2020 - you were a challenge, but you weren't all bad!!
January: started out with sickness, I was sicker than I've ever been starting 1/4/20 and it lasted at least 3 weeks. I will forever wonder if I didn't have covid. I had all the Classic symptoms: dry stubborn cough that would not go away, fever that would look like it was breaking only to come back again and some breath shortness when moving around. Of course, we didn't know what covid was in January! That being said, I pushed myself to attend both 49er playoff games at Levi's and they earned their ticket to the Super Bowl.
February: Super Bowl!! Though the Niners didn't win, we still enjoyed the thrill of cheering them on during the game! We enjoyed time with friends & celebrated Valentine's Day at a great party.
March: I got to meet a fellow TA friend from Nebraska as she was visiting the SF Bay Area. We had a lovely dinner down at Fisherman's Wharf & we stayed overnight in the city (little did we know)...and we also went out to dinner to celebrate our good friend Linda's birthday- again having no idea that would be our last time to eat out at a restaurant- inside! I taught my last Body Pump class on March 11th & danced my last night of dancing at the Saddle Rack that same night. The Saddle Rack closed the next night, taking a prevention stance before official lockdown (which is to be respected) & March 17th the state of CA was on lockdown orders, only allowed out for "essentials".
April: I surprised my sister with a special Zoom for her birthday, she thought it was just going to be the immediate family, but I arranged to have our cousins in CT & some of her best friends to join in. She cried. It was a success. We also changed with the times and celebrated Easter over zoom! Being empathetic to friends who live alone, we also surprised another friend on her birthday with a plant and card that we delivered to her doorstep.
May: A bittersweet month. The Saddle Rack announced that they would not reopen when the pandemic was over or under control or whenever they would be given the green light to re-open. Our dance family was shattered & heartbroken. However, we did get together on Memorial Day weekend for a parking lot party with all the necessary precautions and it felt so good to dance with friends again - even though we found out later that we were not allowed to do this- yet. More zoom social hours, sunshine arrives and I spent numerous afternoons taking in "Vitamin D"
June: No real graduation ceremony for Nolan (8th grade) or Brynn (HS), but we watched ceremonies on the internet. I also watched the very last graduating class on FB live graduate from Mercy. I had a picnic lunch with my sister on her patio. Bill & I celebrated our 14th wedding Anniversary and we were super thankful that restrictions began to be lifted, so we stayed overnight at the Ritz Carlton Half Moon Bay, ate at their outdoor restaurant twice, enjoyed an afternoon at Filoli Gardens and then had a nice dinner outside in downtown Redwood city. We felt human again! We got to go out to dinner two weeks later for Bill's birthday! We finally got to see our Godkids and their parents with a lovely outdoor gathering in their backyard. However, June did not come and go without sadness, my fitness family lost a truly beautiful & sunny soul when Wendy passed away after several cancer battles.
July: A fairly quiet month. Many days on the patio enjoying the sunshine. We were finally cleared to have another Parking Lot Dance Party. Brynn had a graduation party that we sadly had to decline, with covid guidelines we just did not feel as though going was the right thing for us to do.
August: We enjoyed more days on the patio both by day and night. Card games, dice games, Mexican Train - all to keep us busy and entertained. We had a few more parking lot dance parties, which were always a highlight. Zoom happy hours on a weekly basis, which were truly a Godsend to stay connected with great friends...and then a Thunderstorm induced fire storm throughout much of the greater Bay Area. There were 3 huge complex fires that burned for months. Thankfully, everyone we know remained safe and free from any property loss. Bill & I also started having outdoor dining lunch on Fridays to help support our favorite restaurants.
September: Got to enjoy a lunch out with Diane and Mama Yelinek to celebrate Diane's birthday. More Zooms. More parking lot dance parties & 49er football season began! I also had a sister lunch in Walnut Creek on her patio!
October: We went on vacation!! Took a trip to Cabo for 10 days and had the time of our lives! Our dance family even went "live" from their parking lot party to include us from Mexico!! Went out to dinner with the Barron family to celebrate Shelby's birthday! We enjoyed a wonderful parking lot party for Halloween with live music provided by the Rob Tracy Band & I finally got to see my very good friend Tiina! More football, more baseball (LA won the world series- boo! But it is 2020!!!)
November: An election to remember. The earliest that I've ever decorated the house for Christmas, my combined Thanksgiving/Birthday celebration and my first Thanksgiving to cook! We decided to be "covid safe" and did not gather outside of our house for Thanksgiving. I did receive a wonderful surprise visit from the Barron girls who delivered the Happy Birthday song and flowers. Made me feel super special! And of course, more zooms! Lockdowns started to be implemented again and Santa Clara County was one of the first so our November parking lot party ended up being canceled.
December: Usually our busiest month because we have a gazillion social gatherings. Not this year. We missed seeing our friends & we missed hosting our annual party that has become a big hit with all of our friends. It was heartwarming to see people post memories of our parties showing that they miss it too! However, we had time to do things that we never had time to do before: we visited Filoli with the holiday lights at night & we did Christmas in the Park in San Jose which became a drive through event this year. Both were fantastic! Of course, more zooms with friends and colleagues, many nights of playing cards or dice with Bill and other friends over zoom, binge watching various shows and movies. Christmas Day was just our household & it was nice. We did manage to have a drive by Christmas Day Mimosa toast with the Barron family (modifying tradition slightly). We also did a quick getaway to Reno to contemplate our future. It was a really great mini-getaway.
Overall, 2020 may not have been the year we expected to have, but it wasn't all that bad. We have connected even more deeply with certain friends, we have strengthened what was already a strong marriage (we really do love being together), we are thankful for our health & for the health of our family & friends. I completed all of my photo books & have enjoyed reliving the memories. I did a puzzle & confirmed that I really am not a puzzle person. We are grateful for the roof over our heads, food on our table & for Bill's steady income/employment!
Excited for 2021. I know that this year won't magically be "back to normal" & we probably won't be back to normal anytime soon, but there is hope with a new year that things will change, things will get better. I have already received inquiries for travel for late 2021 and into 2022, I won't see any income from trips traveled until late this year and early next year, but we're prepared to continue to weather this financial storm. I did not invest 30 years into this career to walk away from it, my business will flourish once again. We are also looking at some other changes that will be happening this year, more news to come. 😁
Happy New Year everyone!
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