Top 13 Moments of 2013

1. The Walt Disney World Club was born - Orlando, FL

We pondered the idea for years, but in 2013 we finally decided to book flights and utilize Scott's perks of working for Disney Interactive by venturing to Florida! Not only did we do three full days of Disney, starting with a brief evening in Epcot after checking into our hotel and fun-filled half-days at each theme park inside the resort thereafter... we also took a taxi to the Universal Studios property nearby and reveled in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter! It was an unforgettable long weekend, and what commenced aside from our addiction to Vinyl-mations was the WDWC (Walt Disney World Club: see above.)

2. My "everyone" did Disneyland 2013 - Anaheim, CA

My 24th birthday was filled with countless highlights -- including but not limited to Jess and Ryan surprising me at my party, Jill surprising me with my amazing Stitch cake, and Chels inviting me to Ellie Goulding! -- but the culmination of all the awesomeness really took place in THIS moment outside the line for Pirates of the Caribbean. My closest friends from many walks of life and my sister Kirby had all convened, much thanks to Scott's generosity, at the Happiest Place on Earth. I was undoubtedly the happiest girl in the universe in that moment.

3. Began the Women's Wine weekend tradition - Monterrey, CA

What a great idea it was for the Sisterhood of the Traveling [Skirts] to combine all of our favorite things -- wine, the California coast, jacuzzi-ing, and our Moms -- for a weekend getaway-reunion that will hopefully carry into the future for many years to come. We laughed to the point of an ab workout the entire weekend long over card games, homemade dinners, bocci ball and wine tasting... not to mention a Monterrey Bayside photo shoot en route to the Carmel wineries (see above).

4. Spent Mumford Sunday with Chels! - San Bernardino, CA

Chels changed my life this year my introducing me to some of my now-favorite artists, like Ellie Goulding, Janelle Monae, Dawes and... Mumford and Sons. After winning simply the right to buy tickets in a raffle, due to this romantic folk group's massive demand in the States, she made the call that I would enjoy them and boy, was she right. We road tripped, sun bathed, shared a few adult substances (as well as some unrivaled Maui hotdogs covered in bacon & pineapple and bigger than our faces), and nearly died when the band finally came on six hours and openers later. Summery dusk out in the middle of central SoCal is quite beautiful, as it turns out, especially with a good soundtrack.

5. Adopted Simba & Nala - Koreatown, CA

We couldn't have asked for a cuter double-whammy of a blessing the day that my co-worker at the Grove showed me an adorable video of three strawberry blonde kittens scrambling around a slippery bathtub inside his friend's Korea-town apartment. They had been rescued and cleaned up only that day, and after I checked on them just to get an idea - it was love at first sight for me and Kirb, who happened to be headed into LA to visit me that night. While we may have named them as a seemingly brother-sister duo, the names ended up being perfect: [Lady] Simba is the adventurous and overly ambitious ruffian whose sister Nala is pragmatic and loving, and keeps the wild one in check. 

6. Road-tripped with Kirb and Lisa to - Las Vegas, NV

To celebrate Kirb's graduation and let off some steam before her short break leading up to grad school, we left the kitties in the care of their foster dads and drove to Vegas at 6am, June 30th. Not only did we have the two best Vegas nights possible - the first ending on the balcony of the Cosmopolitan penthouse suite at 6 in the morning - but we also partied with my roommate Nili and Stepha's fam the first night, plus my Mom and our "Aunt" Nancy Lou the second night!

7. Wedding-toured New England:

   a. Crashed Em and Nick's wedding w/ Alice - Salter's Point, MA

 

When my beloved 2011-in-Hong Kong roommate Emily Frost called me nearly two years ago with the news that she and Nick were finally engaged, I instantly teared up -- and then began imagining the romantic reunion that we would all have on another dance floor: that of their wedding reception. This dream came true on the coast of Massachusetts on July 20th, 2013, after Alice and I spent a few days road tripping in a shared rental car, stuffing our faces with seafood and cocktails, lounging in vintage family-owned beach chairs on the Frost family's private beach, and more in the days leading up to the beachfront magic we enjoyed that fateful night. Every moment of the entire weekend was magical: we shuddered beneath thunder and lightning with Em's cousins outside a nearby barn during the reception, we shared candy-swirled ice-cream from Em and Nick's classic childhood-frequented creamery, and we discovered the single home to quality eggs Benedict and mimosas in New Bedford on the morning of their nuptials. Leg One made this such a worthwhile trip to make! 

   b. Reunited with Jill and saw the Capitol - Washington, DC

After bidding farewell to the newlyweds and Alice, I hopped on a flight to DC and saw my first true roommate, Jill, for the first time in months. Kayaking on the Potomac (above) was one of our many excursions during our midweek rendezvous... Jill took me to a movie-on-the-Lawn, featuring The Lincoln Memorial a-glow in the background, and multiple fun breweries, cafes and a rooftop bar. I even saw Barack and Michelle's backyard with Colin Dwyer!

   c. Met Mom & Dad at Bram and Sarah's wedding - Long Island, NY



My gorgeous cousin and my now-new-cousin-in-law, Sarah, really did it right with their beautiful Bourne Mansion wedding overlooking a grassy, geese-filled meadow and the Long Island coast in late July. After trekking around sticky New England somewhat on my own, I was thrilled to convene with Mom and Dad at Penn Station in NYC, take a unique train out of the city and see all of my Dad's side of the family to celebrate the almost-youngest of the boys to marry and, thus, carry on the Welsh name.

8. Made a weekend-long splash - Palm Springs, CA

The Original Six from USC, the Walt Disney World Club and a few others made for an unforgettable family getaway this summer before back-to-school, new jobs and promotions took us all back to reality and away from the endless possibilities of summer. Like the inflatable raft pictured above (oh yes: that's a pretzel, alright) we were wet, salty, and nakedly intertwined most of the weekend. I'm sorry - it's true! 

9. Got promoted to manager - Woodland Hills, CA

2013 marked major milestones in my career at the Fruitstand, including my first market-level panel interviews, my sad departure (and traditional "clap out") from The Grove, my first home... but also the start to my first official leadership position and birth into my new family: Apple Store Topanga.

10. Took a September solo road-trip - San Francisco, CA

Recovery brunch with these two sets of lifelong friends was a heavenly ending to a brief weekend of debauchery in the center of all four of these hotties: SF. Pizza and exploring and drinking and sushi made up our first afternoon, after Jenn and I had taken BART in from her neck of the woods (San Jose) and Britt had met us. Then, we followed with Bootie SF and a ridiculously all-white, modern hotel room that Ryan somehow woke up sprawled across. It was pretty awesome. Thankfully even Jess was able to make it for Sunday morning mimosas, followed by Bloody Marys, and we ended our reunion with a late morning picnic on the hipster-frequented grassy hill known as Dolores Park.

11. Learned that October Life is Beautiful -  Las Vegas, NV

This shot was one of the best encapsulations of the scorching sun, drinks-in-plastic cups and touchable stages that made up my extended weekend in Vegas for the first annual Life is Beautiful music and culture festival with my longest-standing bestie Chelsea Hartling. The songs that I learned, artists I fell in love with, food that I tasted and laughs that we shared still buzz through my body like it was yesterday. I can't wait for next year, as this is now an annual tradition! 

12. Extended the family for the holidays - Newbury Park, CA

This year's Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays were exceptional, despite staying mostly cozy and close to home, due to the fun amount of "extended family" we decided to share it with. Above we see Chlo's friend from San Diego, Briona, who fit right in and laughed alongside us like a sister; Nela also joined for an all-American Thanksgiving and has never been less than family. Throughout December we visited with Mike, I introduced the fam to Andrew, we saw the Tennants (my Mom's side) and oh-so-grown-up baby Jaxon, and I felt more blessed than ever to be surrounded by family in the gorgeous old town of Newbury Park. 

13. Took a spontaneous New Years getaway to Jill! - Scottsdale, AZ

Finally, one of my best decisions of 2013 was one of my last: Alex Stegs and I -- reminiscent of our 2009 trip across the Pacific to visit Jill in Sydney -- decided to splurge for a short December weekend in Arizona because of the close proximity Jill would be in for only a small amount of time (considering that she's now in DC year-round)! We spent a long day brunching, exploring Old Town, catching up on our day-to-days now that we all live apart, and seeing old mutual friends who were in town for the holidays. The evening was made up of pizza and beer, a spontaneous bonfire, and almost 10 girls (+ Alex) who were all a crack up to joke, laugh and play Catchphrase with! It made me miss my bestie Jillizabeth Johnson (photo:right) more than ever.

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To one of my best years of adventure and accomplishment yet: 2013!