2021: A Year in Review

I saw a meme a couple weeks ago that was like “When you realize 2019 is almost 3 years ago hahahahaha” and y’all I checked the math TWICE because I thought the internet was fully lying to me. Because Jack was born in 2019. And 2020 was a hot second ago. And I swear to goodness I’ve lived basically 600 of the same day in a row. But also, Bernie in his mittens sequestered all by himself on those cold Capitol steps was only 11 months ago and that actually WAS 3 years ago?

Please excuse me while I make my debut back into blogging with an existential crisis.

What I’m trying to say in a long-winded, not at all succinct way is - what is time? And why? And HOW DARE IT.

Also, that we accomplished a lot in 2021 despite a global personal pan pizza*, 3 kids, homeschool, and ongoing existential crises. And we’re currently making plans for 2022. So let’s talk about it.

In 2021 I/we…

Got Vaccinated (thanks, Science)

Completely made over our entire lower level of our house. New flooring! New Play Room! New Office/Guest Room!

Got rid of the side buildings that were falling down outside. (Technically this project isn’t completely done but a certain husband would like me to leave that unmentioned)

Had a lot of Peloton Dance Parties.

Read 58 books. (Follow me on GoodReads here!)

Went to the Oregon Coast 3 times.

Adopted Samson and more than doubled our dog mass.

Started therapy.

Homeschooled twins.

Stayed home a lot.

And other things. Some really sad things. We finally got to hug friends we’ve missed, but we still don’t see many or that often. We lost a family member this year. We all struggled with our mental health trying to survive in 2021. I’m not going to sugar coat it, I feel a little but exhausted after this year despite our best efforts to make the best of it, slow down, and celebrate our good fortunes. I’m weary of saying Happy New Year. I know a lot of y’all feel the same way. I see you, I feel for you.

But it’s in my nature to persevere. To try and find the good. To look forward to things. So here is what I’m looking forward to in the New Year. What I’m hoping 2022 brings, what you can look forward to hearing more about here on the blog (!!!) and on Instagram. And maybe TikTok? I don’t know. I’m still figure it it out.

In 2022, we’re planning:

To go to Disneyland! 4/5 of us are vaccinated and so we’re really hoping that Omicron calms TF down and we can get ourselves to the Happiest Place on Earth. I’m going to talk ad nauseam about the planning process (and my fabulous friend Michelle who planned it all for us.) I’d love to chat realistic numbers, planning Q+As, packing lists, and how we make it a fun and happy trip without losing our minds with 3 young kids. Stay tuned!

To renovate the exterior of the house?

This is a big question mark because our final plans are currently up in the air and honestly I hate that because I’m. A. Planner. But, our dishwasher broke Christmas Day and is going to be 3-6 months for delivery and it seems basically all appliances are that way right now. And honestly, our Phase One Kitchen Renovation (while necessary and amazing), is showing wear and tear that means we don’t have much more time before we’d be needing new counters/cabinets anyway.

So here’s where we’re at: we have to do our back deck this year. HAVE TO. It’s 1,000 square feet, over 30 years old, and there’s a swim spa serving as an incubation nest for mosquitoes on half of it. It’s got to go, we need to replace it in a bad way, So that’s the first priority.

Second priority is central air because we hit 109 degrees in Seattle in June and have no central air. It was detrimental to our actual health. I need my house to be usable when its hot outside because even during less apocalyptic summers, it’s not easy for the house to be in the 80s when you’re trying to get everyone to sleep. Central air it is.

Everything else on the list is fairly flexible and the kitchen is starting to move up on the list. And don’t get me wrong, I’m STOKED to do the kitchen. I have been looking forward to this kitchen renovation for actual years and it’s going to be amazing when it’s done. But it’s also going to mean being without a kitchen for months as a family of five, and you know it costs a lot of money. A lot of money that we could use to do a lot of other things like paint the house, replace windows, bathrooms, the front porch, the driveway, landscaping (you get the picture…). And it’s just a big balancing act. Our next steps are to hire an engineer for the interior projects, get bids from the landscapers for the outside projects, and look at numbers for every single line item and see what magic we can make happen. Tomas is about to make one hell of a spreadsheet and I can’t wait. Obviously I’ll keep you tuned as we move forward. But if anyone knows anyone at Wolf who wants to help a lowly blogger from Seattle-ish out, lmk.

And as for the rest of 2022…. Idk? I have learned in these last couple of years that planning is great, flexibility is key, and self-care through it all is paramount. We’re going to keep homeschooling, keep getting boosters as needed, and hopefully hugging friends as it’s safe. I don’t have a word of the year this year, I don’t have any resolute or concrete goals (much less numbers to go along with them). I’m in the middle of watching The Office for the third time all the way through and I will not apologize for being exactly who I have always been. And while I love the idea of a fresh start, a new opportunity, I’m somewhere in the intersection of “New Year New Goals” and “January first is just another day.” I think I’m squarely in “New Year, Same Me” but maybe with a few new helpful habits over the next few months. I’m not expecting to wake up tomorrow to start a new life, but sustainable habit building and changes towards a better me? Yeah I think I can do that.

As far as this here blog goes? That was a big New Years goal I had (to launch anyway), so #crushingit. I’m planning on bringing a Closet Organization series soon, and next week I’m going to start Meal Planning 101. I don’t know for sure how consistent or how often I’m going to post. But. I’m excited to be back on my slice of Internet Pie and having a place I can keep hopefully resourceful content. Thanks for being here with me. I’d like to remind you to be gentle with yourself, to not expect yourself to do the most right now, and if you’re making goals to do so only if they excite the hell out of you. Happy New Year!

*A global personal pan pizza is the pandemic and I stole that joke from my friend Ashe.