by Wendy
Follow me on twitter @wendylooksleaps

December is flying by. As the new year approaches I love to think back over the previous 12 months and remember the fun times. Over the course of 2015, I was lucky to have many weekends of travel. We took about 8 trips to see Jack’s family and 5 trips to see mine, plus had a ball hosting family visiting us in DC. We introduced my sister and nephew to one of our favorite local escapes from the city. We had wonderful trips to Spain, France, Utah, New York City and Hilton Head, which are captured in the blog. I love reading over these old posts – this was part of the reason for starting a blog in the first place. There were a few more weekend trips I wanted to call out for their specialness.

Fourth of July weekend in Boston – Jack lived in this city for almost 15 years and has friends who still live in the area. We stayed at the wonderful Hyatt Cambridge along the Charles River. Beautiful views, very comfortable room and such helpful staff. One of our best friends, Steve, also booked 2 nights there to enjoy a staycation. The hotel was the ideal location for watching fireworks Saturday night and the river traffic afterwards. On Sunday we walked across the bridge to Copely Square, had brunch and then continued the walk down memory lane in Jack and Steve’s old Boston University neighborhood. Later that evening we took the hotel shuttle into Harvard Square and met other favorite friends for drinks at Grendel’s Den. Afterwards, we all enjoyed an amazing dinner at trendy Loyal Nine. I’ve been in Boston before and it is a privilege to visit sites so important to our nation’s history. During this short weekend trip, I enjoyed spending time with some of those who were very influential in Jack’s history – friends who are kind, intelligent, generous, interesting and welcoming – and have become very dear to me as well.

Staycation in Washington DC – This was a first for us – actually booking a room in a hotel in our own city. It seems there are good deals to be had if you reserve a Saturday night that same morning. It was a steamy July weekend, I had been dealing with some bad news and our nerves were frayed. We checked into the Omni Shoreham Cleveland Park during a slighly hesitant last-minute decision. Man, it really felt great to sit by the pool for a long afternoon, drink cocktails and read, walk across the street for an awesome Indian dinner, go further down the street for an awesome McFlurry, sleep in a cloud bed in an elegant hotel, then take the metro home the next day. The spa facilities were just ok, but we thought everything else was worth the expense. It probably cost as much as a session with a therapist and does the trick, for me at least.

Day trip to Culpepper – This was a day trip, not a sleepover, but it was still lovely. Jack and I enjoy driving an hour or two outside of DC in various directions to explore little towns, but for some reason we didn’t get to do this as much this year. The day spent walking around Culpepper, Virginia was a beautiful Saturday in late May. We had a delectable lunch at a French inspired restaurant called It’s About Thyme, and checked out some of the local gourmet stores and pleasant parks.

On the drive back to DC we stopped by the Chancellorsville battlefield and Jack read the plaques while I tried to take photos of the sunset. I like the lights of the cars in the background.

Kentucky cabin with the family – I love all our visits to see family but this one was unique, because the whole “Looks and Leaps” crew was able to coordinate schedules and trek to an awesome woodsy rental with hiking trails and fishing pond steps from our door. While my general approach to the outdoors could be summed up under the title “Diary of a Wimpy Hiker,” I LOVED this nature weekend. My parents suprised me with cool hiking boots and a cute daypack. The weather was mostly fantastic, with just a little rain. Lots of fresh air. We took walks and tried to avoid ticks and fed ducks and read books and admired the secluded, green, peaceful spot. We ate delicious breakfasts and dinners together. The adults chatted with wine and bourbon as the kids got up to schemes in the evenings – such as hiding everyone’s shoes behind a locked door that they suddenly couldn’t open again when the jig was up.

What were your favorite weekend trips of 2015? Where we will all travel next year? Here’s to more cool adventures in 2016!