It’s the most over-scheduled wonderful time of the year! I’m home for the holidays and happy to be in the middle of America for a month as I move from sea to shining sea. Changes are changing! Home is homing! Nostalgia is nostalging!
As this chapter winds sprints full-throttle to a close, I’m taking stock of my year. Here’s a look back. In 2024, I…
Cried during many Internal Family Systems therapy sessions and learned to express self-compassion without feeling like a stupid idiot. Next year I’ll work on refraining from calling myself (past, present, future, or hypothetical) a stupid idiot. Baby steps!
Quit getting 42 poison injections needled all over my skull every three months for Botox migraine treatment because it hurt and unfortunately didn’t work that well for me and also the clinical study got shut down for not following protocol — oops. (Reminder: sometimes quitting is GOOD.)
Tried to ski in Big Bear and instead got concussed when we were rear-ended pulling into the lodge. Greatly enjoyed the months I spent fighting with the insurance company to recoup our losses. American insurance (car, home, health, etc) is a flawless system! No notes!
Met monthly with my cherished writing group for year two of our creative commitment. I worked on four (ish?) scripts throughout the year, took many notes, gave many notes, improved significantly, and (actually) enjoyed greatly. My writing group girls are inspiring!!!
Performed in my first SF Sketchfest as an Emerging Artist! Adam and I traveled to San Francisco despite the torrential rain and me barely being recovered from a nasty flu. I got to do standup for sold out crowds with comics I really admire. It was a dream. Wish I’d had less imposter syndrome throughout but hey, you live and you learn. If at first you don’t succeed, imposter again. Or whatever they say.
Almost met my demise when I choked on a grape skittle.
Traveled for the weddings of my childhood friends! Home for Anne & Philip’s and Florida for Dani & Dev’s. Plus I got to visit with my family in Indy and we got to spend time with Adam’s parents in Ft. Lauderdale for the Florida celebrations.
Took my first international trip to London to celebrate Adam and I’s 6th anniversary. It was so beautiful and old. Not to brag but I’m worldly now.
Celebrated 2 years of Respectful Smartass! Really loving our toddler era. Thanks for putting up with the tantrums.
Went home to Indy for a month to celebrate my sisters! Gabby graduated pharmacy school. Vanessa graduated high school. And Vivian turned 21!
Got to meet my perfect little nephew. Adam’s brother and sister-in-law welcomed their first baby, Lin, to the world! He literally radiates joy and curiosity. You would love him. I do!
Took my second international trip to Roatan, Honduras with my family. We got to snorkel through the barrier reef, swim in the Caribbean Sea, and soak up lots of sun. A beautiful, adventurous family affair.
Had my first professional astrology reading. Book with Petrita! She is a genius I think!
Turned 27! Incredibly fun age, highly recommend.
Made new friends (shoutout Edna! I miss gardening and gabbing with you in the LA afternoon) and deepened old friendships (shoutout to my penpals, frequent FaceTimers, and coffee date cuties — you know who you are and I love you!).
Started The Artists Way, made it halfway through, and quit. Classic! I’ll try again next year. Or not!
Started meditating and sound bathing in person at Unplug Studio. It will change you! Please go.
Made some silly sketch comedy with my friends (ily Brendas). TBD on whether the cursed footage will ever grace your feeds.
Made art with my friends! Modeling for my friend David’s creative photoshoot was a highlight.
Visited NYC for Erica’s birthday and her wedding dress shopping and my personal neighborhood scoping.
Hit 600+ subs!!! Let’s gooooo!!!!
Went back to Big Bear for Jeff’s birthday and managed to not get concussed or hit by a car! Turns out you can go there and just peacefully enjoy the nature with friends.
Started using more than the default blue to color coordinate my calendar based on vibe.
Completed a year of voice (singing) lessons with my favorite teacher, friend, extraordinaire, Emerson (please book with him for the love of God). And got to see him smash it starring as Seymour in Little Shop of Horrors!
Took a trip to Texas when a script of mine placed in Austin Film Festival for the second time.
Got hit by another car on Halloween. (Someone lift this curse.)
Cried when the Dodgers won The World Series and in that moment became a certified fan. Sorry NYC I will not be converted.
Took a hiphop class at playground LA and felt like I was living in a YouTube video (complimentary).
Moved out of LA (unrelated to hiphop class).
Performed in a sold out play (reading) in Indy! Only put my wig on upside down once onstage!
Queried a bunch of literary managers, garnered some interest, got some rejections, kept going.
Skipped the newsletter some weeks and miraculously survived.
Loved my freakin life!!!!
There are a thousand other experiences from the year I’m leaving out. These are just the flashy highlights currently glinting in my memory. Thank you to everyone who made this year special and wonderful and fun! That includes YOU, thanks for reading. <3
In other news…
I’m doing this holiday standup show at Holy Ground this Sunday at 8pm. It’s FREE! Indy pals, I’d love to see you there.
Disclaimer: I took a bit of a hiatus from standup this year. I’ll be doing some old material at this show to get back into the swing of things. So you’ve been warned! You’ll be getting the classics.
ily bye,
Ariana
Enjoyed reading this. Regarding your migraines, I wonder if you've ever heard of Emgality. My mom suffered from migraines for the longest time...pretty much until she started taking it (she still occassionally has them, but WAY less frequently). Since Botox didn't really help you much, it might be worth looking into!