{"id":1813,"date":"2023-09-16T18:57:39","date_gmt":"2023-09-16T18:57:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.newyorkcitygal.com\/?p=1813"},"modified":"2023-09-16T21:52:25","modified_gmt":"2023-09-16T21:52:25","slug":"never-have-i-ever-2023-milestones","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.newyorkcitygal.com\/?p=1813","title":{"rendered":"NEVER HAVE I EVER: 2023 MILESTONES"},"content":{"rendered":"<body>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of my favorite shows, <em>Never Have I Ever,<\/em> recently ended its four-year run. Brilliantly written and developed by Mindy Kaling, the Netflix series was a pure delight from start to heart-tugging end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During the final episode, protagonist Devi and her high school friends engage in the game from which the show takes its name. Following their lead, I\u2019m reflecting on 2023\u2019s significant firsts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.newyorkcitygal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/OPEN-BOOK-logo-for-web.jpg\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"642\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.newyorkcitygal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/OPEN-BOOK-logo-for-web.jpg?resize=640%2C642\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1810\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.newyorkcitygal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/OPEN-BOOK-logo-for-web.jpg?resize=1021%2C1024 1021w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.newyorkcitygal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/OPEN-BOOK-logo-for-web.jpg?resize=300%2C300 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.newyorkcitygal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/OPEN-BOOK-logo-for-web.jpg?resize=150%2C150 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.newyorkcitygal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/OPEN-BOOK-logo-for-web.jpg?resize=768%2C770 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.newyorkcitygal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/OPEN-BOOK-logo-for-web.jpg?w=1430 1430w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.newyorkcitygal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/OPEN-BOOK-logo-for-web.jpg?w=1280 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><figcaption><em>Now streaming on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify and more. \ud83d\ude42<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Until this year, never had I ever\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Hosted a podcast.<\/strong> For 18 years now, my husband Steve has delighted listeners around the globe with his award-winning podcast <em><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"http:\/\/www.sit80s.com\" target=\"_blank\">Stuck in the 80s<\/a><\/em>. In March, we became a two-show household when I launched <em><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/melissabraverman.com\/podcast\" target=\"_blank\">Open Book: The Diary of A Hopeless Romantic<\/a>.<\/em> Drawn from more than 100 journals, it has given me the chance to revisit my past in a fun way. And to celebrate once again how everything that I\u2019ve gone through brought me to this beautiful present.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.newyorkcitygal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Book-Fair-MB.2.jpg\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"559\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.newyorkcitygal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Book-Fair-MB.2.jpg?resize=559%2C1024\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1809\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.newyorkcitygal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Book-Fair-MB.2.jpg?resize=559%2C1024 559w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.newyorkcitygal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Book-Fair-MB.2.jpg?resize=164%2C300 164w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.newyorkcitygal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Book-Fair-MB.2.jpg?w=707 707w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 559px) 100vw, 559px\" \/><\/a><figcaption><em>All smiles at Oxford Exchange\u2019s Indie Author Book Fair<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Attended an event as a published author. <\/strong>Every year on Independent Bookstore Day, the <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/oxfordexchange.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Oxford Exchange<\/a> in Tampa hosts a book fair highlighting indie authors. In April, I had the pleasure of being one of them. The afternoon event featured dozens of writers representing diverse genres, from fiction and self-help to YA and supernatural. Connecting with fellow authors \u2014 and being reminded I am now part of this great community \u2014 was beyond inspiring. So inspiring, in fact, that it sparked new creative momentum for me and my hubby. Since the book fair, I have been plugging away on a revised, expanded version of <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B097FDQMN9\/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_taft_p1_i0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Notes from A Single Gal In The City<\/a><\/em>, while Steve is working on a memoir about his much-beloved podcast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And, saving the biggest first for last, never have I ever\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Lived in a house of my own. <\/strong>Growing up in the concrete jungle of New York City, I always resided in apartments. As an adult, especially after adopting my beloved pup Benji six years ago, I fantasized about having a home with a back yard. That dream finally came true in January, when Steve and I moved to Orlando\u2019s Dr. Phillips neighborhood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.newyorkcitygal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/2023-01-19_15-13-03_618-scaled.jpeg\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.newyorkcitygal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/2023-01-19_15-13-03_618.jpeg?resize=640%2C480\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1811\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.newyorkcitygal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/2023-01-19_15-13-03_618-scaled.jpeg?resize=1024%2C768 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.newyorkcitygal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/2023-01-19_15-13-03_618-scaled.jpeg?resize=300%2C225 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.newyorkcitygal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/2023-01-19_15-13-03_618-scaled.jpeg?resize=768%2C576 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.newyorkcitygal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/2023-01-19_15-13-03_618-scaled.jpeg?resize=1536%2C1152 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.newyorkcitygal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/2023-01-19_15-13-03_618-scaled.jpeg?resize=2048%2C1536 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.newyorkcitygal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/2023-01-19_15-13-03_618-scaled.jpeg?resize=1600%2C1200 1600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.newyorkcitygal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/2023-01-19_15-13-03_618-scaled.jpeg?w=1280 1280w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.newyorkcitygal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/2023-01-19_15-13-03_618-scaled.jpeg?w=1920 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><figcaption><em>Our dreamy lanai and back yard.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nestled on a bucolic, tree lined street, our dream house has everything that apartment living did not \u2014 high ceilings, a spacious eat-in kitchen and a lanai that nourishes my spirit in a way that only being surrounded by nature can. Oprah once said your home should rise up to greet you every time you enter it. Ours does this and so much more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Speaking of new homes, my blog is also getting one. While I will always be a New York City Gal, that descriptor no longer reflects who and where I am now. So I am moving future musings to my <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"http:\/\/www.melissabraverman.com\" target=\"_blank\">namesake website<\/a>. Hope you\u2019ll visit me over there \u2014 and heartfelt thanks for nine great years on here!<\/p>\n<\/body>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>One of my favorite shows, Never Have I Ever, recently ended its four-year run. Brilliantly written and developed by Mindy Kaling, the Netflix series was a pure delight from start to heart-tugging end. During the final episode, protagonist&#8230; <a class=\"read-more\" href=\"http:\/\/www.newyorkcitygal.com\/?p=1813\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[218,349,75,350],"tags":[343,346,347,348],"class_list":["post-1813","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-being-a-writer","category-buying-a-house","category-new-beginnings","category-podcasts","tag-orlando","tag-oxford-exchange","tag-podcasts","tag-stuck-in-the-80s"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"cc_featured_image_caption":{"caption_text":"","source_text":"","source_url":""},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4J0fq-tf","jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.newyorkcitygal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1813","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.newyorkcitygal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.newyorkcitygal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.newyorkcitygal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.newyorkcitygal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1813"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"http:\/\/www.newyorkcitygal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1813\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1819,"href":"http:\/\/www.newyorkcitygal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1813\/revisions\/1819"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.newyorkcitygal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1813"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.newyorkcitygal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1813"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.newyorkcitygal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1813"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}