2015: The Good Stuff

2015 was an interesting ride.  I laughed, I cried, I screamed, I held my family close, I fell in love (with Charlie), and I did some real dig-down-deep type of soul searching.  This year, I realized I was accepting things as they way they were instead of pushing myself for more.  So I pushed back.  There were some pretty incredible moments this year.  Here are a few.

I touched the World Series trophy and hung out with it two nights in a row.  And took a picture with it.  And did I mention touched it?  Because I definitely touched it.

I bought a car.  This is the most grown up purchase I have ever made.  With 21,000 miles in (yes in a year I drove THAT much), I can't wait to see where I'll be at 100,000.  I really do love my little Honda Fit.

I have commitment issues, but when I saw little Mema screaming and crying her brains out on May 1st, I knew I needed her in my life.  I ran there the next morning and started the process.  Admittedly, I worried incessantly when she officially "moved in" with us on May 8.  I was committing to a possible 20 years of caring for her and it frightened me.  Mema, renamed Charlie, quickly quieted my fears.  She's opened me up to so many more new possibilities just by being her.

Even though it was a battle to get me there, I stood above one of the Seven Wonders of the World: The Grand Canyon.  Pictures will never do it justice.  It was breathtaking and such a pivotal moment in my year because of the absolute serenity and clarity I got, walking solo along the rim for an hour or so.

Kacey Musgraves is my queen.  And I stood right in front of her face, making repeated eye contact and singing along on July 18th.  Seeing Kacey was amazing, of course, but it was the courage it took for me to make it to the concert that is really the reason it stands out.  I had no one to go with, so I went by myself.  My grandpa hated it, my parents hated it but I went anyway.  And guess what? I made some friends in the fellow fans waiting in line with me and it was quite possibly one of the most fun nights of 2015.  I learned I can do things alone and have a better time doing it without dragging along someone who doesn't want to be there.

After living on Long Island for an absurd amount of years, I traveled to Montauk for the first time.  Forget the Hamptons, that's chump change.  Montauk is real, beautiful, and welcoming to all.  A small town, beach vibe that I fell in love with instantly and made me support the local residents determination to keep all of the drunk kids from turning it into an Ocean Bay Park trash spot (I am being very judgey and I'm not sorry).

One of my best friends from high school got married.  I'm not new to weddings, I've had a handful of friends marry over the past couple of years but this was the first that really hit me.  I wanted to cry and laugh as she walked down the aisle.  How many times had we talked about this day in her bedroom?  How many relationships had we all been through just to wind up at this moment here together?  Being there on April's day with Katie and Ashley is a moment I will cherish as long as I live.

I moved back to Pittsburgh.  Again.  For the last time?  That remains undetermined, but here I am in Steeler Country.  I love to hate/hate to love Pittsburgh.  It's home and it isn't at the same time, but being in Pittsburgh and working where I am is exactly where I needed to be in my life.  All of the anxiety about coming back was worth it.

I (FINALLY) saw Mayday Parade in concert.  After a dramatic unsatisfying attempt to see them live in 2013, I finally forgave Stage AE of my past distaste.  Alisha and I put on our most emo outfits and basically sat through the first three acts on the floor.  I was probably too old to be there.  As a major force in my music library for the past eight years, hearing their songs and singing along to the lyrics that got me through job changes, breakups, and very long drives was a pivotal moment in 2015. Jake from Mayday also liked the picture I posed on Instagram, so there's also that.

Of course, there's a lot from 2015 that I'm not proud of, but why dwell on the bad things from the past year? I'd rather celebrate the good.  So here's to 2015, a year I enjoyed, a year I found myself, a year that challenged the way I see the world and what I wanted from it.

Cheers!