Well guys, we made it. Happy 2021.
I know that for many people, 2020 was a big fat turd of a year. Our hearts continue to go out to those who are feeling stressed, lonely, sick, anxious or isolated to this day. As we flip the calendar, however, my family is choosing to focus on the components of the pandemic that led to opportunities instead of the oppression. In other words, we’re going to keep on making lemonade out of lemons this year. And yes, we are going to keep traveling.
We didn’t get to see nearly as many relatives as we’d hoped over the holidays, especially from my side of the family. But we did have a beautiful and peaceful Christmas in Iron Mountain with the Broullire clan. (And every time we make homemade ravioli, I thank God for letting me marry into an Italian family!) All of Tony’s siblings, their spouses and kids made it to his parents’ house on Dec. 25; opening gifts, as expected, took a backseat to eating, visiting and playing games with cousins. So awesome. Then we went even further north for a few quiet (i.e., lazy) days with Ray and Barb at our cabin in the northwoods. It was hard to haul my butt off the comfy couches in front of the woodstove, but we did get outside for a couple of walks through the snow, and the girls helped Tony build a bonfire in the woods.
It was difficult to say goodbye to his folks—we won’t see them again until March in Florida—but my crew decided to head to Door County and ring in the new year at a condo in Egg Harbor. Before we watched the ball drop, we hit the pool/hot tub, then treated ourselves to crab legs and lobster tail. I probably would have been okay with calling it a night around 10:30 or 11 p.m., but we did make it until midnight. Are you officially old when your kids want to stay up later than you?
Today was gloriously low-key, though we did venture up to Sister Bay as the girls asked to eat at Al Johnson’s. (No goats on the roof in winter, though!) I made everyone get out of the car for a photo op at the graffiti barn in Ephraim, to which they begrudgingly complied. Along the drive, both girls started picking out places they wish to revisit when we come back up here in warmer weather; I’m already looking at waterfront rentals and real estate listings.
As much as we love Door County and as much as it feels like home, tomorrow we will actually get to go “home” home for the first time since September. I’m excited but curious … what will that be like? Will it be weird to unpack in the place we actually live? And after we spend a week on Castle Rock Court, sleeping in our own beds, will we be reluctant or ready to get back on the road? Only time will tell, I suppose!
In the meantime, as I’m sitting here in front of the fireplace with my Dot’s pretzels and a glass of delicious sauvignon blanc, I’m reflecting on all the ways my life has changed in the past year, and how it took a pandemic to get me to slow down, be still and savor each and every moment. Do I still get overly stressed and impatient with my kids? Absolutely, I admit it. But I now have the tools to continue to work on those traits and the grace to forgive myself when I slip up. Had it not been for COVID, however, I would be diving right back in to a new year at the same hectic pace at which I lived all the previous new years—forever anxious and running late, filling my schedule with “important” obligations that really mean nothing in the grand scheme of things. As horrible as 2020 was for so many people, I’m probably always going to look back at the year as a turning point for myself and my family. The months of traveling and time together? A beautiful bonus.
May this new year and fresh start allow you many peaceful moments, opportunities to change and beautiful bonuses along the way. God bless!!
❤❤❤❤