2024 Retrospective

Introduction

Welcome to my first annual retrospective. I’m writing this to reflect on the past year– celebrating progress and using those insights to refine my plans for 2025. The few times I’ve tried to start a journal have ended up with uninteresting daily updates that I end up deleting. This is my attempt at documenting some life in a more meaningful and interesting way.

This was a big year for the Pratt family. I told Kate that I’ve dubbed it the “Year of Change”. This year had extreme highs, that were the result of a lot of work, stress and growth. I’m excited to share the milestones and memories that made 2024 such a remarkable year.

Part 1: Family

New Baby, New Home, New Adventures!

Kate and I were thrilled to find out she was pregnant at the beginning of the year! Our original plan was to stay in our townhouse—I’d give up my office once the baby arrived and shift my workspace to the basement. We had plenty of room and a solid routine with Lizzy, so it felt like a comfortable choice.

In 2023 we weren’t planning to buy a new home until at least 2026 or 2027, but for fun one night, I decided to check Zillow. Builders were offering significant concessions to attract buyers. The lower prices and added incentives were tempting, so I told Kate, “Maybe we should just look around.”

A few tours later, we found ourselves seriously talking about what we wanted in our next home. Once we nailed down our must-haves, I basically took on a part-time job hunting for the perfect house—hoping to find something great at a good price before interest rates dropped again.

We knew we wanted a home where we could raise our kids long-term. Somewhere with enough space and flexibility for the future. One key goal was having the main bedroom on the main floor so we could eventually build an apartment underneath it. I learned a ton throughout the process and became very familiar with local builders. After a few months of looking we thought we found the perfect house. We almost got a home from a custom builder in Lehi. I negotiated with them for a long time. Ultimately, the deal fell through when the city rejected our plans to split one of their larger lots. We were pretty bummed since the home was beautiful, and I really thought I had negotiated a great deal for us and the builder.

After that deal fell through, we figured we’d take a break from house hunting—Kate and I were both pretty burned out from the process. Instead, we decided that if we weren’t buying a new house in 2024, we’d buy a new car! We ended up buying Scott’s mission car, a 2022 Toyota Highlander. Kate wanted something with seven seats, and I was set on having all-wheel drive. Thankfully, the Highlander checked both boxes perfectly. We’d both give it two big thumbs up—plus, it’s the same color as the Toyota 86, which is just awesome.

Shortly after we bought the new car, someone from Edge Homes reached out to let us know about some newly available lots. At first, we weren’t too interested—house hunting had been exhausting—but after hearing the details and discovering our favorite floor plan yet, we decided to put in an offer. And… we got rejected. Just when we thought we were done, the lot across the street opened up—and at a reduced price! We put in another offer, and this time, our bid was finally accepted.

When our bid was first accepted, we were told the house would likely be finished in early 2025—perfect timing for us. We figured we’d save money, welcome our newborn, and enjoy a calm rest of the year before closing in January. But then Edge Homes threw us a curveball. Construction kicked off much faster than expected that summer, and they moved the completion date up to September 2024—right when Kate was due with the baby. Suddenly, we had to get our savings together a lot faster than planned.

Pictures of our Airbnb “Castle of Cards” located in Idaho Falls, Idaho

We had been running our little Airbnb experiment for nearly three years at that point. I had earned Superhost status, Kate had a blast designing the space, and we both learned a lot about running a business. After Lizzy was born, we hired a property manager to handle the day-to-day operations, but it still took up a significant chunk of my time. When we found out Kate was expecting again, we decided to explore selling it—ideally in 2025. Those plans were accelerated once we decided to buy a house. The property sold surprisingly fast—and for a price better than we’d expected. So, no complaints!

Then we had to empty the house. Kate rented the biggest U-Haul she could find, and in just one weekend, we completely cleared it out. I managed to bribe Luke into helping, and he was an absolute lifesaver—there’s no way I could have done it all by myself, especially with Kate being pregnant. Dad also pitched in for two of the days, which made a huge difference. Coincidentally, the weekend we emptied the house was also the Lewis family reunion, so when we needed a break, it was nice to catch up with family. Lizzy had a blast running around while I loaded the truck. I’m still not sure how we pulled it off, but somehow, we got it all done in a weekend.

The following months were a bit calmer. Kate's parents finished their mission in Pocatello, Idaho, and after talking with Jake, they decided to buy the lots next to ours. We were thrilled to have more family (and babysitters!) close by. Visiting the house each week and watching the progress was exciting. There was a bit of drama with some water damage, but Edge Homes resolved it by replacing all the affected drywall. For our anniversary, Kate and I had a wonderful getaway at Grand America. It was so much fun and exactly the break we needed before the whirlwind of moving and welcoming a new baby.

We closed on the house on October 7th. Kate had already started her maternity leave, and I was still working, so Kate packed boxes during the day while I moved them over at night. It took us about a week to get fully moved in, leaving us just another week before the baby was due. It was a crazy time, but we managed to get everything moved in and semi-set up for the baby. (Fun fact: October ended up being my highest step count month!)

Welcome Baby John!

John Dylan Pratt was born at 11:32 PM, weighing 7 lbs 13 oz. His delivery was a bit more difficult than Lizzy’s, but overall it went smoothly. Kate did amazing. John had to be suctioned out with a vacuum, which left him with a huge bruise on his head that was very tender for the first few days of his life. So far, he’s a bit more serious than his sister, but he’s still very smiley and extremely cute. He’s also an amazing sleeper, which has been such a HUGE blessing for us.

Losing Chloe

My parents adopted Chloe as a puppy in 2016, and she’s been living with me since 2018. She kept me company all through COVID, was there when I met Kate, and was super excited to move into Kate’s home after we got married. She was a sweet friend to Lizzy, and I’m grateful that she got to meet John before she passed away. In the months leading up to John’s birth, Chloe started throwing up more than usual. I had her seen by several different vets, but they all told me she was healthy, especially for her age. However, once we came home from the hospital with John, Chloe started throwing up multiple times a day and had a hard time keeping food and water down. I ended up taking her to the animal emergency room a couple of times to try and get her enough fluids. I thought we’d have at least another 3 or 4 years together, and I was so sad that she passed away right when I finally got a yard for her to call her own.

Ultimately, her vet recommended we put her down before things deteriorated any further. Her last couple of days were pretty peaceful. She was able to lounge in our new yard in the afternoon, and at night, I would sit in her room with her and watch Batman cartoons—a routine we’d gotten into after vet visits. Luke came with me when it was time to put her down. I’ll always be grateful for that.

Chloe was an extremely special dog and I’m so happy that she was a part of my family. For a few years she was the only family I had around. I’ll forever be grateful for that. She set a great example on how to be happy and excited for each new day.

I ended up keeping very busy after Chloe’s death, which was probably a good thing. Kate developed an infection from some retained tissue after giving birth, and she had to have surgery. Thankfully, she recovered very quickly afterward. After that, I focused on getting the townhouse ready to rent. Despite it being a slow time of year for rentals, we were able to find tenants after about a month. That finally closed the chapter on moving a bunch of stuff between different properties, and we could finally enjoy being in our new home with our new baby as a family.

Lizzy 2024

Lizzy was one of my greatest sources of joy throughout 2024. She’s developed such a fun, vibrant personality, and I want to take her with me everywhere because of how much fun we have together. She’s become quite the talker, often telling me how “pretty” and “nice” the new house is. She frequently comments on how beautiful her mom is and how all her uncles and grandfathers are “good guys.” Lizzy loves to help—whether it’s cleaning with me or assisting Kate in the kitchen, she’s always eager to lend a hand.

Halloween and Christmas left a big impression on her this year. It feels like every few minutes she’s telling me how much she loves Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and the Abominable Snowman.

This year also brought some special milestones for Lizzy. She had her first Happy Meal, got her first haircut, and even met Brandon Sanderson with Kate and me. The artist for the book we were there for even drew her a picture, which was such a sweet moment.

Watching her grow continues to be one of our greatest joys in life.

Kate 2024

Kate continues to be the best part of my life. She’s an amazing mother and the perfect partner. She’s always so supportive of my goals and genuinely wants our family to be happy. She was my rock throughout the entire year. As cheesy as it sounds, she really is the guiding light of our family. For my birthday, she surprised me with the coolest Lord of the Rings-themed party and dinner experience. She decorated the whole house and, while we watched The Fellowship of the Ring, she brought out dishes inspired by the scenes in the movie. It was such a fun, thoughtful, and delicious surprise!

A big highlight of the year was Thanksgiving. Kate had been planning for months to host some of her friends from Austria, and in our new house, we had plenty of space to welcome them. It was so special to have both our families and her friends together for the holiday. Hosting Thanksgiving for the first time in our own home was a memorable experience, and Kate did an incredible job bringing it all together.

At Christmas, she went all out and spoiled me way too much—I'm pretty sure she found a gift for every hobby I have! I love Kate. She truly is the best.

Kate and Dylan’s Media Goals 2024

Every year, Kate and I do a “Media Challenge.” When we got married, we wanted a fun way to share experiences that have been important to us throughout our lives. So, at the start of each year, we each pick something for the other to complete by the end of the year. It’s usually a film, book, or video game, but we’re open to other types of experiences too. This year, we each choose shows to watch together. Kate picked “Anne of Green Gables” for me, and I chose “Chuck” for her.

I picked Chuck for Kate because it’s one of my all-time favorite shows. It’s funny, geeky, and I feel like the main character, Chuck, shares a lot of my hobbies and sense of humor. When I asked Kate what she thought of Chuck, here’s what she said:

“Chuck was such a good spy comedy! So many fun adventures with the intersect leading the charge. I think my favorite aspect was all the supporting characters and how they became funnier and funnier with each season. I didn’t love how Chuck was a little wimpy at the beginning or how Sarah totally forgot everything at the end. 

Watching the show gave me some interesting insights into the things younger Dylan valued and found funny. I also didn’t realize how deep his love was for tall blondes. Probably more important than the show though was the fact that I loved having regular dedicated time to spend with Dylan!”

Kate picked Anne of Green Gables for me. I could definitely see why little Kate loved the show so much. Anne was very witty, and my favorite part was seeing how she managed to get herself out of the situations she often got herself into. I also really liked the people who adopted Anne. I wasn’t a fan of how she didn’t even like her future husband until he was dating someone else, and I was surprised by how somber the final act became. Overall, though, I thought it was super fun, and I loved the extra time with Kate.

Part 2: Career

First Full Year on the LCR team!

This was my first full year on the LCR team, and it’s been a busy one! I’ve worked on a bunch of different parts of the system as we focused on launching new features while moving our services into the cloud. One of my big projects was rewriting our missionary services to make them faster and more efficient. I also designed and built a system that allows our app to support every language in the church—dynamically!

Looking ahead to 2025, I’m planning to focus on building more robust systems while expanding my skills in cloud technologies and AI—both are becoming key industry skills, and I’m excited to keep growing!

I’ll also be focusing on building up my personal portfolios. I’d like to display more of the things I'm building on my Github account. I’m also planning on revamping my website “dylanjohnpratt.com” to better showcase my skills.

Part 3: Personal Projects & Goals

Step Counting 2024

In 2023, I started actively tracking my steps. I decided I needed to force myself into liking walking. Walking is a very healthy and sustainable form of exercise (plus, I get to listen to so many books while walking). My goal was to work up to an average of 10,000 steps a day, totaling 3,650,000 steps for the entire year. In 2023, I ended with an average of 8,352 steps per day (3,048,744 steps total). In 2024, I made a big leap, averaging 9,816 steps per day with a total of 3,592,791 steps for the year. Seeing that progress makes me think 2025 will be the year I finally hit my goal of averaging over 10,000 steps a day. My target for the year is to reach at least 3,650,000 steps total.

Game Development

Project Swordbreak

I didn’t make quite as much progress on my game development goals in 2024 as I did in 2023, but I still hit some notable milestones. At the beginning of the year, I was invited to give a presentation on Unreal Engine to a group of local game developers. I covered the strengths of Unreal Engine and its Blueprint system. It was a lot of fun, and the presentation was even covered by the local newspaper—I'm pictured in it!

For the actual game I’m working on, I was able to finish two versions of Project Swordbreak: Version 0.0.0.4 and 0.0.0.5. Major features added this year include an inventory system, multiple new abilities, a refactored climbing system, and a new dialogue/localization system to support multiple languages. I also upgraded the project to Unreal Engine 5.4.4. The performance improvements and anti-aliasing fixes made the upgrades totally worth it! I’ll probably wait until later in the year to upgrade to 5.5. 

My favorite addition this year was definitely the grapple hook, but I also had a blast designing a mount for the game’s character.

A few last thoughts on game development: I started working with Luke on a game where he’s the designer, and I’m handling the coding. Our goal is to create a small, simple game that we can fully finish and release. It feels like a win-win for both of us, as it will be great for our portfolios—his as a designer and mine as a developer. I’d also love to gain more experience releasing a game on Steam and maybe even some consoles!

I also developed my own custom plugin for Unreal Engine this year. It’s a simple map selector designed to make switching between levels faster. Coding it in C++ was a lot of fun, and it gave me a better understanding of how to manipulate elements directly in the editor.

Looking ahead to 2025, Project Swordbreak will remain my primary focus, but I’ll also be working on a multiplayer shooter hosted on AWS. This will give me the opportunity to learn more about cloud technologies while continuing to develop in Unreal Engine, which I think is pretty cool. I’ll also keep collaborating with Luke on our Steam project. My plan is to reuse some of the components I developed for Project Swordbreak, which should both speed up development and help me stress-test my systems.

Fun Hardware Projects!

Small Form Factor PC

I built another computer! I've always wanted to build a small form factor (SFF) PC because I love the upgradeability of a desktop in a portable size. Laptops are convenient but tend to die or become obsolete too quickly—plus, a good one can cost thousands! I’d always told Kate I’d love to build a small gaming PC someday for LAN parties or game developer meetups, but I never needed one—until my work locked down our laptops, banning all game software. Perfect excuse to build a cheap gaming computer.

I hunted on Facebook Marketplace and scored an old Dell workstation from a VR company for just a couple hundred bucks. It had an i7-9700k CPU and RTX 2070 GPU—solid for 1080p playtesting. It worked perfectly when I tested it, but once I brought it home and took it apart for cleaning, I discovered why it was so cheap—coffee damage. Sticky residue was all over the motherboard and GPU. The GPU was literally stuck in the PCIe slot with sticky residue. After reassembling everything, the worst happened—nothing. The GPU wouldn’t even boot in another system. I was super bummed. 

After deep cleaning, I managed to save the GPU. The motherboard wasn’t so lucky. The PCIe slot was too damaged to be usable, so I ordered a replacement board. When it arrived, I realized Dell had custom-built the original case to only work with their Dell motherboards boards. The back panel was a solid sheet of metal, making it impossible to mount the new motherboard properly. So, I had to grab a different case—which ended up being a win! I found a cheap one on Amazon that even had a handle for easy portability. In the end, everything worked great! It’s surprisingly powerful, cost about $400 total, and works even better than my old work laptop for gaming and testing—definitely a win. See pictures below!

Plex Server & Building my “Smart Home”

At the end of 2023, I had some leftover computer parts and used them to build a home server. My first goal was to turn it into a Plex server for two reasons. First, I wanted to create my own personal streaming service. I’ve been feeling some serious subscription fatigue— it seems like everything requires a subscription these days. I just want to own my content. My second goal was to improve how we back up and share our family photos.

The start of the year was spent gathering and organizing photos from phones, computers, and other devices, along with ripping our collection of DVDs and Blu-rays. Sorting through the photos took a long time, and to be honest, there’s still some work left to do. I was able to write a few scripts that helped automate parts of the process, and I also set up a cloud backup to Amazon in case the server ever gives out. In 2025, I’d like to automate this even further so our phones automatically back up to the server without manual effort. I’ll also need to find a better way to handle video storage since the files are too large for the cloud.

On the streaming side, the Plex server is now hosting hundreds of movies, including a lot of 4K content. It’s been incredibly satisfying to have a system that works even when the internet goes down. Looking ahead to 2025, I’d like to push the server’s limits further—maybe even share the library with family. However, I’ll need to stress test both the server and my home network to see how well it can handle the load.

Speaking of home networking, I’ve really gotten into both networking and home automation this year. Once we started house hunting, I began thinking about my ideal smart home setup. Learning and tinkering with networking gear has been a lot of fun, and I had plenty of opinions about where I wanted Ethernet connections while building the house. Since moving in, I’ve laid the groundwork for a solid network with Wi-Fi 7 and have started building out our home security system with cameras. Staying true to my anti-subscription mindset, all the camera footage is stored locally on hard drives in the mechanical room.

I’ve also set up Home Assistant, which currently controls a network of smart outlets. I’m expanding the Zigbee network in preparation for smart blinds in our bedroom, with the goal of having them automatically open in the morning as a natural alarm. I’m hoping to finish that in January 2025. Afterward, I plan to explore smart locks and light switches, starting with the exterior lights. I’ve also got big plans for the basement. Finishing the basement is going to be our main project in 2025.

Kate has been incredibly supportive of my smart home projects, which I really appreciate. Tinkering with hardware and tech is something I find fun and surprisingly relaxing.

Meeting Brandon Sanderson & Attending Dragonsteel Nexus 2024

This year, I got to meet my favorite author, Brandon Sanderson! Since he lives in American Fork, I’ve always hoped I’d get the chance to meet him someday. Not only are his books fantastic, but I’m also really impressed by how much he manages to accomplish while still making time for his family and hobbies.

In September, he released The Most Boring Book Ever, a new children’s book, and held a release event at a local elementary school. The tickets were super affordable, so we went as a family—and it was a blast! Lizzy especially loved the “red dragon” in the story and still talks about how much she likes it. At the end of the event, we got to wait in line and meet him while he signed a couple of our books. We ended up chatting with him about Evermore, and I thanked him for reading the letter I wrote a few years back during one of his YouTube livestreams. He was incredibly kind, and we got a nice family picture together. We also got to meet Kazu Kibuishi, the illustrator of the book, who was just as friendly. He even drew special pictures for Lizzy and the soon-to-arrive John!

Then, in December, I had the chance to attend Dragonsteel Nexus, the convention Brandon hosts every year! When tickets went on sale, they sold out in under an hour and even crashed the ticket site—but thankfully, some friends managed to grab us tickets! It was my first time attending a convention, and the experience made me want to try out others in the future. Kate was feeling sick during parts of the event, so I ended up taking Luke with me one of the days. It was a blast! I picked up a bunch of Cosmere merch, fully embraced the nerdiness, and even scored a copy of the new Stormlight book at the event. I’m currently on chapter 57—and so far, it’s awesome!

Part 4: Arts and Entertainment

To wrap things up, here’s a quick rundown of the books I read, movies I watched, and other experiences I had this year. Honestly, it felt like a pretty slow year for movies—I can’t think of any particularly memorable ones I watched. I also didn’t really watch much TV.

For books, the big highlight was Wind and Truth, the new Stormlight Archive novel. I haven’t finished it yet, but so far, it’s been amazing. I also read Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea, which was a bit outside my usual genre. Normally, I stick to fantasy fiction since I enjoy using reading as a form of escapism. However, Kate started reading it and told me about it, so I decided to give it a try. For some reason, I found it incredibly captivating. The author does an excellent job sharing the personal stories of the North Koreans she interviewed, and I felt like it was a powerful, eye-opening read. Fair warning, though—many of the stories are pretty heartbreaking.

For video games, the most notable new experience this year was definitely the Elden Ring DLC. FROM SOFTWARE continues to prove why they’re one of the best in the industry—the expansion felt like a full-blown sequel. I had a blast playing it both solo and co-op with Luke. He even helped me beat the final boss, which was a pretty fun moment. I also played The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom. It was a fun puzzle game, and I really loved the art style.

Earlier in the year, I did a replay of Paper Mario and the Thousand-Year Door, which was funny because the Switch remaster was announced right afterward. Currently, I’m working through a PC port of Majora’s Mask when I can find the time.

Part 5: Conclusion & 2025

I think I’ll keep up this retrospective process in the coming years. Reflecting on the past year like this has really helped me appreciate the progress made in 2024 and refocus for the year ahead. While writing this, I sat down with my spreadsheet and mapped out what I’d like 2025 to look like. A big focus will be on the house—especially getting the basement finished so we can rent out the apartment down there. Beyond that, I want to focus on enjoying the journey while still pursuing goals. It feels a bit cliché to say “journey before destination,” but I really do believe it’s important to appreciate the process along the way. Challenges will definitely come up, but if something is worthwhile, it’s always worth pushing through. And it’s okay to change course when needed—you own your journey.