I had no idea the surprise I would find about my family history that day. It was a nice summer’s day. We were driving from the Outer Banks to Raleigh, North Carolina. We approached a sign saying, “Bentonville Battlefield State Historic Site, next exit.” Having some extra time before our airplane took off, we took the exit onto the country road to see the battlefield. I didn’t know much about this Civil War battle and how I was personally connected to it.

I grew up near Disneyland. We would go all the time and still go every time I visit my family. On my last two visits, my sister and I went on a scavenger hunt to find hidden features all over the “The Happiest Place on Earth.” Let see what we found on our adventure through Main Street U.S.A.

Winter in the Northern Hemisphere will officially begin tonight at 8:27 p.m. Mountain Standard Time. Scientifically, The Winter Solstice is when the sun’s rays shine directly down on the latitude 23°26′10.2″ South (or 23.43618° S). Better known as the Tropic of Capricorn.

Several years ago, we decided to start doing staycations in the city and attending a holiday performace at the Performing Arts Center. Like this year's "Yippee Ki Yay – The Die Hard Parody."

Santa's Reindeer are making a pit stop at the Denver Premium Outlets this holiday. They are stopping to refuel on their way to meet up with Santa for the holidays. Stop by Denver Premium Outlets on December 10th and 17th from 1:00 p.m. to 3 p.m. to see and learn about the reindeer. You will be able to be up close and personal with these fantastic animals.

Recently we attended a holiday party at the Denver Aquarium restaurant. Part of the festivities was the ability to cruse the aquarium exhibits. We were shocked how empty the aquarium was on a Friday night. It turns out to be a great idea for a date night.

This weekend is Winterfest at Chautauqua in Northern Colorado. This annual event has some wonderful activities for the whole family to enjoy. Bring your friends and family and kick off the holidays with a tree lighting ceremony, horse-drawn carriage ride, Santa’s Cottage, a historic cottage tour, festive market, guided hikes and more!

Santa’s Reindeer are making pit stops across Colorado and the region. This year their favorite place to fuel up on snacks and bring joy to kids is Murdoch’s Ranch and Home Supply.