Every year, I do three yearly recap posts: my year in books, my year on the blog (coming this week), and my year personally. Today, I’m talking about my year personally!
I tend to recap my year in review differently every dang year. I don’t know why. I guess I haven’t found the best way to do it yet maybe, so I keep changing it up. Anyway, In 2020, I did a month in review every month without fail (sooo time consuming), so that made it way easier for me to look back on the year as a whole and come up with this post.
Looking back at the early months of 2020 is mindblowing. It all feels like a lifetime ago because then COVID happened and time warped for us all. I think the easiest way for me to recap the year will just be month-by-month, but if I could recap it in just one word… 2020 was obviously the year of COVID for all of us.
Yearly Recap by Month
January
- Jerry, Caleb, and I all celebrated our birthdays, with Caleb turning five. I took an entire week off for our birthday extravaganza week.
- I was really into my vintage crafting. I started a Facebook page to share my creations (which has since been ignored) and went to a craft night with my mom, SIL Sheena, and friend Margaret.
- I was in a tough place mentally because I tried to take myself off my antidepressants again. Why? I do not recall. I went back on them though, so do not fear!
- Someone broke into my car and stole my Aldi quarter. RUDE!
- My doctor discovered I had a high heart rate, and started me on a new medication.
- I saw a Facebook ad that led me to watch a bariatric surgery video from a local hospital. I jumped right in and started the process to have that done.
- My friend Angela tried to teach me how to crochet.
- Holden learned to walk on his own!
February
- I went and saw my last movie in theaters (unbeknownst to us) before COVID shut them all down. Margaret and I saw The Lodge and we LOVED it!
- I did an at home sleep study, nutrition seminar, and obtained my primary care doctor’s referral for surgery.
- Holden got baptized! We had a little pizza party at the church afterward.
- We had a really bad snowstorm. Jerry and Caleb both had snow days from work / school, but I did not… as per usual.
March
- Well, well, well… the pandemic decided to roll on into town (or, um, the WORLD) this month and everyone’s lives and worlds were completely turned upside down. I’ll still try and recap what the following months were like though.
- We got our tax money back and finally bought a much needed new couch and loveseat set.
- We had a really big and exciting author event canceled in March that we had been planning and preparing for months. The author (the wonderful Zoje Stage) was going to be traveling from out of state and I was pretty much heartbroken. I totally understood, but I had been emailing with her for months and had gotten to know her, and we had generated such a buzz amongst our patrons.
- Prior to the cancelation, myself and several colleagues hosted an incredible book discussion for Zoje’s book, Baby Teeth, at a local cidery to prepare for her visit. It was an amazing night, a lively discussion, and one of those nights that I felt so proud of my work. We had a great turn out, lots of laughs, awesome food, and heyyyy, it turned out to be the last big event I attended before the shut down.
- On Saturday, March 14th, I was at work when everything started imploding. The town started buzzing because we had our first case locally, and my coworkers and I were anxious all day. On Monday, we returned to work. Some staff members were sent home to quarantine. The rest of us were broken into groups, and were told we’d be alternating work days, but then on Wednesday, we were all sent home. After that, I was working from home and didn’t know how long it was going to last. This was the remainder of March. Lots of Zoom meetings, Facebook postings, collaborating with colleagues on virtual programs, and general craziness!
April
- I worked from home the entire month and hardly left the house. I watched SO MUCH TV and read SO MANY BOOKS!
- I went into work one day because my officemate and I got booted out of our office and we had to move to cubicles. It felt surreal to be back inside.
- We rescheduled that big author event that got canceled and turned it into a Zoom event instead, and it was a HUGE success. We had over 50 virtual attendees and we LOVED talking with Zoje. It really lifted my spirits.
- We started several virtual book clubs on Facebook to help our patrons feel more connected. My colleague / work bestie and I ran (and still run) the mystery one.
May
- I went back to work in the middle of May. Wasn’t sure how I felt about that one. I’ve been back ever since! Our hours and services were slightly limited though (still are… I’ve had a weird work schedule now since May). Jerry continued to work on a rotating work schedule (half staff taking turns every week).
- We loosened up a bit on the lock down status with the kids since we were both back at work, and the kids got to see Mimi and Papa again since they babysit them for us.
- I opted to get a COVID test since I was back to work (with the public no less), and it was a horrific experience for me. I almost passed out.
- Jerry and my aunt built a garden in our yard. It basically died because we don’t get good sunlight, but it was cool.
- I had a tele-visit with my bariatric dietitian and it did not go well. I gained weight during the quarantine and she did not like that at all. We do not jive well and she offers no mental support or understanding.
June
- Had some family drama with my cousins that did not end well. Haven’t spoken to them since.
- We went out to dinner for the first time since COVID started (we ate outside), and I was able to meet some long lost cousins (discovered by my grandma via an ancestry test).
- Thrift stores reopened, hallelujah! My mom and I went on multiple thrifting trips, obviously.
July
- We celebrated the 4th at my brother’s house.
- I had my mom chop off a ton of my hair! Ha!
- My mom, Caleb, and I went to an amazing estate sale where everything was free because it was the last day.
- I had to go in for a sleep study because my at home one didn’t work well. It was an odd experience.
- Holden started to say “hi” and “bye.”
August
- I launched my Pink Zebra business!
- I had awful migraines all month due to a birth control change.
- I was able to see some friends in person finally! A couple of girls came over one night to sniff wax and eat dip (lol), and my book club finally met again.
- My parents booked a shaved ice truck at their house for the kids.
September
- Holden turned two and we had a drive by birthday celebration for him with dessert cups!
- Caleb started 100% remote kindergarten.
- I hosted my very first Pink Zebra Blend Bash and it was awesome!
- Kicked off Donut Quest 2020 and made several donut trips with Jerry, the boys, and my friend Denise.
- My friend Christine and I also trekked out to Buffalo (about an hour away) with Caleb and her son to try these really well known donuts (Paula’s) and OMG they were so worth the hype and the drive.
- We had a lead test scare with Holden, but it turned out to be okay.
October
- Lots more Donut Quest trips throughout the month, most of them with my friend Denise and Caleb! Jerry eats healthy, blah, blah, blah. Show me the donuts!
- I hosted my first online Pink Zebra party for a friend and it was amazingly successful.
- Holden got evaluated for Speech Therapy after prompting from his doctor, and got approved for that.
- We took Caleb to his favorite Spooky Hayride.
- Jerry and I went on a little weekend getaway for our 7th wedding anniversary. We traveled about two hours away for a haunted attraction (since all the local ones were COVID closed), and stayed at a Bed and Breakfast. While the attraction was not great, we had a nice dinner and we loved the B&B.
- I took an entire week off work for Halloween week because I am THAT extra about Halloween, my favorite day of the year.
- I started a new-to-me medication (I’ve tried several) for migraine prevention: Topamax. It works pretty well for me, though it did take away my ability to taste/feel carbonation for awhile. Problematic for my Diet Coke addiction!
- The night before Halloween, my dad and I went to the Genesee Country Village and Museum (one of my very favorite places) for a night of Edgar Allen Poe. The reading portion was a bit cheesy, but it was festive and I learned a lot about him, so we enjoyed it.
- Halloween was interesting. We decided not to trick or treat, so the kids had an Easter egg type candy hunt at my parent’s house, and then we watched a movie and did ice cream sundaes with the boys when we got home. Caleb had fun and wasn’t disappointed, which was a relief.
November
- My aunt and I went to a salt room. It was an interesting experience!
- I held a double Blend Bash! It was fun and chaotic.
- We celebrated Thanksgiving at my parent’s house with them and my brother’s family.
- My dad retired!
- Jerry started working in Grounds and had a work schedule change. Proud of him for this promotion!
December
- We went to our annual Santa and Reindeer dinner (with Santa behind plexiglass).
- I took a lot of vacation time from work for the holidays which was MUCH needed. Work has been insane ever since we returned in May. Lots of staff is gone now, so we are all doing double and triple the amount of our usual jobs.
- Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Eve were all celebrated at my parent’s house, with just them and my brother’s family again. No extended family this year because COVID. Our main gift for the boys was a mini indoor trampoline.
- I watched so many Hallmark Christmas movies. I miss that now that we’re in January. Ha!
Goals
Welp, I looked at the goals I set for last year, and I only accomplished one of them, which was to earn an extra $3,000. Luckily, I went above and beyond that. All of the other goals were a complete flop though. I blame COVD for a lot of that, but I also blame the fact that a year is a long time, and we don’t know what a year will bring. Our plans and priorities shift. If nothing else, I learned that this year. I learned to go with the flow because you can’t plan and know everything, no matter how hard you try and how badly you want to.
I started out the year with my main health focus being on bariatric surgery, and ended the year focusing more on getting my migraines and mental health in better control first. The migraines seem to be pretty well in control right now, but I’m still working on the mental health things. After that, I want to get back on track with the surgery thing.
I also had NO CLUE at the beginning of the year when I was setting goals that I was going to join Pink Zebra. That has changed a lot of things for me, including how I spend my time, how I earn extra money, etc. Anyway, this is just another example of how setting goals and resolutions at the beginning of a year is kind of hard.
All that said, I do set goals monthly here on the blog, as I’m sure you’ve seen. Monthly goals are so much more palatable and realistic. You can generally look ahead and see what’s to come in a monh’s time. But a year’s time? Not so much. Instead, I’ll just list a few big things that are PROBABLY on the horizon for 2021, but who the heck really knows because COVID, and everything else I said about a year being a long time to see ahead.
Looking Ahead to 2021: Plans & Goals
- Preschool: Holden will likely start preschool in September, which is right after he turns three!
- Hybrid /in person school: Caleb’s entire kindergarten experience thus far has been entirely remote. We hope that at some point this year, he will get to experience in-person kindergarten. We have him registered to start the hybrid model next semester (2 days in person).
- Achieve Pink Sapphire: this a big milestone that you can achieve in Pink Zebra, when you hit 15,000 SV within a year. I’m actually almost there at only 5 months in! Not many people hit this, but I’m pretty sure I’ve got this! This will sound like a brag, but I’m just really proud… I’ve been in the top 10 sales of my team (of 400+ people) every single month since I’ve joined in August. I am working hard and I really love it.
- Organization: I’ve already started this, and have a long way to go still, but I’ve been working on organizing the house as well as my PZ business stuff. I have a lot of clutter because I love to collect books, vintage things, wax, etc. I have always been a collector, but I need to sort, organize, and store it better. This is my huge project for the year.
- Baratric Surgery: I do hope this is the year for my bariatric surgery. COVID threw me off track, as well as my issues with very frequent migraines and dips in my mental health. I got discouraged and I hated my dietitian and stopped caring because her approach was not good or even remotely gentle. I’m getting the rest of my health back on track though, and think I’ll be ready to pursue surgery again this year.
- Earn an extra $10,000: This seems high probably, but I think I actually wasn’t too far off from this in 2020 between Pink Zebra, blogging, surveys, etc. I am keeping better track of this in 2021 so I’ll know for sure. Right now, nothing exciting is happening with this money (like saving for a dream house) because we have debt, but it’ll be nice to get out of debt someday too, right? Right now, a lot of this money also goes back into the business for supplies, and back into the blog for hosting, domain renewals, etc. Once we get rid of debt, it’ll be fun to start saving for a new house too. DREAM BIG!
- Read more again: My reading was down in 2020, with a total of 28 books read. I need to get back to my books more.
- Start back up with crafting: I loved making vintage crafts, but pretty much stopped when COVID came around, and started watching a lot of TV instead because depression (also why my reading dropped). I want to craft again because it’s fun and I have a lot of supplies!
WHEW! Okay, that was a lot. 2020 was quite the freaking year, wasn’t it? I was not sad to see it go, and can only hope that 2021 is a better year for all of us!
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