Year 31
below is a glimpse of year 31
Another trip around the sun, and another year in the books! Year 31 was surreal. It's funny to look back each year and reflect. Never would I have or could I have predicted the events that occurred. Here are my highlights, in no particular order:
Went to a Bruins game at TD Garden. I had seen them play in other rinks, but it was my first time to see them play on their home turf. The atmosphere was awesome.
Moved to another country. This was a major bucket list item of mine. I'm not surprised that I moved to another country, but I never would have guessed it was going to be Bermuda! And I never would have anticipated that it would happen when it did.
I lived Bermuda. This bullet point could be it's own blog post, but I'll highlight some of the bigger events and things I got to participate in while living there! I can look back on my experience there knowing that I did not sit back and let that experience pass me by. I took full advantage of getting to live in such a spectacular place.
Used a pedal-bike as primary mode of transportation. I pedaled all over the eastern side of Bermuda. I hated grocery day, because I was lugging the extra weight of food in my backpack up those crazy hills. But there was something special about pedal-biking home late at night with Brett. With very few cars on the road, hardly any street lights, and the tree frogs singing their hearts out - it felt like we were the only two people on the island. I look back and feel proud to have experienced and adapted to that lifestyle change, even if I don't miss depending on a pedal-bike.
Went to Punta Cana. This was a work trip, but I had time to have some fun. I'm thankful I got to go to another country (on someone else's dime!) and experience it, but I don't have any desire to go back.
I learned to drive a scooter, sorta. So motorized scooters, aka "bikes," are the main mode of transportation in Bermuda. I zipped around on various bikes of various sizes, and I'm pleased to say I survived. lol.
Attended the Good Friday Festival. This is a big event in Bermuda. And I'm SO glad I went because that was the first day I made friends on the island - and they ended up being some of the most wonderful people I've ever met. (Shout out to Bios peeps and Kickboxing peeps!)
Hosted friends and family in Bermuda! I pretty much singlehandedly increased Bermuda tourism with all of my visitors. It was such a treat to have them come visit, and was so much fun showing them around the island!
Hosted my parents in Bermuda! They get their own bullet point. It was my dad's very first trip out of the states, and it was a BIG deal. This ended up being one of my favorite weekends, ever, as in, in my whole life. I can't even begin to describe the joy I felt when I watched my parents see Horseshoe Bay for the first time.
Connected with friends who were visiting. Oh my gosh, was this fun! Blast from the past type of reunions went down when my friend Meredith was visiting, and then when my friend Jaime was on the island. Nothing quite like rekindling a childhood friendship.
Made the MOST INCREDIBLE FRIENDS while living in Bermuda. I know I've said this like 100 times on this blog, and I'll probably say it 50000 more times, but it's true. The friendships I made on the island were unlike anything else I've ever experienced. I miss them so much, and am so appreciative of how welcoming they were. I don't know if I've ever been so quickly embraced before.
Attended America's Cup. THIS was one of the best times this past year, and we were so lucky to get to experience it!
Saw tall ships!
Went to a Cub's game.
Went to the Yves Saint Laurent exhibit with my mom.
Took a tour of Bermuda from the sky. Such a spectacular way to see the island.
Represented the East side while attending Cup Match!
Went to Non-Mariners on a catamaran cruise.
Saw the glow-worms. (It's a Bermuda thing, and I totally geek out over this!)
Took tons of photos with my Nikon. Taking more photos with that camera was a goal of mine, so I'm glad to have accomplished this!
Swam in caves.
Heard the tinkling at Seaglass Beach.
The last weekend we were in Bermuda. So during the last weekend in Bermuda, Brett and I did enjoyed all our favorite things "one last time." This ended up being one of my favorite times while we lived there because we literally did EVERYTHING over the course of a couple days. Loved every second.
Flew private with Brett as the pilot!
Visited Charlottesville with Brett. I lived there for a year, and Brett lived there for 3-4 years. We just missed each other. Although Charlottesville is not where I'd EVER want to live again, it was really fun to go back there with Brett and reminisce and visit places we both liked.
Moved back to the states, to Portsmouth, New Hampshire. I can't quite say this was a "highlight," but it was significant. Portsmouth wasn't the first place on my list, but I'm definitely glad we didn't end up near the last place on my list! Living up here is extremely different than the lifestyle I had in Bermuda and South Florida. But it's getting better, and I think it will continue to do so. But I'll always be a sunshine girl.
Wedding dress shopping for Mamie in Georgetown!
Going to a UNH hockey game with my parents.
Having Nana for Christmas. I loved that she decided to spend Christmas at my parent's house in VA. It was so much fun having her, and showing her some of our Christmas traditions.
Completed my first round of Whole30!
Made my own friends in Portsmouth. This is so important to me. I love and adore Brett's friends, but for the sake of nuturing my independent spirit, I knew I needed to make my own ASAP. I joined an amazing gym (Mission Portsmouth), and completed a challenge in January that essentially involved me taking 40ish classes in 3 weeks. I became tight with a few of the girls who also did this challenge. It feels so good to have girlfriends to chat with and to hang out with.
Went to my first Patriots game. It was insanely cold, but what a cool experience. Patriots fans are pretty hysterical, and we sat next to some wildly entertaining ones!
Went skiing for the first time! This is the only redeeming thing about winter. Brett took me on a "warmer" day (40 or so degrees), and I started off with a lesson. I had a pretty lame instructor. I had envisioned a 19 year old hottie that uses the word "gnarly" regularly, and ended up with a woman with the personality of a stapler. Luckily, it was only a 60 minute lesson. When it was done, Brett took me up on the chairlift, and I had a BLAST. He was a really good instructor, too. I hope I can get good enough to hold my own on wussy hills soon.
I love doing this post every year, as it lets me reflect on how much can happen in 365 days. I'm excited to see what Year 32 holds, and can't wait to begin that journey tomorrow.
