Year in Review: Highs and Lows of 2024

Guys, how is it already the end of 2024? It feels like I just wrote one of these posts, yet here we are again. I’m not complaining, though—this annual recap is my absolute favorite to write. Admittedly, I struggled to keep up with social media this past year. I’d vow to post “later,” only to find that two months had flown by and it no longer felt, well, relevant.

At some point, I started wondering if anyone really cared about my updates, and I pulled back on posting. But then a conversation with the bestie reminded me that this isn’t solely about engagement or algorithms—it’s also for me: a way to reflect on our travels, appreciate the photos we’ve taken across the globe, and see how much we’ve grown. After all, what’s the point of a photography hobby if I never pause to admire our progress?

So, I slowly started posting more, trying not to focus so much on external validation. That said, it costs nothing to spread a little positivity, and in this heavy news cycle, we could all use more of that. Here’s to more genuine interaction in the new year. But first, let’s revisit some of this year’s highlights—plus a few moments I never got around to posting.

January: Winter Birthday Escapes

We spent most of January recouping from travel-heavy days in the months prior. Rest and relaxation were exactly what the doctor ordered (much to my chagrin), since I had to take a forced break from running after a minor outpatient surgery to remove a mole in the flip-flop zone. Let me tell you, those three weeks off felt like an eternity.

By my birthday, the stitches were finally out and I was itching for an adventure. We hopped in the car and spent the weekend on a frosty hike and then relaxing at the spa in Seefeld in Tirol, Austria. The trail was so icy, but all of us had a great time running through the snow and crushing Röstis mid-hike. There’s something about our birthdays that has me craving to spend our time outdoors, no matter the weather.

February: A Pivot to Portugal

Our travel plans took an unexpected turn in February. We’d initially planned a 10-day trip to Egypt with our Ramstein friends, but the political situation meant no one was authorized for travel to the country. Determined not to waste our vacation time, we pivoted and rebooked flights to Lisbon, Portugal.

A series of schedule conflicts and missed flights whittled the group down to just the two of us. Although we missed having our friends there, running around Lisbon’s colorful streets, devouring pastel de natas, and day-tripping to Sintra gave us a more spontaneous adventure than we’d expected.

March: Speedy Half Marathons & Tea Time in London

It was off to the races in March—literally. We kicked off the month with the Paris Half Marathon, which I later discovered had over 40,000 participants, making it one of Europe’s largest. For context, the biggest race we had done prior was the Las Vegas Rock ‘n’ Roll with 25,000 runners. Surrounded by so many competitors, I fed off the crowd’s energy and grabbed a new PR, my first since 2019.

Once we had recovered, we packed our bags for a five day trip to London, England. Mark was initially supposed to be there for work, so we planned for me to join him. While booking my flight, I discovered a yarn festival would be happening while we were there—one of my goals for 2024. I eagerly bought a ticket. I also snagged Hamilton seats, since we had wanted to see it for ages. Although Mark’s work trip fell through, we still went and had a blast revisiting our favorite London rituals: afternoon tea, Sunday Roasts, and cozy nights in the pubs.

April: Puppy Rehab & Yarny Adventures

In April, we had another family member on the mend: Lucy decided to superman off some grated metal stairs and tore off two nails down to the quick. My old Girl Scout first-aid badge came in handy as I spent nearly a month wrapping her foot multiple times a day.

Because I’m an overachiever, I decided attending one yarn festival wasn’t enough for the year. We took a day trip to the Swiss Yarn Festival, where Mark happily camped out by the food trucks while I petted endless skeins of wool. Toward the end of the month, we revisited Spain for a long weekend in Barcelona. Mark savored his daily Iberico at the market, and I enjoyed strolling past Gaudi’s architectural masterpieces.

May: Night Racing & Sunny Malta

Paris was just the warm-up for our 2024 race season. In May, we took to the streets of Luxembourg for a nighttime half marathon, which was a fun change of pace from the other half marathons we have run in Europe so far. I nabbed another PR, inching closer to my ultimate time goal for the year.

As the days grew longer, we played tourist in our own city, discovering new neighborhoods on long evening walks. For Memorial Day, we visited Malta—our first new country of the year. We splurged on a hotel with a balcony overlooking the ocean, splitting our time evenly between exploring the island’s history and relaxing with our books. Our surprise indulgence was discovering our hotel offered British-style afternoon tea room service. Needless to say, we had tea time almost every single day we were there.

June: Euro Cup Madness & An Amsterdam Reunion

Mark requested a travel break in June, partly because he spent a week and a half back in the States for work. Initially, I felt restless—time abroad feels precious, and I hate staying still. But Stuttgart was a host city for the Euro Cup (an annual soccer championship in Europe), so plenty of excitement came to us. We didn’t attend any matches in the stadium, but we spent many evenings in beer gardens with visiting teams, soaking up international camaraderie.

By the end of June, my wanderlust won out. We headed to Amsterdam to crash my brother and sister-in-law’s vacation. It was a blast showing them around one of our favorite European cities.

July: Puffins & Birthaversary Trekking

If you followed our epic Iceland road trip, you’ll recall we barely caught the tail end of puffin season. Craving more, we discovered puffins also nested in Scotland’s Highlands, so we planned a weeklong road trip around the Isle of Skye. We were greeted by your standard temperamental UK weather, but we didn’t let that stop our exploring. We were still able to do many of the hikes we had planned as well as enjoying a rare sunny day with the puffins.

Unfortunately, the trip ended on a sour note when I tested positive for COVID. After a week of isolation, I recovered, only to be hit by a nasty Norovirus. Finally feeling better just in time for our “birthaversary” weekend, we hiked the Seealpsee trail in the Swiss Alps. It was unseasonably warm, and our quaint little chalet lacked air conditioning (or even a fan). I learned quickly to add “A/C required” to our summer travel amenities checklist.

August: Adele & Greek Island Chilling

August is the month when Europe practically shuts down for summer vacation. We generally avoid flights during this time, preferring to let the rest of the world deal with the airport chaos. Staying mostly in Germany, we checked off several bucket-list items anyway. One highlight was taking the train to Munich to see Adele during her residency—a once-in-a-lifetime experience blessed with perfect weather.

A couple of weekends later, we returned to Munich to go river rafting with our Ramstein friends. Picture entire trees lashed together, an oompah band on deck, and multiple kegs onboard—truly Bavaria at its finest. By the end of August, it was time to fly again, so we made our way to Greece for five days. Having loved our chill stay in Malta, we booked an adults-only all-inclusive in Crete for the tail end of the trip. It turned out to be the perfect way to unwind after walking the streets of Athens for a couple of days.

September: Snowy Surprises & Cowchella

When we were in Seealpsee in July, I booked another Swiss hike for mid-September, hoping for a crisp, autumnal trek. Instead, we arrived to discover epic snowdrifts at the summit. With no proper winter gear, we settled into the chalet for appetizers and drinks instead. Admittedly, I was pretty upset with myself for not anticipating the weather since this was our only free weekend to do the hike before we leave Europe. Mark reminded me to appreciate how much we’d done in our three years here, rather than focusing on the one hike we missed. I decided to drown my sorrows in an award-winning fondue dinner. It mostly worked.

A week later, we drove to Söll, Austria, for Almabtrieb, a charming autumn festival where the cows return from mountain pastures for the winter, adorned with elaborate flower crowns. On the final weekend of the month, I caught an early train to run the Einstein Half Marathon in a nearby town, snagging another PR and moving closer to my ultimate race goal.

October: Camel Rides & Pr Chasing

October kicked off with our final Volksfest in Stuttgart, celebrating alongside our Ramstein crew. Three days later, we boarded a plane to Morocco—our first trip to Africa! When we first arrived in Europe, Mark mentioned he dreamed of setting foot on all seven continents, so I knew we had to make Africa happen while we were here. Riding camels at sunset in the Sahara felt surreal, and Mark even caught a glimpse of the Aurora Borealis (talk about once in a lifetime!) while taking star photos at our desert glamping site.

Of course, the trip wasn’t without hiccups: both of us got sick from unrelated bugs and needed extra rest afterward. I capped off the month by traveling solo to Dresden to run my last half marathon of the year. Although I didn’t hit my goal time, I still earned a new PR, keeping me optimistic for the year to come.

November: On the Road In Three Countries

The first weekend of November, we met my parents in Interlaken, Switzerland, for some easy hiking. I love any excuse to spend time in this scenic corner of Europe. The following weekend, Mark and I packed the dogs into the car for a relaxing retreat in Lake Garda, Italy. I’d rented a villa by the water, hoping for peaceful runs and laid-back afternoons. It turned out to be just what we needed, especially with Mark juggling schoolwork.

Right before Thanksgiving, the Christmas markets started opening, which, if you’ve read my blog before, you know I lose my mind every year about it. Mark’s all-in too, so we kicked off the season in Cologne with our Ramstein friends. I’m so glad we were able to squeeze in one final visit before our upcoming move. For Thanksgiving itself, we headed to Dijon in the Burgundy region of France—the last wine region left for us to explore, but immediately fell in love with its fantastic cuisine.

December: Krampus Visit & Christmas Market Magic

December, as usual, belonged entirely to Christmas markets. Every weekend found us in a new spot: first Krampus in Munich (a wild, entertaining spectacle), then Strasbourg, France—the best of the best, in my opinion. For the holidays, we ventured to Belgium to see the Brussels and Ghent markets. We’d never been to Ghent before and quickly fell for its charming college-town vibe. One of our most memorable moments: ordering a beer at a bar that takes your shoe and hangs it from the ceiling until you return the glass! As the Christmas markets came to a close, we found ourselves reflecting on just how many new corners of Europe we’d explored, and how 2025 would bring an entirely new adventure.

As we close out 2024, you might be wondering, “What’s next?” Well, after saying “I don’t know” for the past couple of years, we finally have big news: we’ll be leaving Germany this summer and heading back to Las Vegas—a place we last called home seven years ago, and one we’ve missed more than we realized.

It’s a bittersweet transition. We’re beyond grateful for all the memories made over the past three and a half years in Europe—from marathon adventures across borders, to Christmas market crawls, to adding stamps to our passports. But now, the desert sunsets and neon nights of Vegas are calling us back. It feels a bit like coming full circle, returning to a city that felt like home, this time with fresh perspectives (and maybe a deeper appreciation for air conditioning).

As the summer draws closer, we’ll have a better idea on return dates, but for now, we hope you’ll keep following along as we wrap up our European chapter and start a brand-new one. Thank you for being part of our year—your comments always mean the world. Here’s to new beginnings, familiar faces, and the next batch of stories. Stay tuned—2025 is about to get interesting!

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