January: We left MI after visiting our families on New Year's day. I got approved for my back surgery on Jan. 4th (which was HUGE). Colonel turned 3 on 1/14 (I can't believe he's almost 4, WHAT?!). We went to Las Vegas to visit our pals at Dog is God in Reverse before they moved to Alaska and had a mini 10 year reunion with her and our pal Trevor (Chemics!). Watched the SAG awards and loved them as always. Fell in love with Kid President and his amazing motivational talks. I went to The Ellen Show, ended there was no room for us, sigh.
February: I walked a Color Run 5k with my Second City peeps and it was AMAZING. I want to do another one. I met Keith Coogan with my pal Heather (who had the BIGGEST childhood crush on him ever), he's SUPER nice! The Shakespeare nerd that I am got super excited about Richard III being found. I got sick, boo! My surgery got moved back (boo) but only by a day (phew). The webseries 2 Hopeful Spinsters I was an actor in and did wardrobe for premiered with a season opener starring my pals and Michael Madsen! Joe and I celebrated SEVEN years together on 2/12/13. Colonel Mustard broke his ankle on that same day and I bawled my eyes out, I do not do well when my buddies are hurt. He then got a cast that he wore for quite a few weeks to heal, he also chewed himself out of those casts multiple times. I finished Conservatory 4 at The Second City Hollywood Training Center and had to take a break from moving on to Con 5 and graduating as I needed spinal surgery. I found out I had an enlarged thyroid and had to deal with that crap. I had an allergic reaction to amoxicillin and found out that I should never take that (or any penicillin) again so I don't die. I got a bit down and freaked out here.
March: I had a last hurrah before surgery and got to spend the night laughing with good pals who wished me well before surgery. I felt a mixed bag of emotions before surgery here and honestly felt like I was facing my own mortality. March 5th at 5am I went in to surgery. This day changed my life. I was so scared, Joe and I said goodbye just in case, I crawled naked onto a freezing surgery table, I woke up in bed with a huge scar down my front to Joe's face and beautiful flowers and well wishes from family and friends who are like family. I was fixed after 10 years of broken. It was a hard week in the hospital, really hard, but I started to heal. I went home on 3/9 and lived on pain meds for a bit. I got thrush from being in the hospital and cleared it up by oil pulling with coconut oil. My mom came out from MI to take care of me for a week and it was a great week of being super spoiled. Then Joe had spring break and took care of me for another week. Then my pal Benny came out from NYC (on tour with Beauty & the Best) and took care of me for 2 weeks. I was quite spoiled whilst healing up. I got a sweet handicap parking pass which really helped me a lot. We got our wedding photos back, they were gorgeous! I had a lovely Easter with pals and got to spend the day outside, even though I got a sunburn.
April: April is Autism Awareness month and it is very dear to me as my cousin has Autism. We celebrated Zebbie's 1 Year Gotcha Day, cannot believe how fast that flew and how it seems like we've had him forever. We celebrated the birth of Gwendolyn Everlast a.k.a. our pal Natalie. We also went down to San Diego and spent a weekend with our pal K Mac-Bakes. The Boston City Marathon bombing happened which broke my heart. Texas quake happened which also broke my heart. I bought Betty Goes Vegan and my stomach rejoiced. I saw End of the Rainbow starring Tracie Bennett and it was magic. Got a much needed tax refund-huzzah! We lost my cousin Ronnie which was really hard. Loads of states passed Gay Marriage Equality bills and I rejoiced.
May: We had a movie theatre premiere, red carpet and all, of 2 Hopeful Spinsters and it was AMAZING. Stars were there, Joe & I dressed up, it was our first big night out after my surgery. We celebrated our 4th Annual Vegan Beer Fest and it was MAGIC. I actually got in to The Ellen Show and it was awesome. I watched a lot of 90s Nickelodeon shows. Joe and I went to France and it was wonderful. I got super sick in Paris which was NOT wonderful. Turned out what we thought was food poisoning was our son, we panicked then rejoiced once my surgeon okayed us. Then we kept our secret until we were through the first trimester.
June: I was nauseated all month-ugh first trimester was ROUGH. Esther Williams died and my heart broke. Celebrated K Mac-Bakes bday, mys sister's bday, my Tacquito's graduation, struggled through the anniversary of my cousin's death, Father's Day, my pal Bridgey's bday, and Emily's bday. Laughed my butt off at BRF Syndrome. James Gandolfini passed away and my heart broke. Joe and I drove to Michigan (of course our car Rosalita broke down and had to be fixed but it was Firestone's fault). We had a wonderful time at home and I got to snuggle my nephew extra hard. We celebrated the retirement of my high school theatre's dream team.
July: We were still in Michigan for the start of July. Loads more cuddles with my little nephew. Mini reunion with some grade school chums that was pretty awesome. We picked our anniversary/reception spot. I met up with my pal that I had known since I was a little kid and hadn't seen in thirteen years & met her kiddos. We brought back my parents VCR & my childhood VHS collection. It was amazing. Zimmerman got away with murder and I felt sick in my soul. I fell in love with West Wing & Orange is the New Black. Dennis Farina passed away and I was heart broken. We announced our pregnancy publicly. The family I now babysit for and have known since college moved to L.A. I started swimming after a year long hiatus and it felt amazing. Signed up for my Conservatory 5 audition for Second City. Eileen Brennan passed away and my heart was sad.
August: Minnesota and Rhode Island joined those states who gave equal marriage rights to the LGBTQ community and my heart was happy. We found out that I am a carrier for Fragile X and my world came crashing down. I had an amniocentesis to determine if our baby would be born with disabilities, be a carrier like me, or be "normal". Those few weeks before the amnio and after were hell. The results came in here and I felt lost still. There were still so many decisions to make. Our car got towed and we shelled out $300+ for it, blerg! My first pregnant lady brain moment happened when I locked myself out of my locker with clothes and had to wander the gym in a bathing suit looking for Joe. We revealed we were having a baby boy here. The 2 Hopeful Spinsters webseries was apart of the Hollyshorts film festival. I felt the baby move for the first time on 8/23, that was crazy! News of Syria made my heart explode with sadness. I was accepted into the final level of Conservatory at Second City. My pal Monica visited and I got to see the Disney Animation Studios and my brain and heart were so happy I almost died.
September: We celebrated Labor Day with the rascals of Second City Hollywood and it was amazing. I hung with pals and watched Sharknado-it was crappy awesome. I bought my son his coming home outfit (it's this with Bill in blue). Joanna Garcia crushed my dreams of being Ariel on Once Upon A Time so now I hold out hope to be Merida (I have the hair). I let everyone know that being pregnant can be gross here. I wrote a letter to my son here and it's become my favorite post ever and I will give this to him when he is older. I went to my first Dodgers game and wore Tigers stuff cuz I love Detroit for life! My 2 pups were attacked by 2 other dogs and I almost beat the crap out of the dogs' owner for being useless and letting her dogs bite mine and not stopping them or getting them on their stupid leashes. I hate that lady. I graduated up to maternity swimsuits as my bump could no longer be tamed. I got the dreaded pregnancy cold that wouldn't die.
October: We were reunited with our college pal LaFawnduh and received an adorable baby gift from her. Joe and I went to Michigan to celebrate our one year anniversary of marriage. We had a blast and got to soak in some real fall weather, see lots of loved ones, make and eat delicious food, and party it up with pals and loved ones. See the pics here! We got held up in Chicago but made it back to L.A. after a lot of lameness. I hit the cankle phase of pregnancy where my ankles and calves swelled together to form one. My Tigers were kicking ass and taking names. My son received so much swag from all those who love us. Jimmy Leyland announced his retirement and I wept as he will always be my favorite crotchety Tiger. I finished my baby registry on amazon.com (find that right here). Marcia Wallace passed away and my childhood wept. We started our Prepared Childbirth Classes and loved our instructor. Lou Reed passed away, sadness again. I failed my first gestational diabetes test but passed the awful 3 hour one and then almost passed out. Joe and I went as hipster Ariel & Eric for Halloween with the kiddos I babysit and their folks, it was a blast!
November: The mentoring program for kids in less funded schools for writing put on their big show and I was so proud to be apart of it and of those kids' hard and amazing work! It was so special. :) The LAX shooting happened and I got so damn fed up with all the gun violence happening. My Spartans KILLED the Wolverwieners in football and my heart rejoiced. Spartan nation baby! My phone took a big crap and I have been struggling with it since as I can't upgrade until March. Same sex marriage became recognized in Illinois and my heart was happy. We received an amazing gifts of stroller/carseat combo from our pals Lizz & Sherm. I made a list of things to remember here. We hung out with our pals Bridget (came from NYC), Lizz & Sherm (came from San Fran), and Katie (here in L.A.) and it was epic. My son was measuring 4lbs. 6oz. already-BIG dude. My Pops and brother had birthdays and I was sad to miss them. My cousin Kate visited from Chicago and it was awesome. We found a crib we liked! Spartans continued to dominate in football. USC cut off dependent insurance screwing me and baby boy over big time and the hunt for new insurance began. We celebrated Friendsgiving with old pals and new & the kiddos I babysit for and it was a feast of food and good times. We got a storage unit to make way for baby stuff. I did a photo shoot with my cast for the opening of our show in January (check us out here on Facebook or on Twitter or on Instagram).
December: I turned 29 on December 1st and had my baby shower and it was an amazing day. I received an out-pouring of love from friends and family near and far and felt so special. I couldn't have asked for more. We decorated our apartment with our tree, stockings, wreath, etc. and I got into the holiday spirit. Joe turned 31 and I spoiled him rotten and he loved it. My grandma had a mini stroke and I didn't really talk about it to anyone publicly but it's been hard and my brother and my aunt have been keeping me in the loop and I am so grateful to them for all the help they're giving to her and my grandpa. She is now doing better and I am very grateful. I promoted the crap out of my show opening in January and continue to do so, have you visited the pages and liked us yet? You should, it would mean a lot to me. I wrote, produced, and am starring in this sucker. Please show your support! Nelson Mandela died and my soul broke, Madiba means so much to the world and to me. He is an inspiration for all. Paul Walker passed away and my 12 year old self wept. I was apart of this video parodying the Guinness commercial. I performed a lot of shows with my cast-mates of Me, My Selfie, and I (January 6th we open ay 7pm). I met Lily Tomlin and JoAnn Worley both of whom I love and did bits with me about my giant belly and son. The Spartans became Big 10 champs and are going to the Rose Bowl!!! We decorated the tree at our L.A. family's home and were once again awarded the best light crew award. We made a vegan french onion chip dip and my tummy did a happy dance. Second City had its holiday party and I saw so many of the people I love there and got to perform at Gradfest. I hit 9 months pregnant and my son is huge and just dropped causing my hips and pelvis to feel like they're breaking. My Zebbie pup turned 2! My nephew turned 1! We hosted an orphan Xmas and it was awesome and my cousin came down from Beale airforce base and we got to spend time with him and his wife and it was magic. Last night Joe and I went on our last big Date Night as just a couple with fur-babies. We went to Shojin vegan sushi and The Hunger Games Catching Fire. It was so lovely and a nice last big date together before little man arrives. Sometimes it's just nice to date your husband. Now we prep for tomorrow where we get to meet Coach Mark D'Antonio and Coach Tom Izzo-WHAT?!!! So excited!!!! Best Xmas present ever if I do say so myself. Then we spend a low-key New Year's Eve together.
So all in all 2013 was crazy. Major lows but some pretty great highs too.
And for 2014 here is my plan instead of resolutions:
Before Midnight On New Year's Eve: Write down the things you are DONE with in your life on a piece of paper and BURN IT. THEN: write all you want, desire, wish, dream of on another piece of paper. fold it and seal it in an envelope marked "TO BE OPENED NEW YEAR'S EVE 2014". Put it someplace that you'll remember...sock drawer, your Memory Box, diary, etc...When you open it next year, you'll be astonished at how many of those things came true! Happy New Year 2014!
I think this is a much better plan for me than setting resolutions that I forget about. Plus how fun will it be to read that list next year on New Year's Eve. As the year draws to a close I hope you all have a lovely New Year celebrations and that your 2014 is full of love, laughter, fun, and all the good things!
Take care dear Chickens & see you in 2014! :)
