Everything in Two’s: 2022 Reflection

2022 was a mix of emotions and a year of life-changing events. I became Chad’s fiancé, an aunt to an adorable nephew and niece, a sister(in-law) to Cam, fulfilled my Maid of Honor duties for Katie and was promoted to PR & Marketing Manager at work.

A lot of things happened in two’s this year, which I guess is only fitting for the year 2022. I attended two bridal showers, two bachelorette parties, two weddings, two housewarmings, two vacations with Chad (Boston and Deep Creek), three baby showers and unfortunately, two funerals for wonderful people; one being my Mammy, who I will dearly miss.

For two months, I also went to physical therapy after a stupid car accident (my fault) that left me with headaches and neck pain. The headaches are gone, but I’m still dealing with some neck issues and that has been frustrating for me. Since my favorite part of physical therapy was the massages, I’ve been treating myself to monthly massages at Hand and Stone, which has been one positive out of it. My car was also totaled from the accident and I really love my new car, a 2022 Chevy Trailblazer, just not the circumstances I had to buy it under.

Another reflection for this year — and with each year that passes since graduating — is that I lost touch with more friends. I realize this is normal as time passes from the circumstances that brought us together in the first place, whether that be jobs, college or proximity, but it still makes me sad. I appreciate all of my friends who continue to make an effort and are there for me. Friendships are two-sided and no one wants to feel like they are making all the effort to talk or make plans.

Looking ahead, Chad and I are really excited to buy a house, hopefully in the spring/summer of 2023. And of course, plan our wedding! I can’t wait for venue tours, food tastings, engagement photo shoots and all the fun adventures ahead.

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Songs of 2022: My Top 5 Most Played

• My Love – Florence + The Machine
• Blood Runs Red – Matt Maeson
• Clarity – Vance Joy
• Same Team – Alice Merton
• You – Benny Blanco, Marshmello & Vance Joy

Books of 2022: My Top 5 Recommendations

• Wrong Place, Wrong Time – Gillian McAllister
• Carrie Soto Is Back – Taylor Jenkins Reid (I’ve read all of her books and love them.)
• The Paris Apartment – Lucy Foley
• Our Last Days in Barcelona – Chanel Cleeton (One of my favorite authors.)
• Book Lovers – Emily Henry

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Forever one of Mammy’s girls.

2021: My Year in Photos

“We need to bring masks and our vaccination cards.” — A sentence I never thought I’d say, but allowed me to:

• Take weekend getaways to New Haven, Conn., and Baltimore, Md., two cities I’ve never visited before. While I never wrote a blog on Baltimore, I highly recommend visiting the National Aquarium, Guinness Brewery and Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine.

• Enjoy day trips to Grounds for Sculpture, Longwood Gardens Christmas and Valley Forge National Historical Park.

• Go on a Francello family vacation in the Outer Banks (featuring a family, *non-engagment photoshoot).

• Lead focus groups and present at Lower Bucks County Community College for work.

• Spend quality time with my friends.

• And take a very necessary amount of photos of Maizy.

I’m excited to see what 2022 brings! Happy New Year everyone!

My 2020 recap & hope for the New Year

If we knew what was ahead of us on December 31, 2019, would we have partied harder or not celebrated the New Year at all? As always on New Year’s Eve, I was hopeful and excited for what 2020 may bring. Many plans that I hoped for never happened — I’m not going to remind you why.

Kesha concert tickets that was my sister’s birthday present? Cancelled. My new passport? Unused in a drawer. My friends? Saw them less than I already do.

But the unexpected joys of 2020 made my year pretty memorable. I had a successful year professionally and am proud of where I am in my career. Moving in with Chad was also a huge change and I love living with him (most of the time). A couple of months after living together, our house felt more like a home once we adopted our beloved Maizy.

Although there are many things I would like to do in the New Year, I may have to save them for 2022 and that’s okay. Until then, there are many things I hope the world takes steps to achieve: widespread vaccine distribution, actions toward equality and changes to save the environment.

While we might not be able to fully wrap our heads around it now, we survived something we never imagined experiencing in our lifetime, and I hope we can put it behind us soon for a happier, healthier 2021. I don’t expect a fairy tale ending just because the clock strikes midnight, but as always, I have some hope and optimism for the New Year ahead.