2018 Review

2018 was eventful but thankfully not as eventful as previous years. Here are some of the things that happened in 2018, mostly in no particular order.

1. Made a new 101 in 1001 and started up this blog again.
2. Downton Abbey movie was announced!
3. Lots of letters sent and received!
4. More genealogy and DNA cousin discoveries
5. Read some books (I rediscovered audio books and podcast university lectures), saw some movies (finally saw ThorRagnarok), but didn't get much walking in (mostly due to the very hot summer we had)
6. In April Sharifa & Irvin visited Boston, and we got to hang out
7. Took my niece to L.A. Burdick for hot chocolate
8. Walk for Hunger in May
9. Letters Live, NYC in May
10. Helped with researching props for a NY festival play
11. Victory Gardens, Boston with my sis and dad (June)
12. June 10 - Sagres at Fan Pier, Boston, and the Boston Portuguese Festival on City Hall Plaza
13. The Wizard School Scavenger Hunt at the MFA (Watson Adventures, Aug.)
14. Mid Aug.-Sep. 30 was spent worrying about my Uncle Manny. It was a deja vu feeling in many ways from the year before when Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico in 2017, and we had no word as to how he was until Oct. 7 when an internet angel actually went to his house (all I had was a PO Box and a vague description of where he lived) to check on him. Cells weren't working in his area so she snapped a photo and messaged it to me on Facebook once she was back in an area with reception. We were able to reach him by phone a week later and were overjoyed to hear his voice, but seeing his photo on Oct. 7 and being the receiver of such kindness from a total stranger had my mom and me crying happy tears. Fast forward to 2018 when he was supposed to visit us but had returned home early and fell ill. By all accounts he was ill when he was visiting other family, but he was worse when he returned to P.R. Weeks followed where the news of his health yo-yo'd between improvement and worsening. We got the call on Sep. 30 that he had passed away.
15. Finally attended the Boston Book Festival (Oct. 13)
16. November saw a get together with friends from high school, and it was great to catch up!
17. NaNoWriMo fail
18. Tried pork pot pie and a piece of English country manor farm cheese (it was green and had sage in it), although not at the same time