My 2020 in Review

I found this idea on YouTube and thought it was a really good way to look back at the previous year while thinking about the future. What was your 2020 year like?  

10 highlights

    · Trip to West Jordan to visit family and friends right before the pandemic really hit

    · Parker's birthday - we took her frog hunting out in the trees at Ben's parents house for her date and then did a Ballerina birthday party with family.

    · Rylee's birthday - we took her on a four wheeler ride to a swing out in the trees and then pushed her on the swing for a long time (her favorite thing). For her birthday, we did a Minnie Mouse party with family. 

    · Ashtyn's birthday - we went on a bike ride to the park with her and then played Pokemon Go at the park for her date. For her party, we did a Pokemon party with family and had both my mom and her cousins from out of town, which was really fun. 

    · Trip to North Dakota for Elizabeth's baptism - it was a long car trip, but it was so fun to see them and their new house. 

    · Starting homeschool - in September, we officially starting homeschooling. I sat down with the girls to find out what they wanted to focus on this year--Parker wanted to learn her letters, which we're still working on, and Ashtyn wanted to do art lessons and piano. She has also loved doing addition and subtraction worksheets. 

    · Going to the lake - we were able to go the lake quite often in the summer. We had a pass and live about fifteen minutes from one. We went with different family members different times (including cousins out of town) and even went night swimming after we put the girls down once! We went out on Danny's boat for fishing and often just went to hang out on the beach and swim to the dock. It's one of our favorite ways to spend a summer evening. 

    · Halloween - Halloween was really fun this year. All three girls had a lot of fun (Ashtyn was a Pokemon trainer, Rylee was her Pikachu, and Parker was Spider Gwen). Rylee especially loved all things Halloween all month and even kept up with her sisters for trick-or-treating. 

    · Thanksgiving - Thanksgiving was a lot different from what we had originally planned because of Covid, but it was still really nice. We had Ben's parents and his cousins come over for dinner. We spent the morning relaxing, the afternoon visiting and eating, and then the evening relaxing again. 

    · Christmas - the whole Christmas season was so nice this year. It felt like a healing period, to focus on the Savior and the things that matter most, after the year we'd had. We did a lot of fun activities, found ways to serve others, and enjoyed family as much as we could with everything the way it is.    

9 lowlights 

    · March, when everything was locked down. We were trying to stay away from everyone, including Ben's parents, and it was a rough time, The hardest were the wet and cold days. On warmer days, we got to go outside and that made a huge difference. 

    · Ben's Grandpa Gary passing away. We know he is no longer in pain, which we're grateful for, and we miss him. 

    · Some family moving away. Melissa and her family moved to North Dakota and Donovan and Jessica moved to Texas. We're excited for them both and know it's the right thing for their families, but we miss them! 

    · Finding balance - finding balance was a harder thing for me this year. I had a lot of responsibilities and things I was wanting to do and it was hard to find time for all of them. I've had to let some things go and learn to set boundaries in other places. 

    ·  Getting sick - at the end of October, Ben and I got sick. We still don't know if it was Covid, but we were suspicious at the time that that was what it was. We stayed away from everyone and just tried to survive with three kids while feeling sick. Ben had worse symptoms than I did.       

    · Iron deficiency - In the summer, I went through a period of having an upset stomach. I didn't feel good, it was hard to eat, and I was throwing up every day or two. It was bizarre. At first I thought it was a stomach bug, but then it lasted a long time. I also was very sure I wasn't pregnant. I tried some different things, and finally figured out it was an iron deficiency. I have been taking iron for a few years now but fell out of the habit in the summer without really thinking about it. When I realized I had stopped taking it, I looked it up and one of the top symptoms was nausea or vomiting. I took my iron and the next day I was feeling better. 

    · Not going to church - we haven't been able to do classes since March (or activities or normal sacrament). I'm grateful for what we can do now, but we all miss church. Just on Sunday, Parker was telling me she missed her class, because they teach her lovely lessons and give her candy. We can't wait until we can go back to the normal two hour block (and without masks!). 

    · Not traveling - we had a trip to Brazil planned for 2020 for the Rio temple, which obviously didn't happen. We also haven't been able to travel out to West Jordan to visit my family, and we've been missed them so much. 

    · Seeing others' trials - Seeing how other people have suffered and had trials this year has been hard to see. I wish I could do more to help them, and that they didn't have to face those trials. 

8 lessons learned 

    · This, too, shall pass 

    · We need to see people. Virtual doesn't replace in person. 

    · Even though church can be hard with kids, it's worth it. I miss it's influence. 

    · The devil really takes advantage of idle time

    · Routines can give comfort in hard times    

    · The prophet is inspired for our day and time 

    · Small changes lead to big results 

    · I am so very blessed

7 influential people 

    · Benjamin

    · Melissa

    · Lindi

    · My mom 

    · Makenzie 

    · My Kids

    · Sarah John      

6 things that made everyday better 

    · Good food, like pizza or homemade bread 

    · Being with loved ones 

    · Putting away my phone 

    · Good books 

    · Being outside, especially on a nice day    

    · Small habits that help me become who I want to be    

5 good books

    · Bonds that Make us Free by C Terry Warner 

    · Atomic Habits by James Clear 

    · Rhythm of War by Brandon Sanderson

    · All that Makes Life Bright by Josi S. Kilpack 

    · The Princess in Black by Shannon Hale    

4 ways I invested in my future 

    · I wrote everyday on my novel (except Sundays, when I wrote on my blog)

    · I read parenting books and scriptures, had parenting affirmations and prayed to become a better parent

    · Started small and manageable habits related to my health to put myself on a better trajectory

    · I was active in my writing group and read a lot of craft books to improve my writing skill

3 adjectives to describe this year 

    · Long 

    · Family-centered 

    · Growth-inducing 

2 things that used to be hard that are now easy 

     · Writing everyday (a little bit; I'm still working on increasing my writing time) 

    ·   Prioritizing other things over my YouTube channel 

1 thing I could have changed to make this year better 

    ·  Eating better - During the stressful times, my go-to was to get take out. Sometimes this was for dinner, or sometimes this was Ben and I having a special date after the kids went down. Eating better is one of the biggest goals I have in my life and I am starting to take small steps to achieve that goal. I'm keeping the steps small so that they will be long lasting and consistent.