It’s hard to believe 2022 is ending.
Every year, I sit down to write a year in review, and the time between those writings seems to get shorter and shorter. “Time moves pretty fast,” as Ferris Bueller says, and this year, I heard his warning: “If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”
I looked around a lot this year.
In January, I started the year by finishing a great book called Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid. I had already read (and loved) Daisy Jones & the Six, and this novel was just as good. Another one of her books pops up in my favorites list at the end of this blog. At the end of January, I joined our HR department at a team-building cooking class, where we made an awesome burger - one I recreated many times over the next several months. It was delish!
My sister and I said goodbye to our childhood home in February when we closed on my dad’s house. We had spent a couple of months after he passed cleaning the place out, filling a large dumpster in his driveway with over fifty years of junk. The items we deemed as special were split between our two places, but even now, we’re finding that what we thought had sentimental value isn’t worth keeping. The process has put a lot in perspective, and I find myself purging my own house. Not to jump ahead, but I cleaned out my bookcases last week of over one hundred books. Why am I keeping books I will never read again or don’t intend to read (because they were free from events I’ve attended)? Why not let them bring joy to someone else? Between the books, the DVDs, and the CDs we no longer need, I have no doubt the old folks home and Goodwill will allow others to find some enjoyment. I still drive by his house a couple of times a week just to see if the owner has made any upgrades, but so far, all he’s changed has been the light fixture at the front door.
We also took a Conceal Carry Class in February. This is something my husband and I had been talking about doing for years. We made a weekend of it, getting a hotel room near the academy, and a few months ago, we received our cards. What I found most interesting about the class was the legal side of things and how maybe some people shouldn’t carry, let alone hold a gun in their hand if they don’t know what they’re doing. We had a few women in the class who were obviously there because their husbands were attending. I saw both of them struggle with things as simple as a grip, and it only reinforced my belief that gun ownership isn’t for everyone. I was also pretty proud of myself for scoring second place (under the instructor) on the targeting tests we had in class. All those video games must’ve paid off (plus the range time I’ve had since I was a kid).
At the end of February, I visited our Phoenix office for the first time, meeting most of the employees who work there and discovering an outstanding taco place called Loco Patron. Later in the week, my husband flew out to meet me, and we hit the taco place again before setting off to Sedona for a few days. We had been to Sedona once before, and the scenery was, once again, outstanding. We stopped off at the Chapel of the Holy Cross, which is built atop the red rock buttes, delivering a spectacular view. We walked the store-lined streets, had a couple of good meals, and stayed in a cute hotel with a view of Snoopy Rock from our balcony. I’ve probably mentioned this before, but the best parts of our trips are when we get in the car, turn on the music, and just drive. We really got our fill over those few days.
In March, after a year of dealing with knee pain and cortisone injections no longer working, I decided it was time to get serious about fixing it. My orthopedic referred me to a surgeon within his practice while a woman at work referred me to another surgeon in the city who was known for working on athletes, presidents, and celebrities. My first instinct was to go with the rock star doc, but I also wanted to see what the local doc said. If he gave me the whole “let’s try fifteen other things before we go the surgery route,” I had my answer. You see, I played the long game with my spine, jumping through ten years of hoops until finally, a surgeon said, “let’s fix it.” I wasn’t going to do that again. So when the local guy said, “start with six weeks of physical therapy,” I was out the door. Dr. Berger at Rush saw me two weeks later and said the magic words: “well, let’s fix it.” His minimally invasive full knee replacement technique would guarantee a faster recovery. Plus, I have never had a doctor who comes with their own entourage like this guy. I must’ve seen six different people during my consultation, and by the time I left the office, we had a surgery date booked. I would be slowed down a bit over the summer, but by the end of the year, I’d see great improvement.
In April, we saw Del Amitri at the Vic Theatre. In college, I would play songs from their Waking Hours album, but this band has been an important part of my history with my husband. It was great seeing them again after twenty years.
Also in April, my hubby and I celebrated twenty-five years together as a couple (eighteen years married) by taking our nephew with us to Vegas. It was his first trip, probably our tenth, and seeing it through his eyes was such a delight. The day we got there, it was our anniversary, and I had booked a chapel where we renewed our vows with an Elvis impersonator. My nephew, who was barely walking when we got married in 2004, walked me down the aisle. It was an epic event, and afterward, we all went to the top of the Stratosphere. We took him to see Absinthe (a dirty Cirque Du Soleil-like show) and O (an actual Cirque show we saw twice in 2000), but the coolest thing we did was visit Area 15. The place is an immersive venue where nothing is quite what it seems. The highlight is a grocery store - that’s not really a grocery store - with hidden art displays inside the fruit stand and an absolutely massive scavenger hunt area through the freezer. It was trippy, mind-blowing, and super fun.
At the end of May, I got my knee replaced. I was more nervous about the epidural than the surgery, but they gave me a little cocktail, and I barely remember any of it. I do remember being wheeled into the operating room, then it was lights out. When I woke up, they got me walking right away, and for the first two days, outside of the stiffness, I felt pretty great. The in-home physical therapist warned me the euphoria would wear off and the pain would kick in by day three, and boy, that absolutely was the truth. Between the pain, nausea, and having to sleep on the pull-out couch in the living room, I wondered if I had made a huge mistake. But no one had said the recovery would be quick, so I was in for long summer of PT and pain meds.
In June and less than a month after my knee replacement, I traveled to New York City - one of my favorite cities in the world - armed with ice packs to attend the Inspiring Workplaces summit and awards. Despite the pain, I was determined to get a couple of slices of New York pizza the night I arrived. Luckily, there was a place half a block from my tiny boutique hotel. I was bummed I couldn't get out to do some sightseeing and shopping, but I was able to connect with a former coworker and accept the company’s award.
In July, we spent a week in Bonita Beach with my sis and her family. We rented a house that was down the beach from the other house we had rented in the past. It was a beautiful place, and my hubby, Stella (our poodle), and I had the lower floor to ourselves while my sis and her crew had the upstairs. A few days into the trip, we were floating in the ocean just beyond the house when I saw what looked like a huge bus swimming along. I did what can only be described as the scene in Jaws when Roy Scheider yells, “get out of the water!” It turned out to be a manatee. Sadly, in September, the house was badly damaged by Hurricane Ian, and the other house we rented in 2018 and 2020 was completely washed away.
August, I continued to heal.
September was an extremely busy month, setting up what the rest of the year would be like for us. On Labor Day weekend, the hubby and I drove up to Milwaukee to meet a friend of his for a concert at the Riverside Theater. We saw Idles, a band I had recently discovered, and they were just terrific. We went to the Milwaukee Art Museum and found another great taco place. Mid-month, my company celebrated forty years in business. I had started planning a huge party for it almost a year in advance. I had three goals: 7th Heaven would perform, it would be like no other party our employees had ever been to, and it would look amazing. I’m so proud of what we did that night, and employees are still talking about it. Watch the highlight reel here. It takes me back to the old days in radio when we’d do stuff like this all the time.
I ended the month seeing my favorite artist, Father John Misty, at the Chicago Theater, with my brother-in-law. I am obsessed with FJM. Ob-sessed.
I kicked off October with another concert. This time it was Harry Styles with my sister. We had great seats at the United Center (it’s almost embarrassing what we paid for those tickets, but life is short). He puts on a great show, and I have been listening to his solo stuff on repeat for months now. We also traveled with my nephew again. This time we took him to Universal Orlando. We had such a great time in 2021 I knew I wanted to go back, especially for Halloween Horror Nights. We hit all ten haunted houses - the best one was The Weeknd’s - and we saw a show called Nightmare Fuel. The music was outstanding, and the choreography was amazing. We walked over thirty miles in three days, and I was in quite a bit of pain with my knee, so needless to say, I was still healing.
In November, the hubby and I saw Janes Addiction and the Smashing Pumpkins (I had bought him tickets for his birthday in July). We sat through Janes, which was great, but after a few songs into the Pumpkins set, we left. Having seen them before and not being the biggest fans, we were happy to get on the road to go home to our pups. My sister and I went to Lake Geneva on her birthday. This was probably the first road trip we’ve taken, just the two of us, in forever. We cried (missing my dad, who would take us up there when we were kids), laughed a lot, and visited the places we used to frequent back in the day. Mid-month, my sister and I and our hubbies had a date night. It was the first time we’d had a couples night since before she had her kids (so like 20 years). We saw Måneskin at the Aragon - a hot Italian rock band I had discovered over the summer - and they were great. We hit the Golden Apple on Lincoln afterward for a late-night meal. The hubby and I used to go there a lot when we lived in the city, and he’d been going there since he was little. Again, it never disappoints.
December kicked off with another trip back to Arizona for the branch office’s holiday party. We had a day to explore and found a Christmas tree made of tumbleweeds. People always ask me, “why are you so into tumbleweeds?” My answer is simple: don’t think of them as dead branches cluttering up the landscape; they’re just little pieces of trees who roll along on their own little adventures. The following weekend, we drove up to Michigan for our Eastern region’s holiday party. A lot of travel in just a few weeks’ time, but fun nonetheless.
For the rest of the month and into the new year, I’m focusing on purging my house. We recently started upgrades (new flooring, furniture, etc.), and after dealing with my dad’s stuff, I’ve come to the realization that I don’t need a lot to be happy. I’ve been hanging on to too much for too long. If you don’t need it, can’t wear it, and have had it stored in a box/drawer for over a year, get rid of it. I actually feel lighter with less stuff and I feel good giving it to people who need it or can enjoy it. It’s not like I can “take it with me.”
And that’s all she wrote. I’ve included a few “favorites” lists below. Happy New Year!
XO Kelly
Books of the Year (in no particular order)
Malibu Rising - Taylor Jenkins Reid
We Appreciate Your Enthusiasm - James VanOsdol (a lot of this book tells the story of Q101 around the same time I worked at Rock 1035, so it’s very relatable)
The Hunting Party - Lucy Foley (favorite author)
Home Before Dark - Riley Sager (favorite new author)
The Castaways - Elin Hilderbrand
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo - Taylor Jenkins Reid
A Touch of Darkness - Scarlett St. Clair
Survive the Night - Riley Sager
The House Across the Lake - Riley Sager
Songs/Albums of the Year
Spoon - Lucifer on the Sofa (album)
Måneskin - Supermodel (song, but check out their music)
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Spitting Off the Edge of the World / Burning (songs)
Father John Misty - Goodbye Mr. Blue (song, but check out everything else)
Pink - Never Not Gonna Dance Again (song I have vowed to roller skate to soon)
Local H - Local H’s Awesome Quarantine Mix #3 (album)
Idles - Beachland Ballroom / The Wheel (songs)
Best Shows/Movies We Watched
Atlanta - by far, one of the best shows out there that’s not your typical series (if you only watch one episode, make it “Teddy Perkins”) on Hulu
The Bear (series) on Hulu
Candyman (2021 movie) on Amazon Prime
Better Call Saul (series) on Netflix
Severance (series) on Apple TV
The Peripheral (series) on Amazon Prime
Peacemaker (series, and seriously funny) on HBO Max
Don’t Look Up (2021 movie) - pretty sure we watched it in 2021, but it was so dang good I’m going to continue to add it every year, available on Netflix
