Sunday, December 31, 2017

Highlights of 2017

Lots of life has happened this year! I spent a bulk of the beginning of 2017 back in Kentucky helping my parents as my dad recovered from sepsis. During my time there, it was also discovered that he would need surgery to correct a triple retina tear in his right eye. Despite the hurdles, we had fun spending time together, ate at nearly every restaurant in Owensboro, and managed to see all the Best Picture nominees.


When I returned to New York on Valentine's Day, Chris and I began putting our relocation plans into high gear. I was making networking calls, applying to jobs, and taking phone interviews in a number of cities across the mid-west. Eventually, we narrowed our prospects to Nashville, TN, Louisville, KY, or Columbus, OH. All three cities had advantages and disadvantages. I had a couple of interviews in Nashville, but things just weren't seeming to pan out there. In late April/early May, I spent three weeks at my brother's house in Lexington with meetings in both Nashville and Columbus sandwiched between being auntie extraordinaire, my niece's 5th birthday party, and my other brother's medical school graduation.


There still hadn't been quite as much movement on the job front for me as we had hoped, but we knew moving away from the expense of New York City when our lease expired in August was the right move for us. In mid-July, Chris and I made a trip to Columbus for a week where we both had some really encouraging networking meetings. After spending some time in Columbus, we felt like it was the right place to pursue. We squeezed in some birthday fun with our nephew in Lexington before heading back to New York to pack up our apartment.


After 10 years of living in crazy busy NYC, it was much more difficult that I expected to say goodbye. Once we officially made our decision to move to Columbus in mid-July, I began the overwhelming task of packing up our apartment. It was a small space to begin with so adding boxes everywhere made it especially daunting. In the end, we got it done.


In mid-August, we loaded up our packed to the brim U-Haul and made the journey to Columbus. We decided to rent a townhouse (more than triple the amount of space we had in NY for roughly a third of the cost!!) in Dublin, which is roughly 20 minutes from downtown Columbus. Upon arrival, we promptly bought a car (our 1st major purchase as a married couple) and began our life here.


We drove back to New York for one final week. I was able to complete my Level 3 Improv Intenstive with Magnet Theater, and we hosted a final shindig in our nearly empty LIC apartment. It was a bittersweet week, but we left with no regrets (and one final completely full SUV load of stuff).


We spent a couple weeks getting adjusted to our new life in Columbus - checking out all the local grocery stores, securing our CAPA season tickets, and organizing our new place. We managed an extended weekend trip to Lexington to visit the Ale8 Factory, watch Brinley and Landon play soccer, and tour Old Kentucky Chocolates. On the heels of that trip, God provided an employment opportunity for me at a local YMCA as a youth development director.



I started that position the last week of September and hit the ground running. It has certainly kept me busy while allowing Chris to search for a great opportunity. We also found a wonderful church home thanks to a sorority sister of mine that lives here now as well. We spent most of the last part of the year exploring our new city, visiting (and hosting) family and friends, and simply taking a breath.

Andrea :)

Saturday, December 30, 2017

Date Nights - December

December is always just a busy month. It seems to fly by faster and faster each year. We spent about a week in Kentucky between Christmas and a follow-up trip for a UK-UofL basketball game that we were gifted tickets to just before the new year.

For date night, Chris found a great hibachi spot - Shi Chi in Dublin. We loved going out for hibachi in New York so we had been searching for a solid place in Columbus. We definitely found it. After dinner, we played games at Table Top Café. Remember our November date night when we met another lovely transplanted couple from NY? Well, one half of that couple owns this café. It is board game heaven with some tasty treats on the side. I love how they do snack flights - so perfect! We had a great time and highly recommend the Table Top Café in Clintonville!


I found my way back to improv by the end of the year as well. For my date night, we checked out a couple shows at The Nest Theater. My goal is to start classes in 2018. I had so much fun taking the classes in NYC that I don't want to lose momentum here. We had a great night with lots of laughs. Definitely look forward to spending more time at The Nest.


What is your favorite date night dinner spot?

Andrea :)

Monday, December 18, 2017

Downton Abbey Exhibit & A Wedding Reception

We traveled back to New York again in December for a wedding reception of Chris' long time friends - Erin and Sean. We flew into NYC and spent a little time with Chris' family before heading up to Albany. It was perfect timing to be back in NYC because the Downton Abbey Exhibit was still open there. It was really impressive. They had lots of set pieces and costumes, but also several bits of background information on the filming and the historical elements. I spent a solid two hours soaking it all up.




The wedding reception itself was held at an Albany bar called The Hollow. We enjoying catching up with folks and mingling with the bride and groom for a bit. It was a fun way to celebrate with the lovely couple before returning to Ohio.


Have you ever been to a December wedding? 

Andrea :)

Saturday, December 16, 2017

Columbus Coffee Trail

The week after our official move to Columbus, I met a new friend at Roosevelt Coffeehouse to chat and network a bit. It was at this meeting, that I discovered the Columbus Coffee Trail. Even though I don't like coffee at all, I was intrigued by the challenge. Plus, Chris loves coffee. I figured it was a win-win for helping us discover various parts of our new city. To get a t-shirt, you only need to have your passport stamped at four locations. We managed to visit five coffee shops before the end of the year.


At Roosevelt Coffeehouse, I had a delicious iced chai tea. It was tasty, but that late August day was the only time I was ever there.


Chris and I went to Fox in the Snow the same weekend we went apple picking toward the middle of September. I had a hot chai tea and didn't particularly care for it. The massive cinnamon roll won me over though.


We went to Luck Bros Coffee in Grandview before church on October 1st. The hot chai tea there wasn't a winner either, but I did enjoy the donut holes.


Red Velvet Cafe was the most adorable little spot. We visited in early November, and I opted for another hot chai tea. It faired the best of all the hot ones I tried, but it still wasn't as good as that first iced one. The cupcakes were a major win though!


We saved the best for last - Crimson Cup. We stopped there in mid-December and it was easily my favorite! It helped that they serve hot chocolate. Super good hot chocolate with fancy whipped cream topping, too! I see myself going becoming a regular there.

Does your city have any local trails to help people better explore the area?

Andrea :)

Friday, December 1, 2017

Photo A Day - December


We had a great finish to an exciting year! We made trips to New York and Kentucky once again - our two favorite places to visit!


Chris helped out with our Breakfast with Santa event at work. I also set up a Giving Wreath which was my most rewarding experience of the holiday season. We decorated our little tree and ventured off to NYC for some winter fun.


We had a great time at another Albany wedding, mailed out Christmas cards, and enjoyed game night at Table Top Cafe.


We made time for Duck Donuts and our favorite Dave and Buster's game before we celebrated Christmas together.


We spent some time in Kentucky before returning to a snowy Columbus. We ended the year playing Nerts with friends. What a great way to end a year of transition!

Andrea :)