New Year, New Beginnings

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone had a great holiday season. I've been spending my winter break relaxing with loved ones, catching up after being abroad for four months. My family and I drove from Ohio to Florida for Christmas, as we always do. I took the time to fully recover from jet lag and unwind after a busy semester. My parents, brother, sister and I rode a boat and jet skis, walked on the beach, and stuffed ourselves with seafood.

Instead of staying with my family for New Year's Day, though, I took a flight to central New York to be with my boyfriend, who happens to have a January 1st birthday. Jake and I have been dating for more than two years, and I had yet to spend his birthday (or New Year's Eve) with him. I figured this year would be the perfect time to change that routine, since I might have a job (or will at least be searching for a job) during the holiday season next year- YIKES! Jake and I had a fantastic New Year's Eve and New Year's Day with his family, ringing in 2015 with a New Year's kiss. We spent a few days together after the holidays as well. Jake and I always take advantage of school breaks, where we can just be together without having to worry about homework, classes, internship applications, extracurricular activities, and the other stresses of college.

2014 was truly a great year, which I spent all over the world. I completed sophomore year at Syracuse, interned with a magazine in New York City during the summer, and spent the fall semester abroad in Berlin, Germany. I appreciate every opportunity that has come my way.

Here are 15 of my favorite moments of 2014:

1). Spending nearly four months in Europe, visiting Germany, France, the Czech Republic, England, Denmark, Sweden, and Hungary.

2). Celebrating the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, surrounded by millions of people

3). Eating escargot and croissants in Strasbourg, France

4). Exploring London with my dad, posing in red telephone booths, and watching the guards at Buckingham Palace

5). Partying in the famous Budapest thermal baths with friends

6). Taking a 20-minute subway ride from Denmark to Sweden– just because

7). Touring New York City with my family, boyfriend, AND best friends (and seeing Broadway shows with each!)

8). People-watching in Times Square until 4 a.m. with my boyfriend 

9). Waking up at 3:30 a.m. with my mom to see Jennifer Lopez perform in Central Park for Good Morning America

10). Interning at a top national magazine among some of the most impressive journalists I've met

11). Being invited to, and attending, a closed panel led by Dr. Oz (and also seeing J. Lo, Daniel Radcliffe, James Franco, and the guy from Humans of New York during my time in NYC)

12). Watching the sunset over the ocean in Florida with dolphins swimming in our boat's wake

13). Exploring the waters of Southwest Florida on jet-skis with Jake

14). Celebrating my two-year anniversary with Jake

15). Starting Meet Me In Midtown

I truly appreciate every opportunity that has come my way this year. I can't wait for what 2015 will bring. I don't like making New Year's resolutions, because I never keep them and find them stressful. However, I will aim to secure another great internship and improve my health through diet and exercise.

Meet Me In Midtown will be updated whenever I have time, hopefully two or three times per week. Most of my content thus far has involved my experiences in New York City and Germany. While I'm at school, I will continue to post life updates, but I will also publish more articles relating to lifestyle and college. My blog doesn't have a concrete theme, but I like posting about a wide range of topics. I want to keep things interesting.

Thanks for reading, and I hope everyone has a great start to 2015!