ever going away!  Finally, we were well enough to travel, and made it to Mexico to visit Andrew.  The Mayan Riviera, though not normally my go to vacation scene, was a great little getaway. (You can read about it HERE.)

February was a quiet month for travel because we had visitors here for a sporting event.  There was plenty of time for card games, snacking and catching up between their beloved curling games.  (FYI:  You couldn’t pay me to watch curling. It’s BORING!)

March gave me the opportunity to go to Edmonton to visit Jessie.  We spent a few days chatting, shopping, and touring some of the most hideous Dream Lottery homes ever built.   Driving to Edmonton is always a laborious task, but well worth the scenery.  However, for this trip, I hopped the 1 hour flight.  SO. MUCH. BETTER.  On the flight home, I connected with my sister-in-law and nephew in Calgary, and we were all able to fly home together.  Little Ben flew like a champ. (His mom did too;  anyone who can fly with a toddler deserves a prize!)

SPRING

April and May kept us closer to home.   We had a couple of day trips to Vancouver & Kelowna.  Vancouver is always a nice getaway even during spring showers.  For a change we chose not to drive through the city, and take the Sky Train instead.

I’ve LOVED the SkyTrain since Expo ’86.  And, traveling like a tourist in your own backyard is kind of fun once in a while.   We spent the day shopping with my Aunt; I purchased a fab little backpack that has been one of my favorite gear purchases this year.

Then, the most shocking event in the history of our friendship with Andrew occurred in June.  HE. GOT. MARRIED!  This from the guy who has been an opponent to marriage and monogamy for as long as I can remember, not that he’s for being single, unfaithful or promiscuous either, he’s just never been pepped up about marriage.  Well, Andrew met his match in his wife, and we couldn’t be happier for them.  We travelled to Golden for the festivities.  Catching up with old  friends and laughing until our sides hurt made for a super fun weekend.

SUMMER

Oddly, I visited the Columbia River Valley twice in less than 30 days.  Once for the aforementioned impromptu wedding, and once for a “camping” trip with Jessie and her family for the first week of July.  (Q: Is it still technically classified as camping if you’re sleeping in a double bed, have air conditioning and a DVD player?)

We “camped” near Radium Hot Springs, at Redstreak Provincial Campground. One of the days we drove through to Cranbrook and Kimberly.  Along the way we stopped at Fort Steele, a heritage town with a sweet little steam engine train.

Seven Parks in the  Canadian Rockies share a UNESCO designation.  Driving through the beauty of Rogers Pass to the Burgess Shale, it’s easy to understand why.

My friend  Stacey came home from Alberta in August, and it was nice to catch up with her for a quick visit.    Jon and I stayed pretty close to home for the most part.  We made a few trips to the Lake.

Lake days are always filled with long hours at the beach, way too many snacks, and pseudo-competitive card games–mix that up with some sun screen, and a couple of wet dogs, and you’ve got the full package.  We brought our niece with us for one of the trips.  She’s quite the car dancer.  The kid has moves even while buckled into a car seat.

FALL

Our new little nephew was born the first week of September…while we were waiting for a flight in Toronto.  Yep, we missed his arrival because we were traveling to Spain.   Jon and I spent two weeks touring through Spain visiting some gorgeous historic sites.  More on that adventure to come.  Trust me, I’ll be very busy writing over the next couple months.

October was ridiculously busy month for me work wise.  A co-worker was diagnosed with cancer, so we lost an integral member of the team while she left to focus on getting herself well.   I missed our annual tradition of visiting the pumpkin patch.  Jon was able to go, and had a great time with the kids.  Later in the month, we were able to sneak away for an afternoon to visit the Adam’s River Salmon Run.  Our niece and nephew were so excited to see all of the fish.  We’ll have to make it an annual tradition too.

In November, Fazh decided to go to Denmark.  He asked me to plan the trip about a week before he decided he was leaving.   For so many reasons the task was nearly impossible!  Through some divine intervention, I was able to find his Danish friend on the internet, and he ended up having a once in a lifetime trip.    And now, Fazh too must focus on getting himself well.

December, while frazzling, has updated/reinforced my outlook that the “small stuff” shouldn’t even be a blip on the radar.  There are so many more important ways to spend time than focusing on trivial matters.

That brings us back to January.  Our newest nephew was born on the 2nd.  Fortunately, we were in the same city for his arrival.   At present we just wait to hear from surgeons, so that they get Fazh fixed up.

We’ve had so many wonderful adventures this year; Thanks to everyone who was a part of them.

Here’s to 2015,

~j