Personal Journal, Travel

My 2024 Year in Review: Real Life, No Filter

by Katelynn Kellogg

Every year has its ups and downs, and my 2024 year in review is no different. From freezing temperatures to tropical beaches, new certifications to kidney stones (ugh), this past year was full of adventures, real-life chaos, and moments I’ll never forget. Here’s everything that made 2024 unforgettable—for better or worse.

❄️ January: Coldest Camping Trip Ever

I kicked off the year with the coldest camping trip of my life. I’m talking 17 degrees overnight—the kind of cold that makes your water bottles freeze and has you questioning your life choices. But hey, I survived, and now it’s one for the books (and the blog).

Screenshot of my weather app during my camping trip showing 34 degrees F in Smithville, TX
34 degrees F at 6am

🌵 February: San Antonio with Mom

My mom came to visit, and we squeezed all the touristy fun into a short trip to San Antonio. Great weather, lots of laughs, and quality time that meant so much to me. One of those unexpected highlights from my 2024 year in review.

Read More: Everything Mom and I Did in San Antonio Over a Long Weekend

My mom and I standing together in front of a very colorful mural that says "Greetings from San Antonio"

🥶 March: Cruises & Broken Toes

March brought a mix of highs and lows:

  • We drove out to Galveston, TX, in early March for a fun birthday weekend with friends, where I broke my big toe playing soccer on the beach and ended up in a boot a few days later.
  • The next weekend, Jay and I took off on our first Norwegian Cruise out of Galveston—sunny stops in Cozumel, Belize, Honduras (where I zip-lined through the jungle), and Costa Maya. The cruise life was everything we needed.

Read More: My First Week-Long Cruise on the Norwegian Prima

Norwegian Prima Cruise Ship sitting at the dock with blue skies above.
Norwegian Prima Cruise Ship
View of the port of Costa Maya from the Norwegian Prima balcony. The water is multiple blues and the land is a lush green full of trees. You can see the lower balcony of the ship that shows multiple pools and people sunbathing.

🌸 April: A Best Friend Reunion

My best friend flew down from Michigan for a long weekend, and we had the best time. She finally got to see my house, meet Boone, catch up, and make the most of every minute together.

My best friend and I taking a selfie in front of the Greetings from Houston mural.

🚗 May: Memorial Day Road Trip

I try to take advantage of the long weekend around Memorial Day each year, and this year I chose to drive up to Palo Duro Canyon. Since I can’t drive more than 2.5 hours without falling asleep, roadtrips with me are full of random stops, unique attractions, parks, and more.

Selfie in front of the memorial for the Ohio Street Bridge with the bridge in the background.
Ohio Street Bridge
Statue of the Largest Bowie Knife in the World.
Hillsboro, TX Bucees water tower
Arms stretched out in front of the largest shovel in Texas which is more than 2x the size of my arm span and more than 25ft tall!
Largest Shovel in Texas
Wichita Falls

This specific road trip consisted of odd attractions, Buc-ee’s (of course), a day in Wichita Falls, a visit to Palo Duro Canyon, a visit to Caprock Canyon, a night of camping at Copper Breaks State Park, and so much more. My Memorial Day road trip was one of the most exciting weekends in my 2024 year in review.

Selfie in front of tall rock formation at palo duro canyon state park. I'm wearing sunglasses, a sunshirt, day backpack and I have a go pro strapped to my chest.
Palo Duro Canyon
Palo Duro Canyon picture of the red rock canyon walls with blue skies and red sand along the pathway.
Palo Duro Canyon State Park

Read More:
Popular Things to Do in Palo Duro Canyon,
Fun Things to Do in Wichita Falls, TX

🔥 June: Hiking, Book Club, and House Hunting

Despite the heat, I got out of town and visited Bastrop State Park for the first time this month, sweating my way through 6+ miles of trail. After that exhausting endeavor, I took a dip in their community pool, which I LOVED! It’s one of my favorites I’ve ever been to.

Selfie from the chest up along the trail. I have sunglasses, a buff headband, and you can clearly see my water bladder straw.
Camp fan, my kindle, and my mountain house dinner pack.
Second bridge crossing at Bastrop State Park.
Bridge crossing at Bastrop State Park.

I don’t know for sure what month it was, but I joined Silent Book Club this year, and it’s quickly become one of my favorite extracurriculars. It’s an organized get-together where we all spend a little time talking about books, and then we all just read silently. It’s afforded me the opportunity to visit new places in town as well as meet new people without taking a lot of me socially.

Lastly, Jay and I started housing hunting!

🌞 July: Pool Parties & Disneyland

4th of July is a holiday my boyfriend and his friends usually get together for and this year, we joined a LARGE group in Concan, TX, at a gorgeous house and spent a long weekend grilling, drinking, and chilling in and around the pool. It was a chaotic weekend, but we’re doing it again next year!

Later in July, I flew to Anaheim, CA, for a work conference. As per usual, I squeezed in a solo-adventure at the end of the conference to attend an Anaheim Angels Baseball game, explore the GardenWalk Center, eat and people-watch at the Packing House, and visit Disneyland for the first time!

Visiting Disneyland for the first time requires a selfie in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle.
Anaheim Packing House
Angels Stadium in Anaheim with audience.

While in Anaheim, I attended a conference and explored and also had to take my final exam for my Entry to Data Analytics class (and I passed!!).

I wrote quite a few blog posts about my time in Anaheim, CA. Read more here!

🍂 September: Museums, Mountains, and Iconic Restaurants in Albuquerque

I traveled to Albuquerque, NM, for another conference, and this one included hiking, museums, iconic restaurants, and some much-needed solo exploring. Even though I spent 6 days exploring Albuquerque, I could have easily stayed longer, I was really living out there.

Visit Albuquerque transit bus with beautiful mural
Beautiful Painted Van
Image by Katelynnoutloud
Sandia Peak Tramway from the top of the mountain. Tram is high over the city skyline at night.
Sandia Peak Tramway
One of the most photographed walls in Albuquerque, NM, the road sign wall at Route 66 Diner.
Iconic Street Sign Wall
Pino Trail submitted to AllTrails by Jack Williamson

Read More: A 6-Day Itinerary for Albuquerque, NM: Arts, Food, and Adventure

🦷 November: Crowns & Renaissance Vibes

For the first time in my life, I had to endure some real dental work. I had to get a crown put on one of my teeth. Unfortunately, this was not a smooth process for me. My mouth got super dry during the procedure, I felt like I was swallowing my own tongue. I had trouble breathing, so I panicked. It made for a really stressful time at the dentist. Not only that, but the next couple of days, I was experiencing intense pain that felt like I had open nerve endings. I went back twice to try to get the crown fixed because I knew something was wrong, and they didn’t see any issues with it. Hopefully, it’ll just get better over time.

On a happier note, Jay and I attended our first-ever Texas Renaissance Festival with some of his friends, and we really enjoyed ourselves. We’ll most likely be back again next year.

⚜️ October: New Orleans Saints Game & Kidney Stones

Jay and I took a trip to New Orleans to watch a Saints game, eat all the food, and soak up the chaotic beauty of the city. We unknowingly booked an Airbnb that was on a very busy road and happened to have a nightly parade that was so loud that it shook our entire Airbnb. It’s safe to say we didn’t get great sleep and were ready to head home at the end of the weekend!

Unfortunately, just two days after returning from the game, I was taken to the hospital and discovered I had a large kidney stone and needed surgery. A painful, expensive, anxiety-filled disaster. Definitely not a highlight, but an unforgettable part of my 2024 year in review nonetheless.

Selfie from my hospital bed after having a kidney stone removed. I have a biscuit breakfast in front of me and I have a thumbs up.

🏡 December 31st: New Year, New Home

We ended 2024 with a bang: we closed on our new house on December 31st and entirely moved everything we owned within the next 48 hours! I couldn’t imagine a more symbolic way to wrap up the year and step into the next one.

New house grey with white stone around the bottom.

📚 Books, Books, Books

One of my proudest accomplishments this year? I read 34 books in 2024! From quick romances to heavy hitters, this goal kept me grounded and gave me a much-needed escape throughout the year.

Follow my annual reads and reviews on goodreads.com!

Streaming Recap (Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Peacock, and more)

These are in no particular order, but here are some of the TV shows I really loved this year!

  • Queen of the South
  • Sex in the City (yes, I just watched this show for the very first time and I loved it!)
  • Sweet Magnolias (yes, I also just watched this for the first time!)
  • The Resident
  • Kim’s Convenience
  • The Queens Gambit
  • Anything by Harlen Coben
  • and about 10 true crime documentaries

💬 Final Thoughts

My 2024 year in review isn’t just a highlight reel—it’s the messy, magical reality of a full, beautiful life. I camped in freezing temps, cruised to tropical beaches, broke a toe, passed a certification, read 34 books, fully explored three new cities, and bought a house.

There were hard moments too: a broken toe, kidney stones, dental disasters, and stress. But all of it? It’s what made this year mine.

Here’s to carrying those lessons, laughs, and memories into 2025.