2022 in Review: Honestly Kind of a Lot

For once, I've mostly kept this list throughout the year instead of trying to compile it all at the end of December. It's been a helpful way to reflect on the year as it passes, not just once it's already passed.
  
This was actually a pretty good year, but it certainly had its fair share of troubles, from infertility to job stress to other health issues and overall self-esteem struggles.  We didn't do much travel, preferring instead to stay close to home to enjoy our new house and just be a little cozy, which was a nice change from years past but doesn't necessarily make for a fun end-of-year roundup.
 
But the joy was in the small things, the dinners with friends and experiences out on the town. It was in decorating our new home, honing our cooking skills, hosting friends and family at the holidays and throughout the year. It was feeling suburban in a good way. It was growing up and settling in.
  
Here are some highlights.

January

We spent New Year's Eve at home recovering from COVID. Woof.
 
We moved into our new house in Lakewood.
 
 I wallpapered our bathroom, my first project at the new house.
 
The NBA All-Star Game started setting up shop in Cleveland.

February

I ate in one of those outdoor igloo things for the first time. Magical!
  
I got all dressed up to go to a Galentine's Day influencer meetup.
  
We got to try out a sneak peek of downtown's newly opened Cleveland Supper Club.
  
I spent a lot of time attending NBA All-Star events with various friends... in the freezing cold!
  
My friend Erin joined me for the NBA All-Star Game itself. Nosebleed seats, but still so fun.
  
We watched the Super Bowl (kind of) at our friends' Seth & Erin's house. 

March

I met up with my BFF Christina in Louisville, KY, to see Jimmy Eat World perform.
 
My mom and I saw a string quartet perform Taylor Swift tunes by candlelight.
  
I went back to my first Harness Cycle class since before the pandemic.
  
Mike and I (but mostly I) finished decorating the first floor of our house.
  
I watched Bachelor Live on Stage and was thisclose to being a contestant!

April

We stayed at the lake house in Port Clinton for the final time.
  
We hosted my mom for a small Passover seder in our new house.
  
I started taking boxing classes with Pink Gloves Cleveland.
  
I took off work for Dyngus Day and spent it drinking with friends in Gordon Square.
  
I visited Brittany in Columbus, where we ate Filipino food and saw corn art.
  
My friend Sam and I saw podcaster and author Paul Holes speak at the library.
  
My mom and Mike and I saw Nefesh Mountain, a Jewish bluegrass band, perform.

May

Our friends Emily and Ron and their sweet daughter Edie were in town.
  
I finally shared a frustrating health diagnosis with the internet.
  
We went to a fun backyard cookout hosted by our friends' Brock and Laurel.
  
We met up with my family in Columbus for a belated Mother's Day brunch.
  
Our friends Derek and Emily welcomed their sweet baby, Russell.
  
Some boxing friends got together for a paint-and-sip night.
  
I got a very short haircut that I hated at first and then loved and then hated again.

June

I completed the first tier of boxing and "tiered up" into the second level.
  
My mom and I saw Newsies at Weathervane Playhouse.
  
The book that Mike and his boss wrote was published mid-month!
  
I attended a really moving Black/Jewish relations event at a local synagogue.
  
We welcomed our friends Jeremy and Taylor back to town after a year in Tokyo.
  
My mom (and her pups!) came to stay with us for a weekend to explore Lakewood.
  
I went to my first Cleveland Guardians game with Cleveland Clinic coworkers.

July

I took off work to celebrate my mom's birthday with her at Michael Angelo's Winery.
  
We hosted Mike's college friends and their wives for our first gathering at the house.
  
I started therapy for the first time since 2014.
  
Christina and I went to a Backstreet Boys concert, and I saw her 3x while she was home.
  
We were devastated when our friend Steve died unexpectedly at age 35.
  
We saw the Cleveland Orchestra play the music of Lord of the Rings at Blossom.
  
Mike and I submitted our paperwork to formally begin the adoption process.

August

I attended boxing training camp at Cleveland State, which was hard but rewarding.
  
Mike and I spent my 38th birthday at Amba, one of Cleveland's best new restaurants.
  
I saw Dashboard Confessional and Andrew McMahon play at The Agora with friends.
  
I went to my first show at Mahall's, The Spill Canvas, with my high school friend John.
  
We traveled to Cincinnati for a wedding shower for my cousin and her fiance.
  
My friend Sam and I went to a comedy show that raised money for abortion funds.
  
I joined a really cool book club for women at Coven, the local witch shop.

September

I passed Tier 2 of boxing!
  
Mike and I celebrated the beach wedding of our friends Nick and Molly.
  
We also celebrated the first birthday of our friends' sweet baby girl, Joanie.
  
My BFF Sammi and I saw Jimmy Eat Word perform at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
  
I found maybe-a-buckeye-tree in our backyard!
  
I helped plan and attended my 20th high school reunion, which was so much fun.
  
I started a new Instagram account, @eatthislakewood, to chronicle my nearby foodie faves.
  
We joined a synagogue that's only 10 minutes from our house.

October

We attended a very impressive backyard Oktoberfest celebration.
  
We carved pumpkins together for the first time, though they were immediately scarfed by squirrels.
  
We went back to Cincinnati for Grace and Evan's wedding.
  
I spent Rosh HaShanah at synagogue and Yom Kippur at Rocky River Reservation.
  
We returned to Amba for Mike's 36th birthday.
    
I spent a few days staycationing at my mom's house, dog-sitting while she was in Iceland.
  
My friend Sam and I went to an in-person recording of the podcast How Did This Get Made.
   
We passed out candy to trick-or-treaters for the first time ever!

November

I started the month out by voting... and being very disappointed in Ohio's results.
  
I celebrated a very fun Friendsgiving with my new boxing friends.
  
We celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary with dinner at Molto Bene. 
  
I passed Tier 3 of boxing, though still no Challenge Coin yet.
  
For Thanksgiving, we road-tripped to Hilton Head, S.C., with my mom. 

December

I tried flotation therapy for the first time and loved it.
  
My mom and I visited a holiday pop-up bar at JACK Casino downtown.
  
Still gettin' after it: I started Tier 4 of boxing.
  
We won Home Alone-themed trivia with three friends. My magnum opus!
  
I set up the best version yet of my Home Alone Christmas tree.
  
Mike's sister stayed with us for a week over the (very cold) holidays.
  
We hosted Mike's family and my mom for Christmas Day and the end of Hanukkah.
  
Overall, it was a pretty good year, though it wasn't without pain or tribulations. I'm trying to focus on the good and, as always, hoping for even better in the year to come. How was your year? What are you looking forward to in 2023? 
  
If you want to read past year-in-review posts, check out 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018,  2019, 2020, and 2021, along with my overall recap of the 2010s.