2022 was weird, right? Like, it wasn't bad... it was just... sort of... [looks into the distance, befuddled].
That said, the past year was filled with a lot of happy moments and a lot of change -- most of it good, some of it hard, all of it Sally-positive.
I guess first and foremost, Matt and I got married in September. That was pretty cool. Matt proposed with my grandmother's ring in April a couple of weeks before the anniversary of our first date after convincing me to swing by the bar to "pick up a toy for Sally." The original plan was to propose on our anniversary (the 22nd), but he got the ring back from the jewelry designer on the 8th and was too excited to wait (any of Matt's friends and family reading this are nodding and saying "Yep, that tracks"). You can read about and see pictures from the "big day" here. It was a good day.
The rental market in New York City has been bananas for the last year (and then some), so after some deliberation, we decided it made the most fiscal sense for me to move into Matt's apartment in the East Village until his lease comes up next Spring. So, in August I said goodbye to my wonderful little home in Harlem, but not without a feature in one of my favorite publications, Apartment Therapy. It was a delightful and unexpected way to say goodbye to my sanctuary for the last four years.
Matt practically gutted his 5th floor walk-up apartment to make room for me, and over a few weeks I did my best to make it a home for the three of us (I mean me, Matt, and Sally -- we're not at the kids stage yet, calm down). It's been a little while since either of us have lived with anyone, so it's taken some adjustment. Zoom calls with a "fresh out of the shower" Matt walking by in the background added an element of surprise to my meetings. My plants have tested Matt's patience with the fruit flies that sometimes plague them and how much space they take up. There's, like, a lot of hair. But a few months in, the three of us have found a nice rhythm (and I got a WeWork membership). Most importantly, Sally gets a lot more trips to the small dog park and even more attention from her humans on a daily basis.
We were able to take some great trips this year. The first was to Hawaii to visit Kevin and attend a friend's incredible wedding in Jurassic Valley at Kualoa Ranch, and where Matt had his first spam musubi experience. Another was to London for Matt's sister's wedding, where he got to have a full English breakfast every morning and didn't have anyone ask him "So, where does 'Sally Can Wait' come from?"(because everyone in the UK gets the reference). Matt is open to abandoning New York altogether and living in either of these two places, so if you hear of any job opportunities for either of us, let us know.
I took a few solo trips, mostly for weddings or wedding-related events, including Austin and London (again). I think Matt and I both hope that we can get out and travel a bit more in the coming year, and maybe even bring Sally along. Yes, even to our honeymoon, whenever that may be.
On the job front, I've been consulting for the last year and started looking for a full-time role in earnest mid-way through the year. While I continued my search I was able to serve in some fractional executive roles and worked with some lovely teams; this also gave me the opportunity to get clarity on what I'm looking for in a role and a company. As for Matt, he and his business partner, Zak, made the difficult decision earlier this month to close down Sally Can Wait after being open for a little over a year. The bar's last night will be on New Year's Eve; Sally and I will be there that night to bid the place one last "Oy Empingao" before heading into the New Year and onto a new chapter. What's the next chapter? We're not sure yet, but we're confident that it'll open up a lot more opportunities for Matt personally and professionally and, who knows, it may even allow him to pursue music a bit more. All I know is that the city will be just a little less fun without New York's shortest bouncer working the door with a furry cucumber-addicted sidekick. And Sally.
But I know what you're really here for is the Sally content. Who am I to keep her fans waiting? (Use the arrows on either side of the picture to scroll through.) Special shout out to Alison who had a Sally pillow made for my birthday and it's the best gift ever.
So, yeah. 2022. My holiday cards certainly look a lot different now and going forward than they did in 2019. Many awesome moments and experiences, a handful of major life changes, a few bumps in the road, and as always, nothing but gratitude for both the highs and the lows. Well, I may have a couple of other words that I could use for the lows, like, right now. But for the time being I'll just say: Oy Empingao!
Thanks to everyone who supported us, made us laugh, gave us a shoulder to cry on, told us when we were full of shit, fed us, and celebrated with us. We love all of you more than we can say.
Is Sally a papillon?