Time for a look back at another fun, busy year!

January seemed even quieter than it usually does. We honestly didn’t do a whole lot, but we did enjoy one winter weather event, and a foggy trip to the Missouri Botanical Garden. I started a new monthly photo project there, but…spoiler ahead…I only made it partway through the year before we got so busy, I simply forgot to keep up with it!

February was surprisingly exciting. We went ice skating for a school field trip. The Orchid Show at the Missouri Botanical Garden was a welcome bright spot in the middle of the winter. We attended the premier “Once Upon a Valentine” event in St. Charles, MO. My hosting segment on SiriusXM’s Disney Hits channel aired! We took our annual Bobunk celebration on the road when we visited Bunny at college.

March was a total whirlwind. We celebrated MAR10 Day, Chicago Day, and STL Day in quick succession. Bunny came home for spring break. We celebrated St. Patrick’s Day, Turkey’s 21st birthday, and Chickadee’s 12th birthday, also in quick succession. We attended the Animals Aglow lantern festival at the St. Louis Zoo. Starbuck’s introduced the most perfect drink. The month ended with a very early Holy Week and Easter.

After the business of March, April was a bit more laid-back, but not by much. The Cardinals had their home opener, and I’m pretty sure that was the high point of the season. We celebrated First Contact Day, and then M*A*S*H Day (a holiday of my creation). Even though we weren’t in the path of full totality, we enjoyed the Great North American Eclipse. Moose was inducted into National Honor Society. I celebrated 60 years of “It’s a Small World.”

Where do I even start with May? It was a busy month full of milestones, especially for Moose, who had his final high school band concert. Bunny came home from college for the summer just in time to celebrate Star Wars Days. Ladybug turned 17. We finished another year of homeschool. Moose graduated from high school! Yes, I cried. We drove through a dust storm the likes of which I’ve never seen on the way to Combo Breaker. The Fab Five and I spent a day in downtown Chicago together for the first time in a long time. Bunny and I toured the amazing Downton Abbey Exhibition. Chickadee and I visited the Umbrella Sky Project. On the way home from Combo Breaker, we visited the Pullman National Historic Park.

In June we celebrated Donald Duck’s 90th birthday! We also celebrated my 45th birthday, which I guess makes me half his age! Our bunny friend, Harold, visited most evenings. We took a summer vacation to Minneapolis, with stops at the future birthplace of James T. Kirk in Riverside, IA, and the Surf Ballroom along the way. We really enjoyed the Mall of America and the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden. We toured the beautiful Cathedral of St. Paul.

We tried to cram as much fun into July as possible. Ryan finally got to travel to Tokyo. It was a work trip, but he was able to stay a little longer and see some things he wanted to see…he can’t wait to go back! We visited Bahama Buck’s for the first time to try their Sonic Sno…I wish it wasn’t so far away! We celebrated Oktoberfest a few months early. Bunny turned 20! Dole Whip Day featured another Dole Whip-inspired recipe. The date might not have been right, but we had our own Captain Picard Day celebration. The Paris 2024 Olympics began.

August is always a month of change, but first, we continued to enjoy the Olympics, and I even finally mastered the Croquembouche! We were sad to say goodbye to Bunny when she left for her senior year of college. Turkey began his junior year of college at a new school. Moose started college! Ladybug began her senior of high school while Chickadee started junior high. We went back to Greek Fest in St. Louis for the first time in five years.

We settled into a routine in September. I grew pumpkins in the backyard! “Sandwich Week” was a huge hit. We visited Bunny at college…and went to Buc-ee’s for the first time. After months of waiting, a new bookstore opened in downtown Belleville! I started the custom dirndl process with Rare Dirndl. We went to Oktoberfest in St. Charles.

October was strangely busy. I received the sketches for my custom dirndl and made my choice. Following the success of “Sandwich Week,” we enjoyed “Breakfast-for-Dinner Week.” We were super excited to see the Northern Lights, not just with our cameras, but also the naked eye! And then we got a glimpse of a comet, too! We really enjoyed trying out recipes from The Wizard of Oz: The Official Cookbook. We wrapped up month-long celebration of Oktoberfest. Legends and Lanterns in St. Charles is always a favorite event. We visited Laumeier Sculpture Park so Ladybug could work on her photography. We had a Sonic & Shadow celebration the same day Ladybug took the ACT…and scored very well!

In November we took our annual walk around Creve Coeur Lake. Moose turned 19! We took a very muddy hike around Cahokia Mounds. I baked a few more cheesecakes. I got to try on my custom dirndl for the first time! We baked a lot of pies. Bunny made a whirlwind trip home for Thanksgiving.

And that brings us to December, the best month of the year! I am always happy to welcome Advent. We celebrated Bunny’s return home for Christmas break and Nikolaustag on the same day. Christmas School was a bit more laid-back than usual, but still fun. Garden Glow and the holiday flower and train show at the Missouri Botanical Garden are always highlights for us. Speaking of highlights, we were ecstatic to attend the 50th anniversary of Christmas Traditions in St. Charles, MO. And of course we enjoyed our traditional Markel Family Christmas.

2025 is shaping up to be an exciting and emotional year, too…I can’t wait to see what surprises are in store for us! Happy New Year!