I had a lot of things I was supposed to do today. A rare Saturday with no wedding (I had one Friday instead), at home. When I woke up this morning, I planned to work on yesterday’s wedding and get caught up and ready for the new year. Possibly get a few blog posts and TikToks ready so I could hit the ground running. So many plans.

But do you know what I did instead?

I took Scout and Tyler on a day-long date across Northwest Arkansas. Today was the last day of 2022, and I made a game-time decision that I wasn’t going to spend it working. A rare Saturday with no wedding, at home. I wasn’t going to waste this.

We started the day at Crystal Bridges. The world-class museum was hosting “Noon Year’s Eve,” an event geared toward families to celebrate the end of 2022. We danced (sure… my feet hurt from yesterday’s wedding), crafted, hula-hooped, and snacked. Near the end of our time at Crystal Bridges, another game-time decision was made: it was going to be a nap-skipping kind of day!

After a quick change at home into our fancier, nighttime NYE outfits, we stopped into one of our favorite family activities: “tickle toes!” That’s our affectionate nickname for pedicures. They all know Scout by now. Scout walks in, picks her polish, and heads to the princess chairs without so much as a word of direction. Have you seen the meme that says “I work hard so my dogs can have a nice life”? Well, I work hard so my kid can have a nice life. It was fun getting the opportunity to relax. Also, my feet really did hurt from yesterday’s wedding. Well anyway, now that we were feeling refreshed, it was time for the dinner portion of our day-long date.

For dinner, we had reservations at Theo’s in Rogers. While it hasn’t been in our regular rotation, Theo’s is a longtime favorite. They have great craft cocktails and delicious food. Fast forward an hour and a half, our tummies were full from foie gras, filet, and crème brûlée. They also had a really lovely mocktail made specifically for NYE. I thought I would partake of one more unleaded version before midnight hit and I could pop open my bottle of Moët and Chandon. FYI, I went with this bottle. It was a little pricy but I wanted to make my first time special. LOL.

During dinner, Tyler and I discussed hopes and visions for 2023. She loves to talk about the future and plan what she wants it to look like. I enjoy these conversations as well. I told her how I would like to segment my drive for perfection. By that, I meant I want to keep being a perfectionist when it came to my photography. However, I want to be more chill at home. It’s something I’ve always struggled with. She told me about how she wants to spend more time being productive and growing. Finally, I told her how much I love our life. And how she does so much for our family that she should feel proud of. She accomplishes so much but, for some reason, only thinks about what she didn’t get done (and then guilts herself). Who can relate to that?

After dinner, it was time to return home for our nighttime routine: bathtime, PJs, and snuggle time. Bathtime has inadvertently become Scout and my playtime. For some reason, while she is totally a mama’s girl, she has designated bath time to be something she only wants me for. I’m not complaining, it gives me the opportunity to perfect my Olaf voice, my Mickey, Donald, and Goofy voice, and my impression of a Tyrannosaurus Rex. If you couldn’t decipher, those are Scout’s bathtime toys.

As the night came to an end, we watched a cliff notes version of the Lion King (skipping some of the scariest parts) and then caught a couple of episodes of Bluey.

Looking back on all the work I missed, the emails I didn’t check, and the photos I didn’t edit… I would do it all again. Today was a day like no other. It was the perfect way to end 2022, and I hope to take more days like today into the new year.

Happy New Year, friends!