I decided to take a temporary pause from my life's story (sorry about the longer cliff hanger) to reflect upon the year known as 2022. This one is going to be a bit different from past years because I'm going to spitball it and not really have a straight flow. Basically a mind dump. Let's see where this goes.
After one of the worst Decembers of my life (2021) January 2022 didn't show much promise. I won't go into much detail about that December, but in short within the span of one week, my immediate family had a bout with Covid that had me on pins and needles, three of my close co-workers were laid off, and I lost a friend at the age of 24 to Covid.
When January appeared, Covid restrictions were heavy again due to the rage of the omnicron variant. I really could not take another year of this mess. With my spirits crushed, there came forth things to lift them. The first was the return of the winter olympics. If you've known me for a bit, you know I love the olympics. For those two weeks, watching great feats of athleticism, thrilling moments, glorious victories, and cheering on Team USA, my state of being rose.
The auto show came back to the IX center and I attended for my first time since moving to Cleveland. March gave us a couple of warm days and I took my electric skateboard for a ride. That feeling of speed and freedom was a much welcomed rush. It was these little things that made the outlook seem brighter.
April. It was the turning point. I was getting on a plane for the first time in 2.5 years and I was headed to North Carolina to visit my sister. I spent 4 days there enjoying the warm weather, the parks, the ice cream, and the people. It was a much needed trip. The ultimate kicker was a little after 9PM, I was sitting on my connecting flight from Washington D.C. to Cleveland. Right before the plane took off, the pilot announced that masks were no longer required as the restriction had been lifted nation wide mere hours before. My hope surged as that was the last major obstacle of things headed in the right direction.
As the weather continued to warm, May opened the door to begin outdoor projects on my house. I began replacing sunken concrete, trimmed trees and installed string lights on my garage awning. Then memorial day weekend came. I was a buzz because for the first time in my life, I was going to Las Vegas. It wasn't just any trip either. We were celebrating a friend who was about to tie the knot. A group of 12 bros in total. It was a blast at an incredibly fancy airbnb 10 min from the strip, touring the strip, seeing the Vegas lights at night, and even a bonus trip to Red Rocks National Park. It was the most expensive trip I've taken since Australia, but the experience was well worth it.
In June I jumped on my third plane of the year to visit my brother and sister-in-law in Maryland. We took a day trip to D.C. and I finally got to explore our nation's capital. The Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the Smithsonian, etc. We also saw a ball game at National Park making that ballpark #10 on my MLB tour. We explored a bit more of Baltimore too and I met a bunch of cool people they know.
July put a pause on the travel because I had a number of local church events I was attending plus two of my good friends were saying "I do." Unfortunately they both scheduled their weddings on the same day so while I wanted so badly to be at both, I chose the one in Cleveland because I committed to it first. One thing I really love about weddings is reconnecting with people I haven't seen in forever. Being able to hang out on a rooftop in downtown Cleveland catching up and chatting the night away are moments I live for. The weather was perfect and the wedding was a blast. Thankfully my other friend had a reception/celebration at the end of the month that I was able to attend to celebrate with them there.
August brought back the travel bug as my family headed back to my hometown in Pennsylvania. Not only did we visit family and friends, but we went to Hershey Park, explored a bit of Philadelphia, and saw a Phillies game at Citizen's Bank Park for stadium #11. I also had a blast at an impromptu painting class from a dear childhood friend who is an artist by trade. My little work of art from that time now hangs in bathroom to brighten the atmosphere.
I did host BBQs at my house all summer and September provided the last two. The weather was great, the food was delicious, and those who came ended up chatting until the sun went down. This month was also mostly a baseball watch as the Guardians were making a strong push into the playoffs.
October marked 1 year of being a homeowner and signaled just how quickly a year can fly. I ended up attending not one, but two post-season baseball games which was a career record for me. Although the Guardians didn't make it out of the second round, it was still a wild ride.
November was socialize month as I spent the majority of the month attending events with friends. That included two Friendsgiving dinners before our family Thanksgiving dinner. Thanksgiving this year was a bit more sentimental than normal because there won't be another one like this one. I'll explain more on that down in a future post.
And here we have arrived in December. A very chill month (literally) for me as we close out 2022. I can't forget to mention all the different adventures and events I participated in with this geocaching hobby I've been doing for 7 (now almost 8) years. It's a staple in my life that not only put my on new adventures, but allowed me to meet a bunch of fantastic people. And finally, a ten year project will come to completion as January appears. I wrote two letters to myself in January of 2013 and sealed them in an envelope to be unsealed and read January of 2023. Stay tuned.
On that note, I bid 2022 adieu and look forward to a fresh and new year. I wish you all well and here's hoping a best foot forward into 2023.
