2013 was a truly incredible year. It has been, without a doubt, the best year of my life. When 2012 ended, I had just come home from my first time in London, and I couldn't see how 2013 could measure up to 2012. I resolved to just try my best to be happy. And you know what? It sucked. At first. For the first few months of 2013, I was fairly miserable. I was in Boston, and I didn't want to be. I was busy (like insanely busy) with theatre stuff all semester, which, along with my amazing friend, Nicole, was my saving grace from going absolutely mad. I was trying to find every and any possible way to get back to London after graduation, and nothing was working. Every time I had an idea or lead and got really excited about it, it would tank, and I would fall into a mini depression. Spring was incredibly turbulent - an emotional roller coaster, and my resolution to find ways to be happy was struggling.
But then, a director I'd worked for put me in touch with her friend, an American, who was living in London and working at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. We got in touch with the hope that he'd have some advice as an American expat working in theatre in England. What I ended up getting from this most fortunate of connections was a way to not only move back to London, but to work at The Globe myself for the most magical and surreal five months I could ever have dreamed. Nearly two months were filled with me sending and waiting on emails, sending my resume, doing a Skype interview, etc, and having to keep absolutely quiet about everything in case it didn't work. So many things had failed already, I was trying desperately not to get my hopes up. When I finally got the news that I was being offered a spot at The Globe, I was at on my break at work, checking my emails every 30 seconds, and finally the refresh button gave me the email I was waiting for. From that second forward, jumping and screaming in joy and telling everyone I knew, 2013 turned into the most incredible year I never even dreamed I could ask for. I don't want to forget a single moment, so I've created a review of some of the best parts, and of everything I accomplished this year.
- stage managed two shows simultaneously and successfully
- my show won an award for Best Campus Sponsored Program
- started running
- got into the best shape of my life
- ran my first 5k
- ended a semester with a 4.0 GPA while balancing SMing two shows, working my job at Starbucks, and a full time internship
- had my first professional theatre job, interning for Actors' Shakespeare Project in Boston
- graduated from university
- with distinction
- went to my first music festival: Sasquatch Music Festival at the Gorge
- saw Macklemore... twice
- was offered a position interning at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre (!!!!!!)
- moved back to London
-
worked at The Globe over what was the best summer of my life (during
which so many incredible things happened that I can't even put them all
on this already insanely long list)
- learned to like tea
- became a breakfast person
- experienced London for a second time in a different way with one of my really good friends
- celebrated the Royal Birth at Buckingham Palace
- made new friends from all over the world
- tried online dating, and as a result, went on some really fun and memorable dates with some really nice people
- travelled around England to Brighton, Oxford, Whitstable, and Windsor
- travelled to Poland, one of the countries I've always longed to visit
- even more, I travelled solo with no more than a backpack
- travelled to Glasgow, Scotland
- the Seahawks played a kickass season of which I attended several games
- spent Thanksgiving in Canada on a ski holiday with family
- tried indoor skydiving and found a new favorite hobby
I had every doubt that 2013 could even hold a candle to 2012, but look how wrong I was. So now, as 2014 gets up and running, my immediate thought is how could this ever top 2013? But I was proven wrong before, and this year, I hope to be proven wrong again. So I'm not really going to make any new resolutions, but instead, hold onto my resolution from last year, and strive to be the happiest I can be. There will be ups and downs - there always are. But the big picture is what counts and if I can say that, at the end of the year, it was a good year, I'll still consider myself the luckiest girl in the world.
Welcome 2014, and Happy New Year!!
