As a continuation of the previous installment of phone photos, which I'm sure you all enjoyed immensely, I didn't want to leave you hanging in any way, wondering what the rest of my year was like.
So let me begin July's section with that time we traveled to the Virginia International Raceway for a work trip and got to play with a brand new 2015 Corvette Stingray. In case you don't know me all that well, I'm really into cars, so even though there were parts of this assignment that were annoying/miserable/all of the above, the video footage we came back with was inevitably cool... I mean, it had to be when this gorgeous piece of machinery was the subject.
My babysitting adventures with Ana also continued over the summer, and one of my favorite "selfies" of her and I occurred after we played Princess Beauty Shop and I got my hair did... with a blow dryer that only worked if you made the appropriate "swshhhhhh" sound, and hair barrettes that I think I ended up pulling off quite nicely.
August
August was a busy and fun month, starting with the 2014 Gay Games, which were held in Cleveland, OH. The first Gay Games took place in San Francisco in 1982, and have contributed to the changing cultural, political and social attitudes toward the gay community over the years since its beginning. Having been held in locations around the globe, including Australia, Canada, the Netherlands and Germany, as well as New York and Chicago in the U.S., it was a really big deal for the Games to be hosted so close to home in Northeast OH. I knew I wanted to be a part of it, so I worked as a volunteer photographer for some of the events, and it was a really rewarding experience. And Cleveland was turned into a gay mecca for a week, with LGBT people from around the world staying in the city.
Also noteworthy in August was the week I put myself on a smoothie diet. Not really for any reason... I just felt like I had been eating a lot of junk food at the time (which I actually do ALL the time) and wanted to give my body a break. I tried a week-long juice fast a couple of years prior and was completely miserable, but it did get me back on a track of eating healthier. For at least a while, that is. I was proud of myself for sticking to my plan since it's something that's quite difficult to do by oneself, especially given how much I really enjoy eating.
The end of the month was a very busy time at work, as it was the christening event for Goodyear's newest airship, which had been completed earlier in the year. Robin Roberts, host of ABC's Good Morning America, accepted Goodyear's invitation to be the official blimp christener, so she traveled to Akron for the event and I somehow ended up being the lucky videographer who got to go on the inaugural blimp ride with her that day.
I tend to get a little sad in September because it's that transitioning month between summer & autumn. It's always a little difficult to let go of the warmer weather and summer activities, but once fall rolls around, I remember how much I love it. On one of the last semi-warm afternoons, Tyler and I stopped at an undisclosed location at an undisclosed time because we were in the mood for a giant glass of Redd's, and it was delightful.
Hanging out with Tyler outside of the office is usually an unpredictable experience, and that's pretty much how one evening went when we decided to all go out after work together. You know those pictures on your phone that you find in the morning after an interesting night out? And think, Oh yeah, THAT happened?
I can't even believe I'm including these two gems because I know my mom reads this...
October
I enjoy October because it's officially sweater weather, and I really love layering up with shirts, scarves and jackets. I packed up a suitcase of all the fall layering essentials and headed out to New York to visit my lovely little friend, Alexandra, because I had been wanting to enjoy all the fall delights in the city.
Even though the leaves hadn't started changing colors in Central Park yet, which I was hoping for, we did plenty of other fun things that showcased autumn in New York: I saw Coney Island for the first time, had my first breakfast at Tom's Restaurant in Brooklyn, and got to ride the Staten Island Ferry during an amazing sunset.
And I hope you didn't think I forgot to pick up cupcakes for myself from Magnolia...
November
After that visit, I had pretty much made up my mind that New York was where I wanted to be. There are so many amazing things to see and places to go, so far beyond any tourist trap or famous landmark. I'm so ready to start exploring and discovering new things. And I'm glad I got to spend some time there with my sister in November... she's a really great exploring buddy. Although with the two of us trying to find our way around the city, it was almost like the blind leading the blind! But we eventually found all of our destinations.
We were there just a bit too early to see the Rockefeller tree lit up, but as it turns out, it's just as stunning with the lights off...
On my last day there, I got my first tour of Queens, checked out Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, saw the New York Pavilion and learned lots about the 1964 World's Fair. I also took a ton of photos of the spectacular Unisphere, the iconic sculpture constructed to represent the theme of that World's Fair, "Peace Through Understanding." Can't wait to visit in the warmer months when the fountains are running.
December
As far as December goes, I didn't really take many phone pics, but it was an emotional work month... My work husband Jeff, who I enjoyed working with so much over the past few years, left the office after picking up an amazing opportunity to work as a video producer for the Cleveland Browns. He waited a long time for that position to become available, and I'm so glad everything finally worked out. I will always miss working with him -- we complemented each other in really crazy ways; I usually refer to him as the other half of my video brain. If I forgot to grab something for a shoot, he'd already have it in the equipment bag. He'd never let me carry anything heavy, and would always open doors for me. We have the same sense of humor, too, and always had each other's backs. #bros4lyfe
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| One of my favorite pics of us... Sometimes we even dressed alike... |
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| But then he does weird stuff like this and I love him all over again... |
I also gave my notice at work and let everyone know that I'd be leaving at the end of January. It was such a relief just knowing that I had finally set a time frame for myself and that I wouldn't be stuck anymore. It was the first big step to get the ball rolling on my big adventure, and while change is always a scary thing, especially when leaving a job you know well, it's definitely time to try a new challenge and give myself some more room to grow.
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