This past year seemed simultaneously both long and short. As it’s become my tradition to recap the adventures of the past year through photos and provide encouragement for the coming year, let’s get started on the good, the bad, and the ugly of 2017!

January

The year started off with snow, a rare occurrence in these parts! I began the year with a hike up Roxy Ann Peak, and continued enjoying the snow by volunteering in the mountains at Wilderness Trails. I also had the opportunity to interview Sadie Robertson for this year’s spring issue of Girlz 4 Christ Magazine, which was the start of more growth with this project.

February

The highlight of February was taking a day trip to Trees of Mystery in Klamath, California. I had given my family tickets as a Christmas present, and it was a fun trip together. Since the New Year is during February in China, I went to the Chinese New Year festival in Jacksonville, Oregon. I also drove my friends out to Gold Beach where we hunted for glass floats, but unfortunately we didn’t find any.

March

This month focused more on local outdoor adventures. Since I was doing the On Foot series on this blog, my goal was to discover trails and walking paths. I even discovered new tiny towns like Wimer, Oregon and its covered bridge. I took several day trips to Ashland, Rogue River, and Jacksonville, and I hiked Table Rock.

April

April’s adventures started out a lot like May’s. I joined in Ashland’s First Friday Art Walk, which I hadn’t done since college. I also hiked in Jacksonville and went on a few country drives. But then I found out that one of my favorite speakers and writers, Susie Shellenberger, was going to be speaking in Brookings, which is a town on the Southern Oregon Coast. Although I had short notice, I planned a wonderful weekend road trip around her speaking schedule where I got to see beautiful portions of the Pacific Coastline. I even stayed in my first AirBnB… on a boat!

May

This was the hardest month for me. Although I tried to jazz up the year by taking trips and going on adventures, for the most part they were there to cover up some struggles. I applied to several jobs this year, all of which resulted in rejection. My current jobs have gone through some rough patches. I knew a few people who died in car crashes. But it really hit home when I got hit myself. Just three days after my birthday, I was driving some girls home from a Mothers Day event on a Friday night when another car ran a red light and hit us in the intersection. For the most part, we were fine. However, I did have to spend the rest of the year going to chiropractic appointments, and dealing with the insurance companies is still a hassle. But since I got a rental car, I decided to take a road trip the very next weekend, kind of as a way to kick fear in the face. Because I made plans the same day I left, I considered several destinations until I found one that was both affordable and available. I had a nice time exploring several attractions in Redding, California.

June

I drove three different cars this month: a rental from my insurance company, a rental from the other insurance company, and finally, a new car for me! Since June was continued stress of dealing with the aftermath of the car crash, I wasn’t in the mood to travel much. I did take a day trip to the ghost town of Golden, Oregon and nearby Grants Pass. After bidding good-bye to my totaled car, I picked out one that was almost exactly like it, except a year newer. I didn’t get it until the end of the month, but managed a trip to the movie theater the night I bought it to see Cars 3.

July

It was time to really break in my new car. I started off the month with a weekend road trip. I spent the first day and night in Eugene, walking along the river and staying at the hostel. Then I headed out to the Central Oregon Coast. Since that area has been largely unexplored by me, I got to enjoy attractions like Thor’s Well and the Sea Lion Caves for the first time, not to mention beaches and lighthouses. I then re-explored the coastal towns I had driven through in April. The rest of the month was spent relaxing at home, doing things like hammocking, biking, and even fixing up my old tent so I could go backyard camping.

August

I’m glad my tent was repaired the previous month, because it allowed me to have one of the most exciting adventures of the year! Although it took place only an hour and a half from home, Wildlife Safari had a sleepover event where guests could camp out next to the lions! We also had encounters with several of the other resident animals, like the bears and cheetahs. The way back home took much longer than an hour and a half, since I stopped to see the Myrtle Creek covered bridges and take my time going through the Applegate Trail Museum. The next weekend, I was out again! I spent the first night once again in Redding, California, where I went to WaterWorks and Bethel. The next day I met my friend Kylie (who I had only ever seen via the internet before), and we explored little Placerville together. I spent the final day of that trip in Tahoe, but this tri-state trip wasn’t the last one of the month! The next weekend, I went on two separate day trips: one I went to Lava Beds National Monument with the kids I babysat, and the other allowed me to explore Bend with a friend.

September

After all of August’s adventures, I was spent, both physically and financially. Although wanderlust was still knocking at my door, I planned to explore the local area instead by going on hikes, using my hammock, geocaching, and attending a free retreat. My “No-Spend September Staycation” did allow me one out-of-town trip, though, when I won a ticket to see Anita Renfroe’s comedy show in Klamath Falls.

October

October continued the slower pace that September set. I took kids to the pumpkin patch a couple of times. I spent a long day hiking up and around Table Rock. And though I had taken a summer break from Wilderness Trails due to my injured back as well as scheduling conflicts, I jumped back in full-force this month. First there was the organization’s 50th anniversary celebration dinner, followed by two weekend camps.

November

Although I didn’t do anything to celebrate Halloween, I seemed to make up for it early in November. After joining Ashland’s First Friday Art Walk (where many of the refreshments included leftover candy), I joined Southern Oregon University’s ghost tour. Then came two more Wilderness Trails weekends, the second one introducing snow! The snow fun continued on Thanksgiving. My family decided to burn off some calories before consuming even more of them by snowshoeing at Crater Lake National Park.

December

Since I’ve lived with my immediate family the past few years, I no longer travel much in December, partly because this month’s travel expenses are so high, and partly because there’s so much to do locally for Christmas and other celebrations. Still, there were yet another two Wilderness Trails retreats. The first one was a tree-cutting camp, so I got to cut down a Christmas tree for the first time ever. My family had already set up the fake tree, but it worked out because a few days later, I moved into my own apartment. It’s a “tiny home” of 300 square feet, and it’s walking distance to most places I usually go anyway. So I’ve been enjoying the local mini-adventures of setting up my new home and walking the town even when it’s freezing outside. In fact, what was probably my most cultural experience of the year happened within my new city’s limits! I decided to end 2017 by going to seven different churches for their Christmas Eve services. Some I was familiar with, and other provided a whole new kind of experience.

What About This Blog?

It was a record year for JessicaLippe.com. Here were some of your favorite posts and stats:

Most Read Post: Hostelling International: Is It Worth the Membership?

Most Popular Post Written This Year: Fall Foto Fun

My Personal Favorite Post: 11 Travel Hacks that Don’t Require Credit Cards

Top Ten Countries Readers are From: 1. United States, 2. United Kingdom, 3. Canada, 4. Germany, 5. Australia, 6. Philippines, 7. India, 8. France, 9. Netherlands, 10. Italy

2018

Now that we’re up to speed, we are on the cusp of 2018. This year I will be ringing it in at work, of all places! (It seems to be the only place where I can stay up past midnight!) Then, I’m starting a two-month adventure called grand jury duty. Since this involves weekly involvement, I’m not sure how much travel I will be able to fit in for January and February, but I do have a few Wilderness Trails weekends, and my other weekends are mostly open. After that, I’ll be able to use the airline tickets I was given for Christmas to go to Maui, Hawaii!

After that, I’m not sure exactly where life will take me. I’m not even sure if I’ll stay in the area, although I like it here and don’t currently know of any opportunities to move elsewhere. I’m still entering contests in hopes that one will provide me with a free trip. I’d like to travel more, but I have more important non-travel goals.

I’m starting off 2018 with 21 days of no sugar. I’m not sure if you can call it a New Year’s Resolution since I know it won’t last all year, but it’s an effort to get healthier. I’m also committed to getting more serious about writing, and hope to make it a more substantial part of my year. I’m even going to get more motivated about getting a book published. I’ve gone through this process several times before but have always given up before getting accepted by a traditional publisher, so hopefully all this work can finally come to fruition in the year ahead.

Now that you know what I’ve done and what I’ll do, I want to hear from you! What was your highlight of 2017? What do you hope to accomplish in 2018?