2017, eh? What a year. I say that with both optimism and utter exhaustion. I’m ready to ring in 2018, happy to be ushering in a wealth of change that a new year brings.
The Highs
Cuba
Once regulations were lifted (that are now back in place), we knew we needed to head to that wonderful island that is only 200-ish miles from Miami. We weren’t disappointed. We found welcoming locals, amazing food, a heartbreaking and resolute history and most of all, a yearning to go back and explore more. I hope someday the sanctions are lifted once again.
The Women’s March in DC
November left the majority of the country surprised and as I picked my jaw up off the floor, I was left wondering what I could do. When I heard of the Women’s March, I immediately booked a room and asked from friends to join. It was one of the most uplifting, positive experiences of my entire life. Not only that, I joined our local chapter in Florida and am now lucky enough to call some incredible women my friends.
Niagara-On-The-Lake
NOTL was a huge surprise for me, probably because I had zero expectations. But, what an incredibly beautiful, charming town. We spent days just biking around, vineyard to vineyard and topped it off with great views of Niagara Falls and Toronto.
London
London turned out to be the breath of fresh air I needed and quick reminder of the things that are important to me. I love that city so much and I can’t wait to share more about our week there with you crazy lot.
Creating Connections
Because of the Women’s March (see above) and Mean Girls (see below), I’ve been lucky enough to develop relationships or deepen already existing ones. It’s been refreshing, to say the least, to know I have steadfast pals or new friends who are just as fierce in wanting to be trailblazers.
Exciting News
I really despise when bloggers or writers talk about something spectacular that is coming up and only allude to it in a vague way. But here I am… Stay tuned, I’ve been working hard at something and will be excited to announce it soon.
The Lows
Traveling Under a Trump Presidency
I traveled to 3 countries this year and found myself having to explain our newly elected president in each one, completely unsolicited. I’ve been traveling abroad since I was a teenager and I can say that even during the Bush presidency and subsequent Iraq War, I’ve never received so many questions, nor felt so compelled to attempt to explain what happened.
Hurricane Irma
If you want a quick exercise in realizing what’s important in life, watch as the strongest storm in decades forms and barrels towards to your home as a Category 5 Hurricane. I was lucky enough to get out, lucky enough it moved to the west just a smidgen and my home wasn’t at the epicenter like it once was for so long. But Irma was huge; she spanned the entire width of Florida, and then some. She destroyed homes and lives, and I’m pretty sure I’ve met my hurricane quota for a few years.
Long Distance Marriage
These last six months have easily been the toughest of our long distance marriage. It was a perfect storm of my busy season (Q4), working on a new endeavor of mine, as well as the ER hubster having some back-to-back crap rotations. Tequila Therapy and having a sit down phone discussion about our week, once a week, has helped.
Long Distance Friendships
A couple close friends went MIA, dealing with their own personal issues. Distance can test friendships in itself. Add in feeling lonely without them after they’ve temporarily disappeared and it’s been hard not to take it personally. Goes to show you, you never know what someone else is going through; sometimes even close friends who aren’t ready to deal or aren’t ready to talk about what’s going on.
Mean Girls
Yes, they still exist in my old age and yes, they still behave like gossipy, petulant children. It’s not a pretty look and it’s something I’ve had to cope with this year more times than I care to admit. A positive result of this? I’ve found my own tribe of incredible, supportive and mature women.
The Holidays
First, I had a wonderful time up in Minnesota visiting my dad and step-mom and step-seesters during Christmas-time. As I’ve mentioned before, the hubster and I are usually relegated to being the ones to travel if we don’t want to be alone on the holidays (which, who does?). It gets a bit exhausting and expensive, especially when we have an open invite to Florida, the vacationing mecca of the US. When my husband questioned a relative about it, he was told, “No one will ever be coming to Florida for the holidays. So, drop it.” It was a pretty unkind. But, it’s sort of what we’ve always assumed since, well, no one has come. Still, ouch, right?