It’s always funny to see how your plans and goals you set out for the year panned out by the end. Occasionally they’re similar, but I usually find them different. I guess that tends to happen as new connections are made and new opportunities present themselves. 2014 turned out to be quite an eventful year, including moving across the country, a great beer road trip, and a trip back to Asia near the end of the year. So without further ado, here’s my 2014 Year in Review:
January
It took a bit of adjustment after just returning from traveling around the tropical islands of Thailand. After coming back from scuba diving, attempting my hand at some Thai cooking classes, and trekking around canyons, it was a tough transition to go through one of the coldest winters on record.
I started the year with a trip out to Chicago for the Chicago Travel & Adventure Show. Of course this also included eating at several of the city’s awesome restaurants.
As I’ve done the past several years, I went to the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. I love going to see all the new models coming out and all the crazy new concepts.
February – March
Aside from trying not to freeze my face off, I managed to road trip down to Cleveland to see The Ataris do a 10-year reunion show for their So Long, Astoria album. They definitely getting older, but still put on a great show.
April
In April I decided to go and visit a couple of friends down in Austin, Texas. A week turned into 2 weeks, which turned into 3 weeks, and after about a month I decided to get an apartment down here and stay a while. I’m still living in Austin and have enjoyed every minute of it. There’s live music all the time, more food trucks than you could ever imagine, and an endless amount of great people around.
I also attended my first celebration of Eeyore’s Birthday. Just another way Austin is keeping it weird.
May
In May I flew back to Michigan for my Mom’s wedding (congrats!).
While I was back in the area, I couldn’t leave without my yearly trip to Cedar Point. There were a couple new rides I hadn’t been on yet, such as The Gatekeeper.
June
In June I once again headed out to Chicago, this time for BlogHouse. I’d been accepted to spend a weekend living in a giant house with a bunch of other travel bloggers, learning all the tricks of the trade and having some fun along the way as well.
After BlogHouse, I headed back to Detroit, packed up what I could fit in my car, and began to make the excruciatingly long drive down to Austin. At first I thought it would be fun to drive across the country, but about halfway through the drive I just wanted to be there. I did make sure to stop in Memphis for some delicious BBQ Cornish hen!
July
Shortly after getting back to Austin, it was time to leave again. This time for the World Domination Summit in Portland. I got into town about a week early and drove out to Bend for a couple of days of beer tastings. I think we were pretty successful.
Then it was back to Portland to attempt to break another World Record during the Great Namaste and meet a lot of people doing great things in the world during WDS.
After WDS was over, I headed out for some hiking at the Columbia River Gorge and Multnomah Falls. Oregon has some of the most beautiful scenery I’ve ever seen.
August
I decided I’d try to stay put in Austin for a bit and enjoy some of what the city has to offer, like the amazing BBQ!
September
Now you know I can’t sit still for very long. In September I was back to Michigan again for another wedding, this time between two of my good friends.
October
I was back in Austin just in time for the Austin City Limits music festival. 3 days of music, 80,000 people, and an incredible lineup this year! Some of the headliners included Eminem, Outkast, and Pearl Jam.
Also in October, I was invited on a trip out to Malaysia to celebrate the Deepavali Festival. While there I got to visit an orangutan sanctuary, tour the magnificent Petronas Towers, and eat some phenomenal street food up in Penang.
November
Once I got home from Malaysia I decided I’d try to chill out for a while, but not without trying to pick up some new skills along the way.
December
For the 3rd time this year I headed back to Michigan, but this time to hang out with friends and family for the holidays. While I was up in the great white north I went to see a hockey game, because that is definitely not something that’s popular in Texas.
Also, I finally made some time in towards the end of the year to redesign this website. I hope you like it!
As you can see, 2014 has been quite a busy year for me. There’s no sign of slowing down in 2015, either. My schedule is already filling up for much of the year and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
If you want to see more pictures from my adventures, follow me on Instagram.
What were some of your highlights from your 2014 year in review? Please share in the comments below.
