Yesterday I shared my best photos from 2015, and today I’ve put together the images that best represent this past year — family, friends, work, play, and events.
If you are feeling any degree of “Thank god 2015 is over” then I recommend putting together a collection of photos from the last year. Because despite the low moments (and I certainly had a few of them with the loss of my last two living grandparents), the good moments far outweigh the bad. And because you’re more likely to photograph happy times, your camera roll becomes a highlights reel for 2015 — sushi dates with friends, moments clowning around with co-workers, celebrating birthdays with family members, and an assortment of sunsets and yummy meal pics. Reviewing a whole year’s worth of these images is a sure-fire way to conjure gratitude for 2015, even if you feel let down by certain moments from the year.
Upon piecing together these photos, I am humbled by how wonderful 2015 was. A fantastic balance of family, friends, travel, and work. If you were even a tiny part of this, I am grateful for your presence in my life.
Back in January I worked as script coordinator for the Critics Choice Awards in Hollywood, California.
Sushi dinner at our favorite joint Octopus with Grace, Tamar, and Bethany.
Just hanging with Kelley & Adele at the park, and a morning walk during CycLAvia with Craig, Allison, and Jenny in North Hollywood.
Fun times with good friends — Summer & Jeremy at the first Dunkin’ Donuts location in Los Angeles, fun night out on Third Street with Jenny, celebrating Tamar’s 31st birthday at The Morrison in Atwater Village, and hiking with Mike & Archer in Griffith Park.
I love food and trying new restaurants, which is a big overlapping interest with my good friends Jenny & Ziggy. We enjoyed many food dates around the Valley earlier this year like the one below at Tipsy Cow.
I love raw fish! Jenny and I sought out poke from various restaurants around Los Angeles. Shout out to Mainland Poke on Third Street.
Priscilla’s in Toluca Lake is my favorite coffee shop in the world, and I logged some quality time here in the first five months of 2015.
My creative friends threw a “Christmas in March” party in sunny Los Angeles — we exchanged Secret Santa gifts by the pool while listening to carols. Fun times with Bryan, Eva, Jeremy, and Tamar. Shout out to Daniel and his friend for hosting!
Loved watching the NCAA men’s final with Ziggy, Allison, and Craig! A fun night even though Wisconsin lost.
My 31st birthday was so much fun — morning coffee with Allison, Craig, and Jenny, followed by dim sum lunch at Din Tai Fung, and deep dish pizza from Masa with Kelley and Irving!
A fun birthday brunch celebrating Jenny at The Roof on Wilshire.
Hiking Sturtevant Falls in Santa Anita Canyon, and then enjoying deep dish pizza at Masa in Echo Park.
And this is the third photo involving deep dish pizza in this post, which reveals a lot about me. Great night with Irving, Kelley, Jenny, and Ziggy.
Fun times with Steve & Natalia, enjoying Susie Cakes with Jenny & Ziggy, drinks after work with Jacquie & Laura, and dinner in NoHo with Grace & Tamar.
Molly & Joe hosted a fantastic going away party at Malibu Wines shortly before their move to Denver.
Family photos with the Last family in May.
Fun times with co-workers at Young & Restless.
A catch-up lunch with Molly, Jennifer & Jackson, Laura, and the wonderful Peter Bergman.
One day our on-set photographer was delayed so I snapped this image of our actors with head writer Charles Pratt, Jr. — and it ran in Soaps in Depth magazine.
I thought I’d attended my last Daytime Emmy ceremony back in 2012 before my travels, so it was a real treat to return this year with my co-workers. And to top it off, Young & Restless tied for Outstanding Daytime Drama! Heck, just the fact that this annual recap includes a return to Y&R makes me so happy. These people are family.
Hollywood Blvd. a few days before the Oscars during red carpet set-up.
A screening of House of Cards followed by a Q&A with the cast, including Kevin Spacey, Robin Wright, and Michael Kelly.
One of several shows I saw at UCB — Ronna & Beverly are my favorite, and this particular night they had Katie Lowes from Scandal as a guest.
Shots from the Los Angeles Travel & Adventure Show, including Samantha Brown and Rick Steves. Plus I ran into the lovely reps from Zara Tours, the company who guided my Kilimanjaro climb.
My favorite adventure of the first half of 2015 was a trip to Havasu Falls, Arizona. It’s located very close to the Grand Canyon and it takes either a seven mile walk (or seven minute helicopter ride) to access. Permits required as it’s on a Native American reservation. It’s worth the effort — this is one of the most beautiful areas of our country.
As a belated Mother’s Day gift I took my mom out to Thai lunch in New Haven. Special afternoon.
A family photo taken on Father’s Day.
In June I worked on the 69th Annual Tony Awards honoring the best in theater! This was a life highlight for me. Photo taken on the red carpet.
Inside Radio City Music Hall shortly before the Tony Awards began.
One of my favorite parts about being alive is going to the theater. I crammed in lots of shows over the summer; these Playbills represent a sample.
Snapshot of memories from our summer weekends on Cape Cod.
Swimming in Sand Pond over the summer. This is our happy place.
Grilling salmon on the Cape.
Kayaking with mom and dad.
Beach time with Uncle Doug, Aunt Chris, and little Maggie. In the photo on the right, we brought freshly fried seafood to the beach for a picnic dinner at sunset.
Chilling with the pups — Oscar, Bijou, and Maggie — on the back deck.
Family smiles.
We’ve spent so many nights playing board games! This one, Pandemic, is high on our list of favorites.
For my sister’s birthday in August we dusted off our old Michigan Rummy game, which we used to play regularly with my grandparents during my childhood.
Clowning around during a game of Cranium at Doug & Chris’s.
Playing around with long exposure photography on the beach with my sister Bethany.
In July I flew down to Florida to visit my Grandpa Gus and Jane. Grandpa was at a rehab facility and it was great to spend time with him, and squeeze in a visit to the area where my other grandparents used to live on nearby Ft. Myers Beach.
Me and Grandpa Gus in July.
I flew back to Connecticut and drove right over to visit my Grandma Trudie.
A few weeks later, on July 29th, Grandma Trudie turned an impressive 97 years old. Lots of family members gathered together to celebrate.
I spent a fantastic week volunteering at Silver Lake summer camp where I used to visit as a child. Here is the idyllic lake as one of the campers belly flops off the diving board.
The High Ropes course is always a highlight at camp.
Bonfire time! Accompanied by camp songs and roasting marshmallows for s’mores.
A group photo of our dedicated deans and counselors!
My friend Kelley was in New York City for work and we got to catch up over dinner and walks through Central Park and the High Line. So special to see her in NYC!
Coffee at Grey Dog, one of my favorite spots in the city.
Such a fun day in Boston with Julie and baby Ryden! We met up for lunch and then walked around the aquarium and even caught an IMAX movie about Great White Sharks.
Dinner and ‘House of Cards’ with Victoria & Brian — so fun to catch up with them.
In late August I left for a month-long trip to Iceland, Spain, and Portugal. I shared highlights from that trip in yesterday’s post, but here is a sample of my favorite images. This was a spectacular trip and now each country holds a special place in my heart.
My friend Carrie came to visit during the Lisbon part of my trip!
Back in the States, my childhood church gathered to celebrate Mr. Mardquardt, who has taught 4th grade Sunday School for over 40 years. He’s a one-of-a-kind guy who has dedicated his Sunday mornings to teaching kids for more than half his life — and all of us who have passed through his classroom are lucky recipients of his time and service. Plus, his ties are epic.
Fun shots from Brooklyn in the fall — enjoying Roberta’s Pizza with Sabrina after work, and farewell drinks with my month-long roommates Jacquie and Christina.
My friend Tally from Australia came to visit New York City with her family! Tally and I met on a 15-day tour of Morocco last year when we were assigned as roommates. She is the best and we picked up as if no time had passed.
Exploring the Peabody Museum in New Haven, Connecticut with my sister.
I saw 14 shows on and off-Broadway in October. I was really grateful to be able to do that. Most tickets were scored at a steep discount on TDF.org or by using my very dilapidated student ID that technically expired a decade ago.
Family pumpkin picking at Lyman Orchards in Connecticut. Bunny ears are a Meyer family trademark.
Spooky Halloween party at my sister’s apartment in New Haven. Lots of fun memories from that night.
November was a rough month. We lost both Grandma Trudie and Grandpa Gus within four days of each other; their funerals were held in Connecticut on back-to-back days. But considering all the years we were fortunate to have together, it’s hard to feel anything but gratitude for that time. I will forever hold them in my heart.
I spent the fall working on ‘The Wiz Live!’ for NBC. Here is our script team working in front of the set.
Here are three photos from our after party, including the script team (Adam, Sabrina, and myself) posing with our Dorothy, Shanice Williams. And the two pups who played Toto!
My sister poses with her handmade wooden crafts at the Holiday Haven fair in New Haven. Family and friends turned out to show support.
A scenic hike with my cousin Elena and her beautiful family.
Loved visiting downtown Stockbridge, Massachusetts and the Norman Rockwell Museum just before Christmas.
We gained a new family member this year — my sister’s dog Oscar, a rescue from ASPCA in New York City. He is a total joy and we are thrilled he’s in our lives.
And then Christmas happened! Here are a few snapshots from the day, including some of the travel-related items so kindly gifted by my family members.
What a remarkable collection of memories. If you were part of any of this — thank you, a thousand times over, for making this year so spectacular in ways both big and small. It all adds up to so much.
With love and gratitude for 2015,
Erica
