Welcome to the final newsletter of the year – My 2025 year in review! Just some highlights – we would be here all day!
Is it just me, or did 2025 fly by in a blink? As I look back, I’m filled with gratitude—for family milestones, unforgettable travels, meaningful work, and all of you who continue to follow along. Here’s a quick rundown!
Family Joys
Our family grew this year with the arrival of our grandson, Clark—making the twins officially cousins! Watching your grown child become a parent is one of life’s great gifts, and we’re savoring every moment. Nick, Kylie, and Clark are doing great!
We also celebrated several beautiful weddings, each one a sweet reminder of young love at its very best. And somehow, Craig and I reached 41 years of marriage. Four decades of partnership, adventure, and laughter—how lucky am I?
A Dodgers Season for the Books
Go Dodgers! Another World Series win—and an experience we’ll never forget.
This year, we found ourselves at the longest World Series game in history.
October 2025
18 innings
6 hours 39 minutes
Dodgers 6, Blue Jays 5
We went with my 85-year-old mom and our son Nick, and it was epic from start to finish. What made it even more surreal? We were ALSO at the previous “longest World Series game ever” back in 2018:
October 2018
18 innings
7 hours 20 minutes
Dodgers 3, Red Sox 2
Twice in one lifetime? The odds are wild—we really should have gone straight to Vegas.
Travel Adventures
This year’s travels were nothing short of extraordinary. We kicked off 2025 with New Year’s in London and Paris, then embarked on a spectacular culinary tour of Morocco. Riding camels in the Sahara with our best friends felt like living inside a dream. One email invitation—“Who wants to ride camels in the Sahara with us?”—turned into an unforgettable adventure.
In July, we spent several weeks in Italy preparing for our upcoming Travel Connections Tours in Tuscany. From meeting with vintners to tasting extraordinary meals at family-run restaurants, we’re carefully crafting the most authentic, delicious, and memorable tours you could imagine. You can learn more about the tours HERE.
If you want the behind-the-scenes stories, I recorded several podcast episodes filled with fun details from all of these trips—don’t miss them! You can find the podcast on several platforms: YouTube, Apple, Spotify, and iHeartRadio
Thirteen Years of Adventures of Empty Nesters
When I started Adventures of Empty Nesters 13 years ago, my goal was simple: encourage fellow empty nesters to get out, explore, and rediscover what lights them up. With the kids grown and our calendars our own again, this chapter of life can be incredibly vibrant.
I plan to continue this work for decades to come—especially inspired by my mom, who keeps up with every adventure we dream up. Watching her cheer on her beloved Dodgers at the World Series was a highlight of her life (and mine) and a reminder to keep saying yes to what brings us joy.
Final Journey of the Year
We’ll close out 2025 back in South America, revisiting Chile. From the wine country to the remote beauty of Chiloé Island, we’re excited to explore more deeply and record a brand-new podcast episode to open Season 5 of Travel Connections Podcast in February 2026. I can’t wait to share it with you.
As always, thank you for reading, for traveling alongside me here, on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and on the Travel Connections podcast. Your support and enthusiasm mean everything.
Wishing you a warm and wonderful holiday season—and a spectacular start to 2026.
With gratitude,
Suzanne
