#AMonthofFaves Moments of 2022

It’s that time of year again. That’s right. A Month of Faves is back, baby!

Today’s prompt:

MON | Dec. 5 – #AMonthofFaves Moments of 2022. What were some of the moments this year that you are grateful for. We’re here for hearing all of it! It could be the simple things (I know that’s what I’m celebrating this year) or more epic adventures.

January

• protested going back into the office during the height of the Omicron surge when every other school delayed F2F instruction by two weeks
• went back into the classroom, which was great and weird

February

• Lunar New Year at Disneyland

• Feet completely gave up at Disneyland so much so that I went to the doc to get them checked out–official diagnosis was “overuse”

March

• I went to Mexico for spring break!

• Book events are back and my first one meant I got to meet John Clarence Stewart who played Simon on Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist

April

• LA Times Festival of Books!

May

• Florida!
• First stop: Panama Beach City to hang with the fam and meet a cousin I hadn’t met before.

• Second stop: daughter’s thesis defense (online)! She passed with flying colors, making all of us so proud.
• Third stop: Daughter’s college for her GRADUATION! The ceremony was outside, and it was supposed to rain with like an 80-something percent chance, and every single person from her school along with their loved ones must have been praying that it didn’t because, legit, all day it rained AROUND her school but not AT her school. Still, they restructured the whole graduation in case we had to disband because of the storm, and it was honestly the best graduation I have ever been to. All schools should read the graduates’ names first and then do the speakers. Also, the keynote speaker was AMAZING. It was honestly a banner day.

• And then two days later we tested positive for COVID. All school year with no Covid and then some of her friends decided to party for grad week by going country line dancing and then on a booze cruise. The good news is that our cases were mild, and we got to recuperate by my friend’s pool.

June

• After we recuperated, we celebrated graduation with my daughter’s present: tickets to Universal Studios! A few things:
  • One: That Hagrid ride is the best roller coaster I have been on in my entire life. We waited 90 minutes (N I N E T Y) for the ride and as soon as it was over were ready to get in line to ride it again. Seriously.
  • Two: I learned that my body has adjusted to the dry California air because, as we were waiting to get into Universal Studio, my daughter poked my arm and asked me, “Why are you wet?” And I was just damp from the air! I was not sweating; there was no exertion. No! My body no longer knows how to absorb the water that lives in the air. I spent my whole life living in swamps, but five years in California and my body straight up said to the humidity, “I don’t know her.”
  • Three: I also learned that I get evil when I’m overheated. I was straight up angry at everyone when that midday sun hit my scalp. Using an umbrella helped and then wearing a baseball cap. I am literally a hot head.
• We also finally met my friend’s bonus son’s baby daughter.

July

• went to a taping of Yvonne Orji’s HBO special

August

• Saw the Disneyland production of The Lion King for the first time, which made me want to see the Broadway show even more
• My tap teacher hosted a live Q&A with tap legend Arthur Duncan.

• Went to an LA Sparks game
• Had a pupusa for the first time
• Went to a comedy show at The Comedy Store for the first (and hopefully last) time. The comics were…not good.

September

• Book event with Niecy Nash and Jenifer Lewis to celebrate the latter’s new book
• Screening of Marilyn. The only good part of the movie was the red suit with nude shoes that Ana de Armas wore for the Q&A

• Did something different with my hair

• Went to a comedy show on Chocolate Sundaes night at The Laugh Factory because my mom told me a family friend’s son was performing. Family friend was funny. He had no idea his mom/my parents had asked me to go to support him. I would go to another show there.

• THE WOMAN KING

October

• Saw Clueless on the big screen for the first time
• Nap Ministry event
• Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers event for their Bridgerton book

• Dressed up as Ariel (of course) for Halloween. My goal is to dress up as all the comfy princesses from Wreck-It Ralph 2.

November

• Black Panther 2
• Applied for sabbatical
• Met up with Kathy who I haven’t seen since I left Florida
• Saw Lizzo in concert, ran into Aarón Sánchez in the lobby (and he was gracious enough to take a picture)

• My friend came to visit so I went to both Eaton Canyon and the Venice Canals for the first time

December

• I stepped in as facilitator of my book club (and will be for the next few months) while our chapter organizer is working out of state
• I will be going to Disney World because my daughter is working there as part of their college program
• I will also be seeing the parentals for a do-over of what was supposed to be our week in Orlando that got canceled because of the aforementioned Covid
• Christmas! NYE!
• And now it’s time for A Month of Faves!