While these recaps are generally for my benefit, as I like being able to look back on the months that have passed to see what I’ve gotten up to and what I’ve read, I hope that you enjoy this massively long recounting of what went down in my life from the months of May to October. I was extremely busy at the end of May, got sick at the very beginning of June and just somehow never got around to recapping anything since then. I’m remedying that today with this condensed six-month version of my usual monthly recaps, which is solely focused on what I got up to.
I’ve been having a busier year than I ever anticipated I would! While there were a number of events I already had lined up when the year began, my months have been filled to the brim exploring and experiencing New York City, spending quality time with family and friends and indulging in weekends filled with binge watching anime and binge reading books and playing games of DND and the luxury of staying in. Just for the sake of recounting it all with brevity, here are a few moments of note for every month!
In May, I kicked off the month with a magical trip to Paris with Rachel! It honestly was the best way to start the month, even though it was rainy and cold for the majority of our time there. Returning to New York didn't mean that life slowed down one bit, however. I went to two concerts, James Bay (with Rachel, for the third time this year and I don't regret it because he is incredible) and LANY (with my sisters, and it was really fun to hear their latest songs live). I also got to attend the Red, White and Royal Blue (one of my favorite reads this year) book event, celebrate the arrival of spring with Rachel and Kristin, and hike up Bear Mountain. The month drew to a close with our pretty much yearly attendance of BookExpo America, which was a whole lot of fun as I got to see so many bookish friends again, meet some online friends in real life and get some really exciting books!
In June, hanging out with my bookish buddies continued at BookCon (which was surprisingly fun this year). Unfortunately, right afterwards, I got shingles and had to stay home for a couple of weeks until I was fully recovered! But I did manage to squeeze in a little fun before the month ended, including a visit to Smorgasburg with my family, hanging out with Rachel to celebrate Bastille Day, attending the launch party for Wicked Fox, seeing Moulin Rouge on Broadway and having my usual ice cream and coffee date with Rachel.
In July, we kicked off the month with one of the best trips I've ever gone on - our family trip to Ireland! My sisters, Macky and I all flew to Dublin for a few days, and did our share of sightseeing (including seeing two places I've always dreamed of visiting - the Long Room at Trinity College and the Cliffs of Moher). But the real reason for our trip? We went to see Westlife at Croke Park (and it was everything!) Once we got back to New York, it was a series of ice cream dates, attending the Spin the Dawn book launch party, the Forever Romance cocktail party, trying out 305 Fitness classes (which are fun, but so intense!), going to the beach, having a picnic and seeing family who were in town.
In May, I kicked off the month with a magical trip to Paris with Rachel! It honestly was the best way to start the month, even though it was rainy and cold for the majority of our time there. Returning to New York didn't mean that life slowed down one bit, however. I went to two concerts, James Bay (with Rachel, for the third time this year and I don't regret it because he is incredible) and LANY (with my sisters, and it was really fun to hear their latest songs live). I also got to attend the Red, White and Royal Blue (one of my favorite reads this year) book event, celebrate the arrival of spring with Rachel and Kristin, and hike up Bear Mountain. The month drew to a close with our pretty much yearly attendance of BookExpo America, which was a whole lot of fun as I got to see so many bookish friends again, meet some online friends in real life and get some really exciting books!
In June, hanging out with my bookish buddies continued at BookCon (which was surprisingly fun this year). Unfortunately, right afterwards, I got shingles and had to stay home for a couple of weeks until I was fully recovered! But I did manage to squeeze in a little fun before the month ended, including a visit to Smorgasburg with my family, hanging out with Rachel to celebrate Bastille Day, attending the launch party for Wicked Fox, seeing Moulin Rouge on Broadway and having my usual ice cream and coffee date with Rachel.
In July, we kicked off the month with one of the best trips I've ever gone on - our family trip to Ireland! My sisters, Macky and I all flew to Dublin for a few days, and did our share of sightseeing (including seeing two places I've always dreamed of visiting - the Long Room at Trinity College and the Cliffs of Moher). But the real reason for our trip? We went to see Westlife at Croke Park (and it was everything!) Once we got back to New York, it was a series of ice cream dates, attending the Spin the Dawn book launch party, the Forever Romance cocktail party, trying out 305 Fitness classes (which are fun, but so intense!), going to the beach, having a picnic and seeing family who were in town.
In August, I celebrated my 30th birthday with exactly the birthday weekend I wanted - video games (specifically the new Marvel Alliance), Smorgasburg on a sunny day, a trip to the beach and more food tripping with family. My sisters and I also finally got to see Dear Evan Hansen (and it was truly good, but hardhitting!). We also went to our nephew's baptism, saw Shawn Mendes in concert at the Barclays Center, met up with family who happened to be in town and all fell into a very, very deep obsessive hole when Taylor Swift's new album "Lover" was released (including a visit to the pop-up experience)!
In September, I had one of my favorite months of the entire year! I went on a sisters' trip to Banff, and it was delightful to be hanging out with two of the best people I know and seeing such incredible sights. I hit the ground running upon our return to New York, as Rachel and I got to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, we all went to visit the FRIENDS 25 pop-up experience, decided to go apple picking and had lots of days out involving ice cream and coffee and shopping. The month ended with Macky & I going on our annual pilgrimage to the Epcot International Food and Wine festival and visiting Galaxy's Edge for the first time too!
In October, I finally got to see Maggie Rogers live and she was absolutely brilliant. Macky and I also got to visit NYCC on Sunday, and though we didn't stay long, I still had a fun time! I also got to climb up The Vessel with my family (which was cool, but also not as exciting as I'd thought), grab plenty of food and sweets with people I love, attend my best friend's wedding and go to Australia for the first time ever (though my stay was all too brief and jam-packed mostly with seeing family and friends).
It's been a very busy six months, if you couldn't already tell! While I do crave a little more introvert time (which you can honestly expect to be happening in January, if I have my way), it's been a whole lot of fun with the best company in the world, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
In September, I had one of my favorite months of the entire year! I went on a sisters' trip to Banff, and it was delightful to be hanging out with two of the best people I know and seeing such incredible sights. I hit the ground running upon our return to New York, as Rachel and I got to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, we all went to visit the FRIENDS 25 pop-up experience, decided to go apple picking and had lots of days out involving ice cream and coffee and shopping. The month ended with Macky & I going on our annual pilgrimage to the Epcot International Food and Wine festival and visiting Galaxy's Edge for the first time too!
In October, I finally got to see Maggie Rogers live and she was absolutely brilliant. Macky and I also got to visit NYCC on Sunday, and though we didn't stay long, I still had a fun time! I also got to climb up The Vessel with my family (which was cool, but also not as exciting as I'd thought), grab plenty of food and sweets with people I love, attend my best friend's wedding and go to Australia for the first time ever (though my stay was all too brief and jam-packed mostly with seeing family and friends).
It's been a very busy six months, if you couldn't already tell! While I do crave a little more introvert time (which you can honestly expect to be happening in January, if I have my way), it's been a whole lot of fun with the best company in the world, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
Wow! You really have done so much in the past few months! Especially seeing it all laid out like this! BookExpo was so much fun this year and I'm glad we got to go to some other bookish events together too!
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