It was a good year. I ate s’mores around a campfire. Went on countless hikes with my dad. Started to build my dream home. Had lunch with a friend by a pool in Southern California. Voted in a better future. Watched the sun rise over a river. Watched it set over a marsh. Went to exactly one concert. Drank wine in a hot tub in the woods on a cold day. Spent an afternoon on a boat. Spent a night in a casino. Took a long morning bike ride with an old friend. Drank coffee on my grandmother’s screened porch. Took a nap in a hammock. Caught a crab. Hiked barefoot to a waterfall. Drank fancy champagne by a pool in the Bahamas. Went to exactly one live theater performance. Saw two bald eagles in the wild. Built a sandcastle with my nephew. Explored my new home town. Spent countless and priceless hours with my parents and my dogs. Watched fireflies from my porch. Sipped through a sunny afternoon at Charlottesville vineyards. Worked on a novel. Created a lakeside bohemian picnic for friends. Went for a long walk with my brother. Read more than 50 books. Ate cheese with friends by the Blueridge Parkway. Watched a summer thunderstorm roll in from a rocking chair on the porch. Served a shrimp boil around a big table of friends. Swam in the Atlantic, saw the Pacific. Spent more time outside than any other year of my adult life. Ate barbecued ribs and watched fireworks on the Fourth of July. Joined a book club. Went cowboy boot and hat shopping in Austin. Had breakfast on a balcony overlooking the ocean. Spent a few sunny afternoons in beer gardens. Carefully celebrated birthdays of friends and family. Went on long walks in the woods with my dogs. Went on long walks around Charlotte with my friends. Stayed up too late finishing puzzles. Perfected my extra dirty martini recipe. Watched Christmas movies in front of a fire. Picked wild blackberries and blueberries from the garden to make fruit pies. Had dinner at a Michelin-starred restaurant. Took a fall bike ride through colorful leaves. Went to exactly one art museum. Got caught in the rain on a walk on the beach. It was a good year.