I have celebrated the year changing exactly thirty-four times.  That is a lot of ball drops, backward counting and champagne toasts.  In the thirty-four times I have seen the calendar progress another year, I have experienced elaborate dinners, small family gatherings, massive ballroom parties and cozy nights in.  I have had “the night of my life” and “the disappointment of a lifetime.”  In all this time, I have learned that a valuable life lesson.  When you place an unhealthy amount of expectations on any one thing (in this case, an evening), it is hard to meet or exceed the vision you’ve created in your own head.

Fireworks light up the sky behind Milan’s Duomo

Fortunately, disappointment was not the theme as we rang in 2014.  The stakes were at an all-time high and the night came together as well as anyone could have hoped. Continue reading New Years in Milan →