2020 in Milestones

Most 2020 in Review posts would say it’s been a terrible year. I am unbelievably grateful that this hasn’t been the case for me. So, if you’re only in the market for 2020 Was the Worst posts, this won’t be for you. There have been a lot of changes of plans and little inconveniences that I’d prefer to have done without, but my family and I have been startlingly lucky, and I’m very grateful for that.

• Jack and I both got new jobs, and we love hanging out together while we work
• I mostly still get out of the house to see my parents every week
• My dogs and my parents’ new dog are best friends
• I’ve cooked a lot of excellent food
• Work from home life has its challenges, but it also allows me to work out intermittently throughout the day and cuddle my dogs whenever I want

Now, I know it’s been a while since I’ve been around these parts, but as someone in need of a project who also likes having a record of things, I’d like to change that. I want to give a mostly-brief life update in the form of a 2020 in Review post. Let’s dive right in.

Mid-January

I rolled into a temporary new role at work I was excited about. Just before I left for training in Texas, the first COVID-19 case popped up in Texas. Jack said, “I told you so,” as he’d been following the outbreak of a mystery virus in China starting in the early winter of 2019. He searched for masks and hand sanitizer before I left and already could hardly find anything. He ordered some surgical masks from Amazon for delivery in a few weeks that never came.

We ended up with four silly masks with a puppy mouth, a zipper, a, smiley face, and crossed bones printed on them and two travel-sized bottles of hand sanitizer.

Mid-March

Jack was at drill. I took the Friday before my birthday off work to hang out with my mom. It was the last time we went to the mall for a long time, and it was pretty dead even then. It was the last time we ate inside a restaurant or got our nails done for a long time, too.

I stocked up on enough groceries for 2ish weeks amid rumors of an impending shutdown, and deep cleaned the apartment since I figured we’d be stuck there for a while. Jack came back from drill late on Sunday. I think he brought back Five Guys as my birthday dinner, and we both fell asleep early. When I woke up on Monday, I saw that just before midnight, my company had sent out an email saying not to come in tomorrow, at manager discretion. I hadn’t heard anything from my manager, so I went in.

We discussed that our project priorities were about to change dramatically and unpredictably. She told me to sit tight and she’d tell me what she needed, but I was free to work from home till further notice. That night, Jack and I set up our kitchen table as a desk for the both of us.

It’s still that way, and probably will be through at least March of this year.

Early May

We started flip-flopping on whether to go on our early-June vacation, and eventually eventually landed on everyone in my family going except my grandparents, since they’re the higher-risk among us.

I started interviewing for the full-time role I am so glad to have been offered. In mid-May, I accepted unofficially due to our HR system undergoing an overhaul.

End of May

After two months of not having in-person drill due to COVID-19, Jack’s Guard unit was activated as riot control during the protests of George Floyd’s death.

J doesn’t take vacation, and he was likely going to miss the first one he’d planned in years. I wanted to fix everything and could fix nothing. He insisted I go on vacation with my family and he’d make it if he could.

Early June

I went on vacation with my family, and it was the fun and relaxing time I needed. I worked more during the pandemic than I ever had before, and a week to unwind in the sun was so nice.

We all got a little frustrated with the Army, as Jack underwent training and then sat in an airplane hangar for 10 days. Everyone was grateful he didn’t actually have to use the training, but equally annoyed that he was doing nothing and wasn’t being released.

He missed all but one day of the vacation, but he wanted to come for whatever time he could. Flights were way trickier than I expected them to be.

We finally booked him a flight out of Columbus that landed in Raleigh around 11pm on Thursday, and he picked up a rental car and drove to the Outer Banks. He called me around 3:30 in the morning, I let him in the house, and we crashed. We ate Duck Donuts at 8:30, and were on the cold, rainy beach with drinks in hand by 10. We spent about an hour on the beach in the morning and an hour on the beach in the evening because the weather was so blah. But it was the first time we got to see each other in two weeks, and it was still kind of lovely.

We drove the rental car back to Columbus on Saturday. There wasn’t a ton of traffic, but we did have to try two gas stations at every exit to find an open bathroom, and we had to use leftover toilet paper we had taken from the beach house as napkins when we couldn’t go into a restaurant after the condiment spill of the century. We caught up while winding through the mountains and listening to podcasts, and then reunited with our dogs late that night.

Mid-July

While teasing me, Jack called me by his last name, and I said, “Haha, nope.” And he said, “Well, one day. You know I was planning to propose at the beach, right?”

We talked about marriage as an inevitability for well over a year before that, but I did not know that. I started being on constant proposal alert.

Mid-August

From his 3-week annual training, Jack texted to ask me what kinds of rings I like and what my ring size was.

I went ring shopping with my mom the next day, and learned there’s a reason to let the professionals measure you rather than taking a ring size chart online at its word, as my finger was a size and a half smaller than I thought.

I finally transitioned into my new job, too.

Early September

Jack and I planned a short make-up vacation for the two of us since he couldn’t attend much of the original one. We flew to meet my uncle and his new wife for dinner and drinks, since Labor Day weekend had originally been their reception weekend. and then drove to Isle of Palms outside of Charleston.

We both knew he was proposing that weekend.

But he initially forgot to pack the ring. The color drained from his face after a half hour at the airport, and he said, “Oh, no,” and I knew. Southwest is the best, and they let us book a later flight at the last minute.

I texted my mom early that morning while I was walking Ben to say I hoped he wouldn’t forget the ring. My mom considered texting him but decided that would be overstepping. I considered saying something to him but didn’t want to pressure him into proposing in the unlikely event he changed his mind. He considered packing it several times, but I was always in the room when he thought about it. Even though I already knew he was planning to propose, he felt like I shouldn’t see the box enter the suitcase.

At some point in our relationship, I would have doubted his desire to propose if he had forgotten the ring. Now, I know him well enough to know he can forget anything. I don’t take it personally, but I still tell the story every chance I get.

Anyway, he proposed on the beach and I said, “Duh.” Or something. I really don’t remember.

We spent the rest of the weekend drinking on the beach and playing in the waves. I learned my water bottle fits an entire bottle of wine, which I’m sure is information I’ll use again at some point.

Early October

We decided to get married on May 1, 2021, in Jack’s dad’s backyard. I found our wedding photographer. We also got engagement photos done by Malorie!

Mid-October

I thought it was going to be awful, but shopping for a wedding dress was actually pretty fun. The lady at the first store asked me which dress made me feel the most bridal and I got a little sassy because even though I’m sure they’re trained to ask things like that, I thought the question was ridiculous. They were all pretty dresses, but they didn’t make me feel like a bride. They made me feel like I was wearing a pretty dress (for the most part, that is; some of them were terrible).

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The next week, I found my wedding dress with the same people who have been there as I shopped for all my homecoming and prom dresses. And it does make me feel bridal – but also like myself. It’s nothing like what I thought I’d end up with, but I love it.

Late October

I met most of my work team in person for the first time. Real happy hour is infinitely better than Zoom happy hour.

Jack and I acquired a power rack, something we were not planning to do till we buy a house.

But a work friend of his was selling. So, we bought it + the platform it attaches to + 240 pounds of weights off him for something like 60% of what it would have cost at a store. After months of using bodyweight and suspension trainers, we’re both so happy to have weights again. And we will be paying movers to move it when we leave this apartment, because getting it in here and set up was no joke.

My mom and maid of honor started helping me nail down the décor style for the wedding. I’ll get into the details sometime, probably after the wedding. Which is about when I’ll understand how it all comes together.

End of November

We spent Thanksgiving at my parents’ house with my grandparents and great-uncle, who will be officiating our wedding. I’ve written about him on this site before.

My firm announced plans to extend work from home through Q1 next year. Jack’s company is planning for it through February. I’m interested to see what the actual date ends up being.

December

A couple weeks before Christmas, Jack went pheasant hunting with some of my dad’s friends. There is pheasant in our freezer. And also our oven.

The hunting trip is the only time either of us has had known exposure to COVID-19 during the pandemic. We both started feeling shitty a couple days after he went, so we got tested. I got a horrible bloody nose during the nasal swab. The night after we got tested, we heard someone on the hunting trip tested positive. We both got negative results the next day. Based on the false negative rate and how early we tested, we opted to get one more test a couple days later to be safe. The second test was also negative, so we opted to do Christmas with our families.

We ran back and forth between my family and Jack’s on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. I hope we can nail down a less-crazy schedule in the future.

Then, we spent the early part of New Year’s Eve with Jack’s dad at the new house, scoping out the wedding venue and eating snacks. I stayed awake for the kids’ fake ball drop on Netflix at 9pm and was asleep when the clock struck midnight. I fall asleep embarrassingly early these days.

To start the new year, I did some yoga, ran some errands, and have mostly been hanging out on the couch with Jack, filling out my new planner and watching football. And there’s pheasant in the oven.

Your turn:

What was the best part of 2020 for you?

What are you looking forward to this year?