ETC...

An “Ode” to 2020

Rodeo Houston

It feels so strange to be on the brink of a new year. Throughout 2020 there were so many times when I told myself that “it would just be a couple more weeks,” or if we can just “get past this (first) peak” things would start to get better.

For an “introverted extrovert,” it has been difficult for me to be away from people. I remember the way I felt the first time I wore a mask out in public. It was the physical sign that things were no longer what they used to be. But you know what? We’ve adapted. We’ve gotten used to the things that were foreign to us back in March. There is longer have a toilet paper shortage. I’ve embraced technology to keep in touch with colleagues, and I’m picking up my phone more to have conversations with friends and family members. In ways, I feel more connected with some people than I was before the pandemic.

2020 will go down in the history books for sure. It’s a year that Aaron and I (and all of you, I’m sure) will never forget. We learned to be content. It was the year we stayed at home. 2020 tested our resiliency and increased our appreciation for the small things. It was equal parts good, equal parts filled with growth and equal parts difficult. It changed us and challenged us.

2020 in photos

So, here’s my ode to 2020. I don’t want to think of 2020 as a waste of a year. It had its ups and downs and peaks and valleys, but today, I want to focus on all of the good that happened this year. I am optimistically standing on the doorstep of 2021, ready to firmly close the door of 2020 behind me and take on everything that lies ahead. Onward. Come along with me while I revisit some of the best parts of this year.

January

Galveston | River Otter

Aaron and I have a New Year’s Day tradition to make the drive out to Galveston. It’s something we started a couple of years ago. After all of the hustle and bustle during the holidays, it’s nice to jump in the car for 45 minutes, eat some lunch on the water and just be. This year, we were eating across the street from the water, and I saw what I thought was a tiny dog jumping in and out of the waves. But, his body looked a bit longer than it should have been if it were a dog. I realized I was actually looking at the famed (and elusive) river otter. I’ve heard they can be found in Galveston, but sightings are rare. We went to take a closer look.

Galveston | River Otter

Definitely a river otter. We must have watched him for an hour. We thought it was a our good luck sign for the year, and you know what? I still think it was.

St. Louis Aquarium

We also went to go visit our St. Louis fam in January. It was the last time we would jump on an airplane for a very long time. So glad we got spend time with them!

February

I like to call this the “lizard incident” of Feb. 2020. I watch this video and it still makes me laugh. We had a lizard in our house, and Buttercup (our lab), is an expert at finding them – and chasing them out. You can watch the video to see what happened, but this still makes the rounds in our friend group – and it’s still funny.

And, we watched the Rodeo Houston trail riders ride down Memorial, which was right behind our old house! One of my favorite traditions.

March

Rodeo Houston

This is so crazy to think about, but we actually went to the Maren Morris concert at Rodeo Houston. It’s wild to think we were in an enclosed space with alllll the people just a couple of weeks before the Rodeo (and everything) shut down. Was so happy to have this time with my friends and enjoy at least one concert.

baby shower

I also got to attend my friend, Stephanie’s, baby shower. This feels like ages ago, even though it was March.

Woodlands Country club

And a wedding. The Friday I packed up my entire office to work from home, Aaron and I had a rehearsal dinner and wedding that same evening. It felt surreal to be doing something as normal (like attending a wedding), when it really felt like the world was in chaos. I’m so glad we got to celebrate the bride and groom that evening.

April

homemade cinnamon rolls

April is when I began to get antsy. Houston was on lockdown at this point. So, for Easter, I made some homemade cinnamon rolls (for the first time ever).

virtual game night

And, we figured out how to do virtual game nights with friends!

May

Houston Heights

In May, Aaron and I had a friend come into town, and we showed him around the Heights. It was my first time getting out of my athleisure since March to be honest.

And, we still celebrated Cinco de Mayo (quarantine-style) with some margs and some Tex-Mex to go.

June

beach golden retriever

Aaron and I don’t like to be cooped up inside too long, so we made lots of trips to the beach in June. The pups got to come along also. Sidenote: golden retrievers are just the best. My old boy soy loves to be anywhere, as long as it’s with his people.

beach golden retriever

Buttercup loves the water, Sawyer not so much.

July

4th of july

We spent ungodly amounts of time on our bikes in July. I prefer to ride a hybrid, and I can go into more detail about that later. But, this year, my Apple Watch tells me that we’ve ridden more than 787 miles on our bikes.

We also had front row seats to the fireworks show because we hopped on our bikes and went as far as the police would let us ride. It was the best view we’ve had in a long time.

August

Rockport, Texas

In August, we celebrated 4 years of marriage by taking a staycation to Rockport, Texas. You can read all about that trip here: part I and part II.

September

first-time home buyers
New house

In September, we BOUGHT A HOUSE and I resurrected this blog!!!

October

Golden Retriever

October was a complete blur. October was a month of all the unpacking and furniture buying.

Fall front door decor

I decorated our front porch (very minimally) for Fall.

And my friend group managed to have a socially-distanced pumpkin carving party!

November

In November. I participated in the virtual Boot Walk.

La Jolla Canyon

And we made a quick trip to California for Thanksgiving to see my family. We spent lots of time outside hiking while we were there. I also wrote this post on why I’m thankful this year.

December

TXU presents Houston Zoo Lights

And December. The chaotic close to a year before we flow into the new year. It was more restful this year, and for that, I am thankful. My favorite part of December was decorating our new house for Christmas and embracing the way our typical traditions looked this year.

Holiday Zoom party

And, to close out my “ode” to 2020 (even though this is far from an ode). I hope your year wasn’t a waste. I hope you were healthy, and I hope you found some bright spots. One thing is for sure, it’s a year that none of us will forget. Onward and upward!

signature

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *