10 Years of Wayfaring With Wagner! (And An Overdue Life Update)

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In September 2013, I moved to Germany for what I thought would be 18 months…and the rest is history! When I started Wayfaring With Wagner (known initially as Beer Time With Wagner – who remembers that?!) 10 years ago, I never imagined the people I would meet, the places I would go, and the adventures I would have.

The pandemic really took it out of me, and I’ve neglected this blog for almost 3.5 (!) years. There were so many times that I would start writing only to stop. And the Prince (now King because we’re married?!) reminded me OFTEN that my followers were waiting for me (ha!).

Our engagement photos in D.C. – click the photos to enlarge them!

As a Type-A person, I didn’t handle the pandemic well (but then again, who took it well?!). I was angry and upset and every emotion in between. Honestly, I have no reason to complain – I’m healthy, I didn’t suffer financially, my family is healthy, and I was relatively safe the entire time. I live such a privileged life in Germany, but it was so hard for me to see past everything that didn’t happen or everything that went wrong.

I was talking to a dear friend over the summer (hi Kathryn, if you’re reading this), and she summed it up so perfectly. As a society, we’re all grieving. Grieving the moments that didn’t happen. Grieving the time we didn’t spend together. Grieving the canceled events. And wow, what a realization that was to me. So, while I’m grieving what never happened, there is so so so much good that did happen during the pandemic (in between my 3 (!) bouts of COVID) and beyond.

We Moved!

The Prince and I traded in our 800 sq ft apartment for an almost 1,500 sq ft apartment in the fall of 2020! We headed an hour north to his hometown of Kiel and decided to plant roots here. While I miss Hamburg immensely, I go back almost once a week for different events and still stay quite active in my social circle. However, at this stage in our lives, Kiel made sense, and it’s nice being closer to his family. Plus, we have the most GORGEOUS water view of the Kieler Förde (part of the Baltic Sea). My daily clock is determined by when different ferries leave and enter the harbor.

We Got Married!

Finally, finally, finally – after 5 (!!!!!!) postponements and the Prince not being allowed in the USA for almost 2 years due to the US-imposed EU travel ban, we were married on May 21, 2022 (which happens to be my cancer-versary). We had our dream wedding surrounded by immediate family members in Washington, D.C., and then went on a lovely honeymoon to London.

While our big wedding in Germany was canceled due to the pandemic and our wedding planner ghosting us (that’s a whole other story), we (I?) still dream about having a larger celebration in a few years when everything calms down a bit. I want my friends also to be part of our big day and would love to have a church aspect to our marriage!

I Started My Own Company!

Probably not the best timing, but I quit my job and started my own company 2 weeks after our wedding. I always knew I wanted to be self-employed, but an unhealthy situation at my former job, along with encouragement from my husband, gave me the push I needed to go out on my own. I’ve now been in business for a year and a half, and have already tripled my corporate salary. I’ve already smashed my 2023 financial goal and love love love all my clients. If you want help with your company’s digital marketing (social media, email marketing, long-form online content), hit me up!

I Went To Antarctica!

During the depths of COVID, my sister and I planned a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Antarctica. It was the motivation I needed during the darkest moments of the pandemic. It was surreal that the trip ended up happening, and I’m so thankful we did it together! We flew to Chile in February 2023 and then from Chile to Antarctica. The trip was even more incredible than I could have imagined. Besides a bout of seasickness (see here: some things never change!), it was an indescribable trip filled with hundreds of penguins, several whales, and majestic icebergs!

Click the photos to enlarge them!

We Traveled…A LOT!

I should preface this by saying: we didn’t start traveling again until the middle of 2021 when I went to visit my family in the USA, and we were very (!) aware and respectful of COVID measures. Besides taking a lot of day trips alone during the depths of the pandemic to stay sane, the Prince and I had some amazing moments, including a friend meet-up at a chateau (manor? very large house?) in Normandy, reuniting with my family in D.C. and Michigan, going back to two of our favorite places – London and Scotland (multiple times!), ski vacations in Austria, a 3*** Michelin restaurant in Virginia, roadtripping through the Utah national parks, wine festivals, Baltics cruises, lots of islands (Sylt, Guernsey, Jersey!), returning to Heidelberg, and so many other adventures in between.

I turned 30!

Which is weird to even talk about now, considering I will be 33 (!!!) next month. I remember starting this blog when I was 22…what a baby I was back then. I still feel like I’m 25 at heart, so it’s hard to believe I’m going into my mid-30s?! My 30th birthday was at the height of Germany’s lockdown when I could only see one other person, so the Prince and I spent a (very cold!) day at a beach on the North Sea in the middle of January.

I Started Another Blog!

After realizing travel probably wouldn’t resume to “normal” levels for a while, I started posting more frequently on Hamburg & Beyond. It’s an English-speaking guide to my favorite places and things to do in Hamburg, Kiel, and Schleswig-Holstein. It’s still very much a work in progress, and I neglect it far too frequently. But it’s been a fun, creative outlet and helped me explore more of the surroundings.

European Union Female Entrepreneurship Programme

I was selected earlier this year for a European Union Female Entrepreneurship Programme. They had close to 4,000 applicants and selected 400 women. I took classes and had mentorship sessions over the summer and then headed to Spain at the end of September for a month. I was in Burgos, Spain with 15 other women, and we worked with each other on our businesses, networking, mentoring, etc. The European Union fully paid for everything in hopes of building up female-owned businesses. It was a fabulous experience, and I’m so glad I participated in this program!

Other Blog-Worthy Moments

• I was in an international video campaign for Lufthansa at the end of 2020 (see video below!).
• I cried when I got vaccinated in May 2021 (happy tears!)
• I cried again when Biden finally lifted the ban on Europeans going to the USA (even more happy tears because it meant the Prince and I could finally get married!)
• I cried a lot before, in between, and after the above cries (I cry a lot haha)
• I got a new sister-in-law, and I will get another brother-in-law and sister-in-law next year!
• I have another niece and my first nephew.

• I really got into film photography and lugged my dad’s 1980s camera all the way to Antarctica (it was a hit with the expedition staff – a lot of photos above from Antarctica are with this camera)
• I started gardening like crazy and produced enough tomatoes to feed a small army.
• I can’t stop cross-stitching.
• I went to Germany’s first NFL game (I think American football played a huge role in getting me through the pandemic – it was such a Sunday routine for me and the Prince).
• I started a Facebook group in Kiel for international women in the depths of my loneliness in Kiel during the pandemic…and it now has 700 members.
• I passed my German citizenship test! Once the law changes in a few months, I plan on applying for dual citizenship.

So after three and a half years of no posts, I hope this life update has caught you up on everything! I’ve really missed this space and documenting my travels. Sending lots of love and hugs from Germany – thanks for continuing to support me and follow me, even 10 years later!