2014: A Year in Review

I'm beginning to look at 2013 and 2014 as a two part series, two years that fit together and shaped each other, whether I knew it or not. For instance, I spent a long car ride with someone in 2013 discussing plans to go to Brazil for the World Cup. Without that happening, I'm not sure I would've gotten as inspired to find a way down there. I bought a car in 2013, but in the beginning of 2014, I got in a pretty bad car wreck that completely shaped my desire to never drive again, thus putting me on a single track mindset to find a place to live that's super close to a Metro...but also has parking, just in case.

Looking back on it all, I know that these are The Days. At some point in the future, maybe pretty soon, maybe not, it won't be acceptable to gather a bunch of friends in your apartment on a Saturday night and play Manhunt. It won't be super responsible...or probably healthy...to spend 4 days at a music festival in the middle of June. Kickball on a Wednesday evening, followed by a full night of flip cup/dancing at a bar? I can't be caught doing that at 30! And! I won't be able to gather a bunch of girl friends at a moments notice to hang out, because one day people will have husbands and babies and brand new families to take care of. So these are pretty special days. And special nights, and weekends, and just moments. This is Freedom for us, for the most of us. We are out of school, we have a bit more money than we did in school, and this is the time to relish in it. Or mustard, or ketchup, because WHATEVER! This is the time where YOU pick your own hot dog condiments and don't have to care what anyone else likes! And yes I know, that's a terrible metaphor!

Like Andy Bernard said in the Office, "I wish someone could tell you that these are The Days." Well, Dear Reader, (Wizard People), I'd like to go out on a limb and say these are. We're out of school, on our own, most of us completely devoid of anyone or anything else tying us down. And if you do have someone that you're tied up with then great! You do you.

So, my year. I don't think I had a bad day. I had a few super sad moments/days...like when I found out my uncle passed away. Or when my mom and I sat in my new apartment after my stuff was all unpacked and just cried. (As I write this particular paragraph, I'm laying in my bed at my old house, so maybe that was a little too dramatic. Whatever, I loved living at home!) And maybe a few alcohol induced arguments that really should've never gone down. All in all though...it was great. Pretty close to perfect even. Things kind of worked out precisely when they should've. People came in and out of the picture when I needed them to. Or maybe I just punted people out when I was done with them - HAHA jk but really.

Let's get started. Its a doozy, just a heads up. I'll add in my annual disclaimer: this is totally for me to keep as a record. If you don't want to read it...well ferk you!

NYE started with all my Pi Lam buddies and Annelyse and Shannon at Bobby's sick apartment with his sweet roomies! And by that I mean he lived in his parent's basement. Its an awesome place. This year was particularly special because we didn't drink...at all...so New Years day was spent in perfect harmony with our bodies. I think it set a good mood for the year ahead.

A big group of girls and I went to a Drink the District event for Valentine's Day and a photographer there took this photo. Since then its been used for ALL OF THEIR FRIGGIN PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS. And the dumb people in charge won't respond to me about possiblyyyyy getting free tickets to an event. JUST SAYIN... Shannon, Emily, and I are the faces of Drink the District.

Went skiing with my coworker Megan and some of her friends. Hadn't skiied in about 9 years and it was better than I ever imagined. I went again with Bobby and now have 2 ski trips planned for 2015. Also, I wore all my mom's totally rad ski clothes.

If my favorite Pokemon trainer, Jon, is in town, we stop what we're doing and go catch up. This day we went ice skating, visited the botanical gardens, and took loads of pix with the Capitol Building.

Soon enough, Annelyse, Shannon and I headed to Barbados.

I lived the dream.

And we all discovered that we love rum.

You will discover that I like packing lots of activities into the same day. So, on the day of my birthday party, I ran the Rock N Roll Half Marathon. I PRed...and then didn't run Richmond (which would've been my fourth time running it. WHATEVER, gotta try new things.)

Pretty soon it was time to quit being sore and celebrate St. Patty's. I took a bunch of friends to a beer tasting event right by Nats Park.

#blessed to have known these bbs since the good old days.

Starting April 5, I went to approximately 27 baseball games. 26 of them Nationals games.

Dunno if you can tell but my family is obsessed with baseball.

Here's Shannon and me on the jumbotron. It must also be noted that I won a contest (and got free tickets and a meeting with the Nats marketing team) by saying that Nats Park should make a Spancakes Day, where we all eat pancakes in celebration of outfielder Denard Span.

Anddd here's my favorite picture of my dad. ITS SO GENUINE. HE LOVES THIS GAME!!

My girls and I went down to the Spring Game at Tech and discovered we were a walking Fox Ridge ad.

Sean and I got our cars, Buster and Chip, together for a little photo shoot. They are cousins. ONE HEART, TWO CARS.

There's no place quite like Blacksburg.

Memorial Day Weekend (or Web MD weekend) was spent camping at Virginia Beach. Also eating unlimited Chinese food and playing with pokemon.

Shannon and I beach chillin.

In May, my first ever WMZQ fest and first time (and last time) taking shots of plain Burnetts in the backseat of a random person's car...with my little sister's friends (although I'll always chill with the lil sis's friends, don't get me wrong)

The baby Kerkie graduated from The University of Mary Washington!

So we threw her a surprise grad party. Complete with Brett's band, the Little League Champs playing.

Wardah turned 24 and somehow managed to get Mary, Spencer, Emily, me and herself all together for a full day of wine drinking...and wine drinking...some picture taking...but mostly wine drinking.

This brings me to FIREFLY!

A joyous 4 day music, dancing, friendship spree.

Where Julia willingly cuddled with me...

And we all pretty much had the time of our lives. If you get the chance to go to a music festival...do it. At least once. You won't regret it! Just bring some great pals and get ready to not shower. Here's another tip: in order to last all 4 days, just don't drink. That's basically what we did and we made it out alive.

A week after Firefly, I left to Brazil for 2 weeks. Part work, part travel, part World Cup. I dove into the opportunity and never looked back. It was the highlight of my year, 100%. Stay a week in Sao Paulo and then a week in Rio (above is Copacabana Beach in the background)

Visited the final match stadium.

Made some friends at my hostel in Rio.

And lived and worked with 20 incredible people in Sao Paulo. Those yellow bottles we're all holding are from the open bar in the hostel :D SKOL 4EVER

Americans loving that Brazilian life.

I've wanted to see the Cristo for a long long time. AND I DID.

Rio is gorgeous. Everything about it. Except the prices of things. That was not gorgeous.

The best part of all these adventures were the people I met from all over the World. Here are me and two South African brothers at a Bud Hotel party in Rio that we got into because of Mellie, a girl from the Sao Paulo hostel. Networking works, people! 

I got back and instead of sinking into a deep depression like I expected to, I went back to my glorious, loving, beautiful kickball team. WE WON THE CHAMPIONSHIPS! Long live the Ball Flowers.

How cool was our field ehh??

A few weeks after I got home from Brazil, my uncle Clark passed away. It was a huge shock, a totally unexpected event, and it really changed absolutely everyone's, on my mom's side of the family, lives. He was a great, fun, charismatic guy. And he loved his west coast sunsets (above).

The event was horrible and sad, however, we got to see lots of family that we never see, due to their living out in Cali. Here's my cousin Adam and I at the booth thats featured in an episode of the OC! Which, you know, is the best show possibly of all time.

Whilst in Brazil, at the Sao Paulo hostel, I met a really good friend in Anuar, a Brazilian who happens to currently live in NYC, going to grad school. Through him I got to see one of Derek Jeter's last games and visit the city. First time in Brooklyn...and I can't wait to go back.

He even got a taste of DC. As you can see here, he loves my fair city!

The day I got back from CA, I drove directly from the airport to work (at 6 am) and then went directly from work to the One Direction concert. 

I have to say those 5 UK/Irish boys are the best way to cheer up my sisters and me. And anyone in mourning. Or if your heart is broken. Thanks Niall, Harry, and Zayn. Not the rest, sorry.

September and October were the months of concerts. I think I counted like 12 concerts during those 2 months alone. Here's Chromeo ^

And here's Shannon and I at the All Things Go Festival, featuring Tove Lo! 

Also in October, a crushing end to the Nats season (yet a no hitter from Jordan Zimmermann, and sweet photo ops for Katelyn and me).

A group of us went hiking and climbing at Great Falls.

And of course we had to take our quarter annual trip to Richmond. Free bloody marys? How could we refuse?!

Halloween weekend knew no bounds. The Friday of actual Thanksgiving was the Smallpools/Magic Man concert, and the next morning was a Nats Park Color Run 5k. They used every dang inch of that stadium. No complaints.

And right after that was the Clarendon Halloween Bar Crawl. My ladies and I went the Mario Kart route. After much deliberation, I was Princess Daisy. 

November brought Friendsgivings...

and Thanksgivings. Complete with my one and only contribution of place cards. A little after Thanksgiving, I got pneumonia! 

December brought Christmas parties galore. Including ours, which was Harry Potter themed and every guest got sorted when they walked in. Four noise complaints and two apartments later, it will go down in history as the time we all drank Slytherin juice and liked it.

Christmas Day itself was relaxing, joyous, and full of family. And food. Way too much food. Next week I'm supposed to go to a water park and I'm on the hunt for nice one piece bathing suits because of this daggum caloric holiday season.

Same picture, new people. Got a bunch of my SK sistas over for a fondue night that featured Taylor Swift as the soundtrack, the entire night. I don't see these girls enough.

Here we are, all five of us!

A few things that didn't make the picture cut: my family's complete devotion to the show Its Always Sunny (a reference is included in just about every conversation), my three soccer teams (the last one being a team that was comprised entirely of people who work at O'Sullivans Pub in Clarendon, so we'd go there after our Monday night games), my second kickball team, the Ballshank Redemption, the move into my apartment in Court House, my work Christmas party at a bowling alley and open bar (just put those together), and all the new friends I've made because of these activities. For instance, if it hadn't been for kickball, I wouldn't have met my movie going buddy and I probably wouldn't have seen Nightcrawler! OH THE HORROR.

Also, FreeFest was cancelled, so Brett threw his own. 

Like I said above, 2014 was a time to do things just because we could. I have a feeling 2015 will be a little more of the same. For the past couple of days I've been wrestling with some news I received: that I got accepted to go back to Sao Paulo for 6 months to continue working on the project that we started at the hostel during the summer. When I was interviewing with the head guy in charge, he said he reads auras or whatever, and he said 2015 will be a big year for me. The next couple of months will be something special. And ya know what, maybe that is some Brazilian mumbo jumbo abracadabra stuff, but its fun to believe and turn into reality. Ohhhhh LIFE. What to do with it?

Peace n blessins yall. Peeaaaace n blessins.