I’m writing a post to look back on my year, and all of the changes that have occurred. If you asked me in December 2013 where I would be in a year, my prediction would have been WAY off. When I left Ohio to attend East Carolina University in 2007, I just KNEW I would never be found living in Ohio again…boy, I was wrong on that account, too.
January was an interesting month for me…I was interviewing
for positions in NC and Ohio, and really pushing to stay in North Carolina so
that I could stay close to my boyfriend and because I knew that all of my
family was going to be living there at some point in the year. Much to my
dismay, the job in Ohio at Nationwide Children’s was the job I was offered, and
I took it because I was ready(and needed) to work. So, I accepted the offer,
and off to Columbus I went in February!
February, I moved to Columbus, and started work the very
next Monday. I loved the hospital as soon as I saw it, and it’s a great place
to work. I also went to my first Columbus Running Club Turtle Thursday run. I
wanted to branch out and meet some more people, and I knew that if I was going
to run a half marathon in October, that I had better get running! This was
probably one of the best decisions I have ever made, and I have met so many
more people as a result of becoming part of the Columbus running culture. I
also lucked out with a great co-worker, and two great supervisors at my new
job. They were all super-welcoming, and my co-worker and I quickly became pals.
In March, my parents came to visit from Cleveland, we
celebrated my Dad’s 63rd birthday, and I ran my first 5 miles,
non-stop, at Turtle Thursday. March was kind of a slow month for me aside from
those events.
April was my boyfriend’s first visit to Columbus, my first
Clippers game, my first 5 mile race(which I finished in under 53 minutes), and
the first time in a LONG time that I was able to go to Chardon for the Maple
Festival!
May was Raquel’s bachelorette party at Middle Bass Island
and Put-In-Bay. We had an absolute blast! I am so glad that I was in Ohio to be
able to help Raquel celebrate and prepare for her wedding!! May was also the
Memorial Tournament, and it was cool to spend some quality time with my Dad watching
some after I finished volunteering. It was hot, but it was a good experience!
June was my 25th birthday, a quarter of a century…I
can’t believe I’m already that old! To celebrate, my parents and I went to see
Dave Matthews Band at Blossom, my 12th DMB show! It was a great
time, though I’m not sure my parents were so thrilled. June was also Raquel and
Ben’s wedding in Geneva, where we had a blast dancing the night away, and spent
some quality time with Kelsey!!
July was kind of a crazy month for me. I spent the 4th
of July in North Carolina, visiting my boyfriend, and got to spend some time
with friends. Not long after that, my boyfriend of nearly 5 years broke up with
me, and I was pretty heartbroken. I didn’t want it to end, but I think we both
knew for a while that it was headed that direction, it was just a matter of
when. Looking back on it now, I’m thankful that he ended it when he did, and am
thankful that we could both agree to be friends. Two weeks after we broke up, I
flew down to North Carolina again, where I spent the weekend with my good
friends, Lauren and Jackson, and also went to see Dave Matthews Band in VA Beach
with them and my now, ex-boyfriend. I went into it with the mindset that I was going
to have a good time, and that recent events weren’t going to change that. I am
SO glad that I went, and that we were able to have such a great time at my 13th
DMB show. The next day, I spent the day at Lauren’s family’s pool with Lauren
and our friend, Jamie, and it was so nice to kick back with the girls and enjoy
the beautiful North Carolina sunshine!
July was also the
same month that I decided not to mope about ending a long relationship, so I
started using Tinder. I figured that it could be a fun way to meet new people,
and maybe get a few dates out of it, too. I quickly became enthralled with the
conversations that I was having, and after one awkward meet up at the rib fest
with a guy too young for me(thankfully, Olivia was with me, so I had a reason
to bail), I decided that maybe I wouldn’t be going on too many dates. However,
as a result of perhaps a few too many alcoholic beverages combined with Tinder,
I agreed to a date with a guy I had been talking to, and my life quickly changed.
This guy chose a restaurant not far from where I lived, and I thought “Well,
that’s thoughtful, not making me drive too far. I’ll go for an hour or two, and
then see what happens.” So, he met me at the door, and 4 hours later, the
restaurant was closing, and we finally left…but I still didn’t know what was
going on with this new guy.
August proved to be great! I hung out with this guy a bunch,
and slowly I began to realize that he wasn’t just “some guy”. I went to North
Carolina to visit my parents, since they moved at the end of July, and spent
the week visiting the pool, catching up with friends, and ended the week by
attending Katherine and Dan’s wedding, what a fun time!! At the end of August,
it was official, I had a new boyfriend. Life is awesome.
September brought lots of Ohio State football watching,
meeting Josh’s family, going to my first real country concert(Jason Aldean and
Florida Georgia Line), and going to Amanda and Zach’s wedding with Josh as my
date. I never thought I would truly jump on the OSU bandwagon, but…here I am.
In October, I ran my first half-marathon, the Nationwide
Children’s Hospital Columbus Half-Marathon,
and finished in 2:18:12, well below my goal of 2:30! It felt GREAT! And,
to make it even better, my friend Megan from NC came to run the race! October
was also full of Buckeye football watching, and we celebrated Halloween on
Middle Bass Island with Victoria, Sean, Raquel, and Ben. Josh and I dressed up
as chicken and broccoli, and had a great time! I also joined a gym close to my
work in October, and started adding weight lifting to my exercise regimen. Josh
started giving me workouts to do every day, and I was hooked!
November was…more football, spending my first Thanksgiving
in Columbus with Josh, and going to Steubenville with Josh to visit his family
and hang out with friends. I met some of his friends from high school at an
OSU-Michigan watch party, and had fun stuffing my face with food and laughing
non-stop. Josh’s friends are just as crazy(probably crazier) than my friends!
December has been great, too. I attended my first Blue
Jackets game(or Penguins game, if I’m being pulled over to the dark side…), and
am getting ready to spend my first Christmas in the South since I was in
elementary school. I’m excited to see my family, but also very sad to be
missing the annual Giomuso Christmas Eve party, and sad that I won’t see any of
my extended family, either. Next year, I’m pushing for a Cleveland
Christmas!!!!! Watching A Christmas Story marathon on TBS just won’t be the
same this year.
Overall, 2014 has been a year of ups and downs, but I would
say for the most part, it’s been dominated by the ups. I have started a journey
toward a healthier me, and have realized that life is too short to spend our
time being unhappy. If you’re not happy with a situation or you’re not
satisfied with where you are in life, make a change! This goes for work,
relationships, or yourself.
I am so thankful for all of the experiences that 2014 has
brought me, and I cannot wait to see what 2015 brings! I hope that everyone
takes time to reflect on the past year, and gets to ring in 2015 with people
that they love. 2015 will be what you make of it. Take all of the positives and
all of the negatives, and use them to grow and learn, and make yourself the
best person you can be.
Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and
Healthy 2015!
Much love,
Ashley
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