Time to put a period at the end of another sentence. Oof, that was cheesy!

Anywho, 2021 could be described as marginally better than the year prior, I suppose. The bar was pretty damn low, let’s be honest.

All in all, it was a good year for me. Being able to return to work after not working at all in 2020 was an amazing feeling. It was also a time of continued growth as a person, heading into my 30s in just a few months. There was reconnecting with some old friends (actually in person), making new friends, experiencing new things, or revisiting some beloved places of the past.

One of the highlights for me was being a part of a couple of really cool projects. The first being Robs10kFriends. I’d been following Rob Lawless’ project for quite sometime and always wanted to meet him. The opportunity finally came and it was one of the neatest experiences to chat virtually with him.

A second project I had the honor to be a part of was providing some clarinet sounds for the North Carolina Symphony’s One State, One Score video. It took about 75 takes to get my part right but it was totally worth it! I even scored free tickets to the symphony’s performance of “All Mozart” featuring Randall Goosby in March for participating!

In the summer, I returned to the North Carolina Zoo for the first time since probably middle school. It was a beautiful day and I was able to snap some amazing photos of various wildlife in their habitats, including one that has become an all time favorite of mine.

It was also pretty neat to experience the North Carolina Chinese Lantern Festival this year for the first time. In fact, just a few days ago. I’ve always wanted to go but slacked terribly and just hadn’t visited before. Am I glad I finally did! It was so worth the money to see these majestic lanterns shine their brilliant colors. Plus, they made for some amazing photograph subjects. My favorites being ones taken while strolling through the Palace Lantern Corridor (PSSST! You can check out more on my Instagram).

There was also plenty of social media and blog posting. From photography, to recipes, to rants about NC State Baseball and Football being robbed of amazing opportunities, to clarinet covers, and new pieces in my store.

As we look toward a new year, I wanted to say thank you. I know, I know. Cliché. But I’m truly grateful to anyone who takes time out of their lives to read this blog, engage with me on social media through likes and shares on my posts, check out my store, or just simply show love. It truly means the world.

Cheers to 2022, friends.