2021 in Review

I’m ready to close the door on 2021. While my year was seasoned with enjoyable times and scenic escapes, I kept busy, in great part, to distract myself from the loss I was moving through. Wisdom teaches that in order to heal, we must feel, as uncomfortable or sad as it may be. While I have no trouble tapping into emotion, it really hurts sometimes. To love and to be able to let go. This may be one of life’s biggest challenges.

Lows: the continuation of a lonely Covid winter as the year began, and a struggle to socialize safely mid-pandemic in a new city. A twisted admission about why my last relationship ended and final dagger to the heart after holding on for so long. Trying to make sense of the move to Charlotte. Haphazardly re-entering the dating game, only to experience some real let-downs, including someone who tragically passed away shortly after we met.

My beloved grandfather took his final breaths on November 30th. Poppop will be remembered as full of positivity, endless strength in the face of a debilitating disease, and constantly making us laugh with his dry humor and funny faces. I will miss his presence and energy. I’m linking his obituary here because it makes me cry and smile each time I read it; I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m very fortunate to have had three meaningful visits with GG & Poppop in 2021.

I made the decision to leave Charlotte when my lease ended in September. I don’t regret moving there (for what I knew to be love), but ultimately things didn’t work out in my favor. I was still undecided on my next home around the time of move out and wasn’t ready to commit to a lease, so Harry and I spent the final months of 2021 being nomadic, crashing with my brother for much of the time. I’m really moved by his generosity, and have enjoyed this opportunity to spend a lot of time together. Many thanks to my parents for hosting me over a few weeks, as well (and for all of the emotional support throughout the year).

With the bad comes good, and I’m here for the good. These are the special memories that stand out this year, rewinding back to the onset of 2021:

New Years Eve dinner. Heather and I chanced a pandemic weekend in Nashville, and I’m proud to say we didn’t enter a single bar. We did, however, treat ourselves to the most interesting NYE dinner at House of Cards. The meal came with table-side magic (um, have you ever seen a levitating green bean? I sure hadn’t). I loved this alternative, low-key weekend in a new city, with an old friend.

A snowy day in Blowing Rock. Southerners get very excited about snow because it’s such a rarity. Troy and I got lucky on an impromptu drive out west, where we hit the slopes (and I only wiped out once). We got caught in a heavy snow fall on our walk to dinner, and embraced it like kids in a candy shop.

Guatemala, take 2. As soon as I was fully vaxxed, I left the US. I adored Guatemala when I visited in 2018, so I was thrilled to return, this time participating in a yoga retreat on Lake Atitlan (which I swear is one of the most magical places on the planet). The experience was therapeutic, great for the body and mind, and introduced me to an awesome friend, Maital. My 2nd to last night was spent with new amigos Reid and Toddy in Antigua, and our dinner experience was one for the books. I know that I’ll return to Guatemala time and time again.

Celebrations with Raleigh friends. Some of my favorite friend weekends from this year include Francesca’s long-awaited wedding (where I was honored to stand by her side as a bridesmaid). Andrea’s birthday pub crawl was also a blast, with a few of us traveling in-style via good ol’ Amtrak. And Allison’s Charleston wedding was just lovely. Loved reuniting and celebrating with friends after so much time apart.

A week in Costa Rica. This was a random birthday gift to myself, and I wasn’t sure what to expect. In Santa Teresa, I befriended some awesome women (Mollie, Stephanie, Casey, and Elyza, all traveling solo), went surfing, took some good yoga classes, ate really nourishing food, experienced an incredible sunset and rainbow on my day o’ birth, had fun with hostel friends, flew on a tiny plane, and saw tons of monkeys and exotic birds. A very successful vacation, indeed.

Northern California roadtripping. This didn’t take much persuading from Lindsey. We set off on an epic road trip, spending time in San Francisco, Yosemite, Lake Tahoe, and Wine Country. I’m overdue on a dedicated blog post, but the highlights included hiking Taft Point, drinking wine lake-side in Tahoe, and being bougie at Cade Vineyard in Napa. The trip was both scenic and diverse as far as activity and topography. We had a blast.

A weekend in Denver. At one point, I was considering Denver for my future home. I wanted to tour apartments in person, so booked a few days in the city. Anna spontaneously joined at the last minute, which made for a weekend of productivity AND fun. We hiked beautiful Echo Lake and got to visit with some long time buddies, Adam and Hayley. Many thanks to these three for being solid friends.

Up and Leaving for Playa del Carmen. Part of my nomadic freedom meant, well, being able to go wherever. I’m floored by current Airbnb pricing in the US, but that’s a rant for another time. Anyway, I wound up in this Mexican suburb by the sea, and very much enjoyed it. I ate the best tacos, drank cheladas practically daily, and took frequent walks to the beach. I visited Isla Mujeres, meeting new friends Rob and Lauren who I snorkeled and went sea-shelling with, even exploring some cenotes along the way. And as a bonus, I got to spend an evening drinking tequila and seeing a rock band with Allison and Thomas, who happened to be honeymooning just one mile away!

Two weeks in California. My future home research continued with visits to San Diego, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Oh, how good Cali was for the soul! Highlights included reuniting with Victoria after forever (and meeting my little nephew, Jaxon), an unexpected Dead & Co concert in Chula Vista, Halloween with Rachel and a bunch of burning man people in LA, reconnecting with friends in San Francisco, and hiking at Point Reyes National Seashore.

Countries visited in 2021: USA, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Mexico.

New US cities visited in 2021: Nashville, TN; Greenville, SC; Tryon, Saluda, and Shelby, NC; Jacksonville, FL; South Lake Tahoe, Escondido, Del Mar, Chula Vista, and Bolinas, CA.

Favorite new destination of 2021: Santa Teresa, Costa Rica!

Other noteworthy happenings? The small things like weekend coffee walks through Charlotte, Trump getting booted, a boat ride for my dad’s 70th, being fully vaccinated, my first concert post-pandemic (a Fleetwood Mac cover band, so fun), Alanis Morrissette, movie in the park night with my Raleigh girls, and reconnecting with extended family at my grandfather’s funeral. Thanks to Katie, Juliana, and Michelle for visiting me in CLT (and Brinkley and Andrea for watching Harry this year), it means more than you know!

So, what’s next? There is a LOT of change (and plenty of unknown) ahead. I’ll be leaving soon to drive to California. That’s right, Harry and I are road-tripping cross-country into our next chapter. I can only imagine how 2022’s year-in-review blog post will read… here’s to hoping for the best!