Hey 2024! You Were - Ehh OK - A Solid 6
Here we are—the final hours of 2024! And just like every other year around this time, I’m deep in my reflective feels. There’s a little regret sprinkled in, but there’s also a lot of gratitude and happiness. 2024 wasn’t perfect—no year ever is—but it wasn’t too shabby, either. There were some big milestones for both me and my family, and I managed to check off a few adventures from my ever-growing bucket list. I did some traveling, made some incredible memories, and as for my yearly goal of hitting six concerts? Crushed it. 🎶
I turned 50 this year! Now, I’m not one to stress about getting another year older—so hitting the big 5-0 didn’t have me breaking into a cold sweat or anything. Honestly? It ended up being one of my all-time favorite birthdays, and I have my amazing friends to thank for that. Normally, I keep my birthday low-key—nothing too flashy. But this year, these girls were not having it. They tossed out suggestions, pestered me to make a decision - which I am terrible at - and eventually just staged a full-on birthday intervention, taking away my right to choose altogether. (Thank you!) The result? A night filled with live music, dancing, and many of my favorite people. And here’s what touched my heart the most. It was a night out with my group of my local friends. Leading up to the night out, I mentioned it to three other people - my niece, and two other amazing friends - who all said they would “try” to make it. What I didn’t know is that they had already been invited. My birthday posse knows me well enough to know that I would want these three to come, and tracked them down - via Facebook and other friends - to invite them. It was perfect and it left me wondering why I haven’t been going big for ALL my birthdays? 🎉
2024 was a big year for my middle son—he turned 18, graduated high school, and headed off to college. It was a lot for this mom. I’m one of those people whose emotions—joy, grief, pride, frustration, you name it—come pouring out through my eyes. And as an ugly crier, I just have to accept it. Seriously, check out his birthday video here. I choke up every time I watch it. It’s super flattering. 🙄
But seriously, I couldn’t be more proud of him. Watching him grow into himself and dive into the college experience has been amazing. He joined the rugby team even though he has never played before. It’s been super fun to watch his games. Ok, that might be an overstatement. Rugby is savage and I’ve put a small fortune into his teeth. When I see an opposing player running full steam at him, I’m secretly hoping he just lets the guy run past him.
2024 had its fair share of travel adventures for me—some with my family, some with friends, and even a solo trip thrown in for good measure. In March, we took a family trip to Mexico. Sounds magical but it was the most stressful trip of my life. Not Mexico’s fault, though—Mexico was lovely. Dynamics are a crap shoot. Moving on before I start twitching.
To balance out the chaos of Mexico, I had some other trips that were absolutely amazing. In May, I escaped to Myrtle Beach with my Saxonburg girlfriends, and it was everything a getaway should be. No one cared what we did or when we did it—it was all about zero stress, maximum relaxation, and plenty of laughs.
Traveling with other women is a gift from God. No packing for anyone else. No telling everyone a million times the itinerary. When cooking meals or cleaning up, everyone just pitches in. It’s like a synchronized give and take, a ballet of responsibility. It just happens. And if a “problem” does arise, no big deal. Wrong turn in the car? No one even notices much less cares. Change of plans? Everyone just pivots.
In June, my son and I tackled a bucket list adventure and headed to the Grand Canyon. I had this ambitious idea to hike from one rim to the other—because why not? Neither of us had ever been there, so we were diving in blind. It turned out to be the trip of a lifetime. From the epic hike and jaw-dropping scenery to an unforgettable helicopter tour, it’s an experience I’ll be forever grateful for - grateful to experience it with my son.
September brought my annual beach trip with my high school girlfriends—a tradition that is sacred and absolutely non-negotiable. This was our third year, and while the first two years had four of us, this time? All seven of us converged on Rosemary Beach, FL. We laughed and relaxed. We lounged on the beach and floated in the Gulf. We belted out tunes at a piano bar and regurgitated every story from our past - wondering if there’s anyone else in the entire world who has as much fun as we do. Doubtful.
There’s something comforting about having friends who have known you for decades. They’ve witnessed all your highs and lows. They’ve seen your evolution. They know your heart. They know what you are thinking - sometimes before you do. The shared history is a treasure of memories. I wouldn’t trade it for anything. And as I am typing - literally - one of these girls texts to get our dates picked for 2025. Sacred and non negotiable.
In October, I crossed another bucket list adventure off my list—I biked the GAP Trail from Pittsburgh to Cumberland. I won’t bore you with all the details again (feel free to check out the posts if you want the full scoop). But I’ll say this: the trip challenged me in all the right ways. From start to finish, it was all on me. The planning, the prep, and riding 150 miles solo—it was just me and the trail. There’s something incredibly satisfying about making it happen all on your own.
In between these epic trips, I squeezed in a few road trips. My oldest son and I made a detour to Columbus, OH, to check out the Arnold Schwarzenegger Fitness Convention. I also found myself back in Ohio twice with my youngest son to catch some of his favorite musicians. So yeah, 2024 was a solid travel year. 2025 has some big shoes to fill!
My 2024 concert lineup was a 10. Kenny Chesney, as always, was a total blast. I caught Justin Moore at this new venue just down the road from me. I decided to throw caution to the wind and bought last-minute tickets for Chris Stapleton—his voice... Steve Miller, Def Leppard, and Journey? I’m talking top of the list amazing - quite possibly the very best. I hated for it to end. And when my middle son popped into my room one night to ask if I wanted to go see Koe Wetzel, I immediately got on Ticketmaster.
2024 included a lot of reflection. I’m sure 2025 will as well. But in 2024, I really tried to embrace being mindful. The MindBody app tells me I attended nearly 100 yoga classes. I’ve gotten better at ignoring the distractions while I’m there. I focus on the breathing and let the other stuff fall away. It sounds hokey but it works.
I’ve spent a lot of time at home with silence. I’ve mostly traded out the television for music and podcasts. Spotify tells me that I listened to over 18,000 minutes of music and 1,703 songs. My most played song was Kenny Chesney’s “Just to Say We Did” which sounds about right. My podcast list is solid. I’ve spent time hiking with my dogs. I’ve tried to pause before I react - still working on this one.
I’m learning to say “no” to things that don’t serve me - without an excuse. My niece said to me one time - “no” is the whole sentence. Meaning we don’t need a reason to say no. We don’t need to offer a reason we are saying no. I really like that.
I’ve given you the highlights of 2024 but it definitely had more challenges that I would like. I’m going to leave what I can and only carry what I have to. So as we blow 2024 out the back door and embrace 2025, I look forward to more growth, more time with my favorite people and pets, more adventures and more quiet.