out with the old...

 {via jeff rogers}

i returned to nyc earlier this week after a 10-day trip down south (south carolina for christmas and georgia for new year's) feeling renewed and ready to take on whatever 2012 brings my way. don't get me wrong, many wonderful things happened in 2011, but last year also had some low (maybe even super low) points.  to re-cap, here are my "highs, lows and uh-ohs" for yesteryear in no particular order:

highs
1) birth of my nephew jack
2) traveling cross-country/the world for work
3) a budding romance
4) an assortment of nyc visitors (jason/tj, ethan/john, sara and jean)
5) delightful musical endeavors (the dodos, beirut and dent may)
6) loved ones united in matrimony (cathryn/palmer, catherine/chad)

lows
1) my sweet friends katherine and victoria moved out of nyc
2) heartbreak twice over
3) moving from greenpoint (my beloved brooklyn hood) to a different neighborhood that shall remain nameless, and...
4) dealing with less than stellar/shady brokers 
5) getting into a scuffle with management over no heat last winter

uh-ohs
1) identity theft
2) uninvited guests showing up at our door at the wee hours of the morning
3) my sorta new suitcase losing a wheel mid travel season

so clearly the ups trumped the downs last year (phew!), which is always a plus. stay tuned for my list of resolutions for the new year...

highs, lows and uh-ohs

while 2009 certainly had its ups and downs, i'm more than ecstatic to have ended it on such a high note. what could be better than ringing in a new year with some of your nearest and dearest?

my sweet friend jocelyn (who is quite the talented designer--graphic, jewelry and otherwise) took a couple snapshots to remember our night by.

{photographs courtesy of jocelyn negron}

for several years now, my friends and i have played this game called "highs, lows and uh-ohs" (which originated during our weekly family-style dinners in college). we would go around in a circle and share the "high," "low" and "uh-oh" moments of the week.

in keeping with tradition, we did the same for the year 2009. my "high" moment of 2009 was hands down starting my new job at the new school; the "low" moment being the dark time when i was sad about my old job; and the "uh-oh" moment being eviction from my month-old apartment situation in late september (and, consequently, being homeless for three weeks until we found a new place) because my landlord failed to comply with city building codes. sheesh! some year, huh? t.g.i.2010!