The Very Best of 2024

We SO love experiences and look for fun ways to remember everything we’ve done over the year. One of our favorites is tacking up things like theater tickets, paper wrist bands, and bar coasters on a corkboard. On New Year’s Eve, we place these mementos in an envelope and write about where we’ve been and what we’ve done. And since starting the Oracle, we take lots of pictures to share with you all. So as we wind down the year, let us share with you the very best of 2024!

The Meal of the Year

For my birthday, I had two big wishes. The first was to spend the morning baking with my mom. The second was to have dinner made for me so that I wouldn’t have to cook or clean up dishes. I was thinking, take out. The Mister planned a big dinner out for us at Eddie Vs. Connor, Claire and their SOs made the time to join us AND there were oysters. I mean…what MORE could a girl ask for??

The Beer of the Year

In January we went to Long Beach, California to get a break from Michigan’s winter. Besides an amazing aquarium and a gondola ride, we got to have some tasty brews at Ballast Point Brewing. So tasty in fact that we had the beer of the year there – Crouchback King. This pale ale from Kings & Convicts brewing is made with citra hops and it was DEEEElicious!

The Scoop Worth Trashing Your Diet For

We make a point to get ice cream or gelato from little, local shops when we travel. It’s crazy to say this, but the scoop of the year was actually from…Baskin Robbin’s! Why, you may ask? Well here’s the scoop. (See what I did there??)

On a hot day in Florida we discussed getting ice cream after dinner. But rather than going for ice cream, we decided to head to the airport and get a room. Since we had a crazy, early flight the next day, it seemed like a smart plan. After getting settled for the night, the desire for ice cream returned with a vengeance. Who knew MCO had an ice cream shop?? I got something called “Birthday Cake” that came with sprinkles. It was SOOOOO good!!

The Funnest Race

Though Stephen ran like 145 races this year, we both agreed that the Shawshank Hustle was THE most fun. I would like to think it was because I was there but really it was the whole thing. Members of the cast came to race to cheer us on and the course was just great. If you like the movie, The Shawshank Redemption, and want to try a 5 mile race, you should TOTALLY go!

The Worth Every Penny

In 2024 our youngest, Connor turned 21. If you haven’t had the chance, check out our entire adventure to Las Vegas. We took Connor and 5 of his friends to Las Vegas to celebrate. It wasn’t cheap but making these memories were worth EVERY PENNY!!

The Most Fun for the Least Dough

As they say, the BEST things in life are free. And we couldn’t agree more! In case you didn’t already know, television shows with live audiences give tickets away to fill seats. We scored two tickets to Late Night with Seth Meyers and had SO MANY LAUGHS!!! Thanks, Seth!

And What We Will Never Forget

On a whim, we decided to take Connor and his girlfriend, Savanna to the Thursday night Lions game. She’d never been to a football game before and this was a BIG game for our team. As time expired, we saw Jake Bates kick the game winning field goal against the Packers. The Lions clinched a spot in the playoffs with that win. We will never forget it!!

Thanks for joining us for this look at 2024. We hope these highlights give you ideas for future adventures. And we hope you make LOTS of memories in the new year! We have a lot of travels on tap for 2025. If you haven’t already, join our tribe for free. And follow us on Instagram at The__Travel__Oracle for real time updates!