twenty twenty two

another year in the books, and yet another semi-failure of blogging this year. i’ve sat myself down to make sure i do my yearly review, at least! bonus, i’ve set some pretty great resolutions and am proud to say i held true to two out of three of them, i went the whole year without soda, and i read the whole bible! and without further ado, twenty twenty two.

january

new years was spent on animal crossing – i had started up playing again and was in full swing by the time the new years event rolled around. i was focused on working out and stretching regularly and got my very first body scrub at a korean spa (i am a serious believer in them now!) bright star was postponed until april and i was honestly very sad about it, but everything worked out for the best. i was going through a wicked fruity pebbles phase and that also translated to mochi donuts. most of the month was just taking photos of dio, our perfect stinker.

february

i finally got my new social security card and license and adopted my new last name legally! i finished my first sarah j. maas book, and loved it – am slowly consuming all of her works. i finally came out of my k-drama closet and was thoroughly obsessed with hometown cha-cha-cha. the korean wave that i had dodged for so long finally got me. rehearsals for bright star started up again and i was so thrilled to be around my castmates again.

march

the month was spent singing, being with my wonderful friends, and celebrating my three year dating anniversary with tony. i went to so many new food spots, and still kept up with my running and work out schedule. unfortunately, the end of the month brought a cold and threw me off track (i suspect i was pushing myself too hard.) i finally started playing volleyball again after taking a hiatus to make sure i wasn’t injured for the wedding. it was so wonderful returning to one of my most cherished hobbies.

april

i’m not sure if i existed outside of rehearsal and volleyball during april. if it wasn’t one thing, it was the other. i conquered yet another 5k, boasting thirty-nine minutes, which for me was so huge! before i knew it, tech week for bright star had arrived. it was such a chaotic, stressful, wonderful experience. we opened without a hitch, and i was beyond thankful. the end of the month brought a new kitten joining our family! we both agreed a little brother was much needed for dio since he needed a lot of stimulation. we brought home a sweet boy named doflamingo (doffy for short) who was the opposite of dio in every way.

may

with may came the closing of bright star. after working on the show for over six month, it was crazy to think that it would be over. i was overcome with so many emotions, but above all, gratitude. doffy had a tough time adjusting, but by the time the month wrapped up, dio was his absolute best friend. i highlighted my hair for the very first time! i wanted to go grey but even after three hours of bleaching, the best i could get was a dirty blonde. it was exciting doing something so out of my comfort zone for the first time. with my schedule being completely free post-show, i threw myself into my workouts and volleyball.

june

june brought my summer depression in – much earlier than normal. i was able to power through thanks to my amazing support system. i was finally able to have a girl’s sleepover with two of my close friends that we’d been trying to plan for over a year! tony and i threw ourselves into the retro gem, super mario bros 3 and were able to beat the whole game in just a few weeks. my two boys were able to enjoy the nice sunshine on our balcony before the weather got too hot. the end of june brought the first family trip in over a decade! we got to enjoy some sun and the beach at outer banks, sharing a giant house with three families.

july

we brought in july at outer banks, wrapping up the giant family vacation. between crab sightings, running on the beach, and lots of retro arcade games, it was finally time to head home. i got a new boss at work and we meshed together really quickly! work life was still very stressful, but i was starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. i experienced intense sunburn for the first time, and by the time that healed, i tested positive for covid.

august

august came in with a residual cough that made me absolutely crazy. i tried true vocal rest for the first time, and i was so surprised that i could do it. the truest test was tony going on a work trip for a week and feeling unbelievably lonely. i started planning my girl’s trip to new york to distract myself. once he was home we started playing heroes of the storm again and i rediscovered how much i love video games. tony and i took a day to ourselves and hit the aquarium – i really love watching all the fish and being on a date with my best friend.

september

before i knew it, it was september! i was playing a lot of volleyball to the point that i injuried my fingers a bit. a spur of the moment decision led to a brand new car! it was sad to say goodbye to jolie, but i was ready for my new adventures with tabby! i started princessing again, getting to go out as belle at a tea party. the new semester started at george mason and i found myself getting involved with my sorority again. tony and i spent our anniversary in philadephia at the most charming bed and breakfast. i realized that art museums need a full weekend to explore, half a day just isn’t enough! the end of the month brought the official announcement that i’d be on stage again in ordinary days!

october

the much anticipated spooky season finally arrived with october. this year was even more super charged with halloween energy than before and i was so excited for it. my volleyball team won finals for our season and i was so incredibly proud! during this season we added some new people in that we’d recently met and before i knew it, they became very precious friends. i finally hit my 100 day streak on duolingo, and felt really proud of how much japanese i’d learned since i started really applying myself again. tony and i got confirmed at our church as christian methodists, which was very exciting. the month ended with lots of walks with dio and doffy in their new cat stroller and carving a 107 pound pumpkin!

november

by november i was so sick of my damaged hair from getting it highlighted that i chopped it all off! the girl’s trip to new york that i’d been planning with my besties finally came and so we packed our bags and hit new york for the weekend. i missed the city so much, and every moment was such a precious adventure. rehearsals for ordinary days finally came to full swing and it was fun exploring my new character, deb. lots of travelling – almost every weekend, for new york, for weddings, and for miss job’s daughter pageant. the month ended with an audition – it felt good that theatres were really starting to do shows again.

december

december brought all kinds of excitement and joy as it was finally holiday season. i found that i was finally at the same busy i was before the pandemic hit, and my heart was so happy. between volleyball, rehearsals, family, and meeting up with friends – any free moment i had i was resting. i took my first obé program, two weeks straight of working out. unfortunately i got a pretty nasty cold, and was out for the count and lost my voice again. lots of vocal rest which was very difficult while i was juggling volleyball and singing. tony and i started yu yu hakusho again (my very first anime love.) after one last trip to pennsylvania to spend time with family, the year ended quietly watching asian reality tv with some close friends. and you better believe i cracked open a coca-cola right at midnight!

twenty twenty three resolutions

the past year definitely had quite a bit of magic to it, and i’m hoping twenty-twenty three will be the same. powering through my winter depression has not been easy, but i’ve become much better at handling it. the year ahead includes my first lead in a musical and i’m so excited for it. my goals this year are very achievable, i just have to make sure i stay disciplined. i’m feeling pretty optimistic, the end of the past year made me feel like life may finally be normal once again after two years of covid. i’m wishing you all the joy and fun adventures in the year ahead, and can’t wait to be writing to you again soon. Xx