My First Macy's Experience

Before the holidays become a distant memory and people rush back to their busy everyday lives, I wanted to take a few minutes to share the magical experience I had this year at the 88th annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. I met my sister in New York the day before the big event, and we were both excited to see this famous holiday spectacle in person. 

With my favorite New Yorker and resident parade expert providing the itinerary for the morning, I woke up at 5:30am and put on each carefully-planned layer I had packed, including elastic-waisted flannel-lined jeans, and wondered out into the dark, early morning with my sister and a large Dunkin' Donuts coffee, ready for our adventure. 

I was really dreading the thought of standing out in the cold, in the same spot, for more than two hours, but with some great people-watching opportunities happening all around us, it wasn't nearly as bad as I was expecting. 

But before I go on, I must further elaborate on the people-watching comment... so let me share the first picture I took that morning:

You know, I'm certainly not the biggest morning person in the world, and I could've gone without having to stand outside for a chilly couple of hours to get a decent viewing spot on the parade route, but this little hooded devil pushed and squeezed her way in at the very last minute, instantly making about 20 enemies in the process. While she was taking 10+ pictures of every single float and balloon that passed by on her iPhone, I occasionally used her head as a lens rest for my camera, "bumped" into her a couple of times and flapped my big elbows around in an effort to get in front of her any chance I could. Just one of many ways I can turn a negative situation into a positive (entertaining) experience.

Moving on... Once the parade got started, it was indescribably cool to be there watching it with my own eyes rather than on a TV screen as I have previously done all my life. I took about 150 photos and selected a few of my favorites to share. 

 

One of the Jonas brothers I think??? 

The "Red Hot Mamas"

I really wanted to jump on this float with IDINA MENZEL!!

It was such a great experience, and even though I usually have an averse reaction to large crowds (I'm moving to New York why?), we were surrounded by some really fun people who made the experience even better. I'm so glad I got to do this with my sister, and was also glad when we made it back to our hotel room that afternoon because we took what really was the best nap ever after a very busy morning.

Let's do this, 2015

Often times around the holidays, my mom will recall the moment when she heard me say my first word... We were driving around in the car looking at Christmas lights in the neighborhood, and in one moment, I raised my finger and pointed out the window and said, "ite." And I think every year since then, if I'm with my mom and we see Christmas lights, she'll say to me, "See the ites?"

Festive holiday lighting and decorations are truly one of the most magical elements of the Christmas season. And several years ago, I added a line to my mental bucket list to visit New York at Christmastime and see the city decorated and lit up for the holidays, most especially the famous tree at Rockefeller Center. So last year, I traveled a bit farther east to the "world's capital" to visit a very dear friend and check out the splendor that is December in NYC.

It was everything I hoped for and even a bit more, and I started to feel like that kid again, pointing out the car window at all the "ites" on the houses blurring by, lighting up the night with the colors of Christmas. But at the same time, 2013 had ended up being a difficult year for me as I struggled with a loss in my personal life. The holidays are supposed to make your heart feel full, but mine was feeling mostly empty then because I was missing someone.

After being hopeful that maybe 2014 would be better for me, more hardships kept coming along, and day after day following the beginning of the year, things just kept getting more and more difficult. But all the while I knew the best way out would be to make a change and an effort to move on.

My plan became to first get a new job and leave the one I was no longer happy at. The second change I knew I needed to make was to move out of my current apartment and into a new living space, so in April I started packing boxes, knowing in my mind what my end goal had become.

Initially, I was applying to jobs in Ohio, mainly Cleveland and Columbus, planning on staying close to home. After months of hearing "Thanks for applying, BUT..." from potential employers, I decided to expand my search to other states. After nine months of job searching, I still find myself exactly where I started, spinning my wheels and getting nowhere... still in the same apartment but now with a slightly larger stack of boxes and significantly greater need to get out.

As it turns out, 2014 has been an utterly terrible year. But when 2015 starts, I've made the decision not to let it begin the same way 2014 had. Sometimes instead of waiting for opportunities to arise, you have to create them. We have to give ourselves things to look forward to in life.

I'll be heading to New York again in February, but this time, I won't be returning to Ohio. I'm going to take a giant leap out of my comfort zone and start a new life... holding tight to the people and memories that I love, and taking a deep breath before working to let go of everything else that's been weighing me down. It will be the beginning of an intimidating process of change, and of an incredible new adventure for me.

I'm not 100% ready. But my good friend told me that if I waited until I felt 100% ready, I would never leave. I've waited long enough to be ready; now it's time to just go.