Happy first of the year! I’m taking a quick moment to look back at some of our travels from 2014. We had an absolute blast and 2014 gave us so many memories to treasure. I am just filled with love and gratitude and I can’t wait to see what 2015 has in store.

In January we spent a long weekend in Kohler, Wisconsin. We took long walks around the lake, went ice skating and spent a whole day getting pampered at the spa. Returning home I felt rested and rejuvenated. In the spring we set off on a European adventure. In Munich we explored different neighborhoods, filled up on German beer and giant pretzels, watched urban surfers and climbed to the top of St. Peter’s Church. Munich was a simple wonderful city, clean and easy to get around and the people were unbelievably friendly. In Berlin we visited the Reichstag and the Brandenburg Gate, the Berlin Wall and Checkpoint Charlie. We saw countless grafittied walls, an outdoor art gallery and the prettiest old cathedral. I was fascinated with the energy, rich history and gorgeous architecture. I left Berlin feeling like I learned more than I ever did in any history class. We spent four days in Paris. We saw churches and arches, famous paintings and sculptures. We ate crepes and croissants and I drank some of the best chocolat chaud of my life. We went to the Sacré Cœur, lounged in gardens and got lost in Montmartre. The Louvre was as beautiful as I remembered. We spent a day exploring Reims and Epernay admiring beautiful chateaus, taking tours of underground cellars and drinking lots of champagne. We spent our last night in Paris celebrating our third wedding anniversary with dinner beneath the Eiffel Tower and a Seine river cruise. At the end of the summer we drove up to Michigan and stayed with my family in the same cozy little cottage we rent every year. We took long boat rides and walks along the water. We lounged on the porch, stayed up late playing card games and made s’mores around the bonfire. There were slow mornings and impromptu trips to the icecream shop in the evenings. After a summer stuck indoors knee deep in house projects, a few days away was exactly what we needed. In September, I headed east to Washington, DC. It was quiet there, no long lines or crowds and the warm sun was a nice break from the cooling Chicago temps. I got to see many, many monuments, museums and memorials, eat at some amazing restaurants, wander around the Botanic Garden and take a boat ride down the Potomac River. We rented a car and early one morning set off toward the Blue Ridge Mountains. We visited several wineries and wrapped up the day at Bluemont Vineyards sipping rosé, devouring fresh-baked baguettes and creamy mozzarella and watching the sun set off the terrace.  Thank you for following along and for your constant love and support. I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to stop traveling, to stop exploring. Sure we could be saving money or starting a family right now, but honestly this is all I want in life. I want to see the world and take some risks. I want to be spontaneous and daring and experience things I haven’t before. This is it. This moment.

photo credit kate zitzer