2022
Urbanites
2022 was a year of adjusting to our new lives as city dwellers. Although we are less than two miles away from our old neighborhood, life as renters in the city center is very different. Both kids are now urbanites, too. We are scattered across three very different cities, but we all enjoy the variety and the pace of urban living.
It was another year with much to be thankful for. We managed to dodge a hurricane and COVID, and to gather with friends and family. May the new year bring you health, happiness, and togetherness with your loved ones.
Maria & Steve: Tampanians/Tampeños
We love life in our new apartment, where we have panoramic views from the 12th floor (see above!) and friendly and interesting neighbors. There are plenty of building "amenities" and social activities with free treats. We walk to everything - the grocery store, restaurants, theaters, and shopping. With no yardwork or home repairs, there is plenty of time for exploring. We stroll the Tampa Riverwalk daily and occasionally ride the streetcar, the water taxi, and the cross-bay ferry. And with Amalie Arena just a block away, we are now big Lightning fans!
Steve enjoys cooking in our open kitchen and with the community grills on the rooftop. He is a loyal volunteer usher at the Straz Center, and recently started noodling on his guitar. "Working from home" with WTW now means he can choose from his home office, our private balcony, or the rooftop terrace. And he keeps the family game night tradition going, both virtually (Nintendo Switch) and in person (Oculus).
Maria's new hobby (obsession?) is houseplants, and they seem to be taking over the apartment. She continues to volunteer in the Metropolitan Ministries kitchen and thrift shop. She occasionally leaves her home office to work at Accenture's fancy office in St. Petersburg. A highlight for Maria this year was meeting one of her real-life heroes. And she's still at 100% wins on Wordle!
Danny: Austinite
Life moves pretty fast in ATX, and Danny would rather e-scooter than walk (though he does love his snakeskin cowboy boots). His company Legion Health completed a successful funding round, and they are making strides in their mission to improve accessibility to mental health services. We are proud of him for obtaining a work visa for one of their developers, a refugee from Ukraine. Danny went skydiving in March with his buddies/co-founders Yash and Arthur. We enjoyed seeing them on our visit to Austin in May and again when they came to Tampa in July to pick up the Prius. Running a tech start-up is time-consuming, but Danny unwinds by honing his tennis game, hosting lavish meals for his friends, and generating artificial intelligence art.
Amy: New Yorker
Amy graduated from Wake Forest last May, came home to Tampa for a month, and then moved to Manhattan. She shares a 4th-floor walk-up in Hell's Kitchen with roommates Emily and Fiona, coincidentally on the same block as Tampa dance friends Daryn and Gabriella. Amy is learning a lot at her consulting job and divides her time between the EY office in Chelsea, the client office downtown, and her own tiny-but-charming home office (bedroom). She has embraced big city life and has already seen Harry Styles up close at Madison Square Garden and caught an Aaron Judge ball at Yankee Stadium! She knows which bars are best for watching Wake Forest football and Lightning hockey. We're looking forward to hearing more what it's like to live in NYC during the holidays.
Favorite Scenes from 2022
Asheville: Girlfriends' Getaway for Maria, Hope and Karen
Tampa visitors: Kevin & Carolyn; Marg, Gabriella & Emmett; Gayle & Toshi; Stephanie, Steve & Parker; Jenni & David
Tampa live music: Bon Jovi, Alan Cumming, Chuck Owen & the Jazz Surge
Winston-Salem: Graduation party at Campus Gas
Austin: Franklin BBQ, South of Congress, Suerte
Seattle: Wing-Luke Museum, Lake Union loop trail, Kevin & Carolyn's wedding party
Toronto: Chinatown, Kensington Market, Yayoi Kusama Infinity Room, Shoe Museum
Vermont: Couples reunion with Hope & Dave and Karen & Jimbo
New York: Zoom Buddies reunion at Jennifer & Mark's daughter's wedding
Jacksonville: Family reunion at Lola's "80th" birthday party
A gift for you: our secret online jigsaw puzzle
