2014 really was jam packed with happenings!
The year began getting settled in last winter at my “day job” in the heart of the Back Bay, doing marketing at a rercruitment company that focuses on placing professionals in fundraising jobs.
A huge success was the rebranding of my small biz..from this logo and packaging….
To these logos and this packaging ! And launched a brand new design on the website too. I also got used to working on my own, since my co-founder decided to focus her efforts on mom life and left our biz in my hands.
My shopping addiction was through the roof and I got way too many subscription boxes! But I am happy to report the ONLY monthly shipment I am getting right now is Stitch Fix!
I went to charity events, concerts, parties, had fun date nights, drinks out with friends, and blogger food/drink events. Took a few road trips and got to see my best friends from growing up. Celebrated all the holidays with the fiance and his family and helped him make beer, cook, bake, and do plenty of gardening. We went to baseball and soccer games and hosted lots of visitors like his cousins from Ohio and my sisters too.
And I got to see one of my bestie’s who moved to New Zealand when she came home a couple of times. I continued to try to find time to write here, CBS, Examiner, and even got into purging my stuff on ebay for extra cash. But a BIG happening was the unthinkable – this city girl moved out of the North End in downtown Boston to a few miles outside of the city. From a studio apartment to a two bedroom pad with Sal with a white pickett fence, there were definitely high and low’s this spring/summer getting used to all the changes on the horizon. From being able to walk everywhere to needing a car, it was quite an adjustment but we are finally settled in.
2014 also included the closing of the fiances family pizza place which was sad because it was the end of an era but exciting for what is to come for both Sal, as he moves onto find a new job in 2015 and his dad, who gets to kick back and live a retired life!
Sal was also the best man at his long time friends wedding and we got to attend TWO weddings in celebration. One in MA and one in NY.
We had fun b-day nights out for both our birthdays and also went to a beautiful fall wedding of another of Sals good friends.
And ANOTHER wedding of the fiances buddys…where we got to spend time with this gorgeous gal (my future SIL) who kicked cancers butt this year.
I cannot wait to see what 2015 will bring! We were lacking on travelling so I hope to get in a few trips this year, and we already have a few weddings in our calendars, showers, and who knows….if all goes well, we will get some full fledge wedding planning done of our own.
Happy New Year!
What about you – looking back on 2014, any standout happenings?
Looks like a pretty eventful year – congrats to Sal on his new chapter!! I love your little picket (sp?! I can’t seem to find a spelling that looks right to me!) fence – it’s hard to believe that’s so close to Boston…. 😉 The re-branding is genius. Absolutely genius.
Thanks so much for the thoughtful comment! Happy New Year !
Great recap post!
I had no idea you worked in fundraising recruiting.
I’ve been working in fundraising for nonprofits in MA for over 6 years.
Thanks!
No way – thanks for sharing ! Yes – I do marketing for a development/advancement recruiting company as my “day job” so if you know anyone who needs to hire or someone high level in fundraising that needs a job, now you know who to contact ha
But then also do my writing and my small biz 🙂
I enjoyed reading about your year! 2015 will be an even more wonderful year for you! Xo
You are one blessed gal.
Big time recruiting job in the Back Bay, spectacular web site, writing for CBS and the San Francisco Examiner all topped off by being ready to marry an Italian Stallion!!!
He’s a cutie and a keeper. I’d just love to pinch those rosy, plump cheeks. And on top of all that you bought a house in Winthrop/Revere with a white picket fence.
Hope Sal finds a great job. Italian men need to be the bread winner so I hope that after Sal left the pizza business he can continue to “make a lot of dough.”
I am the Boston Food Examiner actually.
Thanks for your wishes for Sal to find a job 🙂
I wish we bought a house ! Still just renters, living in the Malden area 🙂
Danielle,
Small world that you and Michelle are connected job wise. I interned at an NPR station in Madison, Wisconsin and my primary responsibility was fund raising.
I also see that you DJ… Where do you spin or do you just do weddings and maybe play at fundraisers? I’d love to come see you spin some night. Is your specialty house, or do you go the top 40 route?
Actually her nickname is DJ – from the show full house !
Good memory Michelle!
My maiden last name started with DiG so my twitter handle is from a nickname I had in middle & high school.
My middle name is June though – so DJ didn’t come out of nowhere. 🙂
I didn’t even know that boston had a food examiner. That must be a blast going to restaurants and examining food under a magnifying glass.
What exactly are you looking for when you examine? Do you report to the health department or do the restaurants independently hire you to report back? Are these examinations made public ?
Happy you cleared up the DJ confusion as I read her name and thought that she too was a DJ.
I love Skrillex and DJ Amici. Best DJ ‘s in the world! !!!!!
Ha Boston Food Examiner is just the name of the column within the Examiner website –
examiner is “a dynamic entertainment, news and lifestyle network that serves more than 20 million monthly readers across the U.S. and around the world.”
I can write about anything i want – food, recipes, restaurants, etc
Here is the link – https://www.examiner.com/food-in-boston/michelle-levine