25 Accomplishments of 2020

I have been looking for a way to start this blog. For months. I wanted somewhere to share writing that didn’t quite fit in with the content on my other blogs. What kind of writing? I don’t know exactly. Not the next Great American Novel, but just thoughts. Ideas. Occasionally maybe even a suggestion. But there’s where I would start feeling presumptuous. Why would anyone want to read my thoughts or ideas? And why would anyone want to take my advice (when I sometimes don’t even take my advice)?

I did write a welcome post on here once. It was full of the grand plans for our new holding company, the ultimate goals we have been working so hard on. I even sent it to a friend for feedback – and then promptly, without waiting for feedback, deleted it. Again, that thought of “Why would anyone want to read this?” made the decision for me. Just in case I looked stupid.

So I’ve come to accept that no one may read this blog. If you want yummy food, cute drinks, and amazing book recommendations, you really should check out A Day in the Lifestyle. And if you are looking for short day trip spots to visit, pop over to Two Blondes in the Heartland. Both are badly in need of updated posts, but there’s lots of fun ideas on both of those. But here, you’re just going to get me. Having provided you with two acceptable alternatives, I no longer feel guilty if you choose to stick around.

Unfortunately, coming to that conclusion (and accepting that this may suck) wasn’t really a good springboard for a first post.

Thanks to the calendar for coming through in the clutch.

Every year, on or around New Year’s Eve, I encourage our family to join me in listing our 25 biggest accomplishments of the year. When the kids were little, they always participated. As they have grown, they have since participated less and less, but I’m hoping they’ll come back to the tradition as adults. Dan, of course, is always an eager participant (just one of the many reasons I love him).

Some years I have shared this list on blogs now defunct. Other years, I have written it on notebook paper and shoved it in a box in the closet. This year, I need a first post on a new blog, so I guess I’m sharing it. I honestly have no idea what I’m about to write, but here goes. These are not listed in order of importance, so please do not assign value to the numbers.

1 – Did not run out of toilet paper.

2 – Set a goal to read 50 books for the year. Read 64.5 books. Stand out favorites include Harry’s Trees, This is the Story of a Happy Marriage, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Me Before You, The Peacock Emporium, and the first three installments of the Seasonal quartet.

3 – Dan and I became licensed foster parents in January. Most of the work we put into this was done in 2019, but it became official in 2020. Unfortunately, due to a representative of Lutheran Services of Iowa insisting that COVID-19 was “just like the flu” and taking minimal precautions to protect the foster and bio families she worked with, we ended up in a position where we could only continue our work with the foster system by putting our own family at risk. For that reason, we chose not to renew our license, but we are proud of the work we did! The bio mom of the foster kiddo we had for a few months still contacts us on a regular basis, invites us to family functions, participates in video chats, and, most importantly, asks us for advice as she works hard to continue a positive lifestyle for her and her son. Our goal in becoming foster parents was to be a positive influence, and in that regard, we succeeded.

4 – Made homemade pickles! We even canned them ourselves! Honestly the best pickles I’ve ever had.

5 – Started a small in-home bakery. This has been so much fun. I’ve had to take it down a notch after kind of wearing myself out doing too much, but I have met so many wonderful people! I’ve also learned I’m actually pretty good in the kitchen. Really looking forward to continuing this in the new year.

6 – Tried seaweed in a recipe. And actually ate it. It sucked. So bad. But I ate it, so it counts.

7 – That amazing Chiefs win over the Texans on January 12? Yeah, that was all me. They were still losing by 24 points when I said to Dan, “You know what will help? Pie. I’m making pie.” And we all know how that turned out. Apparently, I make magic chocolate pie. So basically, this should say “Led the Kansas City Chiefs to a Superbowl victory.” I think my ring got lost in the mail.

8 – Grew tomatoes. I think we harvested four or five, so for our first year, I think we did okay.

9 – Stayed home. Wore a mask. Did our part to protect other people (not just ourselves).

10 – Got a rabbit. Lived with rabbit. Still tolerating rabbit. This rabbit is not the nicest rabbit I’ve ever met. Despite our best efforts and the loads of advice we have sought, the rabbit does not like us. Any of us. Which was quite devastating to Bizi, our big animal lover. There was one week where she ate paint (I know, I know – we didn’t know she was going to chew full a$$ holes in the wall…) and didn’t feel good. She was nice that week. But she’s still here and we are still responsible, kind, loving pet owners, so that’s most definitely an accomplishment.

11 – Had a family paint fight. I’ve wanted to do this for awhile and we certainly had the time this year.

12 – Watched almost every true crime show I can find on Hulu.

13 – Climbed snowy rocks in Pipestone National Park. Fell, but did not die.

14 – As I’m looking through the pictures of this year, trying to remember everything I want to include, let’s go back to #3. Not only did we become licensed foster parents, but we had a two-year-old for three months. A two-year-old. We took him ice skating, we encouraged him to eat his vegetables, we read him bedtime stories. We gave baths and changed diapers and played peek-a-boo. We bought a car seat and little boy clothes and bath toys. We watched Sesame Street and played with blocks. We had a toddler. In this house. And we all survived. I feel like that earns a separate mention.

15 – Did not buy these pajamas. As much as I want them, I did not buy them. I feel like I’m not adequately conveying the amount of self control this took, but believe me, it made the list for a reason. I. Love. These. Pajamas.

16 – Made this Valentine’s Day Coke Cake. Was it really an accomplishment? Any other year, I’d say no. But this year, the bar is set much lower.

17 – Introduced my husband to amazing things like watching The Outsiders, making homemade divinity, perusing the seemingly unlimited amounts of pop at Pops 66, and enjoying the benefits of face masks.

18 – Tried 20 new varieties of tea from The Tea Smith, one of my favorite places on earth.

19 – Watched my third baby graduate high school. This kids-growing-into-adults thing is for the birds, I tell ya.

20 – Made myself lose five pounds before buying a new printer. I wish you could hear how hard I’m laughing at this right now. Whatever. I lost the five pounds and have a sweet new printer (that I can’t figure out half the time).

21 – Took an unplanned, last minute, completely impromptu and totally socially distant road trip to Oklahoma City. And had a blast. Would highly recommend.

22 – Beat the pants off my family in Friends Monopoly.

23 – Voted! I don’t know how I ended up putting flowers and sh*t all over this picture, but I guess I did. Who knows.

24 – Made enough food to feed an army. These pics are a small portion of what we’ve eaten in just the last month. The rest of the year was no different. I acknowledge I have a problem and we’re just going to have to accept that.

25 – Survived. Retained my sense of hope, faith in humanity (for the most part), and belief in the future.

These accomplishments are a small snapshot of our year. Thank you for allowing me to share them with you. As always, I encourage everyone to look back and reflect on their accomplishments this year. It was quite a year… You deserve a pat on the back for making it through.

Sincerely,

Starlight