2020: A Year In Review

2020. What a year. Am I Right?

I think we can all agree that 2020 has been probably the most exhausting year in recent history – a global pandemic, a polarizing election, and even murder hornets! (what?!)

When I reflect on this crazy year, I do feel grateful. Yes, there is a lot we missed out on and many trips we had to cancel. Yes, we didn’t get to spend as much time with family and friends as we would like. Yes, we had to dine outdoors in 30* weather, and yes, we had to enjoy our Gloria’s margaritas from the comfort of our own home. But…I am still grateful.

I am grateful for our health. Neither Donovan nor I got sick this year (knock on wood). In general, we remained healthy, took a lot of good, long walks outside this summer, and generally tried to stay positive.

I am grateful for our careers. Both of us had ridiculously good years at our day jobs. We witnessed many friends lose their jobs and so many companies make the difficult decision to cut back their workforce this year, and we are thankful that we did not have to try to navigate those waters in such an uncertain time.

I am grateful for our friends and family, who still tried to remain close, even though we couldn’t be together physically. We are grateful for Zoom and Facetime and the opportunity to stay connected.

I am also grateful for travel and the opportunity to escape and explore. Yes, we did travel during the pandemic, and we realize that this is a polarizing topic for many, but we wanted to do what was right for us. Traveling during a pandemic is definitely more difficult, and there are a lot of uncertainties of what will be open or how things might be different, however, we always try to stay as safe as possible. We wear masks, we don’t hang out in crowds or interact with people we don’t know, and we wash our hands and sanitize ourselves constantly.

Alright…enough with the warm fuzzies – let’s reflect on 2020! (Fortunately, this won’t be long, since we didn’t travel much. Ha!)

Our first trip of 2020 was in January to Shreveport, LA. I went to college there, and some of my best friends still live there, so we always try to make it back at least once a year to see them and remember the fun times.

Of course we had to stop at Strawn’s Eat Shop. If you don’t stop here for breakfast or brunch, you’re really missing out. Strawn’s has been in business since 1944, and they serve up the most delicious greasy breakfast food you didn’t know you needed. This was a hangover hotspot when I was in college. The best part is the icebox pies they serve. Get a slice of strawberry pie, and you won’t regret it!

Also…can’t forget a drive around Centenary College of Louisiana – the oldest college west of the Mississippi River! The building on the left in the photo is the science building, and is the most beautiful building on campus.

I also traveled to Knoxville, Tennessee in January before things got crazy. I don’t have many photos from Knoxville – corporate travel really isn’t glamorous. There’s a lot of late nights with hotel delivery pizza while you prep for presentations. These are the photos that usually don’t quite make it to social media or the blog. Ha!

Once COVID-19 became our new reality, all of our travel halted. We had planned for a trip to Moab, Utah, but ultimately had to cancel because many of the hotels and experiences we had planned for decided to close temporarily. We were disappointed, but tried to make the most of it locally.

We did drive down to Dallas a few times to walk along the Trinity River. The Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge has special memories for us, so it’s always fun to go and remember the experiences we had volunteering for Bridge-O-Rama during the grand opening of the bridge.

We also decided to “renovate” our home office, since we were clearly going to be spending a lot more time there. By renovate, I mean, we upgraded to standing desks and finally got around to hanging some pictures on the walls. This picture below, however, is already outdated. We were so naive thinking we could work sitting next to each other for hours on end. HA! A few weeks after this photo was taken, we transitioned one of our other guest rooms into Donovan’s office, so now we each have our own. It really just made sense for many hours we both spend on the phone and/or concentrating on spreadsheets.

While we were home, we decided to expand the renovations and tackle the guest bathroom and master bathroom. We re-tiled the floors and the shower in the guest bathroom. This was majorly needed as half the tiles were falling off the walls. (ew) Plus, the floor tile was actually sticky back tile that the previous homeowner had GLUED to the CONCRETE. Yep. It was bad. Now the job was done correctly, so we feel much better about this! In the master bathroom, we re-tiled the floors and completely renovated the shower…also much needed! Now the bathroom feels much cleaner and fresh!

We also started the process of renovating our kitchen, one section at a time. I cannot wait until we’re done with the kitchen – it’s been a long time coming!

Our first big trip together this year was in Telluride, Colorado for the Fourth of July. Last year we went to Telluride over the Fourth as well and we unofficially decided that we would make that our annual Fourth celebration. Telluride in the summer is just …. awesome. The weather is perfect, and there really aren’t a ton of people there.

We found a really cool trail called Little Hawaii — more on this later in another post – but this was a neat “off the beaten path” type location.

We also drove down to Ouray, CO and Durango, CO, with a pit stop in Dunton on our way back. Dunton is by far one of my new favorite places. I’m hoping we can save up and stay at Dunton Hot Springs because it looks so peaceful!

Over Labor Day Weekend, we flew to Panama City Beach / Seaside to spend some time with family. We hadn’t been to the beach in a few years, so it was fun to get to see cousins and also get some sun. I also learned to paddle board, and let’s just say …. it’s hard. HA! Also, Donovan bought a sombrero from Overland Sheepskin Co when we were in Telluride, and he brought it to Florida where it was a big hit! I could spot him a mile away!

In November, I drove back to Shreveport for a one-nighter with my girlfriends. I desperately needed a quick getaway and some girl time. Of course, no trip is complete without Strawn’s. Twice in one year is definitely something to remember!

I took another work trip to Knoxville in November. This time, I got to sit next to a puppy on the plane!

Over Thanksgiving week, we traveled to Seattle, Olympic National Park, and Leavenworth. This was by far, one of the best trips we took this year. I cannot wait to go back to the North Cascades at some point.

I think the highlight of this trip was definitely the Hot Tub Boat on Lake Union in Seattle. This was a new experience for us, and SO awesome! We rented the hot tub boat for 2 hours and got to putz all over Lake Union. Since the weather was bit chilly (like low 40s), the hot tub boat was the perfect way to explore. We also went early on a Sunday morning, so there were hardly any other boats out on the lake. Donovan and I were in heaven!

When we got home, we decided to open our own Etsy store to sell some of my photography specifically for the Samsung Frame TV. So far, I’ve had 2 sales! It’s really fun to be able to share my pictures with other people, and I love having them on our tv – it’s like a really large picture frame!

Christmas was pretty low-key for us this year. With travel restrictions gearing up again, we stayed home on Christmas Day and simply exchanged gifts together and spent most of the day flying Donovan’s new drone. Expect some fun, new content soon!

Overall, it’s been a really great year, despite the challenges COVID-19 has given us. Our hope is that we can travel more in 2021 and physically spend more time with family and friends.

If you have any recommendations for 2021 travel, send them our way! We’re always on the hunt for new ideas!