Looking Back at 2013

Each year has it's ups and downs, but 2013 has by far been one of the craziest. Here are some things that happened in the world that stuck out in my mind:

Edward Snowden helps aid sales of 1984

The government decides to take a little break

Marriage equality movement makes huge strides, even in Utah(!)

Nelson Mandela remembrance

"Twerking" and "selfie" officially become part of the everyday lexicon

Sharknado

Also the Harlem Shake and goat videos were a thing once

BATFLECK (never forget)

Game of Thrones. Breaking Bad. Downton Abbey. 

Stephen Colbert got Daft Punk'd

Doctor Who celebrated 50 years of existence

Veronica Mars becomes the first feature film by the people, for the people

And in my own little world:

I graduated college (and spoke at that graduation. Whaaat?)

Took a risk with an unpaid internship in New York City

Fell in love with NYC

Moved from one borough to another

Visited Boston and D.C. for the first time

Got a big-girl job in the industry I love

Attempted to be a responsible post-grad adult

Started a dieting/getting healthy vlog

I've written a lot about the things I've learned these past 12 months. It's certainly been a roller coaster of a year; one that I was really excited for. Now it's over and I genuinely have no idea what to expect in 2014. Guess we'll find out. 

Thanks to all who for some reason chose to read this blog from time to time. Please let me know if you have one as well--reading about people's lives and thoughts is my go-to time waster. 

Happy New Year, friends. 

Best of 2012

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas - I've definitely enjoyed my break by spending time with family, holing up like a hobbit watching Netflix and reading from my new Kindle Fire, and attending awkward, impromptu high school reunions, where I have to explain what I've been doing for the past year to people I didn't think I'd ever see again.

I always love the end of another year because it's a time to reflect on everything that's happened and it gives me an excuse to do one of my favorite things - make "Best Of" lists! I love making lists in general, and "Best Of" lists are the best kind. So without further ado...

Chelsey's Top 10 Moments of 2012

10. Learned to surf. 

(Just to warn you, a lot of these will come from my time spent in warm, beautiful California this summer.) I was terrified at first because I'm the least coordinated person known to man, but I managed to stay up for a few seconds!! Hahaha. Definitely one of the cooler things I've gotten to do.

Also one of the last times I got to see this girl before she left me for the Lord in Pennsylvania.

 

9. Attended the Sundance Film Festival for the first time. 

As a movie buff, this is something I'd been wanting to do for a while but didn't get a chance to until this year. Unfortunately, I didn't get to see any celebrities (I realllly wanted to see Aubrey Plaza and Jake Johnson, but alas) due to the Nightmarish Blizzard the first weekend, but I got to see some cool exhibits in Park City and of course, watch some great films. Check out Safety Not Guaranteed and The Queen of Versailles as soon as you can. Trust me.

8. Went to a bajillion theme parks.

Ok, only four. But I went to a couple of those more than once, so it pretty much adds up to a bajillion. I LOVE roller coasters, so Six Flags Magic Mountain was probably my favorite of the bunch. Knotts Berry Farm was great because there were practically no lines, and Disneyland was of course magical and twee. And it's always a source of nostalgia to come back to Kings Island, the place where I experienced my first case of ride-induced nausea. Even if that ride is no longer in operation (RIP Son of Beast).

7. Road tripped to Las Vegas for the WCC Basketball Tournament. 

Ok, so BYU didn't end up winning, but I had a great time nonetheless. I went with Jessica and Kristen (miss you both!), and we had a great time in Vegas. Although I still can't believe I paid like 10 bucks to ride a roller coaster at midnight. Definitely fun, but was money that could have been spent at Thunder Down Under. (I kid, I kid...)

6. Lot and lots of awesome concerts.

Foster the People. Imagine Dragons. Ingrid Michaelson. Lonestar. Neon Trees. Fictionist. AWOLNATION. Young the Giant. And of course, The Killers. I forgot I went to so many good concerts this year. I even got paid to go to one of them! And all with fabulous people. 

Lonestar at the State Fair

Rooftop Concert with Fictionist

Imagine Dragons

The Killers

5. Chelsey takes on Hollywood. Or rather, Burbank. 

This summer my entertainment geek flag got to fly free as I unashamedly became part of the studio audience on The Price is Right and Conan. That high five from Coco himself just might be the highlight of the year. And who can forget the Warner Brothers Studio Tour, where I basically shelled out $50 to touch the Bat Mobile, and it was totally worth it. Other Hollywood highlights include comedy shows at the UCB and movies in the El Capitan Theatre.

4. Adventures in San Francisco/PRSSA National Conference

I had the pleasure of visiting The City by the Bay not once, but twice, this year. For my internship we got to spend a weekend there and check out the sites, including a boat tour around Alcatraz. I also got to attend the Public Relations Student Society of America's National Conference there, which was a blast and a half. I got to hang with my BYU PR family and eat lots of delicious clam chowder. And see the Tanner family house, a definite highlight. There was also a big bridge someone told me was pretty important. I don't know, all I remember was all the running to catch transportation.

A major award!

3. A coupla job promotions

2012 was a good year for my bank account. I became a supervisor in the ticket office and an account director in the Bradley PR Agency. A great honor, but of course, that also meant more responsibility, and I'm not sure I stayed completely sane throughout the semester. Jury's still out on that one.

 

2. West Coast buddies

The people in my L.A. ward were surprisingly more friendly than I expected (let's be real, I was expecting 90210) and I met some really awesome people during my summer there. I miss them lots and lots but I'll always have great memories of dance parties, movie premieres, beach get-togethers, hikes, Dodgers games, and delicious chicken-and-waffles to remember them by. And who can forget those West Hollywood nights with my best tour guide.

1. Summer and internship in Los Angeles

I got to intern with an awesome agency, Edelman. I got to work with some pretty rad people. I lived in L.A. for basically free. And I learned a lot. It was a pretty swell summer.

These guys were ok.

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Check out my pop culture Best Of Lists here.