Happy New Year!
Where did we go in 2023?
Our family of five had some great adventures in 2023.
The year started in Colombia, where we spent a relaxing first half of January after spending the holidays there with family. That was our longest trip there yet – a full three weeks – and we enjoyed the ability to truly settle in and see family and friends slowly. Luis and I also got to take a mini retreat just the two of us to a beautiful hotel (just a little more than a block away from Luis’ parents’ house) for one night while his parents watched the kids. We were able to plan our upcoming year, make some goals for our family, and relax with spa appointments! Overall, it was a fabulous trip, and we can’t wait to go back shortly (stay tuned for our summer 2024 trip).
Next, we traveled to Orlando for a week in April with my parents and sister and took the kids to Disney for the first time! We spent two days at Magic Kingdom, one day at Epcot, and one day at Animal Kingdom – the kids had an absolute blast (despite each of us getting the stomach bug throughout the week) and can’t wait to go back (also on our radar for fall 2024). This trip was both incredibly fun and allowed us to create some core memories. It was also a great value – I was able to book all 8 of our plane tickets out of Denver on Southwest using points AND I got Disney tickets for Luis, Leo, and I (Emmanuel & Lucia were still both free!) covered by points as well!
Summer 2023 brought family reunions, adventures around our hometown and surrounding area, and a trip back to Colorado for the first time since our move.
We celebrated my grandpa’s 80th birthday with a long 4th-of-July weekend in Spearfish doing some of his favorite things – we explored the family ranch a bit and spent a day at Iron Creek Lake. It was so fun to get all 10 of the great grandkids together for the first time!
We also booked a long weekend in Aberdeen at Wylie Campground and Storybook Land Park with my mom’s side of the family – the kids loved exploring with their older cousins and enjoyed all that Storybook Land and Thunder Mountain had to offer near our cabin.
Most of our summer included slow days made up of bike rides, many many visits to pools around our town, and a few excursions to Bear Country, Mount Rushmore, and more. We look forward to continuing to explore the beautiful Black Hills in 2024!
To finish off the summer, we spent a week in Colorado while Luis was on a trip back for work. We rented a perfect little Airbnb close to his office (he was able to bike every day!) and spent a few days playing around there. We visited as many friends as we could for both dinners and a few playdates, and I got to take the kids to the Butterfly Pavilion in our old town for the first time (I couldn’t believe we had never made it there). We visited old haunts – favorite restaurants and bike trails – and drove by our old house to have a picnic in one of our beloved parks. We capped off the week with a trip to the zoo and more visits with friends. It was such a wonderful time, and we can’t wait to get back again.
In October, we took the kids to their first Hobo Day (well, second for Leo) where they got to enjoy the parade, tailgating, and football game. We got to see old friends and really enjoyed a visit with one of Luis and I’s favorite professors, Dr. Kemp. It was fun to show the kids around our old stomping grounds and where we met. The kids enjoyed the parade, but no one made it through the football game. Thankfully the weather wasn’t too cold for the time we were there! We were able to get both nights of our hotel covered by points, as well.
Luis and I ended the year with a trip of a lifetime. We spent a long week in the UK, and we can’t recommend it enough. We also can’t wait to take the kids back as soon as possible! We were busy visiting Christmas markets, Wimbledon, tourist sites, and off-the-beaten path shops in London as well as exploring castles, taking in beautiful views, and participating in a Whiskey tour in Scotland. We spent 4 nights in London, 3 nights in Edinburgh, and 1 night in a castle outside of Glasgow, all covered by points. We also covered our plane tickets from Rapid City to London and Edinburgh back to Rapid City with miles. I will definitely share more about this bucket list trip soon!
We covered many miles and traveled on many planes in 2023. We wouldn’t have been able to do it all without points and miles, either. We covered 10 nights of hotel stays, 3 Disney Park tickets, and 2 round-trip international flights with points and miles, and we look forward to expanding on that in 2024 and beyond! Stay tuned 😉
