2016 has been quite a year! It was both one of the best years of my life and one of the worst years. I saw an incredible amount of Broadway shows, I spent my first summer in New York, and I made wonderful new friends. I also got my heart broken and my little sister was sick and in the hospital for a few months. It's been a bit of a trying year and I'm hoping that 2017 will be a year of thriving in comparison.
I loved Louise Pentland's Year in Review
post, so I wanted to write a little one of my own for sentimental reasons. Let me know how your year was in the comments! x
January
I started off the year by taking the most amazing class ever: a sociology course about Disney Parks and happiness. I got to spend a week in DisneyWorld and a week in Disneyland with people that I still consider to be among my best friends. I got to visit the actual Walt Disney Studio in Burbank, hold one of Walt Disney's Academy Awards, and talk to the chairman of the company. I feel so blessed that I got to share this experience with such lovely people who I am so grateful to have in my life.
February
February saw a return to campus and a return to making content for my blog and YouTube channel. (My camera roll is mostly full of Hamilton Valentines Day memes.) I received a response to a letter that I had sent to Lin Manuel Miranda and I'll never forget crying at my mailbox when I saw his signature on it.
March
March saw me doing a lot of studying outside and appreciating the sunshine. My family spent spring break in New York City, reveling in Hamilton sites and exhibits. I also got to be in "the room where it happens" and I can pinpoint the best moment of my year as the very moment that Lin Manuel Miranda walked out for his first entrance in "Alexander Hamilton." We also got to meet Daveed Diggs, who is a real life angel.
April
One of the best things about this year was my friendship with Jenna and nothing epitomizes it more than the Disney themed party we threw in April (I dressed as Princess Anna, of course). I presented my thesis research for the first time and spent an amazing day at the zoo with friends. I also fulfilled a dream of many years, one that I thought I would never feel secure enough to do, and dyed the tips of my hair pink. Thanks to Louise Pentland for the inspiration...and the confidence to do it!
May
In May, I performed a piece of feminist poetry in French for my class and spent a lovely Mother's Day with my family. I finished off the end of my senior year and said goodbye to all my friends to move home for a couple of weeks, before my mom took me up to New York City in the final few days of May.
June
June was the beginning of my whirlwind summer in New York. I became super close with my roommates (Kimmy,
Kendal, and
MaryClaire) and we had so many adventures (including a bottomless mimosa brunch on the day of Pride that proved that there is such a thing as too many mimosas). I finally saw Laura Benanti perform in
She Loves Me and met Zachary Levi (for the first time). I saw other amazing shows (
Bright Star! Daddy Long Legs! Laura Osnes in concert!) and had my best friend visit me. I also fulfilled a lifelong dream by seeing John Owen Jones as Jean Valjean.
July
I started off the month with an incredible Fourth of July weekend including hanging out with my friend Julie, exploring Central Park and having a picnic, and dragging my roommates to an Alexander Hamilton exhibit. I got to see a New York Pops concert, have my friend Carolyn visit me for a weekend, and go to Coney Island. Julie also introduced me to
Finding Neverland, I met Jasmine Cephas Jones on the street outside the Richard Rodgers, and MaryClaire and Kendal and I had a blogger photoshoot in Washington Square Park. Highlights included meeting Bernadette Peters, going to a Ramin Karimloo concert, and doing the meet and greet at Laura Michelle Kelly's concert. Additionally, Zachary Levi recognized me and Julie the fourth and final time I stage-doored
She Loves Me, so that's likely going to be my claim to fame forever.
August
As my first summer in New York was coming to a (tearful!) close, my family came up to visit me. I taught them about rushing shows and we went to Ellis Island (and more Alexander Hamilton exhibits). I also had my second time in the "room where it happens" and finally got to see the amazingly talented Chris Jackson as Washington. Then it was back home to start preparing to move back for my senior year of college.
September
In September, I started taking my favorite classes I've ever taken (History of Musical Theatre! Acting for Non-Majors!) and was reunited with my friends. I started working for
Elon Tonight, my school's comedy sketch show, and found a family of amazing friends. My best friend Andrew and I threw a joint birthday party with a shared theme of "Historical Figures and Jimmy Buffett" so I fulfilled another life dream...to dress as Bonnie Parker (modeled half off her real clothing, half off Laura Osnes in
Bonnie and Clyde). My family and a few friends and I also went to the screening of
Miss Saigon, which made me very excited for the Broadway revival.
October
October was a month in which my life felt like it went off the rails a bit. The first weekend, I took a trip to Chicago to visit my dad's family and got to see the
Hamilton marquis there! While there were some fun things, like a great Halloween party with my girl squad and being an extra on a student film set, it was also a very difficult month. My little sister was sick and I spent a good deal of time going between school and the hospital.
November
November was a great month because my sister got to come home! We had a lovely Thanksgiving with my aunt and uncle and we all had a lot to be thankful for.
December
December saw not only exam week, but editing week for Elon Tonight. We had our first Elon Tonight premiere in the theatre in our new communications building...and actually had to have two showings! I also performed "Guns and Ships" as part of my final presentation for my History of Musical Theatre class...on a real stage! Then we celebrated a lovely Christmas with our family...and got to see the Cinderella tour! Overall, December was a great month (exam week aside) to end a year that had so many ups and so many downs.
