I’m sorry—how is it the end of the year?! I swore I blinked and we’re a few days out from 2024. (Although after 2020, I’m surprised I can tell what day it is anymore.) I decided to use the same format as I did last year, and I think I got everything? I’m grateful for all of the new things I got to do this year, and I definitely leaned into the things that make me happy—and keep me sane.
Without further ado, my 2023 recap, folks!
Sports
As part of the yearly tradition, I did my pre- and post-Super Bowl posts for the game. And here’s a list of all the games we went to:
- Springfield Thunderbirds (Pink the Rink and Mayflower Marathon games)
- Boston Red Sox
- Washington Nationals
- Hartford Yard Goats (games 1, 2, and 3)
- Portland Sea Dogs
- My first NFL game
Breweries + Brewfests
We hit up some familiar breweries this year while visiting some new ones—especially on our vacations!
- Iron Duke (Ludlow, MA)
- Problem Solved Brewing (East Windsor, CT)
- Skyline Brewing (Westfield, MA)
- Red Bear Brewing (Washington, DC)
- Worthy Brewfest (Springfield, MA)
- Stars & Stripes (Portland, ME)
- Sebago Brewing (Kennebunk, ME)
- Tree House Brewing (Charlton, MA and Deerfield, MA)
- Brew at the Zoo (Springfield, MA)
- Connecticut Valley Brewing (East Windsor, CT)
- Mike’s Maze Beer Tasting (Sunderland, MA)
- White Lion Brewing (Springfield, MA)
- Stafford Cidery (Stafford, CT)
Day Trips + Adventures
Josh and I celebrated our 1.5 year anniversary in January, we celebrated my 29th birthday in May with an afternoon trip to places of my choosing, and I dragged Josh to a Big Time Rush concert (because Jonas Brothers tickets were “too expensive”) in July that would make my high school self very happy.
We celebrated our 2 year anniversary in July, went to the beach twice, went to The Big E and ate too much food, and had another fun fall weekend in October.
Vacations
Our BIG trip of the year was to Washington, DC! It was my first ever flight, and I loved going to DC and can’t wait to go back. Some highlights include: a White House tour, going to five Smithsonian museums and four monuments, a beginner’s understanding of the metro system, a Washington Nationals game, a used bookstore, and over 87,000 steps walked.
Daily recaps:
Then in August, we went to Maine again! Our travels took us to Kennebunk, Portland, Kennebunkport, and Wells.
Recaps:
Other Highlights
Josh moved in with me in January, we bought into the Barbenheimer craze and saw the Taylor Swift Eras movie in theaters, I was promoted at work in July and also celebrated my five year work aniversary in October, and we saw Jon Stewart, John Mulaney, and Pete Davidson.
Josh’s work had their holiday party in January, and I got to meet all of his co-workers, and then his sister got married in September! Josh was a groomsman while I was his plus one.
I got two new tattoos! (Which is a surprise to me and everyone else.) I got both of them within a month of each other, and I think I’m done for a while—but I’m glad I got them.
Races I Ran
This year I technically ran four races and walked one, but I guess they all still count. All were repeats from previous years except for Stuffing the Pantry, which I definitely want to do again next year.
- Bradley Road Race
- Cinco K Mayo
- Run for Rice’s (Josh and I walked this together)
- GySgt. Thomas J. Sullivan Remembrance Run
- Stuffing the Pantry
Musicals I Saw
Three of these shows were put on by the theater group I volunteer with, Little Shop was performed by the student theater group on campus at work, and a group of us went to see a friend in Bright Star.
- The Bridges of Madison County
- Little Shop of Horrors
- School of Rock
- Bright Star
- Jesus Christ Superstar
Condo Chronicles
Only two Condo Chronicles home improvement projects this year, and both took place in the office. Once Josh moved in, we got appropriate desks, and in the fall, we got a new lamp and bookcase—which means I can just get more books, right?
I’d like to thank my posts from the past year as well as my Google photos for helping me put together this 2023 recap. I ususally put together a bucket list for the new year, but I think I’m skipping that for 2024… but I’ll have my What I Read recap out sometime next week.
What were some of your favorite moments of 2023?
Strikeouts + Sprinkles 