Leah and Joe: Home DIY Projects & Crafts

2020 Recap

What a rollercoaster of a year. I honestly don’t feel I’m in a place yet where I can be reflective about the year, because I feel like we’re still in the thick of it. 2020 didn’t end on the best note after getting covid, slowly recovering at last after 6+ weeks for me. There are definitely things I do not wish to take into 2021 and that is one of them! It really took a lot out of me and I can’t get enough distance from it. But let’s focus on the future, not the past.

I went into 2020 strong and thinking it would be the year to finally enjoy the fruits of our labor, travel a lot, get married and enjoy a year of bliss. Ha! We all know how this year went down. But WOW, my word Wabi-Sabi was spot on. And the other word that kept coming to mind was forbearance. “I guess I need to be patient this year and accept things as they are”. Truer words never spoken, 2019 Leah. It’s crazy to think a year ago we just finished our siding and also just moved into our new addition. We kicked butt!

The highlight of this year was hands-down getting married. Yes, all our plans went to shit before our May wedding, but it was the best day and I couldn’t have planned it any better if I wanted to. Beautiful weather with our closest family (10 of them, plus us and the minister). Obviously it was bitter-sweet, but the small ceremony was so special. Everyone pitched in and wore multiple hats. We got hair cuts and it was a big deal. A home-cooked meal in the backyard, boat rides, fireworks. It was so simple, I loved that most. It’s so silly to look back and think back in March I was worried about not getting my wedding dress in time because it was shipping from Italy and they were in lockdown. And now I’m not even concerned about whether or not we’ll be able to have our wedding reception a whole year later. After getting married and having all this extra space now with our addition, we decided to rent out a couple bedrooms. Interesting idea during a pandemic to say the least. It’s been hard on our marriage to be honest, but I am hopeful the challenges will grow our communication and conflict management skills and prepare us for having our own family some day. Hindsight is truly 2020.

Joe and I also both got new jobs which are big positives for us! His new employer sought him out and kept pursuing him. He was at his old job for 13 years, so it was a hard decision especially in light of a possible economic recession. He is super glad he made the leap! More computer work and mental challenge, less physical labor and toll on the body. I was able to start a career in appraising, which I had been pursing for years! After a delay to my start date due to a mandatory class being cancelled due to covid I had to find a different supervisor and company. I was sweating it out all summer, but that actually turned out to be a perfect fit and somewhere I can see myself long-term. So work has been going really well for both of us.

Stable

If I could manifest anything in 2021 it would be for a stable year. That is my word for the year. Much of our “normal” (as if there was such a thing) lives have been shattered and I am craving some stability. I want to lay a new foundation and focus on what I want for the future, not dwell on what went wrong this year. I’ve been in an insomnia spell for weeks now, since getting sick, which is very unlike me. Many of my workout and health routines fell off and I’m hoping to get back on track asap and feel like myself again. I’m reprioritizing my health BIG time this year. It’s so easy to take for granted until we get knocked down. My biggest goal/resolution is to stretch more.

I am pretty gun-shy going into this year with any plans/resolutions/expectations. I know things could go either way from here. “Stable” is what I want, but I know from experience these words sometimes work out in mysterious ways. I know life can get even more turbulent; this means I’ll need to cultivate this stability within myself. Do you ever feel like challenges prepare you for more challenges? A Bible verse I’ve been leaning on in this season is Isaiah 58:11-12. “And the Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your desire with good things, and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters fail not. And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to dwell in.” I hope this year is one of rebuilding and healing in so many ways.

Bucket List Review

• Take some pottery throwing classes. Still on my list for 2018  2019 2020 ✅ Yay! Finally did it with Maria. Such fun.
• Travel more.  Always on my list. ❌ We’ll see what happens 2021 😐 We did take an amazing mini-moon roadtrip to Mackinaw Island and Door County though. We slept in the truck and camped and nothing was open.
• Grow vegetables.  ❌ Still not my year
• Supplement my income in multiple ways, diversify with investments etc.  Unless you count roommates. ❌ Joe did get his side business officially insured and licensed/bonded. He always be side hustling.
• Appraiser’s License — Put it out into the universe, and things start happening! 🔶 I’m a trainee, so at this time next year I will be certified!
• Have more fun —  Just gotta push on until summer! ❌ Don’t wait. Ever.

• Have a stress-free wedding! ✅ I really did! Enjoyed every minute of it, thanks to the people who made it happen.
• Make more space for my relationships ✅ My relationships were actually pretty strong throughout the year. Thanks Zoom!
• Use our gym memberships ❌ Bahahha, noope
• New (new to me) car 🔶 We got a new truck together. Joe uses it for his side business and it’s my daily driver. I will eventually want a vehicle of my own, but it’s a good arrangement for now!

2021 Bucket List

???

Not even going there. Stretch more, that is all.

2020 Reading List

• Everything happens for a reason : and other lies I’ve loved by Bowler, Kate. I love how Kate keeps it real and takes down toxic positivity while still being encouraging.

• Little fires everywhere by Ng, Celeste. Book club book, a good one! Had an interesting adoption storyline as well as mystery.

• Rewilding : meditations, practices, and skills for awakening in nature by   Mortali, Micah. I really liked this one. We’ve all gotten much too civilized and he gives simple ideas to reconnect with nature, like just walking barefoot and relearning to step toe-first rather than heal-first.

• Americanah by Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi. Book club. Probably one of my favorite books of the year. It’s about a Nigerian woman’s experience moving to the United States and back home again. A really great read to understand subtle racism. Fiction was based loosely on true experiences.

• The immortal life of Henrietta Lacks by Skloot, Rebecca. This was my book club pick and one I’ve wanted to read for awhile. True story, this woman’s cells are responsible for most vaccines today and so much more. It brings up questions of patient consent with research and racism in the medical field.

Born to shine : practical tools to help you shine, even in life’s darkest moments by LeMieux, Ashley. I follow her on instagram — this girl has been through a LOT, but she keeps shining.

• Daisy Jones & the Six : a novel by Reid, Taylor Jenkins. Book club, totally fiction about a rock’n’roll band in all its disfunction and glory. I loved this for character development. Think A Star is Born.

• The little book of life hacks : how to make your life happier, healthier, and more beautiful by Sakugawa, Yumi. A cute little read for quarantine.

• Unorthodox : the scandalous rejection of my Hasidic roots by Feldman, Deborah. Book club, another really good one! A woman’s true story of her escape from a cult-like community. Apparently there is a Netflix show as well.

• Watch me disappear : a novel by Brown, Janelle. Book club. Another really good one! It will leave you guessing until the very last page.

• Selena : Queen of Tejano music by Lopez, Silvia. Book club. I couldn’t find the real book, so I got this cliff notes version!

• Normal people : a novel by Rooney, Sally. A book club recommendation. A good character dissection book, but gets a little dark.

• Work in progress : unconventional thoughts on designing an extraordinary lifeFord, Leanne, author. I’m not sure what they’re all about but I’m pretty sure I found them in a magazine and instantly wanted to be best friends.

The silent patient Michaelides, Alex, Book club. Another good one, murder mystery/psychological thriller.

Tasting grace : discovering the power of food to connect us to God, one another, and ourselvesD’Arabian, Melissa, author. I think I found her through the Jesus Calling magazine. I love her perspective on food+Christianity. It was a fresh take. She has been hosting a weekly women’s group open to anyone who wants to share a meal and a prayer throughout quarantine.

Get out of your head : stopping the spiral of toxic thoughtsAllen, Jennie, author. I am a fan of hers, but this one scared me a little bit. It does really help though to see how our negative thoughts can spiral if we don’t replace them with positive ones.

Untamed Doyle, Glennon, Love her or hate her, she is an excellent writer and pulls no punches in her latest book. So well worth the read.

Weird : because normal isn’t working Groeschel, Craig. I had high hopes for this author, but honestly was pretty meh. Seems like he pops his collar.

Your blue flame : drop the guilt and do what makes you come alive Fulwiler, Jennifer, author. I really like this out-of-the-box life path. This mom of I think 6 or 7 kids decided to become a comedian later in life.

Surprised by joy : the shape of my early lifeLewis, C. S. (Clive Staples). I really enjoyed his style of writing this documentary! Punches of dry humor and wit peppered into stoicism.

28 summers : a novel Hilderbrand, Elin, author. A little bit of a guilty pleasure read, but I really liked it! A good beach read, she paints such an elaborate picture of settings.

Moment maker : you can live your life or it will live youWhittaker, Carlos, I think I found him from a podcast. An upbeat guy with infectious good energy. He’s pretty into himself, but you gotta love him.

Here’s to 2021 and a new page!

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