A Look Back at 2023
The older I get, the quicker time flies, the less I remember. I always have to consult my calendar to recall everything that’s happened in a year’s time, and when I do, I’m always surprised at how much I’ve done.
The beginning of 2023 started off strong with regular manicure appointments, a minor obsession with Harry & Meghan (The Duke & Duchess of Sussex) after watching their docuseries on Netflix, digging deep into my UX Design course with CareerFoundry, starting my new job in city government which has proved to be the first job I’ve ever had that I didn’t want to leave, donating blood for the first time, and going to physical therapy for a tweak in my right knee. All that and more.
Let’s take a look back at a few of my favorites from the year and some of the highs and lows that 2023 brought my way.
Favorite Eats & Treats
Ginza Ramen (Japanese // Rochester Hills, MI)
Paradise Street Eats (South Indian // Detroit, MI)
So Gong Dong Tofu & BBQ (Korean // Troy, MI)
Khana (Pakistani // Detroit, MI)
Leila (Mediterranean // Detroit, MI)
Paris Banh Mi (Vietnamese // Troy, MI)
Le Choux (Troy, MI)
Nostalgia Cheesecakes (Coming soon to Garden City, MI)
Gateaux Patisserie (Dearborn, MI)
Favorite Shows
The Makanai (Netflix)
Battlebots (Discovery+)
The Light We Carry (Netflix)
Queer Eye (Netflix)
Ted Lasso - Season 3 (Apple TV+)
The Morning Show - Season 3 (Apple TV+)
Great British Baking Show (Netflix)
In Conversation with Oprah & Kerry Washington (Discovery+)
American Symphony (Netflix)
Podcasts
Admittedly, I fell out of the habit of listening to podcasts since my commute shrank down to 3 minutes, but I’ve kept up with Armchair Expert episodes as well as Trevor Noah’s podcast “What Now?”. The city I work for now also produces a podcast with our police department in an effort to humanize our officers, give listeners an inside look to all the different facets of each department, and highlight officer experiences. It’s called “Talk’n the Beat” for anyone who is interested in listening.
Books
This year, I read a total of 62 books including a mix of fiction, memoir, thriller, and murder mysteries. There were too many good ones to pick a top 10, but you can see all the books I read here, and for individual reviews of books I’ve read, follow me on Instagram.
Movement
I spend the majority of my day sitting at a desk and in front of a computer, so getting some form of movement in each day was and is always important to me. Here’s how I got it done.
Kira Stokes is still my go-to girl for all kinds of workouts: strength, cardio, mobility, jump rope, and fine tuning
Riding my bike to work. If it hadn’t rained so much this summer, I would’ve been more motivated to make this a daily habit
Walking the dogs in the morning before work, on my lunch breaks and sometimes in the evening too
2023 Highlights
New Beginnings
At the top of 2023, I started my new job as a Digital Content Coordinator for local city government, and it has been a breath of fresh air compared to my last job. It makes a world of difference when you love your coworkers and boss and everyone works so well together. I’ve now got the unique and privileged position of being a resident and employee of the city I live in, and it has allowed me to attend and work city events so I can become more ingrained in the community.
My favorite event that we put on is, without a doubt, Sterlingfest which is our biggest event of the year. It’s a 3-day music, art, and food festival held during the last weekend of July each year. It’s non-stop, it’s hot (which I love), and the days are long but they go by quick. Though I was working most of the time, I did get to indulge in some of the food trucks on site, enjoy the music at night as I was running around, and got my hair braided at the art show.
What’s more, in our new union contract, we now get every other Friday off. Let me tell you, it is such a gift to have an extra day to do errands or chores, make appointments, or do something fun I normally wouldn’t have time for on a short 2-day weekend. It also eliminates having to use PTO for things that need to get done.
Just for Laughs
My twenties were for concerts. My thirties are for stand-up comedy. Detroit has slowly joined the ranks of bigger cities like Chicago, NYC, and Los Angeles in that it’s no longer a city that musicians, comedians, artists, etc. can afford to overlook, and thanks to that, I’ve gotten to see a lot of great comedy shows this year.
Chris Gethard (February)
Leslie Jones (March)
Ben Palmer (July)
Trevor Noah (October - He actually filmed his new Netflix show here)
Hasan Minhaj (November)
Chelsea Handler (December)
Nikki Glaser (December)
Atsuko Okatsuka (December)
John Oliver (December)
Firsts
Being alive, and being human comes with a lot of firsts no matter what stage of life you’re in. Here were mine for 2023:
Donated blood for the first time in January
Attended the International Women’s Summit at Detroit’s Google office
Celebrated Jellybean’s first birthday in April with a paw-ty full of dog treats and friends from daycare
Volunteered with MUFI (May), Ferndale Pride (June), and Greening of Detroit planting trees in neighborhoods in Detroit (September)
Adopted a second dog, Poi
Got a rain barrel for our garden thanks to one of the city’s sustainability initiatives
Milestones
My partner, Tim, and I celebrated 3 years together by taking a ravioli cooking class, and we’ve been in our home now for 2 years.
In November, I turned 35. I’m halfway to 40 which feels surreal.
Just this month (December), I completed my CareerFoundry course in UX Design which took about a year to complete. I had a strong start, but there were times it felt like a slog so I feel relieved and accomplished to finally have it behind me.
Just for Fun
Goat Yoga at Youngblood Vineyard
Yoga with Alpacas
Painted two geometric accent walls in our home
Drag Bingo & Brunch at Detroit Fleat
Little Asian Bites hosted their first ever Asian Night Market at Eastern Market
FRIENDS immersive experience at Great Lakes Crossing Mall
After a 12 year hiatus, Boys Like Girls returned to The Fillmore with their tour supporting their new album
Jada Pinkett Smith came to Detroit to talk about her new book “Worthy”
Hosted 22 Meetups including volunteer opportunities, dinners, and fun activities like tubing and kayaking throughout Metro Detroit
Tim slaying at Harry Potter trivia night
2023 Lowlights
Without a doubt, this year has been the hardest season of my relationship.
During the summer, I had to take an ambulance to the hospital for a pulled muscle in my back that twinged with pain if I dared to move even an inch.
All sorts of skin issues popping up all over my body, making me look like a lizard.
Got my first flu shot since college and ended up getting the flu anyway. Double whammy!
Travel
None, but that’s changing next year.
Looking Ahead to 2024
Making (or keeping) New Year’s Resolutions has never been my forte, but as someone who finds solace in writing, there are a few words that keep popping up in my head as themes or areas to focus on next year, especially as this year comes to a close. In keeping with my therapy goals, I’m trying to plan less and follow my curiosity more and get back to doing things I enjoy while also trying new things to expand my comfort zone. Especially in the winter, I become such a hermit, so I need to get out more not only to beat my aversion to the cold but become more deeply engrained in my community and make sure I don’t become complacent. All of that said, themes for 2024 include the following:
Explore
Play
Challenge
Female
The top of 2024 will start off strong with a sushi making class just after the new year and a trip to the Windy City to follow shortly after. Through our Community Center, I’m enrolled in ice skating lessons and Bollywood dance classes that will see me through to March. I’ve got a few trips that are women-only sprinkled throughout the year which is exciting. As someone who has always had it easier getting along with the guys, I’ve let building deep relationships with women fall to the wayside. So this is one attempt to remedy that.
2024 has a lot of promise. A lot more “go with the flow” energy. I’m excited to see where it takes us.
See you on the other side!