Another weekend, another birthday party drop-off. Which means, a bit of time to sit down and write.
Previously, I’ve done informal year-in-review posts. For me they were a good way to reflect and put the events of the past year into perspective. And although this past year was tough, which I’d alluded to in my last post, it wasn’t all bad. And I think a little time to purposely focus on the positives, rather than the negatives, is a great way to end the first month of the year.
January
We started off 2025 with a journey across the pacific to the French Polynesia. And even though the trip began with a bit of midnight mayhem, we ended up in paradise… and an extra $3000 in our pocket (thanks to being compensated for our flight delays). We rented a car and took a road trip around the island of Tahiti, exploring caves and black sand beaches on Tahiti-nui, and Olympic surf spots on Tahiti-iti.
We then boarded a ferry to the island of Mo’orea and spent the rest of the our trip snorkelling with sting rays and turtles, walking through pineapple plantations, soaking up the sun, building mermaid sand sculptures, and eating way too much fresh bread.
February
Then 2 weeks after getting back from the French Polynesia, I was met with a surprise trip to El Salvador! We spent 2 weeks hiking active volcanos (post coming), hanging out in extinct volcanos, side-stepping into Honduras, surfing the beaches El Zonte, exploring San Salvador, and driving off the beaten path (literally) into the unknown.
March-July
Then in the spring, life got real again. We were faced with massive changes, impossible decisions, and the deepest sorrow I’ve ever known. I took a leave from work and focused on putting one foot in front of the other. My attempts at normalcy seemed futile, but I went through the motions all the same. School drop-offs, walks in the river valley, and spending time both outside and in therapy. We took some time and went camping on Lake Revelstoke. Then in August, we took a massive van trip down the Pacific Coast Highway.
August
The Pacific Coast Highway, or Highway 1, runs for 2655km along the coast of California. “A” had done this trip a couple years ago with his friends and hadn’t stopped talking about. It was his dream for M and I to experience the same trip again. So, we decided to do it that summer. Leaving Edmonton, we drove southwest through BC before crossing the border into the States. A quick dash west across Idaho and Washington landed us in Aberdeen, where we were met with our first glimpse of the Pacific. From there it was due south along the 101 into Oregon before rolling straight on to California.
Californian sun, coastal amusement parks, mac and cheese lunches on the beach, and the rustic Redwoods. It was a lot of driving, a lot of time in the van, but the views and the campsites were epic. Although, not as epic as our turn-around point.
Our goal from the beginning was to make it down the highway with enough time to spend a day in Disneyland before having to return home. It was a place none of us had ever been before and we were stoked to have the chance the go. So the night before D-Day we left Laguna beach, drove into Anaheim, loaded up on the Disney apparel, got our character signature book ready, packed up lunches and the chariot, then spend 18 hours running around the park before collapsing into our hotel room beds. (It was the first hotel we’d stayed in that whole trip, and of course it had to have bugs in it.)
September – December
Following our few weeks of leaving life behind and living the van life, our lives returned to normal. Or at least as normal as it could be. School started, work continued for both of us, and the remaining months of the year were spent focusing on surviving, healing, and planning the next chapter.
It seems sad to me to sum up the year and our van trip so quickly, but it’s a quick synopsis of positives that I hope to be able to expand upon in future posts. I have so much to share, so as long as I can keep up the writing, I hope to be able to do that!
And speaking of lots to share, the last time I was posting was when I was in El Salvador. I wrote a couple of pending posts while I was there, but since then they’ve been sitting in my drafts, unposted as of yet. So, with my re-newed desire to focus on all the things that make me happy and bring joy to my life, I’ll get to finishing them off and posting them for you… bringing myself (and you) back a year in time before I set sail for the beautiful blue of the Caribbean sea.
Happy Travels!
Teryn Warnke 
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