This was a big month.  I published a book about travel on Amazon, and Round Trip is coming up on her 3rd year of existence!  It’s been quite the ride, but I have a grocery list of upcoming adventures.  Here’s a look at my top 5 for the month:

1. Girls’ Weekend in Kansas City

Let’s be real—girl time and brunch truly cure a multitude of ails.  This weekend was short but sweet with a sweep of some of KC’s gems like the Liberty Memorial.  Post to come on our weekend adventures!

2. I wrote a flippin’ book!

This month I published my book on Amazon called 40 Ways to Travel Better: Your Complete Guide to Maximize Time, Money and Energy.  Hitting the publish button is truly one of the most gratifying feelings, but on a bigger project like this, it meant even more.  Setting a goal—and achieving it—remind you what you love most in life.  Here’s a sneak preview of my book.

3. A face lift + a year older

December 1 marks Round Trip’s 3rd birthday—where did the time go?!  This blog started after a casual suggestion from my sister’s friend, and it truly has become an inseparable part of my life.  “Are you gonna blog about this, Kristin?” is said nothing short of constantly.  (Okay, slight exaggeration…)  Read more about my blog journey and the meaning behind its title here.  And my site’s homepage got a bit of a facelift with new fun & flirty fonts and photos.

4. Blast to the past

My high school French teacher asked me if I’d be willing to speak to her classes about my summer in France.  I jumped on the opportunity and enjoyed every moment retelling my summer adventures.  Cultural immersion is one of the best ways to learn a language, but if it weren’t for my high school French classes and dedicated teachers, I wouldn’t have come to love the language.  (I even had the opportunity to travel to Europe with my high school—see baby Kristin below!)

5. Learning + inspiration

I strive to constantly learn.  But for go-getters like myself, it can become so very draining.  One of the things that jazzes me up and inspires me is looking to other bloggers.  I recently watched a webinar from one of my favorite bloggers Helene from Helene in Between.  What have you done to treat yo’ self and to cater to your own interests just because?

This month has been a blur, but as one of my favorite songs from Judah & the Lion says so simply yet so profoundly, “seasons come and they go… but the ground keeps moving on its own.”  Life goes on and it will change, but take time to reflect, appreciate and assess.