2016 is here. NYE in the city is crazy. Crazy expensive. Crazy drunken. And mainly crazy unattractive. So I stayed away. Instead I spent the evening with one of my lovely roommates and a few friends at a Brooklyn bar. Last year this time I was sick, alone, and in bed. I’d say I made quite an improvement. I wore my very favorite heels and vowed to wear them more often. Because they’re just too damn beautiful to sit all lonely in my closet.

2016 is here. Time is flying. I’ve been thinking a lot about time (something I suppose I do quite often) and how much it has changed me over just the course of one year. I also think about all those things I said I wanted to do, but haven’t. Whether it was in 2015 or prior to that. There are things I no longer care to do, but I hate the idea that I let time pass without really using it.

So, I decided I wanted to end 2015 with something I’ve wanted to do for years – Muay Thai. Silly? Maybe. I’m a huge tv (or is it streaming?) junky. Not so much the shows everyone else likes to watch. I couldn’t get past the first episode of Breaking Bad and watching The Office is much like listening to nails running down a chalkboard. Nah. My taste in shows (and movies for that matter) pretty much revolve around a badass female character. A lady with epic style, quick wit, raw intelligence, and most importantly the ability to kick some serious ass. [Of course that’s not the only thing I like to watch, but stay with me here.] I didn’t play sports growing up and I always felt like the girl that couldn’t throw the ball. Ugh… just thinking about it makes me cringe. I grew up with the idea that girls aren’t supposed to run around and get dirty. Not to fear, I’ve far out-grown this notion (if ya haven’t caught on already), but adding MMA skills to my resume is something I’ve been yearning for – for far too long.

I’ve been working out and hitting the weights for a while now, but I’m not gonna lie… I was really intimidated with the idea taking MMA classes. I had walked by the place for the past 8 months trying to work up the courage just to go in. 2015 was coming to a close, it was now or never (at least in my mind) so I joined what turned out to be a great MMA gym close by. There is literally nothing I love more than a good challenge, especially one that is physical and requires time and practice. I haven’t been this sore in years and it feels so good. Cheers to facing fears (despite how small) in the new year!

Also, how freaking awesome are my new gloves!? I haven’t swooned over leather like this since I last ran into a beautiful pair of Italian vintage loafers.

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The first day of 2016 was beautiful. Seriously beautiful.

It was around 6pm and central park had long ago grown dark. The street lamps glittered the pathways, the lights from the buildings surrounding the park peered their way in, the wind was mostly absent except for the periodic whisper. We were mostly alone, walking quietly, taking in the beauty of the park when we walked up to a bridge I had never found in the daylight. I’m not exactly sure what color the bridge actually is, but that night it was a light hue of violet. A lone man and his guitar stood at one end of the bridge which was odd, but there’s nothing that surprises me here anymore I suppose. We were late to our dinner at the famous Zabars, but decided we absolutely must cross the bridge before heading back into the concrete jungle. As we turned, ready to make our descent from the wild towards whence we came, the lonely guitar man began to play. It was dark on his side of the bridge. Mostly black, except for the very edge, where a streetlight stood shining light onto a couple dancing slowly to the tune. It was really really beautiful. I mean really beautiful. We deemed the moment too personal to interrupt with our walking by so we decided to wait it out. The couple swayed back and forth, twirling with the utmost ease when the guitar man slowed into a hush. It was then that we knew something other than a serendipitous moment had just occurred. The couple stood still gazing into each other’s eyes, barely moving a muscle, their profile to our private screening. We were too far away to hear what was being said, but the air was filled with glorious love. I could feel it half way over the bridge. Then, one knee came down. A proposal in the midst of the first day of the newest year.

I literally could not believe how lucky we were to have witnessed that moment. It was the absolute perfect way to start the new year.

The first week of the new year has been beautiful. I’ll leave it at that. NYC has been treating me remarkably well. For that, I am eternally grateful. At least until the next time it blizzards or I slip on ice or something.

I hope to have some more contributors and post more regularly this year… if you want to share your story on here, holler.