2020: The Year in Review

December 31, 2020

2020: The Year in Review

One picture from each month of 2020: South Florida Fair, temple trip, lots of kitchen experiments and visits to county parks, two grandchildren baptisms (one virtual and one local), and a final, last minute trip to meet our newest grandchild, maybe not in the month he was born, but we did manage to meet him the year he was born!

We've reached the end of 2020! Of course there were some sad and discouraging times, but there were some pretty fabulous moments as well. We're fortunate that most of our disappointments were fairly minor, mainly postponement of planned trips and vacations. Even the losses in our family (including a sister and sister-in-law) were not due to COVID, so would probably have happened anyway. There have been some tough and difficult days, and we don't want to minimize any of the pain and sorrow others might be feeling. However, 2020 has also had some bright spots. In honor of 2020, here are 20 fond memories we'll carry with us into the future.

1 - Wayne retired! (Definitely not in the plans last January, but his employer down-sized and we decided he didn't need to look for a new job.)
2 - Theo was born.
3 - I finished the "elephant" quilt I started several years ago.

4 - Enjoyed some other sewing projects as well - including a baptism dress for Brooke and some baby blessing pants for Theo, along with a few (although not hundreds like others) face masks as well.
5 - Can't forget some crochet projects - a couple of afghans and some baby toy experiments.
6 - In April we enjoyed three Easter Sunday programs at home, each one better than the last.
7 - Had a Sunday "Christmas in July" worship at home, going through all of the Christmas hymns in one setting.
8 - We went an entire month (April) without going to any stores. (Just trying to do our part to follow the guidance of our government leaders.)
9 - We tried lots and lots of new recipes, including making our way through the entire Skillet Bread List and making progress on the Holiday Roasts List.
10 - In spite of the above cooking, instead of gaining the Covid-15, we actually lost a few pounds.
11 - Going on many, many hikes, without stopping for the traditional restaurant treat on the way home, might have helped.

12 - We installed Zoom - still trying to decide if that will be an enjoyable memory.
13 - I went an entire year without a hair cut. (It was just about time for one when the salons closed, and once they were open again, it became a game to see if I could make it to the end of the year. I did!)
14 - When unable to fix the 18-year-old broken washing machine on our own, we bought, and installed, a new washer and dryer.
15 - We learned that gentle patience is better than brute force when it comes to removing rusted-on hoses.
16 - Between the two of us we made 8,617 contributions to Family Tree.

17 - In spite of the temples being closed for a good portion of the year, we still had the opportunity to attend a few times, with special, unique experiences each time.
18 - We actually did leave Florida and fly on a plane in 2020, (in December, so that Wayne could ordain David a high priest), and survived the trip with no ill effects.

19 - While in Utah, we got to hold six-month old Theo and participate in his baby blessing. In-person is so much better than via FaceTime!
20 - Finally, we enjoyed our quiet Christmas celebrating with just the two of us, but then had a more boisterous time ringing in the new year with some visiting family.