Thursday, March 29, 2012

2011: A YEAR TO REMEMBER

As the end of 2011 drew near, I became very reflective on everything that had transpired in that one year alone. Part of the reason for the reflection was the unexpected passing of a young friend of mine right after Christmas.
I met him in February of 2011, while we were rehearsing a show together. We spent a few months together and became good friends, having amusing email banter in the months that followed our show. His passing was tragic to those who knew him, but he was such a bright light in the universe that we were all so much better for having known him. I'm thankful for the year 2011 for that very reason. I knew him and lost him all in the same year, but I'm thankful I had him in my life, even for only a brief moment.
That's what made me so reflective come New Year's Eve. As my friends were posting on their various Facebook accounts how much they hated 2011 and couldn't wait for it to be over, I sat back and thought about everything that had transpired that year.

We started the year with one of the biggest blizzards New York City had seen in years. It, literally, shut down the city. A girl who never gets snow-days because she lives in the city got three housebound days. It was frustrating and lovely at the same time. There's something to be said about sharing in an experience with a large group of people like that.
Later that month, as we were putting the final touches on our trip to Egypt, the Egyptians started rioting, our trip was put on hold, and we feared we wouldn't be able to travel there at all. Cut to May, when we not only traveled to Egypt, we experienced an Egypt that few tourists get to experience: an Egypt with very few tourists to crowd our pictures.
In February I was cast as a supporting character in a community theater production of The Pajama Game, where I met many new friends and got to exercise my acting skills, which was so much fun. We even had a the honor of having the artist Prudence Whittlesey come to one of our shows and paint pictures of us in action. I never thought I'd own a piece of artwork of my likeness!
Other highlights of my year include: meeting my newest nephew for the first time, biking over a few of the bridges in New York City, seeing marriage equality reach New York and celebrating with my fellow New Yorkers over that fact, hand-feeding giraffes, scuba diving for the first time while vacationing in Puerto Rico, experiencing my first hurricane, waiting in line with the other Harry Potter nutters for the midnight showing of the final movie and re-enacting every character's poster in the subway station at three o'clock in the morning after said movie with my fellow HP-fan and former roommate, softball season and being able to watch Miriam play (she's a really amazing player), performing Candide with the non-profit opera company coĆ³pera, and celebrating the holidays with family for the first time in years. I saw every musical on Broadway except two. I won coveted lottery tickets to the impossible-to-get-tickets show Book of Mormon and got to hang out backstage and have drinks with the cast at a nearby bar because Miriam plays on their softball team. I accepted the job of music director for my community theater's spring production of Damn Yankees, my first music directorship of a full-fledged musical, and I've become re-acquainted with my piano as a result.

I could focus on the negative things that happened to me, which there were many, or I can focus on the amazing things that happened. Joey came into my life. He may be gone, but he's still there. A glass half full. That's how I like to look at things. 2011 was a year to remember for many reasons. And I plan on remembering it.

As the midnight hour approached I decided to record myself singing "Auld Lang Syne" and put together a slideshow of some of my most memorable moments of the year. Enjoy, and Happy (Belated) New Year!


The slideshow: The blizzard that started the new year, 
Playing Mae in Pajama Game, 
Trip to Egypt (in front of the Pyramids and along the Nile at sunset), 
Saying goodbye to Zoe and Jadyn when they moved to New Orleans, 
Biking across the Brooklyn Bridge, 
Marriage equality in NY, 
Feeding giraffes at Six Flags, 
Trip to Puerto Rico (Old San Juan, snorkeling, and Playa Flamenco on Culebra), 
The final Harry Potter movie, 
Miriam playing softball with the Book of Mormon team, 
Relaxing in the countryside of upstate NY, 
Meeting my newest nephew, 
Roasting marshmallows during Hurricane Irene, 
Being at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, 
Celebrating my friend Steph's 30th birthday, 
Getting our Christmakkuh tree, 
Celebrating the holidays at Rockefeller Center, 
Saying goodbye to the beautiful spirit of Joey Wilgenbusch, 
Sunrise on Culebra