I can’t believe the time has come to recap another year yet again. I remember so clearly wrapping up this same post this time last year in Marrakech, Morocco.

You may have noticed that I've been quiet on the blog-front the last few months while Amanda has taken the lead. If you don't know already, Dan and I moved back to San Francisco from Ireland in May. In four quick months, we came back half way and landed in New York City. I started an amazing job at ClassPass and have had less time to explore and travel as I took the time to settle into a new rhythm. They tell you moving out of the country is difficult, but they don't tell you about the challenges of repatriation, especially if it involves a complete lifestyle change. I went from planning trips and traveling most weekends to working a full time job in a new city. While I'm thrilled to have landed back on the east coast, it's been especially difficult for me to balance my "new" life with the amazing one I created through the blog while abroad.

In 2018, I'm hoping to ease back in slowly and share more of the adventures from my time abroad as well as the amazing ones I have planned. While the last two years have been nothing short of spectacular, I can't wait to see what this next one has in store.

In this post, I'm sharing some of my favorite pictures from our travels in 2017. I hope they inspire some of yours for the year ahead. Best wishes for a kickass 2018!

xx M

Sunset over Arches National Park. June, 2017

2018 Bucket List

> Go somewhere EPIC to celebrate my 30th birthday

> See the fjords and glaciers in Alaska

> Eat sushi in Japan

> Drink wine in the north of Portugal

> Explore new areas of NYC

2017 Fun Stats

> Visited 3 continents

> Visited 12 countries

> Flew on 39 planes

> Moved from Dublin, Ireland to SF to NYC in 4 months!

> Started working at ClassPass

Taft Point Yosemite National Park. August, 2017

January

We celebrated the new year in Marrakech, Morocco. We spent the first day of 2017 wandering the souks and visited Ben Youssef Madrasa, Bahia Palace, and Le Jardin Majorelle.

Five days after we returned from Morocco, we went chasing the Northern Lights in Iceland...and boy did we find them. We also hiked on a glacier and went into an ice cave.

Our first Northern Lights sighting. January 2017

I sat on a seal on Diamond Beach. January, 2017

Another five days later, we flew to southern Spain to meet my parents and warm up a bit.

February

We spent the perfect weekend in Paris eating too many pastries and visiting my favorite museum, the Musée d'Orsay. Plus, we went to Le Marais for the best falafel I’ve ever had at L’As du Fallafel.

I was Stateside for most of the month between NJ, NYC, and SF. Amanda and I had a blast shooting together with our friend Candida for the first time.

Palace of Fine Arts, San Francisco. February, 2017

March

We visited Brussels and Bruges in Belgium the first weekend of March with my brother-in-law and dear friend. Safe to say that the entire weekend revolved around food: chocolate, waffles, fries, mussels, and of course beer.

The cute canals of Bruges, Belgium. March, 2017

At the end of the month, we flew to Amsterdam to catch the tulips at Keukenhof. We were just a little early, but still saw some beautiful flowers.

The first flowers blooming at Keukenhof. March, 2017

The classic Amsterdam canals. March, 2017

The most epic sunset in Amsterdam. March, 2017

April

Perhaps one of my favorite trips of the year, we took a road trip through Reggio Emilia, the food capital of the world, I mean Italy :) Starting in Bologna, we then drove to Modena for authentic balsamic vinegar and onto Parma for ham and cheese of course.

The next weekend, we booked a last minute weekend in London to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Really we just wanted another excuse to eat at Dishoom.

Selfie game strong in London. April, 2017

Malta was our final European adventure. Our favorite day of the trip was exploring the island of Gozo.

A smiling face in the cliffs on Gozo, Malta. April, 2017

May

In May, we returned to SF, but didn’t stay long. We were off to Austin, TX the week we got back to the States. Again, this trip seemed to evolve around food :)

One of the many murals in Austin. May, 2017

June

We woke up to catch the sun rise over Delicate Arch and stayed up late to capture the Milky Way in a single day at Arches National Park in Moab, UT.

Look at the Milk Way over North Window! Care of our friend Harrison Lasser. June, 2017

July

I traveled to Beaver Creek, CO for a bachelorette party with great hiking in the mountains.

We flew up to Seattle to visit our friend Jen!

Ginger beer at Pike Place Market in Seattle. July, 2017

August

For our grand finale on the west coast after living in California for 5 years, we went to Yosemite National Park. Dan and I had a blast capturing the park’s expansive beauty.

At the end of the month, we moved to NYC and I started a job at ClassPass! I had to slow down my travels a bit, but looking forward to exploring my new home on the east coast and planning some fun trips in 2018.

2017 Postcards from Morgan