twenty twenty one

well, here i am. i haven’t written in so long, six months to be precise. i don’t know why i suddenly fell of the wagon with so many things in june, but i’m back and i’m determined to stay! and here goes everything, my recap of the year.

january

the new year started off with friends. i was already pretty used to the covid life, and so my circle was small – but it was still wonderful. tony and i drove out to pennsylvania to finally pick up dio. my feed was nothing but the furry little stinker. birthday shenanigans ensued – lots of sushi as i had discovered handrolls and my life changed forever. i was promoted at work to senior coordinator of people and policy (basically hr) in just under one year! our wedding save-the-dates went out and it was so fun seeing all my friends posting photos of them! the month all in all was made especially warm by kitten cuddles.

february

as you might have imagined, it was dio, dio, dio all month long. i was obsessed (rightly so.) i began journaling with washi tapeand oh boy, was i in for an expensive surprise when i became addicted. i had my first taste of oysters – they definitely weren’t for me. drove out to delaware to celebrate a friend’s baby shower. i had my final dress fitting and was so excited that my wedding dress was all ready for me! my bridesmaids made the time to come out with me and make it all the more special. i was working out daily – switching off between running and doing obe fitness.

march

i decided to reapply to university again for the fall semester. i quickly discovered that the day i officially decided was also the application due date. somehow i made it and was accepted a few weeks later. my washi obsession became worse, and my collection began growing. i quickly realized dio was becoming the terror that he was named after, but somehow that made me love him more – i even climbed a roof to save him! i bought my first bullet journal. we picked out the suits for our wedding and i began sampling wedding cakes. my bridesmaids came over and helped me make the boutineers for the wedding and we finished my bouquet! the covid vaccine became available and i went as soon as i could. i caught up with my sorority line sisters for the first time years. and i finally got to play volleyball again since the pandemic started.

april

we finally found a church to call home. easter was made special by being able to attend mass in person. i finalized the look of my centerpieces for the wedding and was so glad i didn’t have to worry about it anymore. playing volleyball again made me feel like maybe things were going back to normal. we took an impromptu trip to richmond and dio got to travel for the first time. i got my second vaccine shot! i learned that my new medication was making me gain weight like crazy and the stress of fitting my wedding dress really began. the days were filled with washi tape and dio.

may

in may i went to my nephew’s baseball game for the first time. it was surprisingly exciting! i went to an audition, which was really exciting because it meant live community theatre was coming back. tony took me to top golf and i learned how bad i am at golf in general. i was “showered” in love at my bridal shower, i felt so incredibly special. tony and i won a goldfish at the carnival and we started our first fish tank together. we went boating with family and i even caught a fish! the month ended with being able to see more of my friends again because vaccinations became more widely available!

june

june began my buko pandan obsession. i had to go out and get it regularly. dio was a full time lap-cat and i was living for it. cammy picked up a sorority little, and i basically adopted her by proxy. tony went on his bachelor weekend and i spent the long weekend with tiffy. wedding invitations went out, each individually wax stamped! tony and i went to see the laramie project, our first in-person show since the pandemic started. i went to arkansas for a work trip and remembered just how much i hate travelling. (but equally, remembered how much i love my boss and company.) i got to visit the walmart and crystal bridges museums and take in a little bit of history and a lot a bit of art. we returned to spa world after so long – it was absolute relaxation bliss.

july

july was a true whirlwind. independence day was spent like normal, outdoors – but socially distanced. i got a new board for my pin collection (and am now, almost out of space again.) things got more and more open again – movie trips, pedicures, and all the small fun moments were coming back again. i got to watch tony play paintball with the kids for my nephew’s birthday and enjoyed the chaos that ensued. i packed my bags for my bachelorette weekend and couldn’t wait to spend the weekend with my girls! escape room, dinner, photoshoots, and just being together in general, i was so happy. and then the covid scare reared it’s ugly head as delta had truly arrived.

august

i started august with covid. the two weeks i spent isolated were really difficult as tony couldn’t even come home to be with me. i cried, a lot. dio was my sole friend and he was totally sick of me by the end of it. once the two weeks were over, i finally tested negative and was released into the world again. just in time, as tony and i whisked away to pennsylvania for a wedding. i learned the wonders of dramamine. we started our dance lessons for our wedding’s first dance. i got my hair and makeup trial done, and it was fire! and last but not least, i started my first college class in seven years.

september

and just like that, wedding month had arrived. lots of chaos as i juggled my college class, our wedding dance lessons, and work. prepping for the wedding had me beyond stressed, and i was also so ready for it to be over with. i kept counting down and before i knew it, i was waking up on my wedding morning. it was easily, the best day of my life. the amount of support i received to make it seamless, still, to this day brings me to tears. i feel cheated because there’s no way i can adequately capture that day in this one paragraph. the very next day we left for our honeymoon at nemacolin resort. it was jam packed with activities, and we got to experience a little bit of everything. it was such a blissful experience and i’m so happy that i was able to milk calling him my husband the entire time. (i can’t go without mentioning that we got to experience a twelve course meal, caviar included!)

october

now that the wedding was over, i chopped off seven inches of hair! travelling woes resurfaced as tony and i experienced a terrible time going to missouri. the wedding we attended was absolutely stunning and completely worth it, but i definitely would not relive the nightmarish experience we had due to united airlines. upon return home, i went to my second audition post-pandemic. i was all nerves, but it was so fun to be singing and dancing again. second wedding of the month came before i knew it, our fourth one this year. i was ecstatic to be cast in bright star! dio hit one year old, and i was amazed by how much time had flown. tony and i adventured to cedar point with cammy and andrew. so many coasters – we were in the park for 14 straight hours! tony let me live my timmy turner & trixie tang dreams on halloween, and our wedding photos and videos came in.

november

rehearsals hit full swing and i was finally busy again. i even made friends in the cast, i was elated. every night, it seemed, i spent with these talented people! i picked up animal crossing again after a thirteen month hiatus. live theatre was thriving again as tony and i went to see catch me if you can: the musical. i went to the zoo with my friends. covid boosters finally became available – and the side effects were awful (but most certainly worth it.) thanksgiving was spent in richmond, where tony and i agreed that would be the yearly norm! i experienced hives for the first time, and then suddenly, it was december.

december

the month started with even more rehearsals, and even an escape room. i spent an incredible amount of time with cammy and became addicted to mochi donuts (i don’t think i can ever go back to normal donuts….) ugly sweaters were the theme of the month as i forced it on everyone i could. i began reading far too much manga and my list has been getting more excessive than i care to admit. christmas was completely joyful as we spent it as a family. a fun trip to pennsylvania to visit tony’s parents included a quick trip to the casino. but of course the year needed a little twist at the end, and so the announcement came out that bright star would be postponed due to omicron.

the future is still so uncertain that i can’t help but feel a little suspicious of twenty-twenty-two. who knows how much longer this pandemic will have a hold on our lives? all in all, i feel this year ended up being so much more wonderful than i expected. looking back at how anxious i was about having a wedding during these times, i can’t help but feel blessed that tony and i were able to still have such a perfect day. despite all the things that i don’t know and can’t know about the upcoming year, i feel ready to take it on with a healthier and stronger mindset. above all, i’m glad i was able to make it to this keyboard and start writing again, just before it hit midnight. wishing you a blessed twenty-twenty-two. Xx