Looking back at the year as a whole, there were certainly some tough times—but there were also some really high highs. Instead of focusing on the hardships and challenges, I’m choosing to focus on my top 10 favorite moments from 2017. I found the exercise not only to be fun, but it immediately shifted my perspective and has me even more excited about the upcoming year! Here are the best memories, in no particular order:
1. Our last meal in Japan. G and I took a rather relaxed approach to our schedule in Japan. We had a general idea of the areas we wanted to explore, but only made one dinner reservation for our last night in Tokyo. I wrote about it more here, but by the time we said goodbye to the chef, I was in tears. Beyond the fact that it was the best meal of my life, the way we connected with all of the other patrons at the sushi bar as well as the chef made it a truly unforgettable experience.
2. A spa day with girlfriends. The older we get, the harder it is to get a group to carve out a full Saturday to spend together. This past spring, I did just that though, with my three best friends for a spa day in Palos Verdes. We couldn’t have asked for more beautiful weather and spent our time in and out of the pool, reading magazines, and drinking cocktails.
3. Launching the Shop. I’d dreamed of opening up my own store for as long as I can remember, so launching the Shop was a really exciting day. I remember it feeling kind of like a blur—getting to see everything live after having worked on it tirelessly was emotional and your response to it was the best reward I could have asked for.
4. Sloan’s first day at school. Oof. This was one of my best and worst days of 2017, but it ended well! Dropping Sloan off at school was heart breaking. She was so scared and sad and literally peeling her off of my legs made me question if we’d made the right decision in sending her to school at all. The whole morning I sobbed on and off, wondering if she had ever calmed down and adjusted. Then at around 1 p.m., I received a text from her teacher with a picture of Sloan asleep during nap time saying that she was doing well. Of course that made me cry even harder with sheer relief. We went to go pick her up about 30 minutes before she was let out of school since I was so excited to see her. We took her for ice cream and I remember walking into the shop with her feeling so proud of both of us.
5. Beyonce’s concert. G had gotten me incredible tickets to go to see Beyonce in concert when I was pregnant, but due to extreme morning sickness (and that fact that it was 110 degrees that day), I simply couldn’t rally. I had to sell my tickets that same day and so when she came back into town on her latest tour, I knew I had to go. As a surprise to no one, the concert was insane—she’s the most spectacular performer I’ve ever seen live.
6. Celebrating 10 years with G. We don’t usually celebrate the anniversary of when we first started dating anymore since we’re now married, but we made an exception for the decade benchmark. It brought back so many special memories of our first few years together (we even went to the same restaurant where it all first took place) and I was positively giddy the entire day.
7. Seeing the room my mom made for Sloan. When we went to my parents’ house over Thanksgiving, I knew my mom was setting up a space for Sloan to sleep (because prior to that visit, she’d still been in her travel crib). But what I didn’t anticipate was just how dramatically my mom would transform the room. It had previously been her office and when we walked in, Sloan and I were in complete shock. She’d built a custom bed for her filled with cheerful linens and giant Mickey decals on the wall. On the floor was a tent and a basket full of books that Sloan dove into immediately. Even though the surprise wasn’t technically for me, I’d never been that touched by any single gift ever before and even thinking about it still makes me tear up.
8. Moving into our new office. I loved our downtown office, but as our team has continued to grow, we decided to move into a bigger space that’s also more centrally located. Our new office is filled with beautiful light, lots more room, and just has a really wonderful energy. Even though we’re not completely done furnishing it, I feel so fortunate that we get to come to work here each day of the work week.
9. Bringing Rocco home after a health scare. When G called to tell me that there was something wrong with our cat, Rocco, when I was in New York, I assumed it wasn’t anything serious. But later that day, the vet called to tell me they were going to perform emergency surgery that same night and that he might not make it. I remember being on the phone with her and literally crumbling onto the floor. I had a huge day of meetings the next day and decided to cancel them all and got on the next flight out of JFK. Rocco didn’t end up needing the invasive surgery and recovered fully a few days later. I visited him every day while he was at the vet, and while it was so difficult to see him in that state, it was balanced out as soon as we were able to bring him back home. I slept out on the couch the first few nights so I could lie with him, and they were some of my sweetest memories with him, to date.
10. Sloan’s holiday performance. This was a very recent memory (from last Thursday!) and one that brings me so much joy. With friends and family, Sloan’s a pretty animated, sociable kid, but in front of big groups, she can be painfully shy. She’d been practicing the two songs for her holiday performance for weeks, but once we got to her performance, she was terrified. I took on so much of her stress, but when she walked out onto stage with all of her beloved classmates and teachers, she not only sang (and shimmied), but genuinely enjoyed herself.
P.S., I’d love to hear – what were some of your favorite moments from the past year? Share in the comments, below!
