Wrapping Up 2014

2014. What a year.

To be honest, 2013 felt a bit like a letdown year. We spent most of the year working and saving for all the events of 2014. We traveled to one wedding and to the Dominican Republic for a long weekend but otherwise, we were pretty much grounded in NYC. 2014 couldn't have been more different, and boy did it pay off! 

We had a fabulous engagement party in January at the Gainesville Thomas Center, a place special to my and Nate's childhoods. We celebrated the wedding of my dear friend Natalie to the love of her life, Zack, in February in Sarasota, Florida. In March we spent St. Patrick's Day weekend in Baltimore, Maryland with our friends Dave and Laura, and in April I traveled to Phoenix, Arizona to celebrate my friend Erica's bachelorette party. A month later was my bachelorette party in Orlando, Florida, followed by our dream wedding in NYC in June. End of June/July we traveled to Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia for the honeymoon of a lifetime. Sadly, upon our return, our dear Mama Doris passed away unexpectedly, and we went to Hartford, Kentucky for her funeral. Later in July we went to Charlotte, North Carolina for our friends David and Melissa's wedding, and in August I helped throw a special bachelorette party for one of my best friends, Chrissy, at Destin Beach, Florida. We didn't slow down in September, with a weekend in Gainesville for our nephew and godson Jaxson's baptism and I traveled to Chandler, Arizona for work. 

Fall brought changes to our professional lives - after two years at March of Dimes, I left for an incredible opportunity to be Assistant Director of Corporate Partnerships at U.S. Fund for UNICEF. Nate's boss announced his retirement, and a few weeks later Nate was named his replacement. Starting next week he will be Director of Administration and Finance of the Columbia University Mathematics Department - I couldn't be more proud of him! We also spent Thanksgiving week in Paris, France and I traveled to Los Angeles, California in December for work, but took in some sightseeing in my spare time! We added a sweet new member to our family, another dachshund puppy named Alila, and we ended the year celebrating Christmas with my family in NYC, going to our first Giants game, and ringing in the new year with great friends.

It was a year with high highs and low lows. The marked absence of Mama Doris during Christmas was hard on everyone. Three major plane crashes, all in the region where we spent our honeymoon, tested my ongoing battle with flight anxiety. At the same time, we were extremely blessed to see so many friends and family this year, to make incredible memories, and to travel to beautiful places. I realized other than October, I traveled every month of 2014 (some months there were 2-3 trips!). 

We look forward to what 2015 has in store for us. Some things we are already looking forward to - special weddings in Charleston, South Carolina and Estes Park, Colorado. I am planning a trip to southern Italy with my best friend, Courtney, to commemorate our 30th birthdays. We're also planning weekend trips to Washington D.C. and Atlanta, Georgia. And I'm sure I'll be getting to enjoy more work travel! Nate and I also want to start planning our next big adventure... we are thinking South America! Most of all, we remain thankful for all our loved ones, our health, and our life we've built together in New York City.

Cheers to a wonderful new year!

Happy New Year!

Back in spring 2012, I went to a James Beard Foundation event with my Uncle Phil and I was introduced to Janie, who has become one of my closest friends in NYC! This year she hosted New Year's for five couples, complete with chili bar and champagne. We had a blast ringing in the new year with our friends! I also got to repurpose my bachelorette dress which was fun, although Nate. We continue to be fortunate to meet great people in NYC who become part of our lives and make special memories with us. Hope everyone had a very happy new year - cheers to 2015!

Giants Game!

Last Sunday we went to the Giants vs. Eagles game - my first NFL game (and another item off the bucket list!). Thanks to Christmas gifts from Nate's parents and sister, we had awesome Giants gear to wear - jerseys and beanies - and we were lucky that the weather was unseasonably warm! It was overcast but it never rained, we had fun tailgating at the Bud Light Beer Garden, and even though the Giants lost we had a blast with my sister Jenni and her boyfriend Amado! Jenni gets credit for coming up with the idea of doing this as their Christmas gift and Nate and I decided to join and I'm so glad we did! It was an awesome day we'll always remember. And, win or lose, we still love our New York sports teams!

Christmas in NYC

Christmas in NYC is such a magical time of year! This year was my and Nate's first Christmas as a married couple and after several big trips and time off work (wedding, honeymoon, Paris) we planned to stay here this year. We were lucky that my parents, sister, and her boyfriend were able to fly up for Christmas week and we got to spend the holidays together! Some of the top highlights: seeing Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra play Christmas classics, we had an amazing Sunday visiting with friends in Connecticut, we spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in our little apartment - 6 adults and 3 puppies! We had a final special dinner at STK Steakhouse in midtown. It was such a special week, I love my family so much - the Vettetls, the family that I was born into, and the Schweers, the family I've created with Nate - us and our two sweet puppies!

Hoping everyone had a very merry Christmas!

Work Trip to Los Angeles

Earlier in December I had the opportunity to go to Los Angeles for a work meeting. It was my first time in the Los Angeles/Hollywood area and of course, my bucket list came to mind. Back in 2009 when I started the bucket list I put "see the Hollywood sign" and "take a picture with Britney Spears's star on the Walk of Fame. Of course, when you're traveling for your job, your first priority is work! Luckily, my first morning in Los Angeles I woke up at 5:30am local time (since my body clock was still on East Coast time) so I figured it was a great opportunity to go see the Hollywood sign! I took an Uber car up to the Griffith Observatory and I was treated to an absolutely beautiful sunrise and a clear view of the Hollywood sign and looking down on downtown Los Angeles. Highly recommend it as a great spot to see the Hollywood sign - my Uber driver also had fun, he was new to Los Angeles and had never been up there!

I am very fortunate that I really love my job and I had a great visit at the UNICEF USA Los Angeles office and a great partner meeting. In the evenings, I got to see a little bit more of the area and I have to say I really love Los Angeles! I did get to see the Britney Spears star so I marked not one, but two things off my bucket list! I also got to visit Abbot Kinney which is a really cool area in Santa Monica. Work will likely take me back to Los Angeles several times in 2015, and I'm looking forward to the visits!

 Up next: Christmas and New Year's Eve!