2020

I think - if there were ever a motto for a year, 2020's motto would have to be Expect the Unexpected. I suppose against all odds, here we are at the end of this wild and crazy year, wishing (and hoping and thinking and praying... wait...that's something else...) that 2021 holds good and happy and hopeful and more.

There are days when I can't believe this year has already passed - it seems like it only just started and now here we are, ringing in a whole new start. There are other days when it seemed like this year would never end. Honestly - I think that feeling that this year would never end was more dominant. I'm sure we all feel that way about the passing of time - right?

I always start these posts and think to myself - I should have written about each month as soon as it ended - because January seems like a long time ago! I rang in the New Year with my little sister at La Auberge Provençale and we joke now that we should have known 2020 was going to be rough because January 1st kicked off with my Mom going to the Emergency Room... *sigh* January was also the only snow we got all year... if nothing else, at least the Winter was mild?

I remember that portions of February were extremely warm... for February that is. I think I spent a lot more time outside in February than I'd imagined I would. I also re-did my bedroom; finally got it painted and redecorated. I honestly cannot think of what else happened in February - but I know that we were still going to movies and dining out and not paying too much mind to rumblings about a virus called COVID-19.

Oh March - you were the beginning of all the craziness. Early in the month I visited with my friend Katie and after a cold snap, the weather warmed up so quickly that the cherry blossoms popped out all over DC. We made the trip to see them and that's the last outing I can remember before COVID-19 took over and made life... interesting. I went to a Women's Retreat and we all used hand sanitizer like mad... by mid-March my office had closed down and we were working from home and as the month wrapped up, the phrase "social distancing" became a part of the lexicon. *sigh*  

April was truly the month where the new normal set in... working from home, ordering food for pick-up as opposed to eating out (as restaurants were closed) and ordering face masks to wear when we went out in public. The state of Virginia went into a lockdown that was put in place through early June... however before it was put in place, we got to go on one outing: picking tulips at Burnside Farms. Everyone had to wear masks in the line(s) and stay spread out while in the tulip fields. I convinced my family to dress up for Easter Sunday - even though all we did was pick up Easter lunch from Regions and watch the service online. Welcome to the new normal.

 

The great outdoors became the only respite for the monotony of being at the house all the time - and as such, we hiked to Storybook Trail, Stoney Man and others, along with exploring walking trails a little closer to home. We discovered a random waterfall on the side of the road - literally - right outside Harper's Ferry and I was able to go get a hair cut - but I had to call when I arrived at the salon to be let in the locked building, have my temperature taken before being allowed in, immediately wash my hands upon entry and wear my face mask the entire time. What a time to be alive.

Oh June - you were jolly. A lot of places were semi-open for the Summer and so for Father's Day, my family took advantage of that and went for a long weekend to Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Face masks were still a must when inside shops or restaurants but for the most part, it seemed like a small slice of normal. We hiked, played goofy golf (I got a hole in one) and just enjoyed the fact that we were traveling. It was a good month - to be sure. 

I should admit here and now that Major League Baseball officially started in July but it was the oddest version ever with no fans and piped in crowd noise; honestly the whole thing was a bust for me. The month of July was spent doing more outdoors activities: hiking, traveling to nearby Blackwater Falls in West Virginia, going tubing on the Shenandoah River and snuggling some of my favorite girls for the first time in months. I also went to a COVID wedding on July 4th - everyone sat spread out, there were only about 25 attendees and it was all outside. Interesting...

Thank goodness for gorgeous Summer weather - I feel like one gift of 2020 was a lot of time spent outdoors! Whether we were hiking in the National Park or near the house, relaxing in the sunshine on the back deck or dining outdoors - there was so much time spent out in the sunshine! August was no exception... we hiked a couple different trails in the National Park and near our house, dined out a plenty and even got to go back to Burnside Farms to pick sunflowers. 

September included travel - what a joy! We spent the weekend of Labor Day in Pittsburgh; a city I'd never been to before but would 100% go back to - it was such a delight! We had amazing food (I tried pierogis) and took in the sights and sounds of the city over the course of three days. My Mom and I attended the women's conference at church in the middle of the month and my dental adventures (don't skip the dentist for six years - it's not a wise choice) began.

I turned 36 at the beginning of October and spent the early days of the month celebrating with day trips to some of my favorite places all around the Northern Virginia area, culminating in a spa day in West Virginia, a unicorn ice cream cake and dinner at Hunter's Head Tavern. It was such a wonderful way to celebrate another year! I voted early in the crazy US election, the gingko trees turned the most brilliant gold and when Halloween rolled around, my friends and I dressed as Founding Fathers - I was Alexander Hamilton! 

What a month November was - I spent half of it in the United Kingdom and it was absolutely wonderful! Almost as soon as the month kicked off, I hopped on a plane and was bound for the U.K to spend 18 days with my younger sister and my Mom. The country was in a state of lockdown because of COVID but we still had a wonderful time - we walked all over my sister's little town, discovered churches, parks and green spaces all over the English countryside, had wonderful meals together and just enjoyed being together! I celebrated Thanksgiving with some wonderful friends once I was home again and got ready for the Christmas season!

Oh December - you were kind of a roller coaster - and I never willingly get on roller coasters. *sigh* The month started off nice enough with an outdoor craft fair, cooler weather and exploring Long Branch all decorated for Christmas. I feel like the second two weeks of December are a blur... we got a little over 8 inches of snow; which was beautiful, and we hunkered down at home to celebrate Christmas in our bubble when COVID ended up arriving within in our family. What a way to wind down this crazy year. 

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I truly don't feel that 2020 was a "bad" year - there are a lot of other adjectives I'd use to describe it before I'd use bad... words like: different, challenging, unique, interesting... yes, I'd use all those words. I think the final month of the year has made me anxious (in more ways than one) for the New Year and the promise that it holds. The one promise I know and hold dear is that no matter how much things around me may change - my God will always stay the same - and that's a promise I can always look forward to.

Happy New Year!

Watson Wednesday

 

Just a few snapshots of Watson over the Christmas week. He had a wonderful Christmas... although he definitely wasn't wild about the hat that I stuck him in for about 30 seconds. 

Rapid Recap

Well - there are all of - what, 96 hours or so left of this year? Is it actually somewhere between 96 and 72 hours? I know the end (of this year) draws nigh. I mentioned yesterday that the last two weeks have been a bit of doozy - so this post will be mostly a ton of pictures and some brief recapping.  

Sunday, December 13th my Mom and I went to Long Branch Plantation to see the home decorated for Christmas - my Dad didn't join us because he'd been feeling a bit poorly over the weekend - what we assumed was just a bad cold. *sigh* Can you already see where this is going?

 

The house was decorated beautifully and it was so nice to be perusing the old home once again; a couple years ago my Mom and I attended a book club here each month and had become familiar with the house, it was nice to be back! I snapped tons of pictures and that's why I combined them... this post is already so picture heavy; I decided to do everyone a favor! 

We made a Wal-Mart pit stop on the way home and the rest of the evening seemed to be going smoothly enough - until shortly before 9:00 when my Dad's fever shot to just over 104 and we had ourselves a good freak out. Thankfully a dear friend who is also an ICU nurse talked us through getting his fever down... I certainly didn't see my Sunday night involving a drive to the gas station for Ibuprofen at 10 PM.

I ended up working from home the rest of the week because my Dad had to be tested for COVID-19.... that pesky virus that has hovered over everything we as a country have done for most of this year. The potential for the virus having made it's way into our home, combined with my Dad being pretty ill for a couple day - I have to confess it unleashed a strain of anxiety like I have never experienced - it drove me to my knees in prayer over and over again.

The stress of the week was broken up a little bit on Wednesday when a Winter Storm arrived on the scene and dumped about eight inches of snow on everything - it was so very Christmas-y with all the twinkle lights peeking from beneath the blankets of snow. I ended up taking Wednesday off from work because I hadn't been sleeping well and was drained... the two naps I took on Wednesday were a wonderful help to getting me back together somewhat. 

By Wednesday my Dad has started to dramatically improve - I wish I could say the same for my anxiety. Between the stress and lack of sleep, I couldn't eat very much because my stomach stayed unsettled and when Friday finally arrived, I had lost five and a half pounds. The lesson here? I need to learn to manage stress better y'all. 

My younger sister arrived home for Christmas on Friday afternoon and I felt a bit of the weight lift off my chest - just because it was so nice to not be on my own. This whole experience makes me think maybe I should have two kids instead of one (Lord willing) just so they have each other... *shrugs* We also got the results of my Dad's COVID test - and he was positive. We were briefed on the way to move forward, told the date his quarantine would end and then... that was that. Just told to "treat the symptoms" and only go to the ER if he had trouble breathing. 

This whole scenario was a real point of stress for me - I am a planner and I need to know what steps I should be taking to get us from Point A - Point Z... and those steps weren't very informative. Blessedly - my Dad got better each day and by the time he got that diagnosis, he seemed almost like his normal self. We used an abundance of Lysol, Clorox Wipes, staying in our own space and even designating specified seats in the living room... 

This Christmas week looked very different from those in the past (for most everyone in the world, I'm aware) - we cancelled the Christmas Tea, we didn't go to a Christmas Eve service and we used Door Dash more than once for dinner. However, we counted our blessings: we were together, my Dad was on the mend and we were able to enjoy one another's company: we drove to look at Christmas lights from the safety of our car, watched Christmas movies and just generally enjoyed being together. 

My Mom, sister and I had the experience of going to be tested for COVID together on the Monday before Christmas. We discussed that it was not an experience we ever thought we'd have, but life often puts you in places you don't expect... and the greatest blessing was that later in the week (an early Christmas present, if you will) the three of us all tested negative. Thank you Lord! Sweet neighbors brought us chili, holiday sweets and most importantly: they prayed for us - what a gift to discover that so many in your neighborhood are such wonderful people! 

 

We watched an abundance of Christmas movies and my sister and I jumped in and made some of our favorite dishes ahead of the Christmas Eve and Christmas Day - my Mom didn't have much of an appetite over the week and a half leading up to Christmas; no doubt brought on by stress, so Lindsey and I did our best to create some kitchen magic on her behalf. We also discovered Door Dash and utilized that delightful delivery feature since we were home bound through December 23rd. 

Christmas Eve arrived and I think my Mom and I looked at one another and said "we made it" - the stress of the last week had us just wishing for Christmas Eve, when we assumed everything would be better. And it was - we were all on the mend; whether from the virus or anxiety, we were all better. We watched several Christmas movies throughout the day, cooked some delicious treats and closer to dinner time my sister and I picked up a Chick Fil A nugget tray for our Christmas Eve spread. 

We had our own "candlelight service" circled around our living room, reading familiar Bible verses, singing hymns and lighting the candles in our Advent wreath - celebrating the true reason we celebrate Christmas: the arrival of our Lord and Savior, Jesus. We watched White Christmas and It's A Wonderful Life before turning in for the evening - and even though it was different than we'd imagined it would be, it was still wonderful in it's own way.

Christmas Day arrived with snow flurries, stuffed stockings, matching pajamas and breakfast casserole. We pulled treats, trinkets and little wonders from our stockings and passed out all the presents before taking a short break to have a delicious Hash Brown & Egg Casserole for breakfast with some (more) coffee... I'll have to share the recipe here soon, it was crazy tasty and I'm not even a fan of eggs! 

 

The presents were wonderful - we are a family of givers and that didn't change this year - I was given some wonderful things, lovely clothes and items I know I will cherish for a long time to come! Plus - Bomba's socks and Baby Yoda were involved and those are both two wonderful things! We had the most wonderful Christmas lunch with all the favorites and the presence of my family moving around the kitchen getting the meal put together was a gift in itself. 

We made our first outing since quarantine ended on Christmas afternoon - we bundled up and made our way to the Alamo to see Wonder Woman 1984 - and while I completely enjoyed the movie and I am so glad that we were able to keep that one holiday plan commitment, I'd be lying if I said that aspects of it didn't make me a bit anxious. We still have no clue where or how my Dad got COVID... we are vigilant about wearing masks everywhere we go and beyond outings for church and food here and there, we don't really go out. I think going out will make me a bit anxious in the coming weeks...

We rounded out our Christmas Day watching the newest Disney/Pixar film - Soul - on Disney+ and I thought it was the most delightful little movie. I'm not sure if everyone else in my family thought that.. but that's alright! The day after Christmas seemed to pass in an absolute blur... my younger sister discovered some of the amazing letters I wrote her while she was in school at the Air Force Academy. I guess I've always had a flair for writing...

We popped into a couple shops on Saturday afternoon that Lindsey can't visit when she is in the UK and then went to have Mexican food for supper... another thing that you can't get in the UK. Okay - you can get it in the UK but I've heard that it's not very good... ha-ha! We started the Netflix series Bridgerton and proceeded to watch the first three episodes in quick succession! 

We slept in on Sunday and watched church online before going to brunch at Regions 117 - the food is always so divine and never disappoints, Sunday was no exception! I contemplated pancakes but ended up going with my favorite: the French Toast with fresh berries and vanilla bean whipped cream. Yum! By the time we'd finished brunch (our reservation wasn't until 1), snapped a few pictures by the lake and raced home to change... it was time to take my sister to the airport. *sigh*

Please hear me when I say - we are blessed. My Dad's illness could have had a million different outcomes (and believe me - I entertained them in my head; hello anxiety) but we were able to spend Christmas together as a family in relatively good health. We made memories, ate good food, shared time together and it was wonderful... if different than we'd imagined. 

2020 has been quite the year - and the last two weeks have been some of the... dooziest? Is that a word? Spellcheck tells me it isn't but I'm going to go with it. I feel like the last two weeks have changed me a little bit - but I don't think for the worse - and that's a good thing. I hope that however your Christmas played out, you were able to find joy in it. And if you weren't - I prayerfully hope that the coming days are better for you... for all of us. 

It's Been A Minute....

I know - it's been a hot minute since I've been on here. Well... it's been an interesting two weeks to say the least. I'm going to try to pop back on here this week and finally share about the last two weeks, Christmas and closing out this crazy year. This is essentially just to say - I'm still here and I'll be back to writing soon!

Five on Friday

 

It's the second weekend of December 2020 - there are three weekends left this year - and I plan to enjoy them! I mean; enjoy them as much as one can in the midst of a pandemic that's on the rise. *shrugs* I still think we can enjoy things... just a bit differently.

One. White Chicken Chili - I have been searching for a good white chicken chili recipe for what seems like years! I love chicken (my Mom used to say I'd turn into one) and I love chili... and I know good recipes exist but I couldn't ever find one that had the right heat/spice/taste... until last Saturday! I do believe I found a winner in this recipe and wildly enough - it's a Weight Watchers recipe! 

What You Need

• 2 cans white meat chicken; drained
• 2 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• salt & pepper
• 1 1/2 tsp. chili powder
• 14 ounce can Pinto Beans; drained
• 14 ounce can white beans; drained
• 16 ounces Salsa Verde (green salsa)
• 4 cups chicken broth

What You Do

• Empty all ingredients into a soup pot & mix well. Bring to a boil and then turn down to medium heat. Cook for 25-30 minutes and then serve.

That's right - not only is it so very tasty, but it's crazy easy to make! I know I'll be making this again and again... 

Two. Noonday Collection - A friend and neighbor recently hosted a Noonday Collection party online and I joined in the virtual party and ended up getting - what I suppose - is a Christmas present for myself. *shrugs* Noonday Collection is a lovely company that uses artisans in countries like Uganda, India, Rwanda and so many more. The women who make the jewelry, hand bags and more are often rescued from poverty or sex-trafficking & this work is their way to earn a living for their family. 

The purchases support these artisans and their families and some of the pieces are especially unique: I bought the Bethe Rope Necklace; which is made from artillery shells from former conflicts in Ethiopia; truly taking something negative and turning it into something positive! If you've ever thought about checking them out - you can find them here.

Three. Dog Bandana(s) - These pictures crack me up! My Mom recently returned from the U.K. and she brought my dog two bandanas... one that says "I love the U.K." and another that has the Union Jack on it. I tried one on him immediately and well... I think the pictures say it all. 

He sat sweetly and let me take his picture but I think it's obvious from the second picture that he wasn't too sure about his new accessory.

Four. The Cookie Advent Update - I thought I'd share a look at all the adorable (and delicious) cookies that the Advent calendar has brought over the last week! Opening each little door is always so fun because you never know what you're going to get! I know - that's the whole point! 

The cookies are all so tasty and I am daily in awe of not just the tastiness but how absolutely talented and crafty Cookie Therapy is! These cookies are the best!

Five. Cranberry Bars - True story... the first go round I used what I thought was flour but it was actually powdered sugar. *face palm* They did not look nearly as lovely as what is picture below, but since these are easy to make my Mom assisted (she did most of it) and we whipped up another batch! They are so tasty with the perfect combination of sweet with the cranberries adding some tart and the perfect color pop for Christmas!

What You Need

• 2 eggs; room temperature
• 1/2 cup butter; room temperature (salted or unsalted is fine)
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• Zest from one medium orange (optional)
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)
• 2 cups cranberries (fresh or frozen)

What You Do

• Preheat the oven to 350 & grease a 9x13 pan well!
• Using a mixer, beat together the granulated sugar, butter and orange zest (if using) until light & fluffy. Add eggs & vanilla & beat until mixed nicely. 
• Add the dry ingredients & mix until just combined. Fold in the nuts & cranberries.
• Pour into prepared pan - the dough is sticky so grease your hands & press it down as best you can. If it's not perfect, don't worry. It will still bake together well.
• Bake for 40-50 minutes until the edges are light brown & the top has spots of light brown. I cooked mine 40 minutes! 

And that's all I've got for this Friday! I'm looking forward to 5 o'clock and the weekend ahead... but I suppose that's no different from any other Friday!