In my previous blog post, “Thrive in ’25,” I wrote of the hiatus I took from blogging in 2023 & 2024 and explained why it occurred. I intended to get back to blogging in 2025 & 2026, but a developmental opportunity at work took much of my energy and focus, leaving little creative time outside of work for a hobby since I was still raising a family, doing farm projects, and just generally living life. Oh, and my mother-in-law moved in with us!  It’s been a little busy.  🙂

But here we are back to school in the Fall of 2026, and I’d be remiss if I didn’t take the time to talk of recent adventures we’ve had as a family and as individuals over the past two years. Incredible experiences that are shaping us and creating life-long memories.

Our first-ever cruise as a family:

On Christmas morning of 2024, Tom and I surprised the girls with news that we’d booked a cruise to the Bahamas for Spring Break 2025. I’m pretty sure the house shook from all their excited jumping. They squealed with joy and quickly rushed to hug each of us with thanks and gratitude.

At the end of March, we boarded a plane to Fort Lauderdale, FL leaving behind the frigid temps and gray skies that equate to Spring in Michigan, in search of heat and sunshine we’d been missing for far too long. We spent one night in a hotel there, and the next morning, made our way to the port and onto the Royal Caribbean Liberty of the Seas cruise ship!

We enjoyed being on the water, the views of the never-ending Atlantic, and laying in the hot sunshine poolside with great, live entertainment. We also loved all the amazing food on board — from the all-you-can-eat buffets anytime of day to the extremely fancy all-you-can-eat dinners in the formal dining rooms.

By far, the best part of the trip was docking at Royal Caribbean’s privately-owned island, Coco Cay. They call it “The Perfect Day at Coco Cay,” and was it ever! Aptly named!

First, we went to the water park so Ellie could ride the world’s tallest water slide — no joke (pictured).

Then we hit the white sand beach and swam in the gorgeous ocean water. So beautiful and so refreshing! The time at the beach and in the water was our favorite part of the cruise, which helped us determine our next vacation. 🙂

Puerto Rico for Spring Break: 

We were over the moon when friends of ours invited us to join them  for a trip to Puerto Rico for Spring Break 2026. They had been the previous year and really enjoyed it. We intended a repeat stay at the resort they used previously, but due to a remodel, its capacity was limited and all available rooms were booked for the week we needed. In the end, we found an even nicer resort.

It had all the amenities we were looking for, and more! Spacious rooms with lanais, a private beach with beach chairs & umbrellas, water sports like paddle boarding and canoeing, swimming pools with swim-up bars and cabanas, food trucks, several fine dining restaurants, bike rentals, and pickle ball courts! We took full advantage of all of it! Including walking the beach at sunrise to capture amazing pics.

The trip was exactly what our souls needed: sunshine, sunsets, relaxation and a full recharge. We had an amazing week!

Cottage Stay on Lake Michigan: 

We started Summer 2026 with an invite from my sister-in-law to stay at her husband’s long-time family-owned cottage on Lake Michigan complete with a gorgeous, private beach.

We enjoyed a beautiful June day on that beach and in the water, playing bocce ball, jumping in the waves, and taking in the gorgeous sunset over the lake that evening.

From the cottage’s wrap-around screened-in porch, where we enjoyed dinner together, we could hear the sound of the waves crashing.

That night, the girls got their best night’s sleep ever on that porch in the cool night air.

It was a wonderfully, relaxing time. So enjoyable, and fun to see the progress and improvements being made at the cottage so they can continue to enjoy it for years to come.

Week Long Camp for Ellie: 

Then in July, our youngest daughter, Ellie, attended an outdoor all-girls camp in Northern MI. This was a first for her, but the camp came highly recommended by several of our friends, and when Ellie found out one of her best friends was going, too, she decided she wanted to go as well.

This was a completely new experience for her and several hours from home for a whole week (Sun.- Sat.). I didn’t know if she’d love it or hate it. When I learned the camp didn’t allow cell phones and we’d be without communication, I was a little worried.

To my pleasant surprise, she loved it! Despite the fact that wildfire smoke from Canada forced all outdoor activities to cease for the last three days she was there. This meant she didn’t get the chance to go tubing, zip-lining or tent camping. In fact, they even had to give up the cabin sleeping and move to the indoor air-conditioned spaces with their sleeping bags to avoid smoke inhalation. Nonetheless, the camp counselors kept the girls busy and having fun with dance routines, crafts, games, songs and more.

Ellie’s now saying she’d like to go for two weeks next summer, and hopefully she can get the full experience!

12 Days in Europe for Anna: 

Also in July, our oldest daughter, Anna, had the experience of a lifetime traveling internationally to four countries in Europe with her  high school classmates and wonderful teachers and administrators who orchestrated the trip and chaperoned. Between her sophomore and junior years, she spent 12 days seeing Ireland, Scotland, England & France.

Some of the highlights she loved were: Giant’s Causeway in Ireland, seeing Big Ben and London Bridge in London, and then seeing and walking up inside the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Their travels required planes, trains, busses, and ferry rides, and she enjoyed speaking with the locals and hearing their accents.

In particular, their tour guide through London was a British man who had all sorts of fun expressions, including: “Let’s get our jiggle on” when saying ‘we need to get moving.’ He also asked all the  teens to do their best British accents and say “Ello” to their bus driver.

Something I thought was very cool (since Ellie & I are huge Harry Potter fans) is that Anna got to stand at Station 9 3/4, and she drove past Gringotts Bank while in London.

RV Camping with Extended Family:

The fun didn’t stop there. In August, we were invited by my sister to join her family and my mom at an RV Resort in Western Michigan. My sister’s family has two RVs so they generously allowed us to stay in one while they stayed in the other at a dual campsite within the resort.

I’m not a huge camper, so I didn’t know what to expect. But this place exceeded my expectations. The resort had several pools, water slides, a lazy river, water sports (like pedal boats and canoes) walking trails, fishing, bike rentals, volleyball and pickle ball courts, an arcade and more.

We had a great time cooking out, playing games, visiting, and taking in all the activities offered. We’re thinking we’ll do it again next summer!

Where to Next? 

We’re undecided as of yet where our next family vacation will take us. You can see we like it all — cruising, beach resorts, camping, RV resorts, and international travel.

We do know Ellie will be traveling to Washington D.C. with her 8th grade class this school year (’26-’27), which she’s extremely excited about and looking forward to. I’m also back to health coaching now so perhaps there’s a Trilivy (formerly Optavia) Health Convention in my future (I’d love that!).

We’re keeping our options open and saving up money so if or when an opportunity presents itself, we can take it!

Your turn:

Do you love to travel? What are some of your greatest adventures? I’d love to hear your tips on what we should try and where we should go next. Share in the comments!

Yours intentionally, Amanda