Happy 2021! I’m not sure I’ve ever been more excited to see the turning of a new year. Typically, this review really contains lists of highlights from the year, but I want to be very clear that not all of these are our favorite moments. But these moments are the reality of trying to count the blessings in a year where that didn’t always come easy.
January
We rang in the new year with the pups in bed before Kevin headed to Denver.
I kicked off the year with my one little word, open.
We celebrated Chloe’s 6th birthday!
I went to the Bachelor Premier watch party at Andrew and Alexa’s – they do it big!
I saw Little Women at Ragtag with small group friends.
We had an amazing work retreat to kick of 2020!
We went to Hamilton, MO to celebrate Kersten’s wedding and both pups enjoyed a little vacation at Creekside.
I got the iPhone 11 Max (photo game changer)
Lots of snow.
Mom and Dad got a new pup, Ester.
A global health emergency is declared and travel restrictions start.
Books Read: It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way by Lysa TerKeurst and Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
February
I hosted a Superbowl party for our small group while Kevin was out of town.
Taylor, Brittany and I had a girls weekend in Kansas City! Such a blast.
I started doing 75 Hard a challenge for 90 minutes of exercise a day, diet, and 1 gallon of water (among other things).
Sarah made a last minute trip to Columbia to spend time with me and I was so freaking thankful.
The US saw the first COVID-19 death and additional travel restrictions.
Books Read: The Enneagram Type 8: The Protective Challenger by Beth McCord, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, All Along You Were Blooming by Morgan Harper Nichols, An Edited Life: Simple Steps to Streamlining Your Life, at Work and at Home by Anna Newton Looking for Lovely by Annie F. Downs and Uninvited: Living Loved When You Feel Less Than, Left Out, and Lonely by Lysa TerKeurst
March
I completed 31 days of 90 minute work outs, which I was so proud of.
Kevin and I celebrated 5 years of marriage!
We made the most out of social distancing by staying at home, supporting our favorite local business, and cuddling with the pups.
I create a Quarantine To Do List (of course).
A national emergency is declared for COVID-19.
MO starts stay at home orders, and I move to work from home.
The Olympics are delayed.
President Trump signs a stimulus package.
There is a toilet paper shortage (wut?)
Books Read: Lethal White by Robert Galbraith, A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas, and When Less Becomes More by Emily Ley
April
Ellie and Eric closed on their house and got a puppy!
I completed 30 more days of 90 minute workouts.
Face masks are encouraged.
We celebrate Easter from home and join our families via FaceTime.
We have a friends hangout on Zoom and play Quiplash.
I re-mulched the front flower beds.
We both worked from home for the entire month.
Books Read: Liturgy of the Ordinary by Tish Harrison Warren, Ready Player One by Ernest Cline, Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World by Cal Newport, A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas, A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas, A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas, and Growing Up Amish by Ira Wagler
May
Our friends, Tony and Alex became parents!
COMO starts to open back up – the stay at home order was lifted.
I took a week off work!
I completed a half marathon and finished 75 hard.
We bought a new bed and mattress (a very huge win for 2020).
Kevin’s uncle passed away and we were thankful to be able to celebrate and remember his life in person at his funeral.
Books Read: Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God by Timothy J. Keller, Goodbye, Things by Fumio Sasaki, Reading People: How Seeing the World through the Lens of Personality Changes Everything by Anne Bogel, 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think by Laura Vanderkam, The Path Made Clear: Discovering Your Life’s Direction and Purpose by Oprah Winfrey, Decluttering at the Speed of LIfe: Winning Your Never-Ending Battle with Stuff by Dana K. White, and Garden City: Work, Rest, and the Art of Being Human by John Mark Comer
June
I went back to the office after working at home for almost 2 months.
My best friend, Brittany, had their sweet girl.
It’s officially 10 years since high school graduation (and I was secretly happy not to have to deal with a reunion).
Kevin launched FinalVibe!
We met up with Adam and Kaylin for a little social distanced dinner in Arrow Rock.
We masked up and went to IKEA to buy a full room of furniture for the FinalVibe podcast studio.
Kevin went to the Lake of the Ozarks for the weekend and I spent time with Mom and Dad in St. Louis.
My garden produced 6 cherry tomatoes.
Books Read: N/A
July
FinalVibe got t-shirts!
We spent 4th of July weekend in Hamilton and it was everything I needed and then some.
A mask order went into effect in Columbia, that is still going strong as of 12/31/2020.
My aunt Marcy passed away. Not being able to hug family and friends at the funeral was hard, but we were thankful to be able to celebrate her life together.
We hung out with Kevin’s family at the lake.
Books Read: So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins, This Is Where You Belong: The Art and Science of Loving the Place You Live by Melody Warnick, Dare to Lead by Brene Brown, and The Selection by Kiera Cass
August
I celebrated my 29th Birthday and my people loved on me so well.
My family spent a relaxing weekend at the lake.
Kevin rode over 70 miles on his bike.
I went to a sunflower field for the first time with Alexa and it was everything I ever dreamed of.
I started Phase One of the Live Hard program.
We brought home some new plants from Helmi’s.
Books Read: The Elite by Kiera Cass, The One by Kiera Cass, The Heir by Kiera Cass, The Queen by Kiera Cass, The Crown by Kiera Cass, The Prince by Kiera Cass, The Guard by Kiera Cass, The Favorite by Kiera Cass, Leave Your Legacy by Ben Newman, and Chasing Vines: Finding Your Way to an Immensely Fruitful Life by Beth Moore
September
Our sweet friends, Sarah and Cole, became parents!
We did lots of vlogging.
We had a tree removed from our yard.
I met my family in Fulton for a day at Serenity Valley Winery.
I painted an accent wall in our bedroom. The color is “Naval” by Sherwin Williams.
I was a guest on the FinalVibe podcast.
Books Read:Try Softer: A Fresh Approach to Move Us out of Anxiety, Stress, and Survival Mode – and into a Life of Connection and Joy by Aundi Kolber, and The Blue Zones Solution: Eating and Living like the World’s Healthiest People by Dan Buettner
October
Our friends Jeff and Taylor welcome their baby boy into the world.
I started Orange Theory workouts.
Kevin went on a 100 mile bike ride, which ended a little to early with a crash and a trip to the ER with a collar bone fracture.
We go pumpkin picking.
We spend a weekend in Hamilton and I get all the baby cuddles.
Books Read: The Minimalist Home: A Room-by-Room Guide to a Decluttered, Refocused Life by Joshua Becker, and Cozy Minimalist Home: More Style, Less Stuff by Myquillyn Smith
November
I got a COVID test due to a potential exposure, but ended up testing negative (thank goodness)!
We voted.
My best friend, Taylor, got engaged!!
We tried Hello Fresh for the first time and LOVE it.
We decorated for Christmas way too early, because 2020.
We celebrated Thanksgiving, just the two of us.
Books Read: The 9 Types of Leadership: Mastering the Art of People in the 21st Century Workplace by Beatrice Chestnut, The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory, Less by Andrew Sean Greer, The Next Right Thing: A Simple, Soulful Practice for Making Life Decisions by Emily P. Freeman, Outer Order, Inner Calm: Decultter & Organize to Make More Room for Happiness by Gretchen Rubin, and A Day in the Life of a Minimalist by Joshua Fields Millburn
December
I went to STL for the weekend and we went to Wild Lights at the STL Zoo.
I worked from home and quarantined for two weeks leading up to Christmas so I could spend time with family.
VU Christmas Party was a hit – even from home.
Kevin turned 29 and we celebrated with CC’s.
I hit 300 days of exercise in 2020 and could not have been more proud of myself.
[Edited to Add]: We got a positive pregnancy test and kept the huge secret from our families.
Books Read: The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory, A Million Little Ways: Uncover the Art You Were Made to Live by Emily P. Freeman, The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz, Scenes of the Kingdom by Bill Victor, and Outlander by Diana Gabaldon.
I first heard about The And Space from my internet friend, Liz. She talks about living in a space where we can hold two very different (and often opposite) feelings at the same time. I’ve been thinking a lot about that this year, but in particular this holiday season. Joy & Sadness. Hope & Uncertainty.
We’re missing so many of our favorite people. We’re mourning the normalcy of life as we’ve always known it. We’re hoping for “herd immunity” and vaccines and the promise of hugs in 2021.
But on the other hand, we’re finding gratitude in our jobs, in our health, and especially in each other. We’re slowing down and savoring each moment we can spend together (even if that looks different than we’d like).
November was a whirlwind of stress and COVID spikes, so I’m not going to even try to pretend that I came close to getting much done in the way of goals. At the end of the day, my number one thing was to keep up the exercise routine. And I definitely did that. I cannot say enough how much of a game changer that has been for my mental and physical health this year. It’s ranged from Orange Theory work outs to walks around the block with the dogs and so many different things in between. I’m excited to build on this habit in 2021.
November Monthly Goals
Paint Built in Book Shelves – I had really good intentions (I even have the paint!) but it didn’t get done, so I’m taking it off my list for the time being.
Read 4 Books – I read 6!
Replace Blinds – This fell down on the priority list, and didn’t get done in November. I’m not 100% on when it will, so I’m putting it on pause for now.
Complete my Real Estate Courses – womp womp. Extended until the end of December. Let’s hope I can wrap this thing up!
Show Small and Local for Christmas – We have loved shopping local this season. I did a fun little round up here of our favorite places.
Vote on November 3rd! – Yep!
November Weekly Goals
Two Orange Theory Fitness Classes – check, check but I’ve frozen my account for the time being due to COVID.
Weigh In – done!
Budget – done and done, proud of our progress this month!
Weekly Sabbath – I practiced a Sabbath every week but one, we’ll call that a win.
November Daily Goals
Exercise – got most days in November.
Read the Word / Prayer – honestly, I could have done better with this one.
Take Vitamins – high five!
Journal – Yep!
November Highlights
We voted!
Taylor and Todd got engaged!
Kevin attempted the 10,000 calorie challenge with Andrew.
We tried HelloFresh (yum!)
We decorated a little earlier than normal for Christmas.
This month, I feel like I’m getting back down to the roots of my goals by only including things that will move the needle in one of these two areas:
Goal 1: Prioritize my health – physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, environmental, and social.
Goal 2: Allow open to be an invitation to live intentionally.
It feels good to get back to the basics. Each year, by December, I notice that little side goals, or things that I just want to tick off start finding their way into my monthly list and that’s not really the point of completing Powersheets for me, personally.
December Monthly Goals
Send Christmas cards – I love doing this each year and think it’s an awesome way to connect, especially in a year where I haven’t gotten to see my family as much as I’d like.
Take a week off work! – I need this. Looking forward to taking some time off after Christmas.
Set phone hours – The scrolling numbers are creeping up. I’m trying to work on intentionality, so here we are setting some boundaries for what that looks like.
December Weekly Goals
Sabbath – New month, same goal. Love this practice and look forward to it every week.
Meal Prep – This one helps the next one, and it just makes my days feel so much easier.
Weigh In – Really proud of my progress both on and off the scale but this one just helps to keep me accountable.
Rhythms have been on my mind a lot over the last year, especially moving from my intention of rest to my intention of open. I’ve thought a lot about my own rhythms – what mine are and why I have them – as well as how those compare to the things that are naturally occurring around me. It seems that this is made evident to me the most in the fall, as the leaves begin to change colors and lose their leaves. It sometimes seems hard to be aware of the changing of leaves budding in the spring, to being full and lush in the summer, to changing colors and falling in autumn, to the bare trees of the winter – and again and again each year without fail.
Rhythms are a regular reminder of times to speed up and slow down, work and rest, and inhale and exhale. I love rhythms over routines because they’re softer. They’re less like rules and more like encouragements. Rhythms are a way of saying that something is important without saying it’s a non-negotiable. It’s a way to show up for the projects, emergencies, and most urgent while still getting the day to day tasks done. Part of my daily rhythm right now is to make sure that I track my food and exercise daily but if something or someone needs me, that’s where I’m going to show up first. I will give up my exercise streak on my Apple Watch so that I could hold my best friend’s new baby and enjoy some extra sleep on a weekend away. Rhythms mean that I hit the exercise and calorie goal most days but that I’ll always get to prioritize my people over anything else.
I was excited to see that the Magnolia Journal’s fall theme was rhythms. After reading so many good things, I decided I wanted to memorialize their piece called An Essay on Rhythms:
Nature dances to a rhythm: In the way the sun rises and sets. In the birds’ song at sunrise and in the crickets’ chirp at sunset. In the way each season moves us along throughout the year…the annual cadence of a rainy April, giving way to a hot July, giving way to a crisp October, giving way to a cold January, and the thousands of little orchestras that follow the tempo of that grand symphony. The flowers move to the rhythm of the seasons: sprouting and budding and blooming and dying.
Humanity dances to a rhythm: in the holidays we celebrate the order in which they come. Costumes and candy give way to turkey and football, which give way to carols and gifts wrapped under the tree. We find rhythm in our daily commute, in the voice of the DJ’s morning report, in the stoplights and exits, in the pleasantries exchanged with the coffee shop barista. Rhythm comes with bodies that must be fed three times a day (give or take), with daily prayer and weekly meetings and monthly girls’ nights and yearly Super Bowl games. We create bedtime rhythms: We bathe our kids, brush their teeth, read them a story, tuck them in, and sing a song.
There is peace in rhythm. There is security and predictability. Not a stagnant sort of predictability, just enough to make us feel like everything is going to be okay, just enough to give us something to look forward to. Because while there’s a lot of rhythm, there’s also a lot of chaos. There are unexpected bills to pay, relationships to maintain, natural disasters, an ongoing to do list that will never be completely finished, flat tires, bad moods, burnt dinners.
But then there’s the sun, rising again. And then there’s our lungs, exhaling again. And then there’s Thanksgiving, right around the corner. We’ll take our afternoon coffee break. We’ll say a prayer. We’ll look up and see ducks flying south for the winter. We’ll cross the next thing off our to do list. We’ll get a new winter coat. We’ll plan a summer trip. We’ll go for an evening walk.
And we’ll tap our feet. We’ll sway back and forth. We’ll clap our hands. We’ll lean into the rhythms of our lives because they give us a sense of place in our story, clueing us in to where we’ve been and where we might expect to go next, offering us familiarity in the midst of a chaotic world – like our lungs filling with air and then emptying themselves and filling up again, like the ocean tides and the morning cups of tea and the annual harvest festivals: We embrace the rhythm of the season, and we find peace in the way it moves us.
An Eassy on Rhythm // The Magnolia Journal, Fall 2020
In all honesty, this month was full of all the things – from amazing to anxiety-filled. I felt like the habits I’ve been building this year started to fall apart and I wasn’t able to stay on track with all of my goals as much as I had been since the beginning of the year. It was bound to happen, months get busy and obviously there is so much outside of our control, especially in 2020. I’m trying to go into November remembering that I can only control what’s in my grasp and I have to trust that it will be enough. When I set goals at the beginning of 2020, here’s what I decided on:
Goal 1: Prioritize my health – physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, environmental, and social.
Goal 2: Allow open to be an invitation to live intentionally.
In October, here is how those two goals played out:
October Monthly Goals
Paint Built Ins – Moving this to November
Clean out basement and shop vac – Not fun, but it’s done.
Work on Real Estate Exam Course – Not as far as I’d like to be, but we’re still moving forward.
Participate in Ali Edwards’ Art of Noticing – done!
Read 4 Books – I only finished two in October, but I got some more in the works.
October Weekly Goals
Two Orange Theory Classes Per Week – maybe my favorite goal of the month. Check!
Weigh In – yep!
Budget – stayed on track and reviewed weekly.
Tending Tuesday – done!
Weekly Sabbath – finished strong on this one.
October Daily Goals
Exercise – Rocked this one.
Read the Word – Not too shabby!
Hit H2O goal – I did about have the days this month.
Vitamins – I could have done better on this one!
October Highlights
Our friends, Jeff and Taylor, had their sweet baby boy.
We spend an entire weekend in Hamilton and I get to enjoy lots of baby snuggles.
We had our first snow of the season on October 26. Normally I wouldn’t consider this a highlight, but here we are.
October Favorites
Food: Perfect Bars
Book: The Minimalist Home by Joshua Becker
Purchase: Jeans from American Eagle
Song: The Lakes by Taylor Swift
I managed to journal every day in October, which is a pretty awesome feat but also is a good indicator of me listening to what I need. I’m hoping to jump back on the bandwagon in November and knock out some more goals before the year comes to an end. Here’s what we’re looking at for November:
November Monthly Goals
Paint Built in Book Shelves – I’ve been wanting to to some touch ups and paint the entire section of built ins in our basement. We are using oil based paint, so I’m hoping for a good weather day for me to have the windows open.
Read 4 Books – It may not be reasonable to keep up the momentum from last month, but we’ll see how we do.
Replace Blinds – Our blinds are all wonky sizes, so we’re needing to get custom blinds made – I’m hoping for a good Black Friday deal.
Complete my Real Estate Courses
Show Small and Local for Christmas – I’m really hoping to support small and local businesses in both what I buy and what I ask for this year.
Vote on November 3rd!
November Weekly Goals
Most of these are the same as they’ve been, but I’m seeing progress in all areas, so I’m going to keep chugging. I’m adding the FinalVibe content calendar for each week, because that’s something that I’ve really been enjoying and that has been helpful to FinalVibe progress.
August was good and full and my birthday felt thoroughly celebrated throughout the entire month. Though we couldn’t celebrate like we have in the past, it was great to get to spend quality time with my family and Kevin’s family. The weather has already started to cool off which has made for some lovely evening walks and some even better pre-fall vibes.
So far 2020 has shaped up to look different than I ever could have imagined, but having goals has allowed me to continue moving forward and has brought a lot of comfort, peace, and growth. When I set goals at the beginning of 2020, here’s what I decided on:
Goal 1: Prioritize my health – physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, environmental, and social.
Goal 2: Allow open to be an invitation to live intentionally.
In August, here’s how those two goals played out:
August Monthly Goals
JR Content Calendar – Quite a few posts on the blog in August. We’ll call this a win.
Birthday Cheesecake – I decided this didn’t line up with some of my other healthy goals, so we scratched this one.
Paint an Accent Wall in our Bedroom – Moving this to next month.
Read 4 Books – Checked off 10 in August!
August Weekly Goals
Weigh In – yep!
Budget – stayed on track and reviewed weekly.
Tending Tuesday – done!
Create FinalVIbe Content Calendar – I could have done better on this one! Luckily Kevin helped pick up the slack.
August Daily Goals
Exercise – EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.
Read the Word – started out rough, but finished strong.
IG Post – 14 posts
Vitamins – did it!
August Highlights
My family spent a relaxing weekend at the lake.
Kevin hit 70 miles on his bike (and we enjoyed meeting up with friends in Sedalia).
We celebrated my 29th birthday and my people loved on me so well.
I went to a sunflower field for the first time.
I started Phase One of the Live Hard Program.
We brought home some new plants from Helmis.
I powered through 10 books (which has been more than I’ve finished in an entire year before).
August Favorites
Food: Yogurt, Strawberries and Dark Chocolate (so much yum!)
Book: Chasing Vines by Beth Moore
Purchase: Air Force 1s
Song: One of Them Girls by Lee Brice
September is already shaping up to look different than it has in the past. Living in a college town, it’s typically fast-paced and the town wakes back up, with thousands of students arriving back to campus for a new semester. This year, while students are headed back, masks and social distance requirements are changing things up and the environment definitely feels a bit different. Many students are continuing to take classes online, but have still chosen to return to Columbia anyway. COVID numbers have started to increase, which has put pressure on our local government, businesses, and public schools. Although some schools (like Mizzou) still plan on having college football, this will be the first year that we won’t be sitting in the stadium for every single game. It’s going to be different, and I’m not fully prepared.
There are still plenty of things going on and I’m still powering through on some personal goals. Here’s what that looks like for September:
September Monthly Goals
Paint an Accent Wall in our Bedroom – Really wanting to add some navy paint to our room this month!
Read 4 Books – It may not be reasonable to keep up the momentum from last month, but we’ll see how we do.
Blog – I have so enjoyed posting here and hope to continue that in September. Not sure what that will look like yet, but I have some posts already planned out.
No Spend – August was a little rough on my personal goals (even though we met the budget), so I’m just planning on buying necessities in September.
September Weekly Goals
Most of these are the same as they’ve been, but I’m seeing progress in all areas, so I’m going to keep chugging. I’m adding the FinalVibe content calendar for each week, because that’s something that I’ve really been enjoying and that has been helpful to FinalVibe progress.
