Taking on New Adventures

As 2019 comes to a close, I spent the past few days reflecting on the wins and losses of this year and gearing up for a 2020 that is sure to provide a myriad of exciting challenged. But before we hop into the new decade, I wanted to reflect on the past 10 years.

I ushered in 2010 in the control room at CNN in NY. How do I remember this? Thanks, Facebook memories. Seriously, though, it’s fun to look back at those and see where I was on Jan. 1, 2010. Back then, I was the main booking producer for Anderson Cooper’s New Year’s Eve show and instead of being on the road or at Times Square, I hung out at the office and made sure the live guests, musical guests and others were all set up. It was one of those cold, snowy NYC days and while I didn’t realize it then, was my last New Year’s Eve show at work.

I had gotten a promotion at the end of 2009 and spent the next 4 years covering some of the biggest news stories and literally traveling the world. I also got in some fun travel with my family and friends during those early years. By 2013, though, I was tired, burnt out and in full dislike of living in NY. So I spent the year looking around for a new job and lucked out with a job in New Orleans.

Moving here wasn’t about the job, though. It was about being closer to family. My aunt had cancer and was going through a major surgery at the end of 2013 that doctors hoped would kill the cancerous cells in her body. I wanted to be nearby to help and to also be able to be around family again. It had been 13 years since I was close enough to family to go grab a meal. So I packed up my stuff and moved to New Orleans to start a new life and a new adventure. I had a cool and interesting job and was starting to build friendships here with some of the great, new people I met.

2014 brought hardships as I was laid off from my cool, new job. But I was able to start work pretty soon after at a good company in NOLA. While the work started off with promise, if I’m being honest, it was the most frustrating job I had ever had. I liked the people I worked with, a lot, but felt like the overall company culture was stifling of people with ambition. So many great and smart people work there, but the utilization of the talent in the communications department was underwhelming. And as time went on, I was bored. Plus, I got passed over for a promotion to do something I had been doing for almost a year. At that point I realized there was not much of a future for me there. So I decided to look around and see what was out there.

I made the decision to leave at the end of 2017 and in January of 2018, started my new “career” in conference and meeting planning. I reunited with a CNN pal here, as it is her company. And while this work is extremely challenging, which is what I crave, it’s also kind of fun. Not always. But most of the time.

Outside of work, my life has always been crazy. It’s fun and frustrating, busy and slow and everything in between. Since New Year’s Day, 2010, I’ve built on my friendships, stepped back from a few others and created new ones. I’ve dated, been frustrated with the scene, and ended up marrying someone who I never thought when I first met him that we would date, much less get married.

I’ve been lucky enough to travel to some new places and return to places I love the past 10 years. I’ve checked out some amazing restaurants, bars, tourist spots and non-tourist spots along the way. I’ve played tourist in my own town, exploring Manhattan as much as I could and checking out every nook and cranny of New Orleans I can find.

I’ve faced cancer again and beat it again. I’ve had a couple of other medical issues pop up that I was able to overcome. I’ve faced loss as my aunt passed away from cancer in 2018 and then my Gramma just a few weeks ago. I’ve faced heartache and pure joy! It’s life and every step of the way was a lesson that propels me into the next day and the next challenge.

I hate New Year’s resolutions. I rarely stick to them and then am disappointed when I don’t. So my vow for 2020 is to keep on keeping on. Keep loving, keep trying, keep playing, keep laughing, keep traveling and keep being me. It has taken a long time to realize that the only thing that matters is what I think and what Chuck thinks. Other than that, I need to stop worrying about others thoughts on my life.

So here’s to 2020 and the next decade of life. I can’t wait to see what’s in store!