Another year has come to a close and as always, I wanted to recap everything that I have done. I got to travel to unfamiliar places, check more ballparks off of my list, and attend more concerts, festivals, and sporting events than ever. I even did a triathlon, something I never could have imagined myself doing. It was a year full of ups and downs, but I’m forever grateful for the life I lead and the opportunities that I’m given. Thank you to all of my friends and family for continuously supporting me and my dreams.
January
I started the year in New Orleans. It was my first time visiting and I had a great time. We explored the French Quarter and ate beignets at Cafe Du Monde, went to the Sugar Bowl game, and partied on Bourbon Street. After that, it was back to LA to continue taking over the city.
February
My friends and I decided to take a girls’ ski trip to Wyoming, while also visiting Colorado. I’ve only been skiing once in my life, and it was when I was really little, so we took a class and then set off on our adventure, trying to ski down a hill that was a bit too advanced for us. It was a lot of fun, despite a few spills, and I definitely want to go again.
March
This was a busy month, both for work and for me personally. After working part of the LA Galaxy home opener, I got in my rental car (at around 6:00pm) and drove straight to Arizona for Adrienne and I’s fourth annual Spring Training trip. We had a great time, as usual. This is also the month that I decided to sign up for my company’s triathlon team and participate in the Nautica Malibu Triathlon. Lastly, I ended the month with a drive down to San Diego to attend my first MLB Opening Day game, SF vs. SD, and launched my baseball-specific blog.
April
I began the month with a trip to San Francisco for a few Giants games in the city. I worked Coachella the following weekend and then rested for a few days. As this month marked the one-year anniversary of Kelly’s passing, we all went out together to honor her in LA. I also bought a Disneyland annual pass, deciding that I wanted to go to the park a fair amount of times this year. The month ended with another trip to Indio to work Stagecoach Music Festival.
May
May was full of new experiences and travel. I had a work trip that took me on a tour of California, stopping in multiple host cities between Sacramento and Pasadena over the span of one week. I also took a trip to Las Vegas at the end of the month for Memorial Day weekend and got to attend Cirque du Soleil’s “O” performance.
June
My younger self was proud of me this month, as I worked Wango Tango and watched the Jonas Brothers perform together again. The last time I’d seen them was in July 2007 at the Sonoma County Fair. I took another trip to San Francisco for more Giants games, go figure. At the end of the month, I took yet another plane to head to Electric Forest in Rothbury, Michigan.
July
I decided to take a spontaneous trip to Chicago after Electric Forest. While I had originally planned to fly back to LA, my flight had a layover in Chicago and I figured I’d stay for a few days and drive with Cam to Nashville, instead of returning to LA and flying to Nashville a couple days later. I absolutely loved visiting Nashville and want to return again as soon as I can.
August
I continued to train for the triathlon with our weekly 7:30am swim clinics in Malibu. On August 27, I celebrated my one year anniversary at work. I then decided that I wanted to take a trip to Europe for New Year’s Eve and booked a solo trip with stops in London and Paris. More on that later, as my trip ended up not being a solo trip at all.
September
¡¡My birth month!! Over Labor Day weekend, I took a solo trip to Dallas so that I could check out the Texas Rangers’ ballpark in Arlington. Of course, that was their last year in that ballpark so I will have to visit again now that they’re in a new place. The following weekend, I went back to Texas (lol), but this time I went to Austin. I wanted to celebrate my 23rd birthday outside of Los Angeles and I had been wanting to visit Austin for a long time. We arrived in Austin on a game day which was a bit crazy, went canoeing, and went out on 6th Street. On September 15, the 22nd anniversary of my adoption, I participated in my first triathlon. I swam 0.5 miles, biked 17 miles, and ran 4 miles; all along the beautiful Malibu coast. I then went to San Francisco, again, for Giants games and to see Bochy’s last game before retirement. Fun fact: this was the first year that I attended MLB Opening Day and the last day of the season.
October
I went to the Hollywood Bowl for the first time to see a Jonas Brothers concert. This was the ‘Happiness Begins’ Tour and it was so cool to hear all the songs I loved as a kid again, like Burnin’ Up and When You Look Me In The Eyes. On Halloween, I left for Las Vegas for the inaugural Day N Vegas festival.
November
For the first few days of the month, I was working Day N Vegas. I then returned to Los Angeles and the following weekend, worked Camp Flog Gnaw. Towards the end of the month, I got to work the American Music Awards. While in the Bay Area for Thanksgiving, I went to my first Sharks game at SAP Center. It was my hometown team vs. my work team as the Sharks were playing the LA Kings.
December
The year went by really quickly, but this month seemed to drag a bit. The three weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas took forever. After wrapping up work for the year and taking a few Disneyland trips to see the place decorated for the holidays, I headed back to the Bay Area to celebrate with friends and family from my hometown. I’m currently writing this on an airplane as I head to London for NYE and will end my year in Europe. The solo trip that I booked has now turned into a trip with multiple friends and I’m excited to explore London, Paris, and Dublin.
By The Numbers
~150+ artists seen live
25 flights
13 Disney trips
11 baseball games
10 states visited
This year was full of incredible adventures and trips. I’m excited for the new year and decade, and all of the memories that will come with it. Here’s to a happy new year and amazing 2020.