Wrapping up 2020 like…

YOU GUYS. There are exactly 10 days left of this year.

Remember 355 days ago when we we were drinking all the egg nog and stuffing our faces with all the appetizers and hors d’oeuvres? We had a newly renovated kitchen and a New Years Eve party with, like, 50 people at it.

Yeah … those were good times.

Who could’ve guessed that just a few weeks later parties would be illegal?! Or masks would be an essential part of everyone wardrobe? Or grocery shopping would be considered “going out.”

Seriously I don’t think any of us saw 2020 coming.

But when I think back on this past year, I feel like I’m reading a Choose Your Own Adventure book and I’m at the part where I choose where the story goes.

Option 1: How 2020 sucked.

Cancelled: Spring Break ski trip to Breckenridge
Cancelled: 8th birthday party
Cancelled: 50th bday family trip to NYC (including Broadway, Yankees game, Coney Island etc.)
Cancelled: school, graduations, Memorial Day parties and BBQs
Closed: restaurants, library, gyms, playgrounds … fun. Basically social life was cancelled.
Cancelled: concerts, sporting events, races and every other large group gathering
People cleaned out store shelves, fought over TP and hoarded basic pantry items. Ri. Di. Culous.
Everyone judged everyone else for everything: whether or not they wear a mask, how much they did or did not social distance, and how they are dealing with all the unexpected this year held.
We are super sad for all the loss and disappointment in 2020. We’ll never forget this year.

Option 2: How 2020 rocked.

Chris transitioned to full time work from home.
I took the plunge and quit my job to make space for creativity.
To Go cocktails now is a thing. Hallelujah.
A local outdoor ninja gym opened in March of this year. And we joined. And went a lot.
Championing and celebrating the local COS food, drink and craft culture became the cool thing to do.
For the first time ever, I blew past my yearly reading goal.
Thanks to COVID restrictions, the 719 Ride exploded.
People found their inner creative again. They began gardening, baked bread, learned a new skill, took up a forgotten musical instrument.
Outdoor activities like hiking and biking became super popular. And we spent much of 2020 outside.
We all started to look out for each other and interacting with our neighbors … shopping local, going for walks around the neighborhood, picking up groceries for someone, dropping off gifts for first responders, teacher parades … the love list is literally endless.
We let go of our plans and adapted to a lot and learned to just go with it.
We learned to accept others even while we think differently.
We loved all the family time and the slower pace of life in 2020. We’ll never forget this year.