I think nostalgia is a required emotion in the month of December, when we're days away from the start of another year. It's a time to reminisce on all you've accomplished, everything you didn't get to do, and how long you
promise you'll keep that resolution this year.
But at the end of the twelfth month of the twelfth year, I can't help but look back on these last twelve months and go,
woah. A lot has happened. A lot has changed. Some things didn't happen, and some things didn't change. And for once, instead of looking forward to all I can feasibly predict in 2013, I'm looking backwards at all the little things that made 2012 one of the best years of my life.
12. Meeting Emily Giffin. (You really didn't think I could write an entire blog post that didn't mention my book nerd-ishness? C'mon guys.) Emily penned one of my favorite books,
Something Borrowed. My friend from work and I trudged all the way to the Upper East Side for a Barnes & Noble meet-and-greet. Instead of reading from her newest novel,
Where We Belong, Emily shared anecdotes and jokes with the small herd of us crowded inside the room. It's always awesome to meet someone you've admired for so long and realize that they're as normal as can be. Being able to go to author events like these has been one of my favorite things about living in NYC.
11. Summer Sunshine. If there's a summer where my toes don't touch the sand in Ocean City, NJ, then it means I'm dead. I know this particular phrase gets tossed around frequently and often by everyone, but OCNJ really is
my favorite place in the entire world. The summer of 2012 was my first with a full-time job, the first time in my life that summer wasn't synonymous with freedom. So I used some of my precious, disgustingly adult vacation days to take a long weekend with one of my best friends down to Ocean City. We shacked up for a few nights in an oceanfront hotel and spent our days under the sun with books and music. We went right after Memorial Day weekend, so the town was quiet and uncrowded. It was a brief break from reality that my friend and I so desperately needed. How could going to my favorite place with one of my favorite people
not make my awesome 2012 list?
10. Friends, friends, friends. 2012 was an absolutely amazing year for friendships. I made a bunch of new ones, rekindled old ones, and cherished the strong ones I already had. Apart from my family, there aren't many other people I'd voluntarily choose to be around. But, I can truly say, I have the best friends in the world. It's the best feeling to know that no matter what you do, what you say, or what happens today, tomorrow, or next week, some people will always love you for you. And you know how I can be so confident in that assessment? Because it's exactly how I feel about all of them. And that kind of unconditional love doesn't grow on trees.
9. Philly girl in a New York City world. You can take the girl out of Philly, but you can't take Philly out of the girl. One of my favorite memories from this past year was trekking out to Citi Field in Queens with my roomie to watch my Phils take on the New York Mets. The night was an adventure before it started, with my roommate and I vowing to meet at 42nd Street to get the 7 train to the stadium. Little did we know, there are
two different stations at 42nd Street, one near 5th Avenue and the other in Times Square. Of course, I went to one and she went to the other. Trying to find each other while underground without cell service--
yeeeep. A small miracle later, we enjoyed a night of baseball, Shake Shack, and a
ninth-inning comeback led by Ryan Howard that left me whooping and hollering like I was back in Philly.
8. Breaking news: boys still stink. I learned, rather quickly, that total and complete trust in another person is not always rewarded. Remember that someone needs to earn your respect and faith; that way, it won't hurt nearly as much when you realize they never deserved it in the first place.
7. Surviving Sandy. This wasn’t exactly one of my best memories of 2012, but it’s made an impression nonetheless. My roommate and I weathered one of the worst storms to ever hit the East Coast in our tiny, Upper West Side apartment. And while destruction raged around us, we stayed relatively safe. My second home, the Jersey Shore, was ravaged beyond recognition. The NYC subway system was flooded. Hoboken, NJ—where I work—was in ruins, our office building underwater and the streets teeming with debris and the wrath of an overflowing Hudson River. To this day, transportation is still delayed, and in the case of the Hoboken PATH system, still destroyed. I’ve never seen the kind of destruction Sandy brought down on the places I’ve loved for years. I hope 2013 can bring the kind of recovery this area so desperately needs. Click here to donate to the relief efforts.
6. Turning 23 in style. Who says you’re too old for princess crowns? My friend Ashley, my roommate Caroline, and I all have birthdays in August, all within a few days of each other. This year, our first year being away from home on our birthdays (since we’re all recent NYC transplants), we journeyed out to my parents’ home in suburban Pennsylvania and had ourselves some good, old-fashioned birthday fun, complete with an ice cream cake inspired by The Little Mermaid. I don’t think a birthday has ever been that much fun—maybe it’s because I finally got to share it with friends.
5. Peace out, USA! 2012 marked the first year I left American soil. My passport was stamped for the first time, and I flew to Toronto on a business trip. My boss only accompanied me on the first day; after she left, I was on my own. I worked during the day and explored at night. I walked to the Rogers Centre and watched a Blue Jays game, ending my night with soft-serve ice cream in a bright blue, plastic mini-batting helmet. The hotel was gorgeous, the service impeccable. For the first time ever, I felt like a big deal. And I learned that it’s truly, remarkably possible to be insanely happy all by yourself in a different country.
4. Christmas in New York City. I can cross watch the tree lighting in Rockefeller Center off my bucket list. Caroline and I stood shoulder-to-shoulder with complete strangers for hours upon hours, watching a gigantic screen broadcast the concerts and interviews taking place a half block away. We inched closer and closer as the NYPD adjusted the crowd barriers, allowing us to finally catch a glimpse of one tree branch a mere minute before it was lit. Having watched the festivities on television for as long as I can remember, it was nothing short of magical to see those colors light up the night sky in person. And that was just the beginning of the Christmas season in NYC. Everywhere you go, there are twinkle lights hugging bare trees, wreaths hanging on every door, tinsel brightening up a room, and holiday carols in your ears. It really is the most wonderful time of the year, and no place does Christmas like New York City.
3. Speaking of New York City....I moved there, yeah. Apart from the bunk beds, kiddie-size appliances, slanted floors, broken intercom, and nonexistent counter space, it's been pretty awesome.
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| Photo courtesy of Rachel Smith Photography |
2. My best friend got married. This was my first time as a bridesmaid, the first time I stood up on an altar and watched someone I love dearly promise their life to another person. Thankfully, my friend Erica married a wonderful, fantastic, and funny man who I know and trust to adore her every second of every day for the rest of their lives. I'm more than happy to call him a friend now, too. The wedding was beautiful, but it was the months leading up to the wedding that I cherish the most: the dress fittings, bridal shower, bachelorette party, and wedding-eve girl talk in our hotel room. I have known Erica since I was 15 years old. There are days where she knows me so well, it scares me. I was so honored to be a part of her special day, and it was an absolute blast. I could live to be 100 years old, and that day will forever be one of my top life memories.
1. My first 5k. Yes, this is my top memory of 2012. A few months ago, it would have been Erica's wedding, no questions asked. But then I signed up for a Halloween 5k in Hoboken, NJ. As much as I've always loved the idea of running, the actual act has been difficult for me. After suffering from chronic shin splints and lymphedema, running long distances seemed more like a pipe dream than a feasible reality. But this costume-encouraged, all-ages race made me feel comfortable. Heck, I could walk this thing if I had to.
But I didn't have to.
My time of 42:26 was nothing to get excited about. That's just about a 14-minute mile. But I spent most of the race in a light jog. I ran the first mile without stopping. I didn't finish last. As I turned the corner to the finish line, I saw the three friends who had come to support me, cheering me along with cups of early-morning coffee in their hands.
When I crossed that finish line, I couldn't help but get choked up. Maybe it was because three people who I've known for less than a year willingly woke up early and traveled to New Jersey just to show their support for me. Maybe it was because I didn't blow out my shins and actually finished the race. Ultimately, I think it was mostly the fact that I felt so good. Good about myself, for the first time maybe ever. After years of struggles
with self-image, especially those centered around weight, I realized I was capable of doing something really awesome. Something healthy. Something that made me feel alive. That day changed the way I felt about myself. And in a lot of ways, that day in October 2012 changed the course of all my years to come.
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