The Friday Five

It's hard to believe we only have one more day left in 2011.  It has been a year of great strides for me both personally and professionally, so I look forward to a new year filled with challenges. My Friday Five today will encompass my favorite five things from this year.  It was hard to narrow it down given the fact that I covered two big awards shows, flew on a blimp, went to the opening night of a Broadway show, booked a job in Paris, and received an unexpected nomination for an award.

1.  Paris:  I fell in love with this city.  It's on my list to go back, like, immediately.  I think I will be celebrating a friend's birthday in Italy, so I know I'm going to hop on over to Paris before or after.....and maybe to London for the Olympics.....ah, dream big for 2012!

2.  Art:  I was lucky enough to go to New Orleans twice this year and invest in a few pieces of art by renowned Picasso muse, Françoise Gilot.  And then the art gallery invited me to meet her--what an honor!  I think my New Orleans visits made my trip to Paris that much more enjoyable, it was a taste of what was to come a few short months later.

3. Dreams:  I can't believe how many of my bucket list items were crossed off this year.  The little girl from small town Massachusetts got to do this and this.  How do you tell your 8-year old self that you will be standing on the red carpet at the Oscars or the Tonys or interviewing Meredith Vieira just weeks before she leaves the Today Show?  Unbelievable.

4.  Godspell:  This show means a lot to me.  It is being helmed by two old friends and I cannot begin to tell you how proud and thrilled I am for all of their success.  (And opening night wasn't too shabby either....thanks for the front row seats, KD.)  It's an incredible cast with killer voices and it's a show you can take your kids to see.  You can't say that about much these days, now go buy a ticket to see the show!

5.  Disney:  Disney World and Disneyland have always given me great joy, so it was a true pleasure to add some of my own Disney coverage to my reporter repertoire.  From the Cars 2 premiere to the Make Your Mark contest to the D23 Conference and the wild finale of Radio Disney's NBT, it was a blast covering the latest batch of Disney Channel stars and be a cool aunt to my 12-year old niece at the same time.  If you are wondering who the next Miley or Selena is, check out Bella Thorne.  Every little girl wants to be CeCe from Shake It Up right now. 

I will post a couple of my favorite photos of the year tomorrow, but I will let the photos do the talking tomorrow. I want to thank you for coming here and sharing my experiences and your stories.  I look forward to more adventures with you in 2012.  Enjoy your last Friday of 2011 and be sure to tell me your favorite things about your year in the comments below.