Last updated on December 31st, 2024 at 03:07 pm
2024 was another banner year. We had a few great trips, but didn’t travel quite as much as usual due to one momentous event…the arrival of our granddaughter, Lily! Born on June 13th, she’s been a joy ever since, and Jax has been such a wonderful big brother.
I haven’t had time to add photos for each of the trips below, but you can find them on our Instagram page.
January
We always have a weekend getaway for my birthday. This year, we went to Virginia Beach. We’re working on the Virginia State Parks Trail Quest challenge. The goal is to go on one hike in each of Virginia’s 40 state parks. On this trip we went to First Landing State Park and False Cape State Park. We enjoyed them both, but my favorite was False Cape. Located on the southeastern tip of Virginia, this park is a hidden gem that should not be missed by any nature lover or outdoor enthusiast. You can only access it foot, bicycle, boat, or a seasonal tram. We walked about three miles on the beach to reach the state park.
February
All three of our sons’ birthdays are in February, so we always try to have a fun celebration. This year we went to TopGolf and had a blast! We also had some fun adventures with Jax, from hiking to taking the train to Washington, D.C., to visit some museums.
March
We had two great warm-weather trips in March: Florida and Arizona. First, we went to Miami Beach and took day trips to Biscayne National Park and Everglades National Park. We’ve spent plenty of time in Florida and even lived there twice, but never made it to Miami. We really enjoyed our beachfront stay and can’t wait to go back.
Next, we went to Tucson, where Sean was podcasting at the FMCA Rally. Julie went out exploring at Saguaro National Park most days while he worked. We also had time to spend with our friends Kenny & Sabrina and Mark & Heidi.
April
Julie went on a girls hiking trip to the Blue Ridge Parkway in April. We put in a lot of miles and found the best spot to watch the solar eclipse. Julie & Jax also had a lot of fun outside exploring the local parks and nature trails.
May
Our big trip of the year was to Utah. Our first stop was a week in Park City. We took a tour of the Utah Olympic Park, went on a day trip to Antelope Island State Park, strolled along the Provo River to Bridal Veil Falls, and hiked in the Uintas National Forest near Sundance.
After Julie had an unplanned two-night stay at the lovely Salt Lake City VA hospital over Mother’s Day and Sean’s birthday, we headed to Moab. We spent time at Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park (both the Needles and Island in the Sky districts). We also took day trips to Bears Ears National Monument and Natural Bridges National Monument.
June
This was the best month of the year because we were blessed with another grandchild. This one was so different from Jax’s birth. He was born during the pandemic in 2020, and both of his parents had COVID. They weren’t allowed any visitors at the hospital then we had a major snow storm the day they were released. We finally met him one week after his birth. With Lily we could greet her at the hospital just hours after she was born.
July
Julie had her gallbladder removed in July so this month was spent recovering. Luckily, she was able to visit Jax and Lily. He was forewarned that Grandma wouldn’t be able to run around and play quite as much, but they played plenty of board games and put together puzzles.
August
We finished out the summer with our 2nd annual camping trip to the beach. Once again, the Chesapeake Bay KOA was fantastic! This year Agata’s finally rented a cabin as well. We also rented a kayay for the first time and had fun on the water too. We went up a day early so I could add Kiptopeke State Park to my Virginia Trail Quest list.
September
At the beginning of September, our daughter-in-law returned to work, and Julie started daycare duties. She splits the week with Agata’s mom. They did the same for Jax’s first year, too. These two are the reason we moved back to Virginia. Julie always knew she wanted to be a hands-on grandma and Sean made sure her dream was realized.
October
We took a quick weekend trip to New York City on the train. We’ve been to the city a few times, but this was the first time taking Amtrak and it was the way to go! We toured the Tenement Museum (highly recommend!), saw Harry Potter and the Forbidden Child, and walked 6 miles around Central Park.
And, of course, at the end of the month, we went to see Lily & Jax’s Halloween costumes.
November
We met our friends Kenny & Sabrina at Walt Disney World. This has become a biennial trip for us and we always have a great time catching up. We’re all Disney fans and especially enjoy staying at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Campground.
This year rather than taking our fifth wheel, we decided to rent a small Class C. The reason was that we are thinking of downsizing to one and thought this would give us a good chance to try one out and see how we like the space. By the end of the week, we were convinced and have created a “new RV fund” in our budget. Right now we’re leaning towards the purchase of a Winnebago Vita at the end of 2026.
December
Jax turned four this month! He had a wild animal-themed birthday party, the first one where he had a couple of friends his age there. We also closed out our year of travel adventures with a quick (and very cold) trip to Philadelphia to tour Independence National Historical Park. It was our first time, and we found it fascinating, especially Ben Franklin’s Printing Press. Finally, we wrapped up the year with a wonderful Christmas celebration with all our kids and grandkids.
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