[Late] 2018 Year in Review
(2012) (2013) (2014) (2015) (2016) (2017)
Read 50 books (favorites: Educated, Lincoln in the Bardo, The Metaphysical Club, Border: A Journey to the Edge of Europe, Fingersmith)
Celebrated New Years Eve with my two best friends and my beautiful girlfriend.
Spent Valentines Day in PSJ with Hadar (3 plates of pasta and no shame)
Visited Hadar in St. Croix THREE times and saw a part of the United States I never thought I would see in any meaningful way.
Hadar surprised me for our anniversary (first anniversary I’ve ever made!!) and we had a beautiful dinner in Appalachicola and a day of boating on Shell Island.
Fell a little in love with North Florida despite myself. Spent evenings in Appalachicola feasting on duck fries, oysters, and cocktails. Brewery hopped in Tallahassee. Hiked sand dunes on Cape San Blas. Spent unbelievable amounts on $5 gin and tonics at Toucans. Drove up to Pcola for “culture” and yuppie food.
Made some friends for life (I hope) in the Mexico Beach crew. the #toucansfam. Countless nights drinking and laughing and dancing and walking around our beach town.
Attended the Q&D Gala in NYC and relived our secret society glory days. QDs from 1955 till present were there! We took a gays picture! and I got to see so many more people than I even realized!
Graduated from UAMBT, got my wings, and became a 13B
Drove 28 hours in one long weekend to go to DC for a few days. Jazz in the Garden with Caroline and questions to fall in love. French food with Madeleine and Caroline. Catching up with Patrick in his frat boy element.
Flew to NYC for a weekend wedding of a dear friend. Spent the weekend with my ex and some guys...was anxious that it would be unenjoyable and turned out to be an amazing night of reminiscing and fun and (honestly) love.
Experienced a major national disaster destroying the home that I love. Turned on the news to shots of my neighborhood flooding with feet of water, my favorite dive bar literally washed away, and the roads I know so well buried in debris.
Returned to the site of the disaster (my house). Experienced the horror of seeing my entire city transformed into something I can only describe as apocalyptic.
Graduated from SERE. First time sleeping outside, pooping outside, going days without a real meal. First time backpacking, bushwacking, killing an animal, skinning an animal. First time being interrogated, peeing in a bucket, sleeping in a cell. Many more firsts that I can’t put on the internet. What an amazing, hopefully-once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Relied on friends and slept on unexpected couches.
Sold the beloved 2006 Corolla
MOVED MY ASS TO EUROPE ALL ALONE
Spent a night in Amsterdam with my love
Bought a 21 year old BMW POS and regretted it almost immediately (bring back the Corolla)
First Christmas alone. Was admittedly not great, but ended on a high note-- with cookies and real conversation.
4 Days in Paris with some truly Loyal Hoes.
1 Day in Brussels with Madeleine...a pigeon in our hotel room (technically in 2019 at 5 am!)
Spent all of 2018 in a beautiful, loving, mutually supportive and trusting relationship.
As usual this post has been a exercise in gratitude. I needed it this week because I have been feeling very alone and unsupported. Stuff is hard but I have experienced amazing things this year and made it through some unbelievably hard ones too (SERE, Hurricane Michael)
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