100 Things That Made My Year – 2023

Posted on by kirbucci

Inspired by Austin Kleon’s 100 Things That Made My Year, here is my annual wrap up, highlights of 2023:

  1. My best friend from high school, Meagan, moving back home after teaching overseas for 15+ years
  2. Working on the NEIL ARMSTRONG, a Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (WHOI) research vessel
  3. The 12-4 watch working on the bridge from 0000-0400 and 1200-1600 (midnight to 4am, noon to 4pm)
  4. Seeing new wildlife:  brown booby bird, flying fish, mola (ocean sun fish)
  5. Making new friends; the crew was awesome!
  6. Learning new things:  DP basics, crane operations, sciency stuff
  7. Family video chats to lessen the home sickness
  8. Charlie, my new (to me) bike I bought it off Craigslist while on the boat in Charleston
  9. Exploring Charleston, SC
  10. Discovering Sightsee
  11. An impromptu visit from my family mid hitch
  12. Frozen G&T and oysters at Leon’s
  13. Meeting a PWRFWD friend, Bobbi, in person
  14. 3 months intentional unemployment
  15. Mac Tourney with Marissa
  16. Morning routine of writing while enjoying a cup of coffee while listening to a vinyl record
  17. My brother introducing me to Magic, the Gathering
  18. Following the Great Blue Herons nesting at the heronry
  19. Shrimp and Scallops from Paradise Seafood
  20. Having a boat named/christened after me
  21. Pool time with Paco
  22. I caught my first snook!
  23. Visiting with my grandma
  24. Teaching Paco to fish for crawdads in the creek at my parents’ house
  25. Finishing the back deck and and adding some new deck chairs
  26. Touring the State of Michigan training ship at Great Lakes Maritime Academy
  27. Fishing for brook trout in Virginia with Sherwin
  28. Visiting the Queen Elizabeth at the Cleveland Museum of Art with Meagan…and seeing The Thinker
  29. Substitute teaching
  30. Great Lakes Brewing Company with friends for Margo’s last tour
  31. Buying wedding bands from Tiffany’s
  32. Applying for our marriage license
  33. Getting married!
  34. Enjoying donuts and bubbly at Brewnuts for our wedding day  / National Donut Day
  35. Marriage day dinner at Cordelia
  36. Justin Michael Will creating a custom wobbly whimsy for me and Sarah
  37. Watching the Indiana Fever season opener in Indy with friends
  38. Feeding flamingos at the Indianapolis Zoo
  39. Finding a new perfect job!
  40. Exploring around DC and going to a Washington Spirit match with Alex and Robyn
  41. Listening to Ben Gage music (in two separate states that aren’t Ohio) and meeting KKG sister Liz
  42. Watching Sue Bird’s retirement
  43. New cactus ink by AB
  44. Making new friends with Chris and Katie
  45. Visiting my friend, Abby, in North Carolina:  lunch at Brewery Bhavana, NC Courage soccer match, fly fishing in her pond
  46. Washington Mystics game with Bobbi
  47. 4th of July weekend in Northern Michigan
  48. Cousin Jenna visiting from CA
  49. Happy Dog and Guardians game with the family for birthday weekend
  50. Rooms to rent art exhibit
  51. New fish tank with Marcellus, the beta, and a handful of cherry shrimp
  52. Edgewater Park picnic with Emily
  53. World Cup matches at Iggy’s
  54. Weekends with Paco
  55. Voting!
  56. The Masshole
  57. Discovering it
  58. Meeting and getting to work with Dr. Smrz, Dr. Zanotti, and all the staff
  59. Getting rid of it
  60. Lovely little meals on food trays
  61. Living life in a recliner for rehab
  62. Animal crackers
  63. The love and support from friends and family during recovery
  64. ALL THE LOVE. ALL THE POWER. mantra
  65. No more monthly periods.
  66. Salt date with Sarah
  67. I started writing again.
  68. The entire WNBA season.
  69. WNBA playoffs and outdoor watch parties
  70. Getting a new Garmin watch
  71. Lots and lots and lots of walks!
  72. Attending the Cat Expo with Meagan
  73. Making marinara sauce with the family
  74. Buying new walking shoes
  75. Discovered a Spanish bakery near our house
  76. Visits from the in laws
  77. New ink with Dave Kruseman, inspired by our cicada book
  78. Starting therapy again
  79. Walking the Lakeview Cemetery
  80. Alley moseys with Hound
  81. Video date with grandma
  82. 45 days until Christmas party
  83. Discovering Superscript for games, comics and graphic novels
  84. Voting, again!
  85. Dinner and theater night with friends
  86. Got accepted to grad school at Ball State University
  87. 2 weeks with Paco
  88. Grieving the loss of my grandma
  89. Johnny!
  90. Christmas in Traverse City, MI and Indian River, MI
  91. Meeting neighbors / new friends Roscoe, Liesl, and Kyle
  92. NYE with friends
  93. Maxed out all retirement accounts
  94. FIRE plan in action
  95. lots of road trip sandwiches
  96. lots of great coffee
  97. lots of good books
  98. lots of sunrises and sunsets
  99. lots of new art
  100. …and so many more things that could be added to the list if it were longer than 100!