Thursday, February 9, 2017

Five Thing Thursday

Snow day posting!

5 Books I've Read Recently:
1. Currently reading The Goldfinch
2. Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi (so good)
3. Sex Object by Jessica Valenti (meh)
4. Into the Darkest Corner by Elizabeth Haynes
5. Shrill by Lindy West

5 TV Shows I'm Watching:
1. Just started Luther on Netflix
2. Crazy Ex Girlfriend (love)
3. Top Chef (always)
4. Transparent (season 3!)
5. Fuller House (my escape from the political noise)

5 Things I'm Looking Forward To:
1. Getting over my second extreme cold of the winter
2. Jacob's work party on Saturday
3. Upcoming weddings!
4. My parents moving into a new house
5. Planning a trip somewhere fun

5 Foods I Can't Get Enough Of (Lately)
1. Cucumbers
2. Avocados
3. Eggs
4. Dave's Killer Bread - Good Seed
5. Oranges

5 Random Recent Photos:
Cate and Kevin's wedding!
Boston Women's March
Event set up at the Library of Congress

Rare selfie because I liked my hair

House of Cards?


Wednesday, December 28, 2016

2016: A Year in Review

This blog definitely took a backseat in 2016. It upset me at first that I wasn't writing here much, but I'm over it. The blog has been such an amazing outlet for so many years and if there comes a time that I wan't to write more frequently again here, I will.

That being said, I do still like to document some of the bigger moments here for my memories. So, here are some of the top moments from my year (in no particular order)!

Going to Puerto Rico with two of my best friends.This trip was so amazing after a rough winter. It was the first time Erica, Kathleen and I went away just the three of us and it was marvelous. From laying on the beach all day, to hiking through El Yunque Rain Forest, every moment was just wonderful.



The birth of my adorable nephew Jackson! I can't believe how much I love this little nugget. Jackson joined us on August 29th and has filled all of our lives with so much joy every day.



Meeting Jacob. Jacob and I met early in the year and he's definitely made this year one of the best yet. I'm so lucky to have found him :-)




Beer Camp! This was hands down one of the most fun beer festivals I've ever gone to and one of my best memories from the year. Beer festivals are always great but they get extra points when they're outside on a beautiful day and within walking distance from my apartment.



Seeing Billy Joel for the first time in Boston, and particularly, the spontaneity of buying tickets off the street 10 minutes before the concert! I truly can't describe the excitement I felt after walking through the gates and entering Fenway -- it was a night to remember for sure.



Here's a big one - quitting my job and starting a new one that I LOVE. I was at my last job for 5 years and pretty unhappy for the last two of those. In March I finally bit the bullet and accepted a new position that I was recruited for. While at the time it felt like one of the hardest things I've ever done, looking back it seems silly. This process has given me so much confidence and reignited an excitement about my professional present and future. At my new job I'm highly respected and valued as a leader, face exciting growth potential, and am surrounded by awesome coworkers who have quickly become great friends. 


Taking my first solo trip to Seattle! This was the first time I took a trip by myself and I LOVED it. I had such a blast exploring and doing every little thing that I wanted -- I ate at all the restaurants I picked out, went to bed early when I felt like it, and even joined a little tour group to hike up Mt. Rainier!




Going to Boda Borg with some friends from my sports league. This will go down in history as one of the most fun things I've ever done. And the most bruises I've ever had at once.


Stepping up my workout game. This year I completed 16 weeks of BBG and did 10 straight week of 6 am bootcamp at my gym. Who knew I could wake up in the 5 am hour?!


Playoff Celtics Game! It's funny that this would appear on my list, but this was SUCH a fun night. My old boss gave me two free super close tickets to the Celtics playoff game. They were down by about 35 points and came back to win. It was INSANE and I was screaming my head off like an actual fan. So fun.


My 10 year high school reunion. I ended up having to travel to New York for work the weekend of my high school reunion and decided to go, despite most of my friends not attending. I ended up having a blast and reconnecting with some old friends I haven't seen in years. 


Welfleet Oyster Fest! This is always a fun weekend with some of my best friends and this year wasn't any different. Oh, except that there were NO oysters thanks to the norovirus outbreak. Still, it was tons of fun and this year we made it a long weekend with a trip to Provincetown!






Meeting my mentee! For years I've wanted to find a long-term volunteer opportunity. The day I signed the offer letter for my new job and knew I'd be in Boston for at least the next few years, I signed up to become a mentor through Silver Lining Mentoring. After a long application process and some intense training I was finally matched with my mentee. I'm really excited to see how our relationship develops over the next year and beyond! I don't want to post a photo of her but here's the result of us messing around with bananagrams :-)


This year was full of so many great moments - big and small. I can't wait to see what 2017 has in store!

Tuesday, October 11, 2016

Ten Thing Tuesday/Random Thoughts

1. I started a book club! Since I've been at my new job I've been seriously lacking on my reading (podcasts however, are a different story). I used to have about 2 hours of reading a day (commuting and lunch time). Now I read for about 5 minutes most nights before I go to sleep. Unacceptable! I'm hoping this club will inspire me to squeeze more reading time into my days.

2. I've been running 2x a week and am officially on week 7 of couch to 5k. It's taken me about 12 weeks to get to this point because I repeated a few weeks and am not following the 3x a week schedule. That being said, I'm happy to be sticking with it and it's always wonderful to feel like running is getting easier. I'm hoping to sign up for a 5k before the year is over.

3. I'm trying to avoid my seasonal depression by doing fall activities. Apple picking is always the best and I WILL carve a pumpkin before October is over. I also have a few fun weekends coming up!




4. I've been on a Netflix documentary kick lately. I watched the Amanda Knox one and 13th -- recommend both. 

5. After avoiding a salon for...way too long...I finally got my hair cut and dyed it back to my natural color. Away with the highlights!


6. I feel like I'm really in need of a big trip. The last big trip I went on was almost two years ago to Israel. By big trip I mean greater than one week and preferably overseas. I've gone on plenty shorter trips in the US in the last two years. Where should I go? The two places I'm thinking of the most are Japan (always) and Italy.

7. My nephew is 6 weeks old! I can't believe how big he's getting!



 
8. I took a wonderful trip up to Vermont the last weekend of summer. Here are some pics:




This picture sucks but this road looked magical!


 
9. I miss playing volleyball! I played beach volleyball over the summer then took a few months off because of travel. I subbed last week and had a blast. Can't believe how much I've come to love this sport. I'd really like to sign up for a real team that practices during the week! Where can I do this?

10. I don't know how I used to write in this blog so often. I can barely make it through this list of 10 things! I guess I'll just end it here...!

Thursday, September 1, 2016

Jackson Nicholas!

On August 29th my perfect nephew was born!! Jackson Nicholas Clement arrived at 10:46 am at 8 lbs 14 oz and 20 inches. He's such a munchkin!! I was in San Francisco for work and decided to change my flight home from Boston to New York in hopes of being there when he arrived. I'm so beyond happy that I got to meet this little man just a few hours after he was born. I love him so much already and can't wait to see him grow!









Clearly I haven't been keeping up with posting, but there are still some things I want to be able to look back on and read...and this is a big one!