And out of nowhere, that New Year is upon us once again! It seems like every year at this time I look back and wonder how the heck 12 months flew by so quickly but for some reason when I’m living through those months, they drag on and on and I can’t stop looking towards the future.
Today’s not one of those days though. Rather than focusing on what’s next, I’m looking back in my rearview at the past, reflecting upon all of the dips, twists and turns that this roller coaster of a year brought me.
I’ll be spending this NYE celebrating being happy, healthy and grateful to be surrounded by friends and family.
Here’s my 2018 in Review:
January
I started off the year exploring some of Cali’s hidden gems, with one of my favorites being the Natural Bridge Caverns in Vallecito.
Read More: Hiking to the Natural Bridge Cavern in California
February
The beginning of February, I celebrated my 26th birthday with a visit from my mom!
And wandered around California’s historic Santa Cruz area and the gorgeous northern coastline!
Read More: 8 Things to Do in Santa Cruz
March
I’d been bugging Andy about doing a road trip south down the coast and it was one of the best things we did while living in California!
Read More: 7 Days on the Pacific Coast Highway
And I was finally able to introduce him to Venice Beach, LA, Palm Springs & Joshua Tree!
Read my blogs posts on Venice Beach and Joshua Tree
April & May
Andy was away for work during these months so I spent most of the time working on my blog & exploring places nearby, like San Francisco, a place I could never get tired of!
Read More: Instagram Spots in San Francisco
June
After Andy got home, we settled back in before embarking on a road trip back to Indiana for a short weekend.
July
The month started with us celebrating Andy’s birthday in San Francisco where we drank too many beers in Mission Delores park and cheered on the Cubs in a baseball game verse the Giants. (And they won!)
Searching for somewhere new and unique, we drove up near North Lake Tahoe on the Yuba River and found the most epic way to spend a hot summer day in the Emerald Pools.
Read More: Tahoe National Forest’s Best Kept Secret: The Emerald Pools
Another one of my 2018 highlights was wandering around the ridiculously gorgeous areas of Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks.
August
And so began our 2 month vacation, beginning with a heck of a road trip north up the Pacific Coast. The first stops were in California’s quaint town of Mendocino and the dreamy Redwoods National Park.
Read More: A Pit Stop in Mendocino / A Hike Through the Redwoods
After making it to Oregon, we spent nearly 3 days joy riding along the gorgeous coastline, stopping at some iconic places.
Read More: The Oregon Coast Highway: Top Stops Along the Way
After Oregon came Washington where we spent 3 days exploring the Olympic Peninsula, stopping in places like the most northwest point in the lower 48 and the Hoh Rainforest.
On our way our of the Peninsula, we made a quick stop to Mount Rainier National Park before relishing in Seattle’s charm for a couple of days.
Read More: Mount Rainier – Where to Find the Best Views / How to Spend a Weekend in Seattle
The grand finale of our road trip was a 3 day Dave Matthews Band concert at the Gorge Amphitheater in the Cascade Mountains, an event I had been dreaming about attending since I was a teenager.
On the way back home through Oregon, we made a pit stop at Crater Lake National Park and made a promise to ourselves that we’d return someday to camp out next to it in the snow!
September
Cheers to the month that supplied me with the most epic adventures on a new continent! For the first time, I flew over the Pacific to Asia, spending a little under 2 weeks hopping around Thailand.
The first stop was in Bangkok where we spent a fabulous 3 nights at the Lebua State Tower and discovered the ins and outs of Bangkok’s metropolis.
Read More: Drinking 64 Floors Up at the Sky Bar / Bangkok in 48 Hours
The Phi Phi Islands were the next stop in our Thailand adventures and I could’ve literally stayed here forever swimming with monkeys, boating around the isles and watching the sky turn crazy colors.
Read More: Spending 3 Days on the Phi Phi Islands / Exploring the Phi Phi Islands by Boat
After living the dream life for a few days there, we were off to Koh Samui and Koh Tao where I filled my heart with pure paradise.
Read More: A Short Stay on Koh Samui / Basking in the Paradise of Koh Tao
October
We started off the beginning of the fall month with a road trip down to Death Valley National Park where spent 2 days hiking through slot canyons, visiting the hottest point on earth and roaming through old ghost towns in the desolation of limestone mountains.
November
Shortly into the beginning of November, we found out that around the end of the year, Andy would have to go away for work again, but for much longer this time. The whole month was spent preparing to move out of our home in California, putting all of our stuff into a storage unit, and wrapping up loose ends before we’d have to leave.
December
And so the moving out process began…
…and before we knew it, Andy was driving me 39 hours back home to Indiana to drop me off before leaving me until next summer. Before he left though, we were able to do some fun wintry activities around the area like tobogganing and ice skating.
I sent him off on a plane a couple of days before Christmas, so my mom worked extra hard to make me feel like home. She took me on drives to look at Christmas lights, to little towns to see their decorations and to an ice carving competition in a small town. Oh, and we can’t forget about all the awesome time I’ve gotten to spend with my dog again!
And there it is, my entire 2018 wrapped up into one. It’s incredibly enlightening to look back at your year, seeing how many memories you made and the amount of smiles that you wore on your face.
2019 is going to be a crazy year for me again! I’m already looking at a couple of international trips in the first few months and before I know it, Andy will be returning back home and we’ll start our life again in California.
Thank you to every single one of you for sticking by me through my first full year of blogging! I’m enjoying every moment of it and I hope to continue to bring y’all good stories, happy vibes, travel inspiration and lots of love!
