2020 Recap
Mount Rainier National Park, WA
My 2020 in Numbers: Big Life Changes During a Pandemic
Dec. 31, 2020
The year we learned how to love from a safe social distance, the year I said "I Do" and changed my last name, and the year I started to build a new home on the other side of the country!
Finally had some time to slow down and reflect on the craziness and excitement of last year. If you didn’t know already, I enjoy this time of year. Reflection has always been a significant part in how I honor my personal growth through accountability -- it’s almost therapeutic for me! If you can relate and are just as obsessed with numbers as I am -- keep on reading!
30 photoshoots
2 flights
9 hikes
1 road trip
15 states
3 National Parks
17 YouTube Videos
1 new job
1 military homecoming
1 wedding (my OWN this time!)
& 1 big move to Boston! :)
Maybe it wasn’t the greatest year yet, but it was still a year with great moments worth celebrating.
You guys already know that I LOVE traveling, but travel wasn’t quite one of my resolutions this time around, especially given the 2020 travel climate (or lack thereof) due to the ongoing covid-19 pandemic. “Unprecedented” and “uncertainty” were common themes for 2020, and staying home ultimately meant staying safe.
This meant cancelling all of our trips planned for the year (including our honeymoon!), reducing the number of photoshoots I had planned by 50%, working from home longer than I’ve worked at my company’s office, reducing in-person interaction with friends and family, and let’s not forget planning, pivoting, re-planning and pivoting again (many more times!) for my August wedding.
All of this to say that I’m sure a lot of you can relate to the statement that 2020 was a tough one, and I’m right there with you. But with all that said, I’d be a fool to want to be rid of ALL it so quickly. There were still many lessons learned, memories made, and many moments worth celebrating:
2020 consisted of:
Switching into the Marketing Food industry & making big career moves
Learning how to be a supportive military partner and embracing the "milso" identity
Welcoming Lucas home from his 330-day deployment in Afghanistan
Saying “I Do” on top of a mountain and promising forever to my favorite person
Traveling across America on a cross-country road trip to our temporary new home
Starting to build a New England home in Boston, Massachusetts
Learning how to show love from a safe social distance
Did I honor my New Year’s Resolutions for 2020? Let’s See!
Be Intentional
Drink More Water On a Daily Basis
Improve My Food Relationship
Enhance My Fitness Routine
To be honest: I’m not writing this to impress you all with my great willpower (or lack of lol). So please understand that this is my honest assessment on the wins and opportunities regarding my 2020 resolutions.
Although I definitely could’ve drank much more water on a daily basis (started strong until the pandemic hit), and my fitness routine crippled entirely (also shortly after the initial onset of the pandemic), I’m still proud of: 1) how intentional I’ve been with my energy, actions, and people around me, 2) I still got MARRIED despite all of the planning hurdles, and 3) I’ve made healthy strides towards my relationship with food.
Am I letting the covid-19 pandemic be my excuse as to why I didn’t absolutely crush 5 out of 5 goals? Maybe a little… but really, it’s because I know I deserve the grace needed to adapt and stay resilient to the year 2020 was.
In the beginning of the year, I started a new job, which led to the creation of a new routine: worked at the office Monday-Friday, established water breaks to refill my water bottle that was set according to my work meetings, packed a lunch every workday, and took classes at Orange Theory 2-3 times a week after work. I was able to create a wholesome and healthy routine that effectively helped me accomplish 4 out of 5 resolutions on a consistent basis.
That was all, of course, until… covid-19 arrived to America early in the year, and forced us all to work from home if possible, close down gyms, recreate new routines and reimagine new norms.
(This word is ENTIRELY overused by now, but) 2020 was an unprecedented year, and with a year filled with so much change, worry, and uncertainty, I allowed myself the grace to break out of any shackles I had set for myself during a time when all was still “normal.”
I wish I could say that by the end of the year I was able to recreate a healthy routine inspired by my original goals, but that just didn’t happen. Instead, my now-husband and I received military orders over the 2020 summer to move to the other side of the country, about 1-month after our wedding, to a new place that we have both never really explored, all during the ongoing global pandemic.
However, the good news though is now that we’ve settled into Boston for a few months, I can feel my roots starting to dig into the New England earth and I’m hopeful that I’ll be recreating new routines, and making some new favorite memories too.
2020 built a foundation of resiliency that I know I’ll be grateful for in the years to come. Although it wasn’t the greatest year yet, it was still a year with great moments worth celebrating and many important lessons learned. For that, I’m entirely grateful!
Annnd that's a wrap!
We spent the last couple of weeks of 2020 back in Washington with our immediate families. So with cups refueled by the love and support of family, we’re entering the new year with hope, big dreams, and a whole lot of gratitude.
This hope, inspiration, and gratitude continues to fuel the new goals I have reimagined for myself for this next year. I’ll talk more about this tomorrow in my 2021 New Year’s Resolution blog post -- so be sure to check-in tomorrow! :)
Wishing you all a healthier and happier new year!
Thank you, 2020!
Gen
