2020

What a year this has been. While it has been filled with fears and uncertainties, it has also brought so much hope and literal new life. This year has forced me to really look at what’s important in my own life and my priorities have shifted in a way that I wasn’t expecting.

In a weird way, this year has been really good for our family. It’s been extremely challenging, don’t get me wrong, but we have come out of it stronger than ever as a unit. A team. It has made me appreciate my marriage and my daughter more than ever. Even if I need to run away from them and hide in the car once in a while ๐Ÿ™‚

Pregnancy: We started trying for baby#2 in 2019 and it took about a year to get pregnant (read the whole story). So I spent the first half of the year TTC and the second half pregnant. As I’ve mentioned time and again, we only want two kids so to be able to complete our family (with a boy!) feels really really good. I’m over halfway through this pregnancy and can’t wait to meet our little man.

COVID:ย Obviously COVID was the biggest thing that happened to us and everyone else this year. Anel and I both had big plans for our businesses in 2020 and that all came to a screeching halt in March. It has been pure survival mode and I’m proud to say that we made it through the year feeling good about what we accomplished. It’s not what we expected but that is more than ok. I’m not setting any big goals for 2021 yet considering we have no idea how much longer this will last… oh and, you know, we’ll be having a baby.

Slowing down and focusing more on my family until he’s at least a year feels right. Then I hope to expand the consulting side of my business in a big way.

Garden:ย Anel planted our vegetable garden last March and it has changed our lives in so many ways. It has taught Amalia about where food comes from which has been so much fun and we’ve seen her try new foods that she wouldn’t normally. Anel gardens as a meditative thing which has helped him (and our relationship) a lot.

It’s also forced me to get more creative in the kitchen with new ingredients which is fun. I did a lot of pickling and even froze a bunch of veggies for winter.

Next up? We’re getting chickens this spring! 8 to be exact. Anel grew up on a farm with lots of animals so this is totally his domain but I’m excited to benefit from fresh eggs every day.

Fair Play: At the beginning of the year, I read Fair Play, and Anel and I really got into it. When COVID hit, we were thrown for a loop and kind of lost our footing but restarted again recently. I can say now with full conviction that it is the best thing we’ve done for our marriage, especially now that we’re home a lot more. I highly recommend reading the book if you’re in a domestic partnership and “playing the game.”

Home: We moved into our house in September 2019 and had planned to wait a least a year before making any big changes but then COVID hit and we decided to move our 2020 and 2021 travel budget to the home. We knocked down a wall to open up our downstairs, decorated our bedroom (final photos coming soon!), built a stone wall at the end of our driveway, and now had are currently (unexpectedly) renovating our powder room after a very horrifying mainline sewage backup that was the most 2020 home moment ever.

Anxiety:ย Last year I wrote a lot about my anxiety and I’m really very proud of how it’s been going this year. Considering the epic sh*tstorm that was 2020, my anxiety has been shockingly controlled. Is it perfect every day? Of course not. But it’s a lot better than I would have ever expected.

Sustainability Challenges: I started this year gung-ho on making small changes each month to add up to a big difference by the end of the year. While I’ve admittedly posted less about these challenges in recent months, I plan to keep them going through 2021 and hope that you’ll continue joining me in them. After surveying you guys on IG, I’ve learned that literally thousands of you have participated in more than one and that alone makes me feel really good about 2020.

The Ring Saga: This was honestly one of the highlights of my year just because it was so unexpected and had so many feel-good moments. Read the story of my lost (and found) engagement ring if you haven’t already!

Survey: On a lighter note, Iโ€™d love to hear from you about what resonated this year, what didnโ€™t, and what kind of content you want to see next year. If you fill out this survey, youโ€™ll be entered to win a $150 Amex gift card, and it will only take you a minute or less!

Iโ€™ll be back here on January 4th with all of my 2021 goals and ideas for Lemon Stripes with the help of your survey responses.

In the meantime, I want to extend my deepest gratitude to all of you for your love and support this year and for keeping this site alive. Sending you so much love and the happiest and healthiest of holidays.

See you next year!

Most popular posts of 2020


We’re Having a Boy
Baby #2
Our Week with COVID
Animal Signs
My Relationship with Alcohol
Our Sickness Essentials
Toddler Activities When You’re Stuck at Home

Most popular posts ofย  2019
We Bought a New House
Medicated
The True Cost
What to Buy at Trader Joeโ€™s
How to Support a Spouse with Anxiety

Most popular posts of 2018
My Anti-Inflammatory Diet
My Post-Partum Body
Not all PPD Looks the Same
How I Weaned My Baby

Some of my favorite photos of 2020

Photos by Julia Dags.

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Comments

  1. Jennifer Record said:

    great photos! And what a great year your family has- love your positive attitude! And you definitely inspired me to work on aspects of my sustainability impact. I’m still use the same box of ziplock bags I opened over 6 months ago. It’s reusable tupperware, thanks to you!

    12.22.20 · Reply