It's been a while since I've posted, but I'm back for a year-end wrap-up!
Most of this year was spent trying to make Raleigh feel like home. Though, honestly, this didn't quite happen. I've been back in Raleigh
for over a year, and it doesn't fit right. It didn't fit when I was 23 and moved away, and it doesn't fit any better at 29. I
moved back to Raleigh for family and finances, and I am still glad
that I made the move. So much happened this year that couldn't have
happened, or would have been more difficult, if I still lived in
DC. And if I hadn't moved back, returning would continue to be a lingering question in my mind. I haven't made any decisions about where to go from here - I'm in Raleigh for the foreseeable future, and given the current housing and rental markets, have no intention of moving - but I don't see it as a long term location unless a lot changes.
Aside from existential questions related to location - plenty happened this year, enough to feel like a blur of activity. After
much searching, I found a new church. My nephew turned 1,
my brother got married, my best friend got married, an old friend
turned 30. I went in on Barbenheimer
opening weekend. I got my first pair of glasses in May and had oral
surgery two days before a work conference in August. I adopted a cat. I
ran
another half marathon. I joined a run
club and a sci fi book club. I read so, so many books. I deleted
Instagram over the summer,
and six months later, still have no intention of returning.
I traveled a lot, as always: weekends in Charlotte, Atlantic Beach, Wilmington, and Atlanta; so, so much time in DC (three weeks in February, two week-long work trips, scattered weekends for concerts); a week in Phoenix for work; and a weeklong roadtrip to Providence, Rhode Island and Cape Cod. I went to a LOT of shows: Violet Bell, Aly & AJ, Feist, Frank Turner, The National, Backseat Lovers, Shakey Graves, The Tallest Man on Earth, Nothing But Thieves, Yumi Zouma, Japanese House, and three times to the North Carolina Symphony.
2023 saw a lot of assumptions shaken and ideas tested, and I'm looking forward to the fresh start feeling of the new year.
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