Happy Yule! Merry Christmas! Happy New Year!
We hope this season finds you and yours happy and healthy. It’s hard to believe we’re here again—another year in the books.
2025 was another busy one for us, but I think we did a pretty decent job balancing the fun with the things that were… less fun.
This spring, we tapped our black walnut and boxelder trees. We’ve been making syrup for four seasons now, and every year we tweak the process a bit. This year, we added vacuum lines, which felt like a big upgrade. If you’re curious about that process, you can see more of it here.
Derrik and I also managed to sneak away with a group of friends for a week in Mexico. We stayed in the Riviera Maya area, and it was lovely—so lovely that we already can’t wait to go back. My favorite part was a catamaran trip with snorkeling… and we may have convinced the crew to bring along a couple bottles of rum. A good time was had by all.
In March, we headed up to Cragun’s Resort near Brainerd with friends for a long weekend. There was plenty of pool time and general shenanigans. It’s quickly become one of the kids’ favorite weekends of the year—and honestly, one of ours too.
April brought a family trip to Chicago. It was new for me as well, since I’d only ever passed through before. We hit the Museum of Science and Industry, the Chicago Children’s Museum, Navy Pier, Millennium Park (home of “The Bean”), and even squeezed in a quick stop at the Home Alone house.
Summer was bookended by two of our favorite weekends at Octane Acres. Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends mean camping at the lake with a big group of friends. It’s the best excuse to get everyone together at once and catch up.
In between, we did the farmer’s market, visited the North Shore, and squeezed in some camping. We bought a camper at the end of the 2024 season—much to Derrik’s chagrin—and it’s turned out to be a lot of fun.
Late summer was especially bittersweet as we wrapped up our daycare chapter. We were incredibly lucky to have such a wonderful provider, and there were definitely tears on the last day. The following week, we jumped into full-time school. Since I work from home most days, the kids can ride the bus home, and school has been going well for both of them.
Speaking of school… one of our biggest (and most unexpected) projects this year was defeating the local school referendum. It wasn’t something I planned to take on, but life has a funny way of putting you where you’re needed. After asking questions and pointing out some half-truths being promoted, I found myself blocked from the school’s Facebook page—which, unsurprisingly, lit a fire. Down the rabbit hole of public school financing I went. In the end, we were successful and helped save taxpayers in our district $25 million. If you want to read more about that saga, you can find it here.
In November, Derrik and I headed out on our annual Friendsgiving trip—this year to the Stillwater area. The house sat on about 50 acres and was absolutely beautiful. We tried axe throwing, conquered an escape room, explored nearby parks, and of course found a solid supper club with excellent Old Fashioneds.
Now the holidays are here, and we’re doing our best to enjoy them while managing the everyday chaos that seems to peak this time of year.
Eliza is eight now and loves to read. She’s currently working her way through the Harry Potter series and insists the books are way better than the movies (though the movies still get her approval). She also enjoys Legos, crafts, and is already talking about running her own farmer’s market business this year.
Seger is six and a total sponge. He loves learning and asking questions, especially about ships—particularly Great Lakes freighters. He also loves Legos and has a hug ready for just about anyone who wants one.
Derrik is keeping busy at the shop, and business is good. He’d love to hire another technician in the new year, though that’s always easier said than done. When he’s not working, he’s tackling projects around the farm or racing.
I’m still working at PrimeWest by day and homesteading by night (and weekends). I keep finding new projects to dive into and hope to share more of those adventures in the coming year.
We hope to see you along for the ride in 2026 and wish you all a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year!
