I knew going into 2021, it was going to be another unpredictable year with the pandemic still a big part of all of our lives, but as much as that loomed over us when we rang in the new year, I remember making a very conscious decision that I would not allow that unpredictability to become the trajectory for our year. Rather, I would do everything I could to keep myself and my family healthy and safe, while also living our lives to the very fullest… and for me, that meant loving my family deeply, fulfilling my aspirations professionally and personally, and traveling to capture new, real, memorable, experiences of this life with those I love. Life is short and unpredictable.. if this pandemic has given us any solid perspective, it has been that… and I wasn’t going to waste a day, an opportunity, or an entire year, not living life to it’s fullest. So here is my year of review of some of what I enjoyed and experienced in 2021… followed by what I aspire for in 2022…

Cape Coral Florida – January

My year started out ringing in the 2021 New Year in Cape Coral, Florida, surrounded by my family in a beautiful vacation home we rented for 2 weeks… I remember watching the ball drop from our outdoor patio while the kids swam into the early morning hours. We loved Cape Coral, with the many miles of winding canals leading out to the ocean, while enjoying the tranquil home we stayed in, our evening boat rides, and exploring the peaceful destination town that began to feel like home to us. It was a perfect way to peacefully bring in 2021. You can read more about my trip here in my post…My Trip to Cape Coral Florida.

Magnolia, Waco TX – February

Next up in February, my hubby and I traveled back to our…well my... favorite place, Magnolia in Waco TX! I’d visited once before, but this trip we stayed in Chip and Joanna Gaines’ iconic Magnolia House and it was one of the highlights of my entire year (life!) You can see more about my trip to Magnolia in these four posts recapturing our entire trip… Our Stay at the Magnolia House, Magnolia Table, Spring at the Magnolia Silos, All That’s New at the Silos at Magnolia… If you ever get the opportunity to visit Magnolia, I can not recommend this traveling homebody’s happy place more… go enjoy it and see it all for yourself!

Nashville, TN – March/ April

At the end of March, early April, we took our family on Spring Break to Nashville, TN. What.A.Riot! Warm weather, live music, great food, cowboy boots, and family time all wrapped in one and we had an absolute blast! Hands down, best part of our trip was our time at The Grand Ole Opry seeing new artists, and old including Steve Earle singing Copperhead Road and The Oak Ridge Boys singing Alvira!… it’s those bucket list experiences that never dissapoint and the Opry lived up to all the hype of it’s musical legacy…

Charlevoix, MI – May

In May we stayed in our own beautiful home state of Michigan and visited my favorite place here, Charlevoix. There is something about this Lake Michigan town that resinates with me as I am in love the atmosphere, the dining, shops, views, culture, and the people! We have spent many of our recent summers vacationing here and it was a treat to spend Memorial weekend here kicking off our Summer. You can read more about Charlevoix in my posts…Charlevoix Part 1 and Charlevoix Part 2…

Out West Trip – Colorado & Wyoming – June

In June we ventured Out West for a memorable family trip and loved every minute of our travels. Our kids are now at the age that we can get a little more adventurous in our experiences. We enjoyed the Hot Springs of Colorado, the towns of Jacksonhole CO and, Cody Wy, it’s world-renowned famous Cody Rodeo, White water rafting down the Snake River, all of the glory of Yellowstone and the Grand Teton National Parks, and miles upon miles of the most beautiful, breathtaking country we’d ever experienced. We stayed in some pretty cool, (high in the sky…eek) cabins and had a family trip of a lifetime! We will definitely be going back.. again and again!

Chicago – July

Then in July was a Birthday surprise I won’t soon forget, when my hubby and kids surprised me with a private flight to Chicago for my birthday night! We shopped the Magnificent Mile before heading to dinner at the Chicago Cut Steakhouse for a delicious birthday dinner and dessert on the water… we drove back to the airport in a limo and got home late that night.. it wasn’t a long trip, but it was one of the most memorable birthdays I will probably ever have! I have the best hubby and kids who treat me so good… & I can’t wait to see how they top my birthday next year.. 😉

Heirloom Grove – August & September

August and September we stayed close to home as we were very busy for my Heirloom Grove business and school starting for my kids. Heirloom Grove is my specialty farm in Central Michigan where in 2021, we planted over 100 fruit trees, 200 blueberry bushes, 6 acres of sunflowers, 2 acres of hemp, redid an old red barn, bought an old 49′ chevy truck, and put in hours upon hours of hard work, while having a lot of fun! Heirloom Grove is also our homegrown CBD brand that we made great progress in this year as well!… and I have so much planned for 2022!

Napa Valley, CA – October

In October, my hubby and I were able to sneak away for a memorable 20th Anniversary trip to Napa Valley, California! What beautiful country and the wine… yummy! Miles upon miles of rolling hills of vineyards, amazing restaurants, great wines, and we stayed at the breathtaking Carneros Resort and Spa… It was a special and wonderful way to celebrate our 20 years of marriage!…& many more to come!

Washington DC – November

And then in November my hubby and I snuck away again, this time to Washington DC for a work trip… but we always enjoy a little fun everywhere we go, taking in the sites of our country’s capital too. We stayed at the Omni Shoreham hotel and had a fabulous time for our last trip of the year!

Home for the Holidays – December

And to wrap up the year, we’ve stayed close to home, celebrating the holidays. We decorated, shopped, wrapped, celebrated, celebrated some more… and I feel like I am closing out the year with a very happy, fulfilled heart.

2022… I am eager and excited for another new year, another opportunity here on this blessed planet to LIVE and see what it has in store.. even amongst the unknowns that are always reality, I am ready again, to live the year to the fullest. I hope to continue nurturing our relationships, to experience even more new things together, and this year to celebrate one another…my kids have their 18th, sweet 16, 13th, and double-digits #10 – birthdays this year.. and my first born graduates.. so big celebrations! I hope for another year of making long, lasting memories with the ones I love. And I truly hope that for all of you too!

Happy New Year, here’s to 2022 being a healthy, happy, living-life-to-the-fullest year!

New Year Blessings, Jaime Lyn

Hello all! It has been a minute since I was in Waco, TX staying at the Magnolia House (you can see that post here) and visited all there is to do at Magnolia Market at The Silos (that post coming soon!) but I still have even more to share with you from my trip! Today, let me take you back to my visit to the Magnolia Table!

If you do not yet know the story behind the Magnolia Table, Chip and Joanna Gaines purchased this vacated property previously known as the Elite, an iconic generations-old diner in Waco, and renovated and reopened it as their own in 2018, calling it the Magnolia Table. Chip and Joanna documented the revival of this iconic location’s renovation in one of their Fixer Upper episodes (you can watch here.)

The Magnolia Table has a feel-good, come-on-in-for-breakfast-y’all-feel, designed with the Gaines’ signature farmhouse style of shiplap, subway tile, black accents, farmhouse tables and chairs, and other welcoming touches… and all of this before you even see the menu…

And then onto the menu and the the food.. oh my gawd….. the food is so good! We started out our breakfast with a slider of juices, then we ordered up their lemon sugar doughnut holes.. melt in your mouth good, followed by our breakfast entrees. Both my husband and I’s meals were delicious, generously proportioned, and sooo full(filling!) When you visit, make sure you order some of Joanna’s biscuits.. so delicious covered with sausage gravy or spread with their homemade flavored, whipped butters. Just yum!!

I would recommend making a reservation ahead of time, because especially during their busy months, you may have to wait a bit for a table. The Magnolia Table serves from 7am to 3pm Monday thru Saturday. When you arrive, after putting your name on the wait list or checking in for your reservation, you can enjoy the covered outdoor patio area, and order up a coffee or pastry to enjoy while you wait. For our visit, we stayed at the Magnolia House, so the property manager had already pre-reserved us a 10:00 am reservation so we had our table within minutes (another great perk to staying in one of their properties) but the patio area is so festive and fun, even if you do have to wait, it is a memorable and enjoyable experience.

Before you leave, make sure to visit the Take Away market, a quaint little to-go shop attached right next to the diner.. grab lunch to go, a beverage for the road, or any Magnolia Table merchandise for your memories.

You must include the Magnolia Table in your trip plans when you visit Waco for the full Magnolia experience. They are located at 2132 S. Valley Mills Dr, in Waco… about a 10 minute drive from the Silos. Start your day out here before heading to Magnolia Market, as you’ll need a full belly of food and energy to take in all there is to see and shop at the Silos!

I hope you enjoyed my recap of The Magnolia Table! See more of my trip, first with my stay at the iconic Magnolia House here, and more of my Magnolia trip that I’ll be sharing to my Blog soon!..so keep a look out for those posts!

Hi friends, I am not sure about you, but I can not believe we are already through half of our first month of 2021! I hope the new year is treating you well and there are days of hope and happiness in your year ahead. I just got home to Michigan on Monday from our two-week vacation to Cape Coral, Florida so this last week has been busy catching up on life. Before I got too far into the new year though, I wanted to share with you about our trip to Cape Coral to celebrate the new year… It proved to be the perfect time for our family to escape to warmer weather for some rest and relaxation as we wrapped up 2020 and welcomed in 2021!

If you have never been to Cape Coral Florida, it is a beautiful area in southwest Florida near Fort Myers with over 400 miles of canals that lead to the big water, allowing for countless beautiful homes to be ‘water-front’ properties. We rented a gorgeous home via VRBO, and stayed for two full weeks, from the end of December thru the first week and a half of January. Our home was a 4 bedroom, 3 bath in a quiet neighborhood with the gorgeous canal to the back of the house, nestled among other beautiful homes in the area. Key features were the screened-in pool, outdoor living and kitchen patio area, game room, office, living, kitchen, dining, and laundry room, and came equipped with every amenity we could possibly need for our stay.

We rented two vehicles (we have quite the crew to cart around) and also a boat so we were able to enjoy traveling the endless canals, do some fishing, and take in some day trips by water to Captiva and Sanibel Island where we watched dolphins, walked the beaches, and collected sea shells.

Our home was actually located very close to the Cape Harbour Marina, Restaurants and Shops so this proved ideal to be in short walking distance to enjoy nice dinners, boutique shopping, and the festive feel of the active marina as boats came in and went. I’d definitely recommend Rumrunners there, Fathoms Restaurant, and The French Press. Cape Harbour also has two towers of condos, so if you are not looking to rent an entire home for your stay, this would be a very nice alternative to enjoy this beautiful area of Cape Coral.

Another condo rental area I would highly recommend is the Westin Cape Coral Resort at Marina Village… this resort is gorgeous and equipped with restaurants and a spa. We enjoyed Pinchers, a lively and festive seafood dinner spot there at the Westin one evening, known for it’s fresh crab dishes… we devoured this appetizer (a whole meal literally!) to start our meal there.. everything was so delicious!

Other Restaurants besides Rumrunners, The French Press, Fathoms, and Pinchers we also dined at (or ordered in) were Duffy’s Sports Grill, Ford’s Garage, and Moretti’s Italian Grill.

I loved the location of Cape Coral, as it was far enough south that we could really embrace the warmest weather of the Florida climate, while nestled in a place that was a bit more low-key in terms of tourism, yet close enough to places like Sanibel and Captiva Islands to enjoy their beautiful waters and beaches, and also near Fort Myers’ busier, more touristy ocean-front appeal during our stay as well. Cape Coral was the perfect place for us to settle in and enjoy ‘life away from life’ for a couple of weeks, trading in our Michigan snow days for Florida’s palm trees, ocean views, and gorgeous sunsets.

Here’s a few more pictures from the home we stayed in and my family’s trip…

If you are thinking of visiting Cape Coral, or have questions on the particular home we rented…message me.. I’d be happy to give you more info, details, and insight!

I hope to share more of my 2021 travels with you on my blog this year…I already have a few more trips planned and I can’t wait! If you haven’t yet followed me on my social medias, or signed up for my newsletter…I’d love for you to do so today (links & sign-up here on my site) so we can stay in touch!

Happy Travels… & New Year, friends!

Xoxo, Jaime Lyn