Ok, so first, let’s address the fact that it has been F-O-R-E-V-E-R since my last post. Let’s just say that covid hit and well, so did my routines, schedules, etc and changed things. I thought about writing blog posts very regularly, but was just trying to adjust to a new way of life.

Quick recap of what you missed from February 2020-now. Brian and I survived covid (like 3 times). Brian’s dad did not make it and passed away in December of 2020. We moved to a new place, same town, in spring of 2021. Brian got a promotion at his 9-5 job in fall of 2021 which then required us to relocate to northern Colorado, which we did in spring of 2022. For most of 2022 and 2023 we were simply “grinding” it out with our jobs. In late summer/early fall of 2023, I made the decision to leave the company I had been with for a very long time, and I start to work for a former client.

The beginning of 2024, brought me to a new company and a new position. I had been working as a “consultant” for this client for the past year and a half, so I was familiar with their business and their needs. It was a smooth transition. The company is based in Southern California so I remained a remote employee (I’m starting to get really good at it now that I’m 12 years into remote work). This year brought on several trips to the north and south of California.

Brian continued to thrive in his career and landed himself another promotion and an all expense paid trip to Scottsdale, AZ in September. We had a great time meeting new people, eating great food, a Jeep tour through the desert, shopping in downtown Scottsdale and simply some downtime. A bit of honesty here, we did spend a lot of time indoors seeing as it was still in the 100’s while we were there and we already had experienced a hot summer here in Northern Colorado so we were ready for sweatshirt weather. We did not find it in Arizona in September.

In May we headed to Dallas, TX for my nephews high school graduation. I can’t believe that my sister’s kids are all now graduated from high school. While we enjoy being there for these big life moments, we are looking forward to not making a trip in May/June for a while. Every time we go there, it is hot and humid. I like to visit Texas in early spring or late fall.

We made a trip to Chicago for the 4th of July week. Brian grew up in Chicago so it is always fun to go back and hang out. We decided to take a couple of days and spend them at Lake Geneva, WI. I had never been to Wisconsin and thought it would be nice seeing as we were that close. After a couple of days at Lake Geneva, WI we then headed to Michigan where Brian’s childhood friends have a house there and is a great place to spend the 4th of July. The house sits on a canal which feeds into a cute little lake. We had been there several years ago, so it was great to get back there and simply hang out and relax. Cell service is a bit spotty which was totally welcomed.

Both Brian and I have taken up some hobbies in our downtime. I started a sourdough starter in 2022 and have kept it alive and thriving. Because of this, I have been perfecting my sourdough bread baking skills. Let’s just say that my neighbors love me because I give a lot of bread away as we can’t eat it all. I feel as though I have perfected a traditional artisan loaf of sourdough and then branched out this year to other creations, like adding jalapeño (from our garden) and cheddar cheese to my latest of adding bacon. Hopefully, there will be more new creations in the coming year.

I also increased our gardening footprint this summer. Brian built me some great raised garden beds and we doubled our vegetable garden from last year and incorporated more area for a cut flower garden. I decided to do almost everything from seed this past year with a whole grow station that started in February. I enjoyed watching all those seeds turn into something great. It was a lot of fun (and work) so I’m trying to decide if I am up for that again. I’ll keep you posted.

Brian’s workshop has grown and is quite impressive. With new tools comes new skills. With new skills, comes new creations. Brian made a custom table bench for our dining room, partly because I couldn’t find chairs I liked. And, like I mentioned, Brian built additional raised garden beds and flower beds for the backyard. He also built some fun art pieces. I think he really enjoys it (or enjoys the excuse to go to the hardware store).

Bailey (our chocolate lab for those who haven’t been around for a while) is now 6 years old. We thought we would see her start to slow down, but we are still waiting for that. I generally take her for a walk in the morning and then she wants a frisbee or ball session in the evening! This dog would go all day if we let her. There are moments where we talk about getting another one in hopes that maybe the two can play together and exhaust their energy together.

Overall, the year was good to us and we pray that your 2024 was filled with many blessings. May 2025 be the best year!