At the end of the year, I love to look back and savor the WOW! Moments I’ve had over the past 12 months. I recently looked through my photos and discovered that 2025 was chock-full. Here’s a quick rundown of some highlights.

I went to see Rascal Flatts with my kids. Then I headed to NYC to spend time with my writer buddies. While there, I took a behind-the-scenes tour of Grand Central Station, saw the Broadway play “Buena Vista Social Club,” and visited “A Century of the New Yorker” exhibit at the New York Public Library.

I traveled to Tucson to hang out with Elizabeth Gilbert and faced my fears. I lived in Paris for a month, where I got a water massage, learned to make croissants from a French pastry chef, went to the ballet, and saw some of the jewels at the Louvre that would later be stolen. I also took the train to London where I enjoyed afternoon tea, attended Evensong at Westminster Abbey, and saw “Les Miserables” at the Sondheim Theatre.

When I finally returned home, I met Dave Barry (who may have called me a goddess).  Then I went to Dallas for a reset event with my sister that included blindfolded dancing and scream therapy. I was an extra in a Hallmark movie filmed at the Grand Ole Opry. And my kids and I took a train from Chicago to Seattle (I love trains) where we spent an afternoon with an otter named Pearl, hiked trails surrounded by amazing waterfalls, and tried six varieties of oysters.

Back at home (again), I made the Jumbotron at a Vanderbilt football game, then my sister and I dressed like ladybugs and checked in dogs at a pet costume contest. I dressed like a chicken and boxed a duck at a racetrack, and we took family photos in giant animal heads at Thanksgiving. I put on my elf dress and climbed out onto the balcony of my city’s courthouse to man the snow machine with my sister at the annual Dickens of a Christmas festival. And I wrapped up the year by being an extra in “911 Nashville” with my son Nick. (I can’t wait to see the episode when it airs in April.)

WOW! right? I was definitely alive in 2025! If you’re into home movies, here’s a reel I put together of my year.

What did you do to make 2025 a memorable year? I’m starting to think about the adventures I want 2026 to hold. What are your plans for the year ahead?