January
I was winding down the interview process for my doctoral internship, and by January I had been to lots of new cities. I explored Pittsburgh and Indianapolis for the first time, both of which were cold but fun-- it was good to realize that I could like cities outside of the NYC/DC bubble. Blogwise, I wrote my very first Sunday Currently and dove into my own set of series, Project DC and 100 Best Novels.
February
After my weeks of traveling for interviews, I successfully matched on Match Day and was able to stay in DC for another year! This day was the culmination of years of hard work, and it was such a relief to learn that I had matched!!! I also got very into cooking this month and posted a few of my projects on the blog, though I eventually realized that it doesn't feel natural for me to have recipes as a regular part of my blog. Even so, this spicy vegetarian chili is awesome!
March
This was a good blog month for me, one when I started to feel like maybe I was getting closer to creating content that accurately showed what was happening in my life. The hubs and I traveled to Maine to visit his grandmother, I got nostalgic for Brooklyn, and I wrote a kick-ass Body Manifesto.
April
I strolled through Brooklyn Heights and bid adieu to my sister's neighborhood. The hubs and I also bid adieu to our own neighborhood in DC and moved into a house (a small one) in Northeast DC. I was sick with an ongoing cold for most of this month, so I remember it as being extremely draining with some fun things sprinkled in, like discovering the Takoma Park Farmers Market.
May
This was a great blogging month, thanks to the Blog Every Day in May challenge. I enjoyed sharing my memory of returning home after my first semester at college and reuniting my best friends, as well as this post about a typical day in my grad student life. I also had more free time this month, as my clinical placement was finished early in the month with the end of the spring semester. In general, it was a great time for DC, and there were lots of days filled with mint-colored jeans, lemonade, and long, sunny walks around the city. We started to have BBQs at our house, and in general it was just such a fun time! Though I didn't share this on my blog, I was also struggling a bit in between those fun moments, as my parents had just decided to sell my childhood home, and I took the news really hard. Thankfully, the hubs and I left for our belated honeymoon at the end of the month, and it provided a good distraction.
June
The hubs and I had a blast on our honeymoon and explored three cities in Morocco, as well as Barcelona in Spain. It had been years since we last traveled internationally together as just the two of us, and it was fun to get back into the swing of things. We had one of those experiences where Barcelona just captured our hearts. We must return! The hubs and I also adopted a second cat, O'Higgins, who promptly made himself at home.
July
This is when the summer really started to get emotionally tough for me. I got the news that one of my dearest, oldest friends was diagnosed with cancer, and it was a big wake-up call that I needed to honor my friendships more actively-- life is too fragile. My ATM card info was also stolen, and somebody in Greece drained over $1000 from my account, which was a huge stressor! I tried to make peace with having my last summer with my childhood home, and while it felt cleansing to center myself with the help of the sand and the ocean, I remember lots of sadness, too. Goodbyes are extraordinarily hard for me!
August
Oh, August. I started my doctoral internship this month, and I was busy! I was also trying to stay as close to an air conditioning unit as possible, as DC was so. freaking. hot. Still, I did some cute things like bake a peach pie and make brandied fruits. I also enjoyed reflecting on wedding day advice, and it was fun to see that others enjoyed this post, too-- it's one of my most viewed! My parents made the move from our beloved, sleepy beach town, which, predictably, was terribly sad for me, but I tried to stay focused on DC life.
September
This was a great month! I kicked it off with the best Labor Day weekend I've ever had by spending time in NYC with two dear friends. In general, I gave myself time to enjoy my surroundings more, such as by taking a soothing walk in the rain around Logan Circle and by finally making it to Old Town Alexandria. It was comforting to soak up those moments and feel as though I was savoring life again. The hubs and I also took a weekend getaway to Lancaster, PA for my birthday, and we had a marvelous time. Overall, this month reminded me of how much I value savoring my surroundings, and it made me want to take more weekend trips around the area.
October
This is when I started to lose my blogging focus due to being so busy with work. Off the interwebs, however, I was enjoying life. The hubs and I celebrated our one-year wedding anniversary, which was a wonderful milestone to share. Appropriately, I later wrote a post about what makes a good wife, and I was thankful to have spend the past couple of weeks actively thinking about my marriage. The hubs and I did some more traveling, this time to Detroit to see his visiting older brother and his family, and my Michigan daydreams were in full force with the beautiful fall foliage. I did a lot of Instagramming of leaves this month...
November
I really started to feel like a bad blogger this month, and I shared some of my frustrations and challenges. I still don't have my time management figured out, and I realize more and more how difficult it is to work full-time and intentionally blog. I wasn't too social this month, and it felt like a mad dash until Thanksgiving break. Overall, I think this was a neutral time-- nothing bad happened, but nothing especially amazing occurred, either.
December
Despite being light on the blogging side, I enjoyed getting into the holiday spirit and was having lots of fun away from the computer. The hubs and I enjoyed some infused vodka we had made, DC got a little bit of snow, we got our Christmas tree, and I spent my first Christmas in Michigan, away from my family (of course my in-laws are my family, but you know what I mean). The best part? All of that wonderful Michigan snow!!!
In sum, I think that 2013 was a year of endings and beginnings, ups and downs, losses and realizations. I never could have predicted some of these moments, but in retrospect, I think that in the end, everything worked out. I'm closing this year on a good note, and I welcome 2014 with open arms. Here's to a year of adventures!!
