Bookworm

I finally completed the Certificate in Fundraising I had started back in 2012.

It's been a long road taking all 7 courses and getting to the finish line. Weill Cornell paid for the first class...and then I got laid off so my studies fell to the wayside. Roundabout didn't offer tuition reimbursement but gave me time off and a $20 stipend to take one (and only one) class. 2 out of 7 in the bag. But with the measly salary of a theater employee, I couldn't continue on. Luckily, Lincoln Center paid for the remaining 5 classes, which I took over the last 2 years. And now I'm done!

There's no pomp and circumstance surrounding the completion of the certificate. I submitted a form online and the certificate arrived in the mail.

It's pretty anticlimactic. For me, there's always been something exciting about graduation ceremonies. A chance to take a day to appreciate all the hard work I've put in and reflect on all I've accomplished. Putting on a crazy hat and dressing up like an owl with my classmates at my side. It's a rite of passage.

I'm always hungry to learn and grow. Both personally and professionally. While I'm done with this program at NYU, I'll likely be pursuing some other academic endeavor in the near future. I'll always be a student at heart.

Jai Bhagwan

After a really tough year, I took myself on a yoga retreat to Kripalu. It was recommended by a friend who had been before and I decided to give it a go. I couldn't be happier I did!

Kripalu is nestled in the Berkshire mountains in Massachusetts right next to Tanglewood. My days were filled with activities: yoga classes, meditation clinics, hiking, kayaking, dancing. I also did my fair share of reading and relaxing. The meals were really great with lots of options. Breakfasts were silent but lunches and dinners were social. My room was perfectly adequate with a beautiful view of the mountains. It wasn't air-conditioned which was a little uncomfortable on 2 scorching nights. Bathrooms were down the hall, dorm-style, but that didn't matter much to me. Guests could opt into or out of whatever activities they like. I took advantage of as much as I could during my time there. The trip was just what I needed: calming and restorative but also invigorating. During a beautiful hike, we stumbled into a Tanglewood rehearsal and got to listen to the orchestra rehearse. That was such a magical moment for me. I ended my stay with a massage and my body certainly needed one after all the exercise I was doing that week. The whole experience felt a bit like summer camp for adult yogis.

What I have come to realize is that I require a significant amount of alone time. I love being around friends and family and I love socializing. I also love spending time with myself and unplugging from the world for a while. This retreat was just what I needed; it felt fabulous to refocus and breathe.

Domestic (Travel) Goddess

To say Alex has been my rock through all of the events in the past year would be a gross understatement. We were able to get out of dodge twice last year to explore this beautiful country. I can't think of a better way to heal the past than to take in new experiences. We took 2 week-long trips. One to the dirty south and one to the mountains out west.

In October, we traveled to New Orleans for a friend's wedding and made a vacation of it. Our Airbnb was insane - we had a whole mansion to ourselves.

We saw the The Degas House, the French Quarter, and took a food tour around town. We ate many po' boys, gumbos, and even tried turtle soup and alligator. We hit up all the restaurant staples including Antoines, Cafe du Monde, Commander's Palace, Brennan's, and Acme. The most romantic of our dinners was the tasting menu at August. We saw jazz on Frenchman Street, spent a day at the New Orleans Museum of Art (and took a walk through the gorgeous sculpture gardens). We saw the World War II Museum, went to Bourbon Street and had frozen cocktails while walking around outside. All in all, we saw as much as one could possibly see during a week in New Orleans. Our weekend ended with our friends' beautiful wedding at a plantation complete with antique cars, white horses, and fireworks.

It was a great week in the Big Easy.

In December, we headed to Park City, Utah for a week of skiing. I was in ski school for most of the vacation and I became quite good! By the end of the week, I was conquering blue and double blue terrain. Alex even skied with me for part of the vacation.

On New Years Eve, we traveled to the heart of the National Forest for dinner in a log cabin by a wood burning fireplace. It was a relaxing and cozy way to ring in 2016.

Alex and I spent most of the week at the Park City Resort (which was huge - we didn't even cover the entire resort in the week we were there). We also took a day trip to Sundance and spent some time exploring Salt Lake City.

A week in the mountains was invigorating. The perfect way to end a difficult year and start a new one with a clean slate. Until recently, I'd been holed away mending my broken soul and having a tough time talking to people - especially those I wasn't seeing on the regular. Mainly because I felt they couldn't see my transformation from crumpled mess to somewhat put together human. Slowly but surely, I'm feeling more like me these days. When I think of my dad, I smile more times than I cry now. Life is a long and painful journey. But the journey is beautiful and along the way I hope to ski down many mountains and eat a lot of jambalaya.