New Year's Eve

Here's the thing about New Year's Eve. I never had to consider my plans. My friend Kay has consecutively hosted a New Year's Eve party since 1997. I've gone (up until this year) since 1997. That first year I was 14. She was 15. Her mom was home, and it was all friends we knew in high school. I got dropped off, and my parent came in, of course, met her parent, and it was history. There was the year we had a blizzard, and I was called at 1AM ish and told to not try coming home, I would be picked up in the morning. The year we had plans the next day, and I got picked up at 1230AM. Years, I called my parents because everyone was too questionable to drive me home, and that was the rule. Call and wake up the parents if there was any doubt. There was the year I was going to Israel, leaving on January 3rd, and I went to New Year's, spent the night, went back to the parents for breakfast, then proceeded to leave again because Kay was driving another friend of ours to Boston, and I wanted to say "see you later" before leaving the country for two weeks, and because I promised Kay I would keep her company on the drive back.

When Kay later moved to Boston, it was easier. C. started coming with me. And so it continued for 19 years. Then I moved to Pittsburgh. Originally, we had plans to visit my sister and brother-in-law, who had also recently moved from the Boston area (though not to Pittsburgh). But they had got sick earlier this week, and still recovering, we decided perhaps it would be better to visit another weekend. So, at the very last minute, we decided to attend Pittsburgh First Night.

We saw two art shows, one featuring the female form, and another on the idea of abandonment, showcasing topics on displacement, union strikes, and our reliance on technology, we caught an improvisational-musical comedy show, we saw the parade celebrating 200 years of Pittsburgh history, we caught Fire Dancers, and an Ice Sculptor, we drank hot chocolate while listening to a string quartet, commenting while they played 'Sweet Caroline', living in Boston for fifteen years has always ruined that song for us. We made paper flowers.

(Mine is the green/purple one, and C.'s is the orange/gold one next to it.)

(And if you are so interested, a short video of the Fire Dancers and Ice Sculptors as posted on my Instagram.) And then we came home, and watched the ball from the warmth and quiet of our new home, ringing in the new year together.

We've had difficult months. But I have hope we can conquer 2017. I wish you all peace, health, and happiness in the coming months. Thank you for being a part of my journey.