Wow. So it’s apparently been about a year since I last took to writing here. In the past year an incredible amount happened. So instead of starting off with a new 2015 post about what’s coming, I’m going to take a look back. Month by month…you may find this boring, I however, think this will be a whole mess of fun.
January-I was still working 2 jobs, a per diem position and part-time. I stopped seeing a boy and had a few dates with some others. None of which went anywhere. The boy I stopped seeing told me that he had been dating someone else and never told me, so I told him that this simply wouldn’t work. And that was that. I had dates with my girls and my mama. And continued heavily planning EUROPE!
February-This has become a very special month to me. I met my current boyfriend Steve, who has become more than I could ever describe (but I’ll try later). My friend had a birthday party at xfinity (which was date #3 for me and Steve). Our first date he took me to sushi, my favorite, his first time. He was quiet and shy and to be completely honest, I never thought I’d see him again. I thought he was far too reserved for someone like me. Then I talked to a few friends who told me to give it one more shot. Our second date was on Valentine’s Day. I remember telling him that we could do something low-key and not to make it all lovey-dovey. Needless to say, he didn’t listen to a thing I requested. He took me to dinner at McCormick and Schmick’s in Philadelphia, bought my favorite bottle of wine and then took me to his house. Looking back, probably shouldn’t have gone. But, eh, 20/20 hindsight. He had made me a pillow fort, set up fondue, had my favorite flowers (bird of paradise) and my favorite chocolate (chocolate covered pretzels from a small candy shoppe-Aunt Charlotte’s). It was perfect. The next night was Kendal’s birthday and I invited Steve. We had a great time and talked a lot. The next afternoon (Sunday) we went for a long walk and we’ve been inseparable ever since.
March-I spent a lot of time with my girls and Steve. Lots of lunches, and dinners with my friends that ended with me driving to see Steve afterward. At some point during March, Steve decided to join me on my European Adventure. Quite possibly the grandest gesture I’ve ever experienced.
April-April was full of finalizing plans for Europe. Steve went away to Mexico at the end of the month. I walked in the CF walk with some amazing people. That night I went to a party at a “friends” house and to make a long story short, she nearly broke my wrist and we haven’t spoken since. This is probably the most negative thing that happened to me all year. Losing a friend who you trusted and confided in is incredibly difficult. But my real friends, were there to help get me through. In April I went to my first Cystic Fibrosis appointment in many years. I went to the Hospital at the University of Pennsylvania and met my favorite doctor ever, and I’ve seen a lot of them.
May-May 2014 was one the most spectacular times of my life. It started with a Phillies game with Steve. He had just come back from Mexico the day before and I was leaving for Europe 2 days later. On May 6th I boarded a plane from JFK->Madrid, Spain->Lisbon Portugal. I stayed for 3 days in a room in someone’s home in the Alfama District of Lisbon. Lisbon was incredible. I’m going to do a few follow-up posts fully detailing my European extravaganza, but the people, the food, the culture, was perfection. Then Lisbon->Barcelona, Spain where Steve joined me! We stayed 1 block from the beach and walked everywhere. Then came Amsterdam. Steve, reserved a Penthouse for us and we lived it up and fell madly in love with the city. From Amsterdam came Berlin, where we took a bike tour all around the city. Steve left from Berlin and I continued on to Prague where I met up with my friend Erin. Prague was a fairytale land. Erin left from there to go home and I went to Munich for 24 hours before heading to Erin’s home in Saarbrucken. After a few days I continued to Brussels and ended in Frankfurt where I left for home. Then, May was over. I spent 3 weeks traveling and seeing as much as I could.
June-FULLTIME! I accepted a fulltime position and got BENEFITS!!!!!! This is huge for me and my CF lungs! We were very excited. I transferred to a new location and moved into a full-time x-ray position and am still pretty happy with the move. I continued picking up shifts at my per diem job and basically worked my tail off.
July-I made a big decision this month and decided to go back to school to finish my Bachelor’s degree at Widener University. This may not seem like a lot, but for me it really was. There were many discussions, a lot of back and forth. But I went and spoke with a counselor and settled on 4 classes for my Fall 2014 semester, Algebra, Civic Engagement, Psychology, and Effective Communication.
August-I traveled to Bethany Beach, Delaware with Steve and his family and friends. There was a bit of drama with a girl that apparently still had a thing for him but that ended quickly thankfully. Next up was Anastasia’s Bachelorette Party. That was a clusterfuck and I ended up leaving early but I had a great time while I was there. August 22 was wedding weekend! That Friday was the rehearsal amd dinner. Saturday we got our nails done and lunched all together. And August 24th was the big day! Steve was my date, and we had a ton of fun being ridiculous together. After the wedding Steve and I took a few days at the shore to relax together before we each started school.
September-Back to school. That’s still weird to say. Nothing else major happened. I spent a lot of time working, with Steve, and rekindling friendships. Erin came back from Europe and we had a little welcome home party for her.
October-At the beginning of the month, I cruised on Royal Carribean to Bermuda with my mom. This was our 7th time there and it was so incredibly relaxing. Lot of drinking, good food, I got a massage, we rode around on the mopeds, and I bought a new piece of pottery to add to my collection. At the end of the month the celebration of my birth began. Steve took me to New York where we saw Book of Mormon, had dinner at an italian restaurant owned by Lidia Bastianich called Becco. Food was good, wine was better. We walked the High Line and just had a great time together. The next weekend was spent dancing away at xfinity and in costume of course. Steve and I were hunters (I, a huntress) and we reprised our costumes at a local beer bar the next night for a more low-key time.
November-HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME! My actual birthday was spent at Treno with my mama and then Grand Lux with Steve. Wine, pasta, champagne…these are a few of my favorite things. It was great. The next weekend Steve to me to dinner at R2L in Philadelphia at sunset and it was perfection. The food, the wine, the service, everything was beyond excellent. I spent Thanksgiving working at the hospital and it really wasn’t too bad. Plus time and a half is always a good thing.
December-My friend Denise announced her engagement! AHHHHHH! So excited for her so for her birthday and engagement celebration we met for a sushi dinner and talked our faces off. It was so nice to catch up. I celebrated Erin’s 25th birthday at Dooney’s, went to a going away party for Sam C. and then to a birthday party for Sam W. Yes I know lot’s of Sam’s. Christmas eve was dinner at my house with my mom and Steve, I worked Christmas day. I spent New Years Eve sick. But tried to tough it out. Steve and I curled up on the couch, had Indian food for dinner, and then my favorite Champagne. It was so nice and relaxing.
And now…well, it’s now. So that’s it. So much has happened this year that seeing each month in a small paragraph doesn’t seem like it was possible. Hopefully, you can tell that there’s not a lot of negatives in there and that’s for a reason. We shouldn’t dwell on the negatives of life, the positives are what we should be remembering and enjoying. And I really did enjoy each minute of this year. Everything has changed and stayed the same. Let’s go 2015!
in omnia paratus 