Goodbye 2020 | Yearly Recap

Hello friends! I feel like I haven’t been on here in forever! O.o Life has been crazy for the last couple of months, but thankfully I think I’ve been able to settle into more of a routine and am gearing up for so many exciting plans in 2021. But before we jump ahead into the new year, it’s only fair to spend a little bit reflecting on 2020. Here’s a compilation of some of my favorite memories from 2021!

Oh and one more thing before I get into my recap of 2020, if you’re at all a planning/ goal-setting junkie (like moi 😛) reflecting on your past year is suuuuper important before you start planning out your new year. Getting an idea of what worked/ didn’t work in the past year, what you would’ve liked to accomplish but didn’t, etc, etc. is so important for planning out the next year. It’s important not to dwell on your mistakes/ regrets, but it is important to learn from them and also to celebrate your successes. Alright, rant over. I promise. 😊 Here’s the recap:

Covid & almost 5 months of quarantine. I think that this one is on everyone’s list. XD This pandemic has been unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before. It’s crazy how much everything has changed since the “old normal” in January and February. Quarantine life wasn’t too different for me, since I’m usually at home most of the school day and some evenings, but I definitely did miss seeing friends and social events. Ugh. It has been so nice though to get to see people again, at least a little bit and even if it was with some social distancing. 😉

Lots and lots of masking-making for Etsy. This was something that I totally didn’t expect. In early April masks were starting to become a thing on Etsy and I went back and forth about selling them, then I decided to just try adding a few to my Etsy page to see how they sold and they literally took off! I’ve been selling them basically since April and it’s been fun experimenting with different patterns and prints over the past 8 (ish) months!

Helping to organize and plan a big birthday celebration for my mom. This might have been the highlight of my summer. We had kicked around the idea of having a surprise birthday party for my mom earlier in the year, knowing that it would probably take a while to plan. Then covid hit and we doubted that we’d be able to do anything. Then, about 10 days before her birthday the governor lifted the 10 people gathering regulation and we decided to have a party. Ha. The several month planning timeline turned into a week of planning time. 😛 Thank goodness my extended and immediate family is amazing with last minute plans and we pulled it off! To this day, my mom says she knew nothing about the party and was totally surprised… so yay!

Starting CCP classes at a local community college. This was something that did go as planned this year, haha! I started taking online college courses at a local community college this summer, then again in the fall and I’m registered for the spring semester. It’s been a pretty good experience so far and even though the classes have definitely kept me busy I’m so thankful for the opportunity!

Becoming a “runner” again. I’m laughing at the title on this one, but oh well. For those of you who didn’t know, I fractured my leg in summer of 2019 and was finally able to start running again this summer. I started with intervals of running and walking, then moved up to short runs with long walks before and after and now I’m back to all running which is so exciting for me! I usually try to get in 3-4 runs a week and do strength training on the off days.

Growing my hair out, then getting it chopped, again. This seems to be a common theme in my year wrap-up posts, haha. I grew out my hair most of the summer then in September got it chopped off again. This time it was a little shorter than last year, but I really love this length and I think I’ll keep it around the length it is now for a while. It’s easy to manage, but fun to style!

Renovating a house and moving. This one has been a very recent event, in fact we’re still kind of in the process of renovating the house, but we’re fully moved in now, most of the walls are painted and the floor is down, so that’s such a good feeling!! Everything has turned out so well and has been well worth all the work and effort. I can’t wait until my room is a little more set up for a room tour post! ✨

Eating & making healthy food. This year, (actually more like over the past 8 ish months) I’ve been really into making, eating and just focusing on healthier food and exercise. I’ve really discovered how much I enjoy cooking healthy food and also how it makes me just feel so much better! I’m hoping to share some of my favorite snacks & meals that I’ve been making in a post, hopefully soon!

Growing this blog. I can’t believe that this is my 4th year of blogging and you guys, I’m so excited for next year! I’m hoping to switch to WordPress.org soon, which will give me the tools I need to reach more lovely friends and to (hopefully) spread more encouragement and inspiration to all of you! I’ll keep you updated! 😉

Discovering a love for worship music. I know this is something that a lot of teenagers probably don’t listen to very much, but worship music has really encouraged me, particularly this year, so I knew I had to add this on here. If you’re looking for any good worship song recommendations, here, here, here and here are some of my favorites! ✨

Alright you guys, I think this wraps up my 2020 recap! I am so thankful and feel so blessed for all that God has given me throughout this year! I would absolutely love to hear about some highlights of your year in the comment section below! What were some highlights, but also some low points? What are you thankful for this year!?

Much love and Happy New Years! ✨

❤ Hannah