Reflections on 2020
Happy Tuesday!
I hope you had a great weekend.
Tj and I had a nice time exploring on Saturday afternoon. We went to check out a different part of Melbourne that we haven't really been to before. It was a lot of fun. We had a nice lunch, walked around for a bit checking out the shops and restaurants, hung out on a gorgeous rooftop patio, and then grabbed dinner before we came home. It was actually pretty chilly all day, but it worked out well for exploring.
Every January I like to reflect on the past year and take a minute to celebrate our accomplishments and travels. 2020 was unlike anything anyone could have expected and it certainly didn't turn out how I thought it would.
Here are some of our highlights from 2020:
Australian bushfires
The year started out with some tragic bushfires across Australia. It was scary and sad. We weren't directly affected in Melbourne, but we could definitely see and taste the smoke in the air. It was very sweet that my Aunt's students back in Canada created bracelets to sell to help contribute to the animals injured by the fires, and I was very proud to share the photos with my colleagues.
Australian Open
Tj and I continued our Melbourne tradition and made it to the Australian Open. We had a great time, even though we got caught a weird storm on the way home where it was raining dust/mud on us!
Bali
This was definitely the highlight of my year! My mom and Pete came to Australia and then we took them to Bali and surprised my mom with my brother and his girlfriend! It was such a special trip and we had a lot of fun and made some really good memories. Some of the best memories are of the things that went wrong haha.
Family visit in Melbourne
After Bali, my mom, Pete, and Jacob came back to Melbourne for a bit of a visit. I loved showing them around our neighbourhood and city.
Western Australia trip
After my family left, Tj and I squeezed in a trip to Western Australia. We went to Esperance, and this might just be the most beautiful part of Australia that I've seen. The sand was soft and white, the water was crystal clear (and freezing), and there were kangaroos on the beach. It was an epic trip, but even more special because it was the last thing we did right before Coronavirus took over.
Start of COVID-19 pandemic
About a week or so after we got back from Western Australia, everything in Australia started shutting down. Grocery store shelves were completely empty… it was wild. We began working from home, thinking it would be for a few weeks max. Tj set up an office in his closet and rearranged it about a million times until he had the perfect setup. It was scary because we had no idea what was happening.
Lockdown
There was a week or two in June or July where restrictions were lifted, but then the second wave blew up and we went into one of the strictest lockdowns in the world. Mandatory masks even outside and not allowed more than 5km from home. Everything was closed. We made the most of it by going for lots of walks in the neighbourhood and enjoying some care packages my mom sent from home.
Freedom
In October we got out of lockdown and enjoyed our first taste of freedom by eating pizza on a patio! It was great and also so strange to be out and about and around other people.
Byron Bay
In December we got to travel again for the first time since March! We went to one of our favourite places - Byron Bay! We almost got rained out but still managed to find time to hit the beach.
Sunshine Coast
Our Byron Bay trip took a turn due to a COVID outbreak in Sydney, so we pivoted and decided to check out the Sunshine Coast. We spend many days relaxing at the beach and eating good food. It was so refreshing to be anywhere else other than our apartment.
Surprise
Another highlight of the year was being able to share the wonderful news with our families that we are expecting a new addition to the family in 2021!
This year was so strange. It feels like a big year because there was so much uncertainty and scary times, but also feels like we didn't really get to do anything. 2020 has made me understand the importance of human connection - whether it was extra Facetime calls with my friends, or family Zoom calls for birthdays or games, it has been really nice. I almost feel like I got to see more people because usually, they could get together in person, but now we all needed to find new ways to connect. I have definitely appreciated the slower pace of life and not feeling like I always need to be doing something. I probably had more rest days than I needed, but I never felt tired of being too busy. I've learned that my interest in cooking is cyclical haha… some weeks all I want to do is try new recipes, and then I'll have a few more weeks where I just exist on toast. I have to say thank goodness for the technology that allows us to feel connected, but also allows me to do online shopping and binge watch tv shows.
All I can say is I'm excited to see what 2021 will bring!