When I first sat down to think about my "top 10 moments", something I've never even done before, I couldn't think of anything. After awhile, all these moments came flooding back. In fact, quite a bit had happened! I wasn't even going to put it in any order but after some consideration, I realized I could number it. So here it is. My lame first attempt at a Top 10 List :D
10. Getting accepted into LaGuardia Community College.
In October I received a letter saying I was was accepted into the school of my choice. Anyone can get accepted into a community college, I didn't feel that was an achievement. But that letter solidified my choice to switch, which was the accomplishment. Finally switching to a school that wasn't QC or QCC really was a breath of fresh air. My entire college career was spent bouncing between the two of them, all for a major/degree I wasn't entirely satisfied with. So when I discovered the commercial photography program over at LAGCC, I was intrigued. After doing some research, I determined this was the place to be. That also leads me to...#9.
9. Getting a DSLR camera.
In the beginning of the year, my mom generously purchased a Canon Rebel XSi for me. It took some time getting used to but it was exactly the kind of camera I dreamed about. I enjoy taking pictures, I enjoy looking at them and mostly I love what they represent: capturing a moment of time we can never get back to. For the same reason I love to write (telling a story) that is what I love about pictures.
8. We have a tie...
a. The wrestling related events.
On the 1st of November, a group of us attended
Monday Night Raw at Nassau Coliseum. Kind of a nice way to kick off my birthday month! Pee Wee Herman was the guest host and he absolutely nailed it! His
segment was hilarious too, with Big Show playing Pee Wee's cousin. They were both dressed in matching outfits and took on The Miz. That wasn't my first live event though. That honor goes to
Fatal 4Way in June. It was just Jonathan and I, because we were comped the tickets thanks to Vinnie, Kim's boyfriend. We even were allowed in the VIP backstage pass to meet some of the pro wrestling stars! (
Kofi Kingston,
Jack Swagger,
Evan Bourne,
Kelly Kelly and
Santino to name some). The live events weren't the only wrestling highlights of the year.
Two of the pay-per-view events that stand out are Royal Rumble and the ever mighty Wrestlemania XXVI. With the Royal Rumble we had about 18 people over Jonathan's house. Each person betting picked two wrestlers out of a hat (30 wrestlers competed in the match). One of the wrestlers I picked, Shawn Michaels, made me confident I might have a shot of winning. But Edge came in and won it all. Win or lose, it was so much fun to watch and have such a big group betting on the match. Even if you aren't a fan of wrestling, it's an easy show to get into! Then there was Wrestlemania, where it was career vs. streak. Would Shawn Michaels be retiring or would the Heartbreak Kid be the one to finally end Undertaker's 17-0 streak? Again, a group of friends gathered at Jonathan's house to watch the 4 h0ur event (yes, I said four hours LOL). In the end, the streak remained intact and Shawn Michael's left the ring for the final time.
b. The Yankees games I attended.
Last year marked my first time at the new Yankee Stadium. The house that George built didn't disappoint. It's a gorgeous ballpark, spacious with a bit of history lining the walls when you come in. The faces of Yankee players past....it's a good feeling as a Yankees fan! It all started on May 17th, when Jonathan's Aunt Connie asked if we wanted to attend that night's game with her and Uncle John. Why not?! I couldn't believe the seats either. 19 rows behind home plate. It was also one of the best games I've ever witnessed, with these two (
1,
2) moments. We (and everyone else in the stadium) were going absolutely nuts! Going to that game seemed to set off a trend because over the course of the summer, I went to three or four more games. Not to leave the other NY team out but in April, I did attend a Mets game (vs. the Nationals) and that was actually a spectacular game in which the Mets rallied to win big time. Of course, I got a few boos and "Yankees suck!" since I was wearing my Yankees bomber jacket LOL. This was the year I got back into attending games, not just watching them on TV. To quote Larry King,
"There is still nothing in life as constant and as changing at the same time as an afternoon at a ballpark."
7. The week of Christmas
That whole week, I reverted back to a child. It was 1990 again and all three of my siblings are sleeping under the tree. My youngest brother isn't born yet and we are enjoying looking at the tiny lights and ornaments from down below before passing out. Those were the days...the magic of the next morning when we can open the presents. Well, Jonathan and I didn't sleep under the tree but in the wee hours of the morning, when Christmas Eve becomes Christmas Day, we sat in the living room facing the tree and soaking in that feeling that just hangs in air. It's the one you can't describe but the one I hope everyone has felt at some point in their life.
All week something different was happening, whether it was last minute shopping and wrapping, fixing things in the house, preparing for the guests, stocking up on drinks and food, seeing friends to exchange gifts....you really can't beat everything that goes along with Christmas and the holidays. Everyone seems nicer somehow, despite the occasional grumpy person pushing their way past you as the city booms with seasonal tourists. (Seriously, stay away from Times Square around Christmas if you can LOL).
I spent Christmas Eve with my family in Long Island. I got to meet my cousin's baby, which was a memorable experience and everyone talked excitedly about Alex's soon-to-make-an-appearance baby. It added a little something to that night for me, and I'm sure others in attendance could agree. When I got back home that night, everyone at Jonathan's was awake and I was able to say hi to one of his cousins and her husband before they left. Jonathan and I stayed up a little bit later to get some wrapping done as per his tradition. We didn't make it to midnight Mass unfortunately but the next morning, after opening presents and greeting more family, we made our way over to the church for a few minutes to light a candle and to stay for part of the Mass. I regret not making more of an effort to get there on time but I'm happy I did get to step foot into a church that day. Jonathan finally opened up my gift to him, which I had been so excited to give and had been sitting wrapped under the tree for weeks. A Playstation 3! He had already suspected it, by the look of the box and just a general gut feeling, but it was still funny to see his reaction. Not to sound like a cheeseball, but those are the best kinds of gifts you can get! Just seeing how happy people are with their gifts. The rest of the day flew by and before I knew it, I was home from the theatre and back in Queens, signaling the end of the day and the end of Christmas. But, you know what they say, Christmas is also a state of mind. Not only did this make a top moment but it was one of my favorite Christmases to date.
6. Boston for SuperMegafest
I don't remember when or how but Jonathan discovered Christopher Lloyd would be making an appearance at Boston Super Megafest in November. Now I had never heard of this event before but it was apparently like ComicCon, just smaller. And had been going on for the past 10 years or something. A weekend in Boston? Why not! When planned the trip, we realized the actual event was about 30 minutes outside of Boston. Not a problem we thought. We'd do two nights in Framingham and then spend the last night actually in Boston. The convention itself was worthwhile. We did indeed meet Mr. Lloyd (something I'm sure neither of us ever thought we'd do) and enjoyed seeing other people there, most notably Howard Finkel, WWE Hall of Famer. The day we had to get into Boston, we missed our train, bummed a free shuttle ride to a bus stop and from there trekked into Boston. It was a crazy one, one that really didn't allow us to see the city, but with dinner and a movie (HP7, which I loved), we made the best of it. It was overall a fun, memorable weekend.
5. Disney World and Universal Trip
Disney Disney Disney...one of the best vacations you could take for yourself is to Disney World. Like Christmas, there's a certain magic in the air there that you can't really explain but it's like a nonstop excitement. Even if you've experienced the attractions there a million times, when you step foot in the park, you feel that "anything is possible here!" feeling. What Walt Disney did for theme parks really can't be matched. This was our second trip to WDW together and of course, that also entailed a trip to Universal Studios. It's always a funny thing that the two are so intertwined, even though there's supposed to be some "rivalry" between the two of them. Jonathan and I spent an extra day in Florida this year, compared to last year, and even with that extra day, we still wished we could have stayed for one more day! This time we took advantage of those magic hours more and hands down, Magic Kingdom at night is my favorite place to be. We even got to celebrate 16 months together that June, with dinner in France. Epcot's version of France at least. So cheesy if you think about it...or cliched...but absolutely wonderful.
4. My 25th Birthday/Surprise Party
I enjoy birthdays...I mean who doesn't? But I've never been one for throwing a party for myself. And most people know this, LOL. However, Jonathan and my mom used that to their advantage. Even though I swore them not to throw anything, it fell on deaf ears haha. The funny thing is, I forgot all about the fact that over the summer I had caught them discussing a potential party for me. My actual birthday and came and went in November (the 8th) and Jonathan, as always, made my day special. He took the day off and we had dinner at one of my favorite Thai restaurants in Brooklyn and later visited my parents' for cake. Jonathan's gift was PERFECT. He got me
this lens for my camera that I've been wanting. So very generous too, as he always is when it comes to gifts. Then Wednesday came around, and my birthday gift to myself had been tickets to see Elf the Musical. We both really enjoyed it and I later heard it broke records in the box office and for the theatre itself. Well deserved! Then Friday came around....and Jonathan and I had plans for an intimate dinner for four with Anthony and Gina.
Or so I thought.
I walk into the backroom of this pub, Danny Boy's, and see a sea of faces that I don't quite make out.
"SURPRISE!"
About 40 people were gathered there!! I walked around in a daze all night. Even though I was coming down with the flu that night, it still was one of the most memorable nights. Even Natali, one of my oldest buddies was there. So that was a real treat as well. Tiffany, my mom and Jonathan all worked hard on that night and I am very thankful for that, plus all the people who came. I still can't believe I didn't figure it out. There were so many close calls too, looking back on it.
3. Alex getting married...and pregnant!
On April 16, my aunt married her long time (and by long time I mean almost 10 years) boyfriend, Moe. The ceremony was performed in what I believe was supposed to be like the city hall of a small town upstate New York. Seeing them finally tie the knot was something. I was thrilled for Alex. Before heading to dinner, we stopped somewhere in Pennsylvania for pictures and then appetizer like snacks at their house. We then dined at a cozy restaurant called Apple Valley. It was without a doubt the most chill wedding I've ever been too -- and that's what made it so great! It really sums up Alex's personality well. She's a low key person but she likes a bit of tradition too. After dinner, it was getting late and space in the cars were limited so Jonathan and I opted to stay overnight at their house with them. It was unexpected so we had to borrow clothing to sleep in...but still a treat. I love that house.
Then, on August 24th, Alex revealed big news...they were expecting!! The baby would be due on March 10. We still don't know the gender, as they wanted to keep it a surprise. It's tough not knowing but I admire the patience. If it's a boy, he will be Timothy and if a girl, she will be Ayla.
2. Jonathan and I turning 1/Johnny turning 1
It's always easy to keep tracking of how far along in the relationship Jonathan and I are because Johnny was born in the beginning of the month and we became official at the end of the month. Needless to say, between those two and Valentine's Day, February is not short of celebrations.
Johnny turned 1 on the 2nd and we had a big party for him at Gargiulio's in Brooklyn. A woman named Lolly Flop came in to entertain the children (and even the adults, to be honest, or at least I was!). I have grown to love that kid like he is my own nephew so watching him grow up has been an honor.
When we hit the one year mark of dating on the 27th, we celebrated by having dinner at Vincent's in Little Italy, one of our favorite restaurants. We exchanged gifts (we really do love any excuse to exchange gifts LOL) and I don't remember if I stayed the night or not (a prelude to moment #1), but it was a low-key but memorable day. Especially because marking that day was a real treat as our road to dating wasn't always a smooth one. Though we got along extremely well as friends, trying to break into something more isn't always as easy as it seems. But everything all so very worth it.
1. Moving in
Somehow, we went from sleepovers to me just...not leaving. LOL. It sounds strange at first but it was a very natural process. The first year of dating (2009) we had sleepovers but they were a few times a week. As 2010 progressed, I slept less at my apartment and more at his place. Pretty soon, I was only going home 1 night a week and sleeping over there all the other nights. I can't even remember what point this was (it was warm out so perhaps over the summer) but I do remember my sister thought she might have bedbugs and advised me not to come back to the apartment. Well, that was enough for me! I enjoyed staying with Jonathan much more than I did at the apartment my sister and I shared with a roommate. To momentarily pause from this top moment, I would like to say that after three and a half years, my sister and I finally gave up that apartment and she found a bigger, better room elsewhere. It felt like the end of a chapter. So many things happened in that room. Not to mention, before we started hanging out regularly, Jonathan and I would talk to each other online in that room. So it does hold a bit of nostalgia and memories.
But making that transition to full time residency with Jonathan is obviously a huge move but one that (and we've discussed this) never really seemed like a big deal to us. I mean...it is a big deal in terms of how far the relationship is developing...but it's something that just felt was the obvious choice. I think if I had lived with my parents up to that point, it would have been a bigger deal. But as it was, I already had that big "hooray! you're on your own!" period of my life.
Jonathan and his family have always been nothing short of warm and welcoming so for that, many thanks to them.
