2022 A Year in Review: Up, Up and Away

Year in Review
Written By Joel

2022 was a year of incredible moments, hard work, and a life that continued to flourish. We began the year in new jobs that started only weeks before the calendar turned to 2022. We were both working from home at the start of the year, the pandemic making an ugly return. Unlike in the previous two years nothing shut down, and outside of increased mask mandates, life went on like normal. 

For a lot of January, we were out, looking to recapture the love for NYC that had been taken away over the last two years. We spent time going to the opera (twice in one month), and going out to dinners like at the beautiful chef’s counter hiding behind the art gallery at Frevo. But when I really think about the new year I remember the two massive snow storms we had and taking Frasier out to play. Frasier loves the snow almost as much as Jenn who will get out of bed just as the sun rises to take in the fresh powder. 

Many weekends we were out looking at apartments to rent and buy. It’s something that Jenn and I spend a good deal of time talking about on any given year and at the start of 2022, we were seriously in the market. Our main areas of focus were the upper west side and Brooklyn (specifically Dumbo and Brooklyn Heights). We toured many buildings, some brand new, others many decades old. At one point we even started to put together an offer on an apartment in Brooklyn Heights before we both thought better of it. In the end, we decided that the most prudent decision for our family and what we wanted was to stay put and continue to enjoy renting our beautiful corner unit. It was fun to look and I’m sure in the years to come we will go out and do it again, but for now, we’re more than happy with our current apartment. 

With the apartment decision behind us, we reached February and embarked on a busy month. It started out at the 3 Michel Star restaurant, Le Bernardin. It’s a restaurant that’s been on our “to try” list since we arrived in New York and we finally made it happen. It was the rare restaurant with this level of acclaim that we didn’t fall madly in love with. Luckily it was only a week later that Jake and Kayla came out to visit over the President’s Day weekend and we were able to have some incredible meals. From Cote to Rezdora the trip was as much about food as it was about traveling around New York. We had an incredible time with the duo and by the time their trip was wrapping up, I was onto my first work trip at my new job. 

Part of my new role is to go to the London & Paris offices about every 6-7 weeks. My first trip was delayed by the winter COVID surge but on Jake and Kayla’s final evening with us, I took a British Airways flight for a full week in London. As the year went on I got much better at frequent international travel but this first one was incredibly tough. Looking back it was the quietest I ever saw the airports which only got more crowded as the year went on. My favorite thing to do on these trips is on the very few minutes I am free from work I like to take a long walk. On this first trip, it was to Buckingham Palace and St. James park where I proposed to Jenn in 2003. I sat on what I believed was the same bench that I proposed on for nearly 30 minutes before grabbing my flight home. This was the first of six trips across the pond in 2023. 

When I arrived back from my first trip Jenn was off a few days later for her first of several work trips this year as well, this one to Nashville. Fortunately, we were able to stay home for most of March and it wasn’t until the last week that I was back on the road. After a full week in London I met Jenn in our favorite city in the world, Paris, where we had five days to enjoy being back out and traveling again. We soaked up every second of our time in Paris with multiple Michelin meals, lots of long walks, museum visits, and a day trip to Versailles. Its hard to remember how amazing it felt at the time to be traveling given as of now we’ve done so much of it but back in April being out of New York and seeing places that we had dreamed about visiting during the height of COVID felt surreal. We had also had such a busy start to the year that this time together was invaluable. 

Jenn, unfortunately, had her flight canceled on the way home (we had separate flights on different airlines) and was delayed getting home a day later. We were so excited to be reunited with Frasier that the following weekend we hit the road and made our way to the Hamptons where Frasier was able to let loose and run around in the water. I’ll never forget the peace and calm I felt as we lay on the beach, looking out at the ocean. It’s the longest we’ve ever stayed there but it was one of those memories and moments that transcended the year. 

With that winter became spring and we put away the jackets and took out the lighter clothes. Towards the end of April, we made our way to California to celebrate Passover and to see Cam and Gracie along with a pregnant Ally. We arrived on a Thursday morning grabbed In-N-Out and had dinner with Jake and Kayla. The next day we spent it with the Nordbeck’s, and that evening going to a sunset wine event at the Ritz Carlton in Laguna. The weekend closed out with our annual Passover something that Jenn and I try to come out for every year and were able to squeeze it in between quite a few big trips. 

My parents came to visit Jenn and me a few weeks after we returned from visiting them. Somehow I got the weekends they were coming mixed up and had to adjust my work flights to make sure I was home when they visited. We shared some great meals and made a few road trips out of the city. The first to New Jersey where we saw the gravestone of my Dad’s Grandpa along with some of his other extended family. We also visited the home my Dad was born in along with where my Grandma lived in Paterson. It’s actually something I’ve thought about a few times since visiting how weird it is to be mere miles away from where my family was before I knew them or was even around. The highlight of the visit was going to Connecticut which I know my Mom loved as well as Rye, which was less exciting. Their last evening in New York was also my flight back out to Europe (the third of the year.) This one started in Paris and then was in London. Outside of it being a beautiful week of weather there wasn’t anything exciting to report on this visit. 

One of my fondest memories of 2022 was a short road trip that Jenn and I took to Niagara Falls and Toronto in mid-June. Outside of day trips to the Hamptons and one weekend getaway to Washington DC we haven’t done nearly as many weekend getaways as we’d like. We rectified that once this year. After dropping off Frasier we made our way to Buffalo to have dinner with my Grandma and Ron before crossing the Canadian border and staying a few days in Niagara Falls. The highlight wasn’t actually the falls but 30 minutes outside of the city at Niagara on the Lake a beautiful little town and wine destination. We spent a few days afterwards in Toronto before driving home. There was something magical about getting in our own car and just driving to places we’ve never been. 

Our first big trip of 2022 was to be one that we built alongside my work trip to Paris and London. The original plan was to leave a few days early for London and Jenn would meet me there. Unfortunately someone got COVID near me so that delayed my trip out. Jenn and I ended up flying to London on the same day on different airlines and meeting up in Heathrow. It was surreal getting to Heathrow and seeing Jenn there waving to me ready for our next adventure. The next day was pure magic and a lot of walking. We had a wonderful time being in the city where we got engaged in 2008. Unfortunately on our second day in London Jenn started to develop a full body rash and not feeling great. We got some creams thinking it was a reaction to the hotel and went about our day. 

On our third day in London, it didn’t seem to be getting any better so we got her into an urgent care where they prescribed her steroids. It was at this point we had a tough decision to make and decided to cancel the rest of our personal trip to Paris, Milan, Tuscany, and St Moritz. That evening Jenn took an Uber to Heathrow to stay at an airport hotel while I stayed behind to finish up my work trip. The next morning Jenn flew home and I took the train to Paris. By the time Jenn boarded the plane she started to develop a cough and when she arrived home after testing negative every day in London, tested positive for COVID. She was prescribed paxalovid and somehow was able to get it from CVS and started her battle with COVID. Meanwhile I was in Paris, thousands of miles away wrapping up my work obligations before changing my flight to get home as well. By the time I got home from Paris Jenn was starting to feel better and it was only two days later that I tested positive for it with a much milder case. Fortunately the medicine for Jenn helped her rash go away and her symptoms subside after a couple of really rough days. 

After we were both recovered it was the middle of the summer and we did everything we could to stay cool from a very hot summer. That was except for the weekend when we had the bright idea to do a road trip to Yale University. We were looking for anything to get us out of the apartment after a lot of COVID recovery so we decided to go check out Yale. We brought Frasier along with us and on one of the hottest days of the year we walked around campus. Even though it was hot out it was actually a very fun experience and one that I still look back on fondly six months later. 

As our birthdays approached there was one big question on everyone’s mind. On what day would Ally & Tim’s first child Abby’s birth land? When my birthday approached Ally was admitted to the hospital and all day it looked promising that we’d share our special day. I’ll never forget being at The Bar Room at The Modern with Jenn getting texts saying it would be any minute. It just so happened that Abby had other ideas and she decided she’d rather share her day with Jenn when she was born just after midnight on August 3rd. Both Abby and Ally did perfectly and we were able to FaceTime them both a few hours later.

One of my best memories of all of 2022 was in mid-August. Out of nowhere Jenn said she wanted to go out for a drink at the St. Regis bar after work. It’s not very often that Jenn makes plans for drinks or dinner so I was already a bit suspicious. When I arrived she was glowing in a beautiful red dress and a massive smile on her face. I knew right away when I saw her, but a few seconds later she told me that she had been promoted after 8 months to a Sr. Director. I’ve never seen Jenn work harder then she has at this job and its been so impressive. We had a few drinks to celebrate this massive accomplishment. 

It’s funny when Jenn and I first moved to New York in 2018 we had a shared notepad of things we wanted to do in the city that we hadn’t experienced. One of them was a Yankee game which for some reason we just never got around to doing. We probably wouldn’t have gone this year had I not been gifted two incredible seats right behind home plate. They were by far the best seats we’ve ever experienced at a sporting event. We loaded up on food and drinks and enjoyed a cool summer evening at Yankee Stadium.

Nearly two months after our failed first trip of the year Jenn and I tried our luck at another European vacation at the end of August. This time we were going on the back of Jenn’s work trip to Dublin. I left a couple of days after Jenn and met her at her hotel in Dublin. After a very long and busy few days for Jenn we were able to start our trip in Dublin for a few days. We did a lot of walking and had some delicious dinners. I’ll never forget doing a rather lame whiskey tour and seeing Jenn try it for the first time. You’d think you had handed her poison, she was not a fan. 

From Dublin we made our way back to Dubrovnik for the first time since 2012. We had only gone to the city for a couple of hours on a cruise and fell in love with it. Since then we’ve always wanted to go back and I’m so glad we made it happen. I’ll never forget driving into Dubrovnik and getting out of the car at the Hotel Excelsior with beautiful views of the ocean from the lobby. After all the stress of COVID in July and cancelled plans it was surreal to be here in one of the most beautiful places in the world. For the next four days we explored the walled city, had some incredible meals, did a Game of Thrones tour and even did a 3 country wine tour which let us try a winery in Bosnia, Montenegro, and Croatia. We had an excellent tour guide and along with some great wine and wineries got a ton of stamps to add to our passport collection. 

After four days in Dubrovnik, we were off to our last stop of the trip Copenhagen. I’ve wanted to go to Copenhagen for a long time (almost exclusively for its food scene) and this was the year I finally convinced Jenn. I know I am writing this but I can confirm with 100% certainty that Jenn agreed that we should have come here a long time ago. We loved Copenhagen. Its a beautiful city with an out of this world food scene. We had some of the best meals of the year here and we didn’t even get to go to some of their most famous ones like Noma. Outside of eating we walked around the city, went to museums and castles, and enjoyed the beautiful city. Unfortunately in the last few days, Jenn started to develop the same rash she had during COVID again and although never tested positive wasn’t feeling 100%. Our last day in Copenhagen was the only one she really wasn’t feeling well so we took it easy at a museum right near our hotel and had a more relaxed dinner. We were able to get our flight home to switch from Dublin (where we would have to go back to for a day) to fly directly home from Copenhagen so it worked out. Jenn never did test positive and the rash eventually went away. 

There were only about ten days from our arrival home from Copenhagen and Jenn’s departure to Sonoma where she met Amy for a weekend of wine tasting before a week offsite in Sausalito. I was only home for a few days without her before I boarded a plane back to Paris and London for work. Jake met me at the tail end of my work trip in London for our somewhat annual brothers trip. We spent a day in London driving to Dover before taking the train the next morning to Brussels. It was a rainy day in Brussels but we donned our umbrellas and made the best of it. Its a very walkable city even in the rain so we were able to sample the local chocolates and coffee. Our final stop of our brothers trip and the main event of the trip was Amsterdam one of my personal favorite cities in the world. We explored the canals and took in the beautiful city both in the rain and sunshine. I love that Jake and I are able to make these trips together especially since we don’t get to spend as much time together living on opposite sides of the country. 

If that wasn’t enough traveling for us we only had a few weeks at home before flying out to California for my mom’s 60th birthday. Jenn was in Denver for work so she met me there. When we arrived Amy & Ryan got COVID so we weren’t able to see them but we were able to see the rest of the family and meet Abby for the very first time. It was a very short trip but I’m so glad we were able to spend some time with the family and celebrate my moms 60th birthday. 

One of Jenn’s favorite activities since coming to New York is to go apple picking. With all of the travel in September, we didn’t get to go during the prime season but were able to still get our fair share of apples picked with Frasier sniffing the ground looking for any loose scraps he could find. As much as I love traveling with Jenn sometimes these simple trips on a weekend are just as special. Sadly for me, I was only to enjoy apples for a couple of days because a few days later I went in to finally have my wisdom teeth removed. The procedure was actually pretty easy and the pain was pretty tolerable. Within a couple of days, I was feeling fine and a week later I was back on a normal diet. I’m glad I finally did it. 

November felt like it came and went in a flash. I had another trip to London and Paris while Jenn went to Montreal. By the time Thanksgiving week arrived, we were both exhausted and ready for a break. We decided to keep our Thanksgiving as light as possible. Jenn woke up and immediately went on “parade watch” from our living room. After taking Frasier for a long walk we went and had our Thanksgiving feast at one of our favorite restaurants in the city, Wallse. It wasn’t a traditional Thanksgiving meal which we were grateful for. We had tried to go there in 2021 but I had gotten sick so I’m so glad we were both able to do it on this go. The next day we did our annual Christmas decorations with champagne and snacks. It’s still far and away one of my favorite days of this and every year. 

A week later we were able to cross another thing off Jenn’s bucket list, Orlando. Jenn has been bugging me to go to Orlando for as long as we’ve been married and thanks to work we were finally able to make that happen. To celebrate my company’s 30th anniversary they paid for everyone to go to Orlando and celebrate at Disneyworld. We left early on a Friday morning and took a chartered United flight to Orlando and off to the Ritz Carlton. My company threw two of the most elaborate and amazing parties I’ve ever been to that all culminated in a private Coldplay concert on Saturday evening at the Orlando convention center. It was one of the biggest “pinch me” moments I’ve ever experienced. When we weren’t partying it up with my work colleagues we were enjoying Magic Kingdom on Saturday and Universal Studios on Sunday. It was a surreal weekend and one that I’ll never forget.

Less than 24 hours after arriving back from Orlando I made my last trip to Europe for the year, a quick three-day trip to Paris and London. This was by far the most tiring trip with two late-night holiday celebrations and early-morning train rides and flights. I went to Europe over a half dozen times in 2022 and never once did it feel normal. I still haven’t gotten over walking to the place where I proposed to Jenn in 2008 or seeing the lights of the Eiffel twinkle while being there for work. But the more travel I did in 2022 the more I realized how much I also love being home with Jenn and Frasier. I’ll never forget nearly collapsing at home in exhaustion on my arrival back and Jenn and I spent the entire weekend lounging in our apartment and enjoying being home together. 

Little did we know that we’d have a lot more of that a week later. Jenn left for San Francisco (specifically Half Moon Bay) a few days after my return for her leadership team’s final offsite of the year before going to Napa for her team’s offsite. I met Jenn in Napa a few days later and unfortunately the same rash that she had in London and Copenhagen was back again. It wasn’t nearly as bad as it had been the first time but it also didn’t want to go away. We were still able to enjoy a few days of wineries but when we drove down to San Francisco we realized it just wasn’t improving. Instead of risking it or making it worse, we decided to cancel our plans to go to Southern California and instead celebrate Christmas at home and allow Jenn time to heal and see some doctors. Almost everything came back fine although it did show she had an infection and was given some antibiotics. Instead of a full week with family, we kept things very low key and for nearly two and a half weeks we were able to spend every minute together. We watched movies, went for long walks, cooked meals together, and did everything we could to let Jenn’s body recover and relax. It might have been the best Christmas gift you could have given either of us after the busy year we had. 

When Christmas did arrive we bought each other gifts after we knew we were coming home so we were able to open gifts together and FaceTime our families. It was really special being able to celebrate with Frasier as well, only the second time we’ve done that in his lifetime. He got a ton of gifts and there’s a picture of him with shredded wrapping paper and toys everywhere. He was so happy and there was something incredibly fulfilling about being able to enjoy the day together as a family. 

The last week of 2022 flew by. Jenn started to feel much better and her body was able to heal. We kept things very low-key until New Year’s Eve when we went to bring in the New Year at The Modern. We had gone here last year and loved it but this time we decided to do their later seating which was so much fun. There was a live band that was great and got to enjoy an incredible six-course meal. We did a little dancing and decided to rush home and with five minutes to spare were able to take in the New Year with Frasier watching the fireworks over Central Park. I couldn’t imagine a better way to close out 2022. 

And like that, it’s time to turn the page on 2022. When I started scrolling through my photos for the year I saw a lot of me in planes and trains, and yes a lot of shots of the Eiffel Tower. Its still surreal how much travel both Jenn and I were able to do in the year. But what’s funny is the photos that I stare at the most are the random Saturday afternoon popcorn and movies at home or Sunday brunch with a bottle of champagne. I love to travel, I love to explore the world with Jenn. You don’t visit 40 countries if you don’t love it. But as great as those things are if there’s one thing that I learned more profoundly then ever this year is how much joy and peace I get with Jenn and Frasier on any given day. The few hours I get with them when I arrive home from work, or the weekend walks to Riverside and Central Parks are the fuel that drives me. Without them 2022 would have just been 365 meaningless days, but with them I’m the luckiest man in the world. I’m so grateful for the incredible 2022, but even more excited for the adventures the three of us will take in 2023. 

Joel

https://www.worldofjoel.com
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