Let It Go? Letting Go...

So here’s a fun fact: I am an ENFJ every time I take a Myers-Briggs based test. It’s one of the rare personality types (another fun fact!) accounting for around 2% of the total population (when there are only 16 types ). Here’s a quick summary of the ENFJ personality type from PersonalityPage:

ENFJ: The Giver. Popular and sensitive, with outstanding people skills. Externally focused, with real concern for how others think and feel. Usually dislike being alone. They see everything from the human angle, and dislike impersonal analysis. Very effective at managing people issues, and leading group discussions. Interested in serving others, and probably place the needs of others over their own needs.

If you’re nerdy like me, here’s a link to the whole profile description (http://bit.ly/TheENFJ) and you can click around and read the descriptions of other types. Another fun fact: my personality type is the type that likes these personality profiles because I love learning about how other people process information and make decisions!

This also makes me really bad at… you guessed it… letting go. People, places, memories. Things become part of your history and your narrative. I wrote an earlier post (http://bit.ly/1tRsrSt) that talked about how I approach friendships and that’s part of the struggle. Even when people are out of your life, they still go on leading their own. My mom has famously called me “the doggy with the chew toy” – I’m just not very good at letting go, saying goodbye, or change in general.

So the question I’m thinking about today is – how to get better at letting go? And my conclusion (I’m not “the thinker” personality type so this is probably not a huge revelation to the rest of you as it is to me) is that I need to make better choices to better let go. I need to stop “picking at the scab.” As Elsa says in the song Let It Go I need to get to where “the fears that once controlled me don’t get to me at all.”

How to make better choices? Well, I’m going to stop picking at the scabs. I’m going to focus on the present. I’m still a planner and I’ve got a lot of things on my mind for 2015, but for now I want to enjoy the moment and every single day. I want to make better choices every day so that I’m enjoying the present, not at the expense of the future, but I’m going to stop what if-ing myself over the past. 2014 has been one of the best, most challenging, fascinating years of my life. This is today’s perspective:

Life Lessons on Friendship – Photos, Memories, and Perspective

What is it to be a friend? There are a lot of common answers I think you’d find to this question. And a lot of discrepancies. At my engagement party, my mom said to a group of people “Oh Dana could have had twenty bridesmaids. She has collected friends and kept them better than anyone I’ve ever met.”

It’s an interesting compliment, if you consider the word “collect.” Knowing my mother, she means it genuinely. But I know perhaps on the outside, it looks like too often I mention “best friends” here and there. That I “collect” friends simply to have them. My best friends in NYC. My best friends from high school. My best friends from PiPhi. The truth is all my friendships are unique and special to me. I also believe that friendships ebb and flow… but I don’t pretend to be an expert, or have all the answers.

The last year has, unfortunately, seen the end of a few friendships for me. To me, each person is unique, and even with fantastic friends I have mourned the loss of some others. Some deeply, and painfully. I try, to the best of my ability, to stay friends with people who have touched my life meaningfully. It is not without its challenges.

When I was in middle school I really had no friends. I had a tendency to “smother” – and as a result, girls pulled away. I can’t blame them for that. I was born extraordinarily sensitive. When I was in preK, my mom was called by my teacher for a meeting. My mom sensed this was some kind of trouble. Instead, the teacher said – Dana came up to me at lunch today. She said someone in the class was struggling with lessons. She said that he needed extra help, but probably was too shy to ask for it. She said could I help him, but not let him know she said to because she did not want him to be embarrassed or ashamed. The teacher told her – I know adults without that level of sensitive empathy. I have never seen it in a four year old.

Despite that empathy I shared a likewise unparalleled veil of naivety. I fell victim to every conceivable middle school prank. I was so embarrassed that I didn’t have friends that I would lie to my parents about having plans and ride my bike around the neighborhood alone. I made up stories about school trips, since usually I was walking around with chaperones or people I didn’t know. I never had a group, I never felt like I fit in. I spent lunch periods in a teacher’s portable dusting chalkboards, thankful just to have somewhere to be. I remember, acutely, wanting just one friend in the world. I promised God if I ever had one friend I would be the best friend anyone could ask for.

And so I did. I struggled of course – in 9^th grade I had a group of friends that quickly disbanded. My paranoia of being left out was irksome to many, understandably so. But a sweet 13 year old girl named Courtney had enough patience to stay by my side the next 4 years of high school – and life after that. And every friend I made, I kept the promise. I remembered birthdays, I sent cards. I made trips to see friends who lived far away. Throughout high school, throughout college.  I have been disappointed, I have felt sometimes like I give too much, but it is also who I am.

There is another element to my friendships that I am notorious for – pictures! I have adopted the unofficial position of group Historian for all of my groups of friends (and now with instagram I’m arguably even worse). My interest in cameras began at a young age. Even with my family I liked to volunteer to take pictures. I played with my mom’s film camera when I was only in elementary school. On trips I always took a Kodak disposable camera or two, always got double prints, always gave the second set of prints away. As I grew older, it became a way to become and stay friends with people. Look at us here – look at this memory we made. Mostly it was about trying to connect. It still is – I love commemorating every “Throwback Thursday” with an old picture. Memories are so special to me, and worth treasuring.

Some friendships ebb and flow, I truly believe that. And I believe in forgiveness. I also believe there are times where you simply have to walk away. It’s not easy to decide which course is best. I have found that trusting my instinct has been the most important thing, and giving without expecting something in return to be equally important even if it is a bit harder in practice.

Friendships are a two way street and require work, there’s no doubt about that. But they should be effortless in my opinion, in that the desire to stay in touch, the kindness you show one another, simply wanting to be in touch, be it every day, every week, every month, or every year – whatever works for you.

I think I will always be the friendship Historian. I always remember how we met, insisting on pictures early on, capturing the memories. At times, I have annoyed most of my friends with these requests. But photos have always been how I connect, how I helped find my place, how I helped learn how to be a friend and to find real friends. Over time, I’ve even had some friends thank me for the rabid early-days shots – for more than a few, I was responsible for the first picture of my friend and her eventual boyfriend/husband.

I want to add that I am so thankful for the friends I have made, even the ones I have lost. Sometimes things come full circle and you find yourself in touch yet again with someone you haven’t spoken to in years. They say a picture is worth a thousand words – for me they are worth many special friends J

In Loving Memory of Mama Doris

As many of you readers may have seen on Facebook or heard from me directly, our beautiful Mama Doris passed away suddenly in her sleep last week on July 7th. She was 85 years old. It was shocking for us in many ways. First, her health was better than it had been in years. Last fall she had surgery to remove a non-cancerous tumor growing behind her eyes that was obstructing her vision. After it was removed she was like a new person - reading again, more energy, her memory was better - everyone was thrilled at the dramatic progress she made.

She made it to New York City last month for our wedding. She chatted with my friends, met Nate's family, was beaming and so happy, glowing (everyone said). My last memory with her was hugging her and kissing her cheek as she left our wedding reception. It's a happy memory that I'll never forget.

Mama Doris, as her nickname indicates, was more than a grandmother to me. She was like a second mom. There are few childhood memories I have without her and Daddy Quent in them. We spent two to three weeks every summer at their farm in Kentucky. We played with baby chickies, rode horses, fed the goats, peeled green beans, ate cherry tomatoes right off the vine, learned to knit and to cross stitch. It sounds like a fantasy and in many ways it was - it was the true farm life and we loved it as much as the week we'd spend in NYC with my dad's dad and stepmom. Mama Doris and Daddy Quent also never missed Christmas. They drove down every year to celebrate with us and, after Daddy Quent passed away, Mama Doris moved to Gainesville so she never missed an event - high school and college graduations, holidays, our engagement party - you name it, she was there.

It is always hard to lose a loved one. If they are sick and you see it coming, you get the chance to say goodbye but you also watch them suffer, helplessly as they can lose their memories and ability to take care of themselves. When someone passes suddenly, it creates a vacuum of loss and shock. A numbness takes over, a disbelief that it really happened. Yet to know Mama Doris passed away in her sleep, feeling better than she had in years, knowing she did not suffer, is a blessing. It's the way so many of us wish and hope we might go when our time comes. It was the best for her and while it was hard for us, it helps to keep that perspective.

Mama Doris had a wonderful life. She was loved by everyone she met. At just 17 she married her soulmate, my grandfather Quentin Payton, and had 55 beautiful years of marriage with him before he passed away in September 2001. Even after 55 years their eyes still sparkled when they saw or spoke of each other. Mama Doris's still did even in recent weeks and months. She missed him every day, and now they are together. They left us all an example of true love that inspires me in my own marriage.

It is impossible to qualify how I'll miss her. How she always remembered stories from our childhood, how she kept Daddy Quent alive through her memories and recounting past adventures. How she was mischievous and independent, strong willed yet nurturing and gentle. How there was no secret that her family was everything to her. She was a wonderful daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. She was a friend to all. We love you, Mama Doris.

Fear of Flying: Reconciling fears and dreams

Many of you know, or may not know, that I’m an anxious flier. I have gravitated over the years from total meltdowns to actually doing pretty well on flights. Is there a method to the madness? A pattern? Today I attempt to talk through my experiences and thoughts on the matter. I know I’m not alone, so I hope this will shed some light and perhaps help other fellow anxious-fliers out there.

As a kid, I loved to fly. No surprise, maybe. Kids love to fly, the views out the window, even turbulence to me back then felt fun, like a ride at Disney World. The stewardesses would bring you “wings” that you could proudly wear. I loved the magic of being one place one minute, and somewhere totally different mere hours later. I always claimed a window seat – my nose pressed to the glass, looking at tiny houses, fields, cars, and clouds below.

All of that changed on September 11^th. Not, perhaps, as the same reason as other people. I was in a plane that day. It was a Tuesday during my junior year of high school – not a typical day I’d be on a flight but my grandfather, Daddy Quent, had passed away September 7^th and we were in Kentucky for the funeral. Our flight back the morning of September 11^th had us grounded in Atlanta. The first tower had been hit, but we didn’t know. When we came off the aircraft all televisions were down, no airport personnel were communicating with us at all. We were stumped – I actually remember, in my 15-year-old wisdom, complaining that “nothing” could explain why we were being indefinitely delayed without good reason! I had band practice tomorrow, after all. I was a drum major. I had “priorities and commitments.” I’m sure I sounded very self-important at 15.

The gate we flew in next to was a flight headed for LaGuardia. Back in 2001 cell phones were still a new phenomenon but I had JUST gotten one, in preparation for turning 16 that month and having my own car. My mom thought I should have it for emergencies. And it was when they started getting phone calls and screaming that my dad walked over. I remember sitting there next to my sister (my mom was still in Kentucky, helping my grandmother with post-funeral needs). Our arms touching, our faces twitching with nervousness. My dad returned and his face was pale his eyes sank. “Planes,” he said, “have flown into the World Trade Center towers.” The north tower, Windows on the World, we had eaten at 2 mere months before. My dad was from NYC, we spent every other summer there growing up. It wasn’t just the attack – it was personally devastating, to no one more than my dad.

I remember feeling mystified, horrified, confused. An attack? With planes? On buildings? It was unimaginable to me. Everywhere in the Atlanta airport we looked for television stations to tell us what was happening but Atlanta was in full-blackout mode. For a while I just sat there, phone in hand, desperately trying to call my mother to tell her we were okay. It took me over an hour but I finally got through – signals were jammed in the crowded airport. “Mom!” I exclaimed. “We’re okay, we’re okay, we’re in Atlanta, we’re grounded.” Her response was nonchalant “oh honey don’t worry. TSA will get you on the next flight.” Relief, and also dread hit me. Relief that my mother and grandmother hadn’t spent the last hours panicking, staring at the television worrying about us but also realizing I would be the one to share the news. “Mom you don’t understand. Turn on the television.” Moments passed. All she said was “Oh my God. Thank God my daddy didn’t live to see this.”

I have no strong visual memories of that day. We managed to get a ride to Gainesville with a good Samaritan who was taking his daughter, whose flight was also cancelled, back to UF for classes. We rode in silence, listening to NPR. I heard screams, shouts, reports from the streets. I remember every word. It wasn’t until almost midnight that I even saw the towers, the crashes, the collapse. By that point I was already numb. I experienced September 11^th mostly through audial senses.

In a way it opened my eyes. I’m not sure I would have followed the same career path, same interests in college without it. At the same time, I suffered more than anyone else in my family, extreme flight anxiety. For two years I refused to fly anywhere. Then my graduation trip in 2003 was to NYC, with one of my very good friends from high school Ashley. Mid-flight I experienced my first panic attack. Tears streaming down my face as we approached the city. Hands shacking. Nothing any flight attendant could do seemed to calm me down. When we landed I felt relief, and also instantly dread. How else would I get home except to fly again? The return flight was worse. I thought of my boyfriend, my life, every noise the plane made sent me into a spiral of panic and tears.

Yet… at that point in my life I was 17. I didn’t have a passport, let alone a desire to travel the world. I was just fine in Florida, thank you. I even planned spring breaks in college around cruises. Visit a new place, avoid the plane. But in late 2004 my parents told me I would be studying abroad the next summer. It was an experience both had, but never got. As a bright futures scholar with 3 additional scholarships, I was not costing them anything to be in school – this was something they thought I earned, and would be good for me. My mom even said she and Jenni would fly over with me, to get me acquainted with London and settled for my 2 month program. We flew business class (first and only time) and I think the excitement over free drinks and footrests won out over anxiety that time. I also took some of the regional airlines to fly to Italy and Ireland. For a time, I felt my flight anxiety was gone. I recall no anxiety my senior year of college, when I flew to visit Chrissy in Washingotn DC and when I flew alone to Rome for a 7 month internship experience.

But it hit me again, on a flight from Rome to Madrid. It was a flight where the pilot seemed to speed up and slow down quite a bit. Perhaps a new pilot, or perhaps it was just the type of plane where I noticed it but as we slowed down I thought we were going to fall out of the sky.  Silent tears ran down my face as my travel companions tried to cheer me up, assure me we were fine. Again on a flight to Germany with my friend Emily the panic set in. Emily decided a lesson on the physics of flight would help me conquer my fear. To a degree, she was right. She kept me distracted on that flight and before I knew it, we were back in Rome. On my flights to and from Prague I was hopelessly anxious. It had returned, for reasons unknown to me.

Maybe all this history isn’t relevant. I eventually flew much better especially during grad school.  I flew a little puddle jumper in Tanzania to go on a safari. I flew extremely long flights to India and back. Then again in late 2012, I started doing badly again. It made no sense. Was it social media, hearing about any and all potential plane issues and incidents? Or was it, as some theories on fear of flying suggest, that I began to fear I had much more to lose.  When you are young, there is a feeling of invincibility, some say. But as I grew in my 20s, found my life partner, and adopted my first “child” – a reddish brown 12 pound mini dachshund I started to feel like I had so much more to lose. Perhaps it’s a good thing, believing that your life is worth living.

All this begs the question – why, then, when I have crippling anxiety – as recently as my honeymoon where I had a complete and total meltdown on my return flight from Bali to Singapore (to the point where several stewardesses asked if I was okay) do I continue to travel? And not just to mandatory things like weddings and family reunions, but I seek out far-flung vacations halfway around the world. Why do it?

I have tried to reconcile this fear with logic, with medication, with attempts at distraction, drinking alcohol, meditation, you name it. What I have found is that I deeply love to see new places. I seem to do better on bigger planes that go farther, smaller planes make me more anxious. I also tend to do best on Delta flights, I think I have some emotional connection to the brand that gives me a sense of security. I tend to do best when I keep myself distracted - the success of that depends entirely on how much I have thought about the flight leading up to it. If I have been worrying for a day, or a few days, distraction is almost impossible. If I have not, I may experience a few hours of anxiety but after takeoff and the plane leveling out, it will usually go away.

Beyond that, I have come to understand that I will probably never really love flying again. I try to make the best of it – find time to write, read, watch movies that I never see because I hate going to movie theaters. I have learned pretty well how to sleep, and that has helped. I have tried to channel the moment, the experience, into something that I can harness and keep me tied to earth even as I float nearly 40,000 feet above it. I have faced some fears, like ziplining, with failure. But this one – I have never yet booked a flight I didn’t get on, and I don’t intend to start now.

We all have fears in life. We also all have dreams. To travel, to me, is to discover new things about myself. If I had never left the US, I don’t think I would have really discovered who I am and what I love. I try to focus on that love, rather than the fear, when I am shaking and my blood is racing. I try to let go of control, of the need to know how it will all turn out. It helps most to travel with my husband, my best friend, who knows just what to say, with a squeeze of my hand he soothes me. He never treats me like a child, yet he is always understanding, never saying “get over it.”

We’ve been together four and a half years now. When we first got together I told him “get a passport” (he didn’t have one). He said why – do we have plans to travel? And I said with me – you never know. Sure enough, his first trip out of the US was when I suddenly was sent to Italy for a month for work and he came to join me for a week. Now, years later, he has already hit double-digits (10 countries) and I reached a milestone of 25 on our honeymoon (not too shabby for a 28 year old who only got her passport 9 years ago).

I may still be a little afraid to fly. It is still magical to me, how planes stay up in the air. But I have to trust those smarter than me, I have to learn to let go, sit back, and enjoy the ride. Most of all I have to trust that even though 10 years ago I wanted to be a hermit, and probably never travel again, I wouldn’t change a minute of the experiences that I have had – they have enriched my life and helped me create the person I wish to be. And so if that means I must conquer my fear on a weekly, or monthly basis – so be it.

Final parting note – I’m not sure we can ever conquer our fears, but we can learn how to manage them. This coming from someone who had a meltdown yesterday, so I’m no expert. But I hope this blog post helps anyone who might feel similarly.

Where I've Been - Literally & Figuratively

Hey there blog readers! Are there any of you still out there? I have really not been good about blogging since April. In my defense I had a little wedding happening, plus two bachelorette parties and a two week honeymoon! Physically, I've been traveling. After Phoenix I had Orlando, followed by our wedding in NYC, and finally visiting three countries on our honeymoon. I’ve got lots to catch up on!

I've also been thinking, and I've realized I want to have a new take on the blog. While I love recapping all our adventures, part of my neglect is that I post most photos of these adventures on Facebook, making a blog recap a bit duplicative. If I'm going to keep up the blog, I want it to feel fresh and fun! I’m planning to refocus the blog a bit more on my thoughts and goals, being a little more open with personal struggles and hoping, through this, to connect more to you readers and offer more than simple travel summaries (of course you can still count on those!).

So I invite you to sit back, relax, and hopefully enjoy my new approach to the blog!

To Resolve, Or Not To Resolve?

Resolutions - friend or foe? There's something about every year that makes us resolved to be happier - so we make lists, and goals, and ultimately - excuses. And we start over every year. Back in college I had the same resolution for 3 years in a row - not to drink soda. It seemed like a good one, and I kept it. In grad school I had laundry lists of resolutions that went nowhere fast. Last year I made one big one - to learn moderation, and to get a better handle on my anxiety. That's come a long way but it's really a lifestyle, not a resolution. So... my big question this year was should I have any resolutions? What should they be?

I do have one, inspired by our New Year's Eve dinner at Rosa Mexicano. Two girls at the table next to us (best guess college age, early 20s) spent the entire meal (including eating) on their phones. They did not put them down once. They snapchatted to each other, they tweeted, instagrammed, posted status updates to Facebook, and texted. I was stunned, and concerned - not for them, but for all of us. As a Social Media Manager it's my job to be plugged in to trends, to understand and use social media with fluency and ease. But I couldn't help but wonder - am I at risk for behaving this way? For experiencing a real-life experience virtually? It made me resolve to spend less time on my phone this year. To put it away during meals, to Instagram later, to be in the moment more. It's so easy - and downright fun - to post what you're doing, to get instant likes and "omg! wish I was there! so cool! etc." comments. But it shouldn't come at the expense of the actual experience. Will I do it? We will see. I'm lucky that my fiance and husband-to-be does NOT have a smart phone and as a result, does a good job of helping keep me in the moment.

Other resolutions... well again, lifestyle-wise I resolve every year to travel to a new domestic and international destination. Last year I made it to the Dominican Republic twice which was a new country and both were amazing trips. I did not make it anywhere new in the US. Travel-wise, 2013 was a slowwwww year. 2014 is shaping up to be busier already. Domestically, I am traveling to Arizona for one of my bridesmaids' Erica's bachelorette party. Internationally, we are traveling to three new countries on our honeymoon - Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia (Bali). And Nate and I are planning for Thanksgiving week in Paris. France will be a new country for him - I've been twice!

So alas, one true resolution this year... we will see how it goes! I leave you with this fun "resolution" that I found as I was putting this blog post together:

Cheers to 2014!

Cheers to 2014!

I didn't blog as much in 2013. In a lot of ways, the year was a disappointment. There were some amazing highlights - like Nate and I getting engaged and my opportunity to travel to the Dominican Republic twice to see my sister. I also started a great new job. But in other ways, it was disappointing. A lot of waiting, some personal struggles, and some painful endings. It was, in sports terms, a "rebuilding year" and that's okay to have sometimes. This fall I lost a lot of the "stress weight" I put on at the end of 2012 and I'm feeling fit and happy.

2014 is off to an amazing start. We rang in the New Year with our best friends, the second year we've done so and it's my favorite new tradition! We are so excited for what this year has in store - our engagement party in Gainesville is just a few weeks away and it's followed shortly by the wedding of a dear college friend and member of the Breakfast Club. Spring is a busy time at work with March for Babies, and I have two bachelorette parties to attend (my own, and my friend Erica's) and then in June, it's our wedding and honeymoon! Fall is rapidly filling up as well - I know this is going to be a year to remember. Right now I'm feeling really thankful and grateful for our amazing families and friends and my own little family, my wonderful understanding, patient, and unconditionally loving fiance and sweet little pup Siena.

Here are a few favorite pictures from last night/early this morning:

Happy New Year!

The Travel Bug

Soooooo it's been a slow year.

Not in terms of life! Nate and I got engaged in March and it's been a whirlwind year planning plus staying busy working (and I have mastered a 3 hour daily commute). On top of that, our sweet puppy Siena keep us on our toes! No, it's been a slow year in terms of travel. For me, it is the slowest year since freshman year of college. That's really saying something! Part if my struggle is that I've been blessed to be able to travel so much and on some level until now I've taken it for granted.

I traveled to the Dominican Republic in January, and Nate and I returned together in May. We also went to a wedding in Charlotte, North Carolina in March. I returned home twice (coming up on three times): my 10 year reunion in June, a long weekend in August, and we are heading home for Christmas in just a few weeks. So I haven't been stuck per se, but compared to years past, which took us to Italy, Canada, England, and Costa Rica, it has felt like a quieter year - particularly this fall.

We have been gearing up for 2014 which is going to be a huge year for us. We start the year with our engagement party in Gainesville in January, a dear friend's wedding in Sarasota in February, and I will go to a bachelorette party for one of my engaged bridesmaids in April! After that it's rapid fire: My bachelorette in Orlando in May, our wedding in June, followed by our two week honeymoon to Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia. We don't stop there - we have another wedding to attend in July in Charlotte! And that's just through summer - I'm sure our fall will fill up quickly!

It's been a learning experience for me. I've chosen to focus on my health, my perpetual struggle with my anxiety, focusing on channeling it into positive activities like working out, cooking, going for walks, and of course wedding planning! I feel like I've been playing the waiting game and it's been harder than I anticipated. I've always had an upcoming "adventure" - be that a weekend away, a vacation with Nate or my family, or a work trip. Travel has always enriched my life, and it's a shared interest between Nate and I now. I'm reminding myself that it's worth the wait - I have never been to the Southeast Asia region, and I know it is going to be filled with amazing experiences and memories.

Until then... I'm looking forward to a quiet Thanksgiving, just me and Nate and Siena, followed by the most magical time of year in NYC when the city comes alive with white lights and Christmas decorations. We end the year with a long, much-needed week at home with family and then ringing in the new year with our best friends in the city. (I'll be ringing it in dressed in something shiny and new! ;)

Looking forward to all the things to come! Stay tuned...

2012 - The Year In Review

What. A. Year.

2011 seems like so long ago, yet this year flew by. It was one of the most eventful years I can remember.

Personal

So much happened in our personal lives! We made new friends in the city and we’ve gotten closer to old friends. We celebrated our two year anniversary in February. We had several fun social events, including my Boozy Birthday Brunch and our Second Annual Holiday Party. For the first year in what seems like a decade we didn’t move!! Instead we are loving our apartment on the Upper West Side and for Christmas we invested in new furniture including a kitchen buffet table, a bookshelf for the bedroom, a new filing cabinet, and a DVD rack. The biggest updates were new additions – Nate’s nephew Jaxson Allan Wilt was born on October 1^st and we welcomed our dachshund puppy Siena on October 27^th (although she was born on September 2^nd). We were also excited to share the news that our good friends Josh and Melissa got engaged! We are excited to celebrate with them in 2013! We also supported my sister Jenni as she moved to the Dominican Republic in February to serve as a Peace Corps Volunteer until May 2014.

Professional

2012 was an eventful year in our professional lives. My first big work project took off and I was proud as the partnership with The Hunger Games unfolded. In August Nate was promoted to Manager of Human Resources for the Math Department at Columbia University (where he has been Administrative Assistant for two years). He also completed several classes for his Computer Science degree – a lot of work but I am so proud of him! In December I got a new job as Manager of Marketing & Social Media at the national March of Dimes. Saying goodbye to WFP after two and a half years isn’t easy, but I’m excited for this amazing opportunity.

Travel

We didn’t have our feet on the ground much in 2012! In the spring we spent a week in London, England where we also attended The Hunger Games European Premiere. I spent two months in London back in 2005 and it was such a different experience returning 7 years later and introducing Nate to the city (and England brought his country total to 5!). We spent Easter visiting the nation’s capital in Washington D.C. staying with one of my best friends Rachel & her husband Allin. In May we spent 10 days in Italy with my parents – Nate went in 2011 and my mom went in 2007 but it was my dad’s first trip! We rented an apartment in Rome and also travelled to Siena, took a wine tour of Tuscany, and spent an afternoon at the beach in Fregene. Before we knew it, it was summer and I was off to visit another one of my best friends Chrissy in Atlanta – touring the world of Coca-Cola, boating, and visiting Stone Mountain – before heading to Florida for two weeks. I also managed to make it to Sarasota with my best friend Courtney to visit friends from the Breakfast Club, Natalie and Laura. Summer ended with Nate and I taking a trip to Costa Rica for a week, where we stayed next to the active Arenal Volcano, went white water rafting and rappelling, and Nate did zip-lining. Fall was quieter with no trips or travel until December, where we just spent over a week at home in Gainesville, Florida.

Cuisine

Perhaps I should have called this post a year in food! We tried lots of new restaurants in 2012, even took a cooking class at Eataly. We tried Buddakan for Jenni’s birthday, Dovetail for our two year anniversary, Asiate for our birthdays, plus brunch at great spots including Calle Ocho and Isabella’s. We discovered new favorite Mexican, including Café Frida and Diablo Royale.

In the News

In the sports world, our New York Giants won the Super Bowl, repeating history defeating the New England Patriots (which also happened in 2008). The election dominated the news this year, leading up to Obama’s reelection in November. There were tragedies this year, some local, some international, including a heartbreaking stabbing on the Upper West Side (very close to home for us) and the Stony Brook school shooting. Hurricane Sandy hit New York and New Jersey in October, leaving Nate and I stranded at home for a week. Internationally, some of the major events included Europe’s economy continuing to struggle, violence in Syria boiling over, and the draught in the Sahel region of Africa leaving many hungry. There were so many events it's impossible to name them all - but we feel fortunate to live safely and freely when so many do not.

Entertainment

In the world of pop culture there were some stories to note, particularly my favorite Angelina Jolie getting engaged to Brad Pitt, and Prince William & Kate announcing they are expecting a baby in 2013. I fell in love with the bands Foster the People, Alabama Shakes, and Mumford & Sons. I saw three movies in theaters: The Hunger Games, The Avengers, and Les Miserables. I saw two plays – Les Miserables (in London) and Nice Work if You Can Get It (Broadway). Nate and I got invested in new television shows, including Modern Family, Doctor Who,  and How I Met Your Mother. Nate introduced me to Firefly and I developed my own personal obsession with Nashville. In terms of reading I spent the first half of the year absorbed in the Game of Thrones series, also enjoying Divergent and Insurgent, part of a new trilogy. The book that got under my skin this year (last year it was Hunger Games) was World War Z, which I read twice and still find myself thinking about. Stay tuned for a future blog post on that one.

Life In General

In short, we are blessed, we are exhausted, we are excited, and we are happy. 2012 was an incredible year and we are so excited about 2013.