2020. What a year, huh? I don’t need to tell you how unexpected it was or break down the details of all the challenges. Sometimes I feel like that was ALL we talked about for 9.5 months. This post is a happy look back at last year, in which I focus on how many good things happened for Charles and me. It’s definitely not the full picture of what our country and world was going through–just a highlight reel of what happened in my own life. As I was going through photos to select which ones to share, I was filled with so much gratitude. There was a lot of good that happened in 2020, even in the midst of all the bad. I have much more to be grateful for than I could possibly share here.
Here we go!
January 2020
The year started out amazing, and then quickly spiraled. We adopted the most adorable kitten and named her Madeleine. She was sweet and playful and cuddly and everything we wanted in a kitten. Within a few short days, she developed a rash on her ears and belly. We took her to the vet and tried various ointments and medicines, but it just kept getting worse. We had to put a cone on her 24/7 because she was scratching her ears bloody and the poor thing was miserable. She felt terrible and started using our bed and couch as a litterbox.
It felt like the majority of January was filled with multiple loads of laundry a day, administering ointments and medicines to a sick kitten, and countless vet visits. Eventually, we made the decision to surrender her back to the rescue from which we adopted her, as they would have more resources to care for her. We only had Madeleine for a few weeks, but they were filled with so much stress and anxiety and grief. Even so, I’m still so sad we had to give her up. It hurts to look at those pictures.
Apart from that, January involved going into an actual office to work and lots of snuggles with our sweet Reggie. He loves having a feline playmate around and was super bummed that Mads couldn’t play.
February
February involved more working in an office and lots of runs on the National Mall during my lunch breaks. We even went to a fancy fundraiser and got to dress up (I think I would have stayed out longer if I knew what was coming). Our sweet Reggie was really lonely without another cat around, so I started looking for another kitten to adopt. I found the sweet and silly girl on the bottom left and brought her home that very day, which just so happened to be Valentine’s Day!
March
In March we acted like tourists and walked around all the monuments around the National Mall. We even went up the Washington Monument for the first time. That same weekend we had a Pi Day party with a few friends. And then the next day the world shut down. The rest of March was filled with lots of cat snuggles and relearning how to do basic things like grocery shop. But look how quickly sweet Violet became a part of the family!
April
April involved lots of neighborhood walks. We spent Easter at home. And Charles started taking Reggie to grad school classes with him, ha! It was a quiet month and we hardly ventured out at all.
May
May also involved a lot of neighborhood walks–most of which I was completed in awe of and delighted by all the beautiful flowers we came across. One Friday morning I woke up to a Zillow email about a new listing across the courtyard from us. I convinced Charles to “just take a look at it.” The following Tuesday our offer was accepted (the first one we ever made, all thanks to Darren Robertson!) and we had a closing date just a few weeks away! The next few weeks involved getting our current condo in tip-top shape so we could find a new tenant to take over our lease and then… packing! I had very good helpers while I packed.
We were incredibly grateful that our landlord let us out of our lease about a year and a half early. He didn’t have to, but he did!
June
We closed on our new home June 1st! And started moving in right away. We had a few great friends and family members who helped us move and then enjoyed pizza with us in the courtyard afterward. The rest of June involved lots of picnic dinners in our courtyard, working from home, and kitten snuggles (sometimes the last two happened simultaneously!).
July
In July we celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary! We also celebrated the 4th of July with friends hiking in the Shenandoah National Park, followed by a picnic at a winery. Later that month I flew to New Mexico to celebrate my Mom’s 60th birthday and spend time with my family.
August
In August we had more outdoor adventures, including a visit to the National Arboretum. When we weren’t having outdoor adventures–and you won’t be surprised by this at all–we spent a lot of time hanging out with our cats and going on neighborhood walks. I’ve never been more grateful for flowers and for pets as I was this year.
September
September was filled with–surprise!–more walks. But also birthday celebrations! Our birthday (and Christmas) gift to ourselves was this awesome new toy. We decided to have a Lord of the Rings watch party, complete with breakfast, second breakfast, elevenses, luncheon, afternoon tea, dinner, and supper. We’re so grateful to have such a great community here.
October
In October we carved pumpkins with friends, went on lots of neighborhood walks, occasionally got outside the neighborhood for a walk, and hung out with our cats. In the bottom right picture, you can see that they thought I made them a nice dinner at the table.
November
In November we voted. I went to Mt. Vernon–George Washington’s historic estate–with Diana and George the dog. He was very confused about why everyone was talking about him all day. I started a new tradition in which I take my handsome vet out for breakfast on Veteran’s Day. And we had an outdoor Thanksgiving dinner with family in Springfield, Missouri.
December
In December, since Covid numbers were going up and up and up, we decided to cancel our trip to see my family and stayed home instead. It was so sad not to be able to see my side of the family for the holidays, but we were so grateful to have great friends to celebrate with here. We went to a Christmas Eve service with Alif and ate an amazing Christmas Eve dinner that Diana cooked for us. I made peanut butter fudge that Reggie stepped in (don’t worry, we didn’t eat that part). Violet really admired his work. I made a big brunch on Christmas day and we had some friends over who were also unable to be with their families for the holidays.
What are some of the things you’re grateful for in 2020?
