Colorado: November 24th – December 2nd, 2025
Colorado is practically my second home, as my sister has been living there for over ten years now. With my upcoming travels out of the country, it felt like the perfect place to spend Thanksgiving, settled in with her family and soaking up some familiarity before heading abroad. Over the years, we’ve created small traditions that we look forward to every time I visit: taking her dog Shaq for walks, sharing delicious recipes, practicing yoga, and exploring a new spot together. This trip, we checked all of those boxes.
Since she has two teenage boys and a husband who stands at 6’3”, our top priority was a proper Thanksgiving meal. She ordered the Cajun turkey from Popeyes, which I later learned was a huge win, and then got to work prepping days in advance. The menu included Tini’s mac & cheese, collard greens, sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes, and homemade gravy. I admire my sister so much for the heart she pours into everything she does, and Thanksgiving was no exception, it absolutely did not disappoint!
I squeezed in a few hot yoga classes, which helped me get back into a rhythm after all the incredible food we were enjoying. Yoga always helps calm my mind when I’m feeling stressed, and at the time I still hadn’t finalized where I’d be traveling overseas. Between yoga and my sister’s enlightening pep talks, everything started to click. Within a few days, I finally locked in my destination for my first overseas adventure.
We also made our way into the city to visit a charming tea shop my sister had been eyeing called Heart and Seoul, named after the city. We met the owner and ended up having such a lovely conversation over a cup of tea.
I spent as much time as possible soaking up moments with my teenage nephews, and we made sure to squeeze in a girls’ night dinner with a close girlfriend, because girls’ nights are always required. Overall, it was a successful trip that grounded me and made me feel right at home before heading out for the next chapter of my journey.
