2020: Year in Review

2020

2020 was quite simply the most bizarre year of my life. A world wide pandemic. Lockdown. Quarantine. Social distancing. No school. No work. No church. No activities. No social life. Riots. Political Unrest. Racism. An insane Presidential election. Health issues. Extended family drama. It was hard, scary, lonely, and sad. And... as hard as it is to believe sometimes...joyful! We were active, enjoyed a lot of family time, and had very few distractions. 2020 taught us in a very real and quick way what matters. We got our priorities straight real fast!

Here's what 2020 looked like:

-The first three months of 2020 I was still in deep grief over the loss of my mom. 

-Bryn played basketball for the first time. She was on her school team and she loved it!

-Ailey was the chicken again at Rubber Chicken! She was spectacular!

-Ailey was busy with dance team competitions for the first three months.

-Tyler's sister Lori moved to Washington DC. We miss her!! It's hard having her so far away.

-We had several windstorms that did quite a bit of damage at the lake. Nothing like the big windstorm of 2015 though. We had to have five big trees taken down on the lake property.

-Tyler turned 49!

-The Kansas City Chiefs won the Super Bowl!! That was big excitement at our house!! My old home town.

-Ailey and I became ministering partners. She is awesome and is a great motivator!

-Bryn sang a jazz solo in her 5th grade music program!! She was fantastic!!

-Kameron sliced off the tip of his finger at work one day. Yikes!

-Tyler had to have some skin biopsied from his toe. Thank goodness it was normal.

-Kam had his follow up cardiology appointment and his heart looked good. No restrictions, no medications, and no follow up unless he starts having some kind of symptoms. Thank goodness!

-Tyler bought himself a new (to us) sporty car. He loves it!

-Reilly and Kameron both made a lot of money housesitting for various people. They were both in hot demand by several families. 

-We found out that Ailey has no mind's eye. This has been such HELPFUL information and explains so many things!!

-We divided up my mom's belongings. It was awful.

-Beverly got her stomach pumped because she ate some green onions that had sprouted up in our garden.

-Kameron submitted his mission papers.

-Kameron got his mission call to Minneapolis, Minnesota!

-All hell broke loose and the country went into COVID-19 lockdown and quarantine on March 13th.

-Tyler's company had all their employees start working from home.

-The kids schools closed.

-The LDS church closed temples and cancelled Sunday meetings/youth activities. 

-Missionaries came home from their missions for several months.

-The MTCs closed.

-Store shelves were empty. There was no toilet paper to be found...no paper products, cleaning supplies, canned goods, flour, sugar, yeast etc. We had to wait in long lines to get into stores.

-All nonessential stores/business closed. No hair/nail salons. No restaurants. No movie theaters. No libraries. 

-Parks closed.

-Funerals and weddings were cancelled.

-Wearing masks and social distancing became the norm.

-Reilly was indirectly exposed to COVID-19 and had to isolate from us. That was HARD!!

-The LDS church had families start doing Home Church.

-The kids started distance learning which is online school.

- A 5.7 magnitude earthquake hit Salt Lake City.

-The borders closed to other countries and to the USA.

-No groups larger than 10 were allowed to meet.

-Hospitals no longer allow visitors.

-All extracurricular activities got cancelled.

-We started ordering our groceries online and having them delivered to our house or car.

-Beverly turned one!

-Bryn started virtual piano lessons via FaceTime.

-We participated in a World Wide Fast.

-There was a 6.5 magnitude earthquake that hit near Boise. It was felt in Spokane.

-All in-person events were cancelled... like all vintage shows, concerts, conferences, sporting events. My business came to a screeching halt.

-Porch visits became a thing.

-In-person General Conference was cancelled. Only the speakers were allowed to attend.

-Bryn started teaching herself to play the ukulele.

-The kids found out that they wouldn't be going back to school for the rest of the year.

-Bryn turned 11!

-We participated in a 2nd World Wide Fast.

-The McClellan family imploded. Kirk and I became estranged from our three sisters. 

-Zoom meetings became a thing.

-TikTok became a thing...especially with our girls!

-Beverly was spayed.

-We bought my mom's boat.

-Tyler and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary.

-Perimenopause kicked in.

-Kirk and I hired an attorney to represent us.

-WA State moved to Phase 2: Businesses opened back up with strict social distancing...only take out at restaurants and movie theaters are still closed...and no live events.

-Kirk and Meki and family came up for a quick visit over Memorial Day. 

-Ailey made the dance team for her Junior year. She had to try out via video. They haven't been able to do anything except for a few occasional practices that were masked, outside, and social distanced.

-The country went to hell. Riots, protests, violence.

-Racial injustice was at the forefront of the news.

-High school graduations were cancelled or became "drive-thru" graduations.

-Our family started biking regularly and boating!!

-I turned 48!

-Meki got COVID-19.

-Ailey and Bryn got really good at wakeboarding!

-Ailey turned 16!

-Kirk and Meki had to evacuate their home due to a big fire. Thank goodness their house was fine.

-Kameron was ordained an Elder.

-Kameron was set apart as a missionary.

-Our house became an MTC. Kam did his missionary training online from home.

-We saw the Neowise Comet!

-Our basement flooded due to our neighbor's sprinklers.

-Kam left for his mission and it was BRUTAL for us!

-Kirk, Meki, and kids came up for a visit this summer.

-The kids found out that when school started again it would still be distance learning.

-I became a vendor at Midtown Market in Coeur d' Alene.

-Ailey went on her first date. They both wore masks!

-The girls and I went back to church after 5 months. They started livestreaming church too. Tyler started watching church via the livestream.

-Some temples opened up but only for living ordinances. The St. Paul/Minneapolis Temple was one. We found out that parents could come and go through the temple with their missionaries!

-Judie and Joel came for a visit.

-My cousins Wendy and Justin and their families came to the lake and spent time with us.

-There were horrible fires in WA and Oregon. The air was so hazardous that you couldn't go outside.

-The one year anniversary of my mom's death came...and went.

-Ailey and Bryn started their Junior and 6th grade years at home with online school.

-Bryn went back to in-person piano lessons.

-Bryn started playing the cello.

-I got called to be the 1st counselor in the Stake Primary Presidency and got released from being the Primary President of our ward. I loved being the Primary President!

-Tyler and I flew to Minneapolis to attend the temple with Kameron! It was awesome!!

-We traveled from Minneapolis to Wisconsin to see our good friends: Rebecca and Jeff.

-Fall General Conference still wasn't in person. 

-My mom's house in Sandpoint sold.

-Reilly had two coworkers test positive for COVID and had to isolate from us again.

-Tyler and I did a quick buying day trip to Seattle.

-My step-mom Gayle passed away.

-Tyler and I took the girls on a Halloween trip to Mount St. Helens and Cape Disappointment.

-Joe Biden won the Presidential Election. Kamala Harris became the first woman Vice-President.

-Reilly turned 24!!

-Kameron turned 20!!

-My father returned to church activity after 44 years.

-Kam had a missionary car karaoke video go viral-ish (26k views and counting.) That was so fun for those missionaries and their families too!

-The State of WA went back into modified lockdown.

-We participated in the prophet's request to post gratitude on social media for a week in November.

-Kam got transferred from Oakdale, MN to Blaine, MN.

-We replaced the floors in Ailey's room, Bryn's room, and our bedroom.

-The country is a political dumpster fire.

-We found out that Tyler was having heart issues again.

-The Governor of WA and many other states requested that families not gather for Thanksgiving or Christmas. They didn't even want families singing Christmas carols. FOR REAL!!

-Ailey got her Learner's Permit.

-Tyler started "looping" for his diabetes.

-Ailey took Drivers Ed.

-Hunter tested positive for COVID-19. Reilly had to isolate from us for the third time this year and we couldn't be together for Christmas and New Years.

-Bryn participated in a virtual piano recital and Ailey participated in a virtual choir concert.

-We saw the "Christmas Star" or the Great Conjunction. The merging of Saturn and Jupiter. The last time this occurred was in the Middle Ages.

-Tyler had a heart procedure that was unsuccessful and had to schedule a 2nd one.

-Kirk tested positive for COVID-19.

-This year health-wise I had more skipped periods here and there. I am smack in the middle of perimenopause. I started having hot flashes. They SUCK. I got tested to see if I had a genetic predisposition for blood clots on the advice of my doctor due to my mom's health history. I don't. I have struggled with anxiety more than I ever have this year and have felt some depression. Depression has been new for me. It has come in the form of a lack of motivation and enthusiasm. Two things that I normally do not lack.

-My business has completely changed. It went from a mom and two daughters in business together to just me. I was headed in this direction in 2019 prior to my mom's death. It has been time for me to do my own thing with Sisters Creed for a very long time. COVID-19 caused me to pivot my business plan and it has been the best thing that I have ever done! Vintage shows did not happen in 2020 and the future for 2021 is still dubious. I became a vendor at a very successful store and my sales have skyrocketed! I have only been at the store for 4 1/2 months and I doubled my yearly sales. It has been really gratifying.

-Kameron left for his mission in July. That was a really exciting time for our family and also a hard adjustment. We miss that kid like crazy! It has been extraordinary to see the growth that Kam has had in a little over 6 months. He went from boy to man. Every week I see something new. The mission has been good for him. One of the most special times this year was when Tyler and I flew to Minnesota to attend the temple with Kameron for the first time. The experience of being in the temple with our child and watching him make sacred covenants was beyond compare. This was truly one of the happiest days of my life.

-Worrying about Tyler contracting COVID-19 has been a constant stress. We've isolated more than the average person. It has been extremely difficult. It's taken a toll on all of us. We are social people. We are huggers. We love to travel. We are always busy. This forced a pause in literally everything... and separation from friends and loved ones has stretched us almost to our breaking points. We look forward to vaccines and being close to those we love and miss. Tyler's heart issues were extremely difficult. Compounding stress. But we are incredibly grateful that his blockage was found...again he had no symptoms and a perfect EKG...and had a complete blockage. We feel that it was a miracle that this issue was found and it was due to a prompting from the Lord to have a particular test done. We are humbly grateful.

-My family issues with my sisters has been very illuminating. Difficult and extremely painful but still illuminating. To have the curtain lifted and filters removed and to see the dysfunction in the bright light of day has been horrifying but necessary. I hope for their sakes that they do what they need to do to be healthy mentally and physically. I am grateful to not be alone in this situation. My brother is a rock and a lifeline. I've made my peace with the situation.

-My mother's estate still remains in limbo. Her belongings for the most part have been divided. One of the properties sold. There are several other things yet to sell. Progress has been made but there is still more to go. I hope that by the end of 2021 this is all behind us.

-On a brighter note... let's talk GOALS:

First up... Books!

I read 50 books in 2020. That was my goal for the year and I met it. I am really surprised that I did because I had no reading mojo at the start of COVID. While most people were watching Netflix, reading, and doing puzzles. I couldn't relax or concentrate. I had several months where I barely read anything. Again...not how I am normally. When I started to pick up my reading again it was all nonfiction. I had a really hard time getting into fiction for quite awhile. Thank goodness that in the last half of the year my reading picked up again.

My Favorite Books of 2020:

1.) The Dutch House by Ann Patchett

2.) The Passengers by John Marrs

3.) Home Before Dark by Riley Sager

4.) The Mother-In-Law by Sally Hepworth

5.) The Twelves Dates of Christmas by Jenny Bayliss

Worst Book of 2020:

Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert

I love classics but I absolutely loathed this book.

Book Stats:

Fiction: 32

Nonfiction: 18

Classics: 12

Book Club: 9 (2 I didn't read and one I had already read.)

-As far as my regular goals went I had my best year ever. I literally don't know how that happened. For several months I felt like I did nothing due to grief and fear of COVID. Life changed so abruptly. I felt like I was cooped up in quarantine jail and couldn't do anything that I wanted to. While there were many things that I couldn't do there were many things that I could. I changed my mindset and got to work. Working toward goals, exercise, daily walks with Tyler, and routine saved my life...and surprisingly... I accomplished A LOT. Tyler and I accomplished most of our couple goals for 2020 which was also really surprising. And... My morning routine was a lifeline for staying centered.

My morning routine:

Scriptures

Prayer

Gratitude Journal

Affirmations Journal

Daily Goal Review

To-Do List

-This crazy and mostly dull blog chronicling quarantine has also been extremely helpful in processing my feelings about all that has been going on. Never in my wildest dreams did I think our quarantine would last this long.

-I also discovered that I really enjoy having Tyler home. We can work from home together. We have to be in separate areas of the house and we have to respect one another's time and space but we really enjoy being together. When he does go back to the office I will miss him. I also have really enjoyed all of the extra time we have had with the kids. But I am ready for them to go back to school. LOL. Seriously though... our family has grown even closer (Reilly and Hunter too) through these strange times. Having all of this extra time with Ailey while she is a junior is a gift. When Reilly and Kameron were juniors we barely saw them. They were so busy with school, activities, work, church, and friends. They were in and out. So to have life when it is usually the busiest SLOW down has been a gift especially before Ailey heads off to college. It was also extremely nice having extra time with Kam before he left for his mission. The weeks that our home was an MTC was a golden special time.

-The child that has struggled the most with quarantine has been Bryn. She is an extrovert. She is sunny and social. She brightens up a room. She has a large group of friends and is very active in sports. Distance learning and quarantine has sucked the joy out of her. She lost her sparkle and bubbly joy. Tyler and I have worried about her. She's definitely been the kid that we've noticed the big change in. I can't imagine how scary and uncertain the world feels to an 11 year old? She has no frame of reference or life experience to know that all hard things *eventually* come to an end. It seems to her that this will last forever. It's been difficult to balance safety/health with mental health. 

Question: What did 2020 Teach You?

Tyler:

I learned the importance of self-reliance: spiritually, physically, mentally, and financially. Who knew that church, school, and work would be gone and that we would have to completely rely on each other and the Lord. I learned that working remotely for my job is possible and can even be enjoyable. I have liked being home with Kris during the day. We like spending time together and we work well alongside one another. I don't think I bugged her too much. LOL.

Kristin:

I learned to live in the now. Stop looking back at what was...and stop trying to see the future. Live in the present. Find pockets of peace. Find joy in the now.  Appreciate simple joys and pleasures. I also learned forbearance in such a big and difficult way with my sisters. It was a tremendously painful lesson to learn but also a necessary one. I also learned to put my trust completely in God...not in parties, policies, politicians, or programs. Other refuge have I none. Some silver linings have been: more family time, we've grown closer as a family, more sleep, more active as a family, learned new technology, and no unnecessary obligations (that one is huge.)

Reilly: 

2020 taught me to never take anything for granted. Not even what I would consider a boring typical day. I've learned to be grateful for the average ordinary day.

Hunter: 

I've learned that nothing in life is guaranteed. Life as we know it can slip upside down at any moment and we need to always be prepared.

Kameron:

2020 taught me to focus on the things that actually matter. The importance of family, relationships, and good communication. To focus on my conversion and covenants. To build a strong foundation not only for me but for my future family. It's easy to be fixated on things that have a temporal importance. I have learned to refocus on the things that have spiritual importance.

Ailey:

2020 taught me to find happiness in the little things (they matter) and to appreciate what I have. 2020 also taught me the importance of the gospel and how much I need it in my life. I have learned to slow down and focus on what is happening around me. 2020 taught me to love and appreciate the outdoors because when everything was closed and shut down I knew I could rely on being outside and in nature for fun activities like biking. Overall 2020 has been a pause year and has shown me what really matters and what should take priority in my everyday life.

Bryn:

2020 taught me to have patience and to be thankful for what I have been given because those things can be taken away. I also learned how much I actually like and am grateful for school!

*Favorite Purchases:

Boat: Best purchase by far!

Peloton: 2nd best purchase! Our gym has been closed for most of the last 10 months.

Bidet: How much can you love a fancy toilet seat? OH... A LOT! Never going back. 

Brumates: I don't know how we survived before Brumates and Hydroflasks and our drinks always staying cold. I got the slim can Brumate in pink for my Red Bulls and the bigger Brumate in rose gold for my La Croix cans. Tyler got a bigger silver one for La Croix and pop. Astounding!!

Audible membership: Tyler got me an audible membership last Christmas and it has been SO worth it! I listen while I work on projects and it is awesome! Tyler has used quite a few of my credits and loves it too. It's time for him to get his own membership!!

Universal Yum Box Subscription: Reilly found this awesome box subscription. She and Hunter got one and so did we. We all LOVE it! We have had so much fun trying all kinds of snacks and treats from around the world. We get SO excited when our box arrives!!!

*Favorite Activities:

Long Walks: 

Daily 3 mile walks have saved my life! Exercise and an hour of walking and talking with Tyler has kept me healthy mentally and physically.

Gardening: 

I cannot express the *calm* and joy that I feel while gardening and tending my plants and flowers. It is so incredibly soothing and enjoyable. In the winter I am all about my indoor plants. I love them!

Boating: 

If you want to feel like a million bucks and that you are on top of the world...go boating! In the boat all day long with Ty and the kids is truly my absolute happiest place!!

Biking: 

I love biking! I feel like a 10 year old again cruising around, flying down hills, laughing, and racing! It is spectacular! I love that Ty and our kids are into it too. I once heard that if you want to be happy think of the things that made you happy as a 10 year old and do them. So true! 

Playing with Beverly: 

Beverly is totally our support animal. I am so glad that we have her to love, cuddle, and laugh at her antics.

Blogging: 

This is how I processed 2020 (and every year.) It feels good to release my feelings through this blog and to keep a family record. 

My Booth: 

This keeps me busy, creative, and happy! Another life saver!

*Favorite Podcasts:

1.) Currently Reading (hands down my favorite book podcast)

2.) Ten Things to Tell You with Laura Tremaine

3.) From the Front Porch (Another good book podcast hosted by a small bookstore owner.)

4.) Happier with Gretchen Rubin

-2020 was full of surprises: some horrible and some sweet. We learned resilience if nothing else. 

COVID-19 Quarantine: Days 291-295

Day 291: 12-29-20 (Tuesday)

Nothing too exciting today. I worked on projects and got organized for when school starts up again. We found out that Seminary for Ailey will now be in-person 4 days a week starting in January. Hunter isn't feeling well again and has another fever. He went to get tested for COVID again. I started feeling kind of crappy and nauseous so I quarantined myself away from Tyler and the girls tonight. Not good.

Bryn's activity day girls are doing one last activity. It's an after Christmas Secret Santa Exchange. Ailey helped Bryn pick out some cute things for the girl that she was assigned. It's so crazy to think that this is her last activity as a Primary kid. One more week and she is officially in Young Womens.

It started blizzarding this evening.

Day 292: 12-30-20 (Wednesday)

It snowed all night and all day. I woke up feeling somewhat better but decided to stay quarantined for today just to make sure. I finished two books and binge watched Bridgerton. All enjoyable. I hate being cooped up and don't love lying around watching TV but it was tolerable. I felt fine by this evening. THANK GOODNESS.

Day 293: 12-31-20 (Thursday)

Today is New Year's Eve. It took all four of us trying to figure out what day was New Year's Eve earlier this week. This crazy limbo time between Christmas and New Years is ridiculous. Good grief.

Tyler left early this morning to get yet another COVID test as one of his pre-op labs. Here we are again. Hunter's second COVID test came back negative and he is feeling better. Good.

New Year's Eve finds me without any real excitement. I feel like I have dreaded every holiday since COVID began and even before that back to September 2019. It's been so long since I really looked forward to and wanted to celebrate a holiday. Christmas was an exception and then we found out about Tyler's heart issues and then that took the wind out of my holiday sails.

What I really didn't feel like doing was cooking another big meal. We ordered a pan of food from our favorite restaurant (Best idea ever!) and made a few of our favorite easy appetizers...like raclette. The girls really wanted a big game night and for Tyler and I to be a bit more peppy. We played games but we weren't exactly peppy enough I guess. Ha ha.

Ailey telling me to "Liven Up!!" 

Anyone else's kids taken to wearing their blue blocker glasses everywhere just for fun? No? Just our weirdos? Ok, good to know.

The kids really wanted to play an old game from my mom's house... "Win, Lose, or Draw." They had no idea that it used to be a TV show. They loved it! We played many many many rounds.

Every time Tyler and I tried to go to bed...they shamed us into staying up. LOL. We did and it ended up being a fun night with the girlies. But it felt like it took forever to reach midnight this year. 

Finally...the clock struck midnight! We banged pots and pans and toasted the New Year. Never have I rung in the New Year so hesitantly. Are we ringing in a great New Year full of promise or our doom? It feels like a toss up. Yes...we yelled JUMANJI at midnight. 

Our neighborhood had quite the illegal fireworks show! Big giant fireworks being shot off on a very foggy night. It made the night look colorful rather than being able to actually see the fireworks. I appreciate the level of rebellion of the people on my block. In Spokane county you can face a fine of $500-$1000. I feel like the fireworks were a big F-YOU to 2020, COVID-19, WA State, and the government. I support!!

Day 294: 1-1-21 (Friday)

Happy New Year!

It's New Year's Day. The lamest of all holidays. Is anyone actually a New Year's Day fan? This morning was set-up day for vendors at the store. Kind of weird but I actually really liked it. The store is closed on New Year's Day so it was perfect for vendors to come in and pull out all of the leftover Christmas décor before the store opens again tomorrow. It was good to do a booth refresh. Plus it was oddly festive. Vendor friends wishing one another HAPPY NEW YEAR! And stopping by booths to chat. It turned out to be quite a fun time. Who knew? Tyler is in strict quarantine again until his procedure so we took the girls with us to help me with my booth while Tyler waited in the car. To thank them for their help and in an attempt to be festive we got cookies from Crumbl again and they were thrilled.

It's my week at the lake so we stopped by to check on things. There was a ton of snow. The lake is semi-frozen with slush. There were quite a few branches down. Whoever was out at the lake for Christmas did a subpar cleaning job. Lovely. I was really glad we didn't spend the holiday weekend out there and Kirk and Meki too. 

We got to video chat with Kam today since it is a holiday. We got a new Portal system that makes our video chatting SO MUCH BETTER! Here he is living large! LOL. He and his district were able to gather at the church last night to play games and hang out. They could only stay until 10 pm (their curfew) so they rang in the New Year early and toasted with Martinellis and then headed back home to their apartments. He messaged us to see if we were banging pots and pans and yelling out our front door to welcome the new year. Yes, we did.

Tonight we watched our final Hallmark Christmas movie of the season. (Tyler finally cut us off... we weren't ready!!) Candace Cameron Bure... you are our holiday hero!

Day 295: 1-2-21 (Saturday)

It's everyone's favorite day!! Christmas Tree (s) take down day. Can you hear the groans and complaints of my family? Everyone loathes this day and all that it implies. I do too. The irony is the level of complaining to the amount of work that my family actually does. I am super picky about how things are done so I pack up most of the Christmas bins myself but they do lug trees, many boxes and bins, and keep food and drinks coming my way. We were trying to get a bunch of stuff done prior to Tyler's procedure while he can still lift things. It's an exhausting day and usually depressing since the house seems so dark and dreary but today the sky was blue and the sun was shining. The snow melted and our grass even looked green. Bring on Spring! Better yet bring on Summer! I have no use for winter after January 1st.

COVID-19 Quarantine: Days 286-290

 Day 286: 12-24-20 (Thursday)

My Mom's beautiful Nativity that now belongs to me.

Today is Christmas Eve! I love Christmas Eve even more than Christmas Day. Tyler woke us all up by blaring the song, "God Bless Us Everyone!!" Then he told the girls to get in the car because they were going to do a Starbucks run for breakfast. The girls loved it! I stayed home because I needed to get some final wrapping done while the girls were out of the house. The last pile of presents has been wrapped!

When they got home the prep for Christmas Eve began:

Everyone pitched in on the cooking which was really nice!! It made it go so much faster. Our menu for this year is:

My mom's Coors Ham

Funeral Potatoes 

Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Homemade Rolls

No Bake Cookies

Scandinavian Rice Pudding with Cherry Sauce

Sparkling Juice

Tyler did the ham and rice pudding. I made the potatoes, brussel sprouts, and cherry sauce. Ailey made the homemade rolls and cinnamon rolls for tomorrow morning. Ailey and Bryn made the No Bakes. Bryn was a super sous chef!! We got everything prepped and done pretty early which was fantastic!

Ailey and Bryn decorated the table for our Christmas Eve dinner:

While the ham and potatoes were cooking, Tyler and I were able to get in a Christmas Eve walk at the park. We walked for 2 miles today. Not too far but it felt good to be outside. It was cold, frosty, and festive. It was just the rejuvenation that we needed. Tyler's doctor has given him the okay for moderate exercise. He can even use the Peloton but he just can't go crazy on it. I have forbidden that. I don't trust him to "take it easy."

When we got home from our walk everything was ready to go. We packed up our presents for Reilly and Hunter. Ailey drew Reilly's name to fill her stocking this year so we had a box full of all of that too. We also packed up Christmas Eve dinner for them and snacks and cookies too. Hunter's mom and dad are providing Christmas breakfast for them tomorrow. Then we all loaded up and headed to their apartment. 

The girls and I made two trips up to their 3rd floor apartment. First bringing their food...Tyler was texting them when to open the door...and then lugging all of their presents up three flights of stairs. Reilly even joined in for a Christmas Eve selfie! LOL. 

Then we talked to them through the window from the parking lot. We entertained them with some impromptu caroling, Christmas leaps, and pirouettes! Then we left them to enjoy their Christmas dinner while we went home to eat ours. 

Here are some of the pictures that Reilly texted us of the gifts we brought now under their tree and the dinner we brought:

They loved it and were so appreciative! They said that it finally felt like Christmas!

After we were all done eating our Christmas Eve dinners; we video chatted with them for most of the night! We all opened our Christmas Eve gifts of ornaments and pajamas together. It was fun to open gifts with them even via video chat! Reilly gave us a gorgeous bird ornament from Germany. Kameron is only able to call us on Christmas Day so we made a paper plate version of him which we all enjoyed! He got up to all kinds of antics!! LOL. We were all in our Christmas jammies with Christmas music playing and having a great time *together*. 

We played our favorite "Johnson Tries" game that is our Christmas Eve tradition. Both our family and Reilly and Hunter get the monthly Universal Yums box subscription. We absolutely love it. December's box had Christmas treats from around the world. We saved our boxes for Christmas Eve and did our Johnson Tries together via video chat. It was still fun and it was still hilarious!

Ailey and Reilly are up first!

Here are the Holiday Treats we sampled from Around the World:

Turkey and Stuffing Flavored Potato Chips from Scotland: (Pretty Good.)

Egg Yolk Flavored Popcorn from Taiwan: (Absolutely vomitus! It was sweet & completely revolting!)

Mocktail Bon Bons from the UK: (Delicious! Especially the rhubarb one.)

Sugar and Anise Polvoron Shortbread Cookie from Spain: (Not a fan. I hate anise flavor and it was dry.)

Kruidnoten Spice Cookies from the Netherlands: (Delicious!!)

Alpine Nut Cake from Switzerland: (Weirdly delicious! Caramelized nut filling in a little cake. Yum.)

Cocoa Dusted Chocolate Truffles from France: (Good. They taste exactly like the ones from Costco.)

Chocolate Cream Pandoro from Italy: (Fabulous!)

Apple and Dark Chocolate Dominosteins from Germany: (Amazing! My favorite! Soft Gingerbread coated with tart jelly, with a layer of marzipan, topped with chocolate!)

Baklava from Jordan: (Good)

Czech Garlic Potato Chips: (Good)

Salted Caramel Fudge from England: (Delicious!)

It was a great box full of mostly delicious things! We were all very happy and ate basically everything in the box except for the Egg Yolk Popcorn that was extremely and profoundly hated by all six of us.

After playing Johnson Tries and doing some of our other regular Christmas Eve traditions; we took our jammies picture and then said goodnight to Reilly and Hunter. After that Tyler, the girls, and I loaded up in the car (and wearing our pajamas) went to go look at Christmas lights! 

Reilly and Hunter went to look at lights too. We went our way and they went theirs. It was fun to drive around and see all of the beautiful Christmas lights and know that they were doing the same thing in their area. I feel like everyone's Christmas lights were so much better this year! COVID has brought out people's Christmas light creativity! We had so much fun with the girls! Even Beverly rode along with us (in her Christmas dress) and was mesmerized.

When we got home we drank eggnog and the girls wanted to read a few Christmas stories:

Ailey took a bunch of pictures but used a lame filter... so they all look like this... sheesh.

The girls grabbed their stockings from the mantel in the family room to put out to be filled. I love that we still do lumberjack socks just like my mom and her siblings did and my grandpa and his brother did because their parents and grandparents actually were lumberjacks. LOL. Even more special is seeing my mom's handwriting on each of the stockings. I am so glad that I had her do that for each child. I love her writing. My mom made several beautiful stockings for each of us over the years. The first ones were felt. The next batch were needlework. Her final batch of handmade stockings were hand painted. They are all beautiful and she would hang them up on the mantle but our lumberjack stockings were the ones that Santa filled for us each year. I love that this tradition has gone on for so many generations. :)

After that we turned off every light in the house (including the Christmas trees) and Tyler read from the scriptures by candlelight. I love that all of the crazy festivities calm down and we focus on what is truly being celebrated. The birth of the Savior. It always feels quiet and holy. Afterward we led Ailey and Bryn to bed by candlelight. I love that they still like doing that too.

Tyler and I didn't get to bed until almost 1am and that was not even having to do the Santa thing! We were just hanging out with the girls! LOL. We are looking forward to video chatting with Kameron tomorrow morning!!

Day 287: 12-25-20 (Friday) 

Today is Christmas Day. A day that we were worried about. Well in true Christmas fashion... it arrived and brought with it all of the love, peace, hope, and joy that we sing about. It may have looked a little different from previous years but the Christmas Spirit was felt and we had a fantastic day!

We were awakened by our Reilly (and Hunter) and Kameron calling us via video chat at 9am! They were ready for us to GET UP!! Even via video chat we rang our Christmas bells which is the signal that the kids still at home can come out of their rooms and come open presents!! Let me once again wax poetic about the joy that technology can bring... despite Kameron being in his little apartment over 1300 miles away and Reilly and Hunter in their apartment 15 minutes away... our family opened all of our Christmas presents together and it was WONDERFUL and felt pretty normal...or at least "normal-ish". Kam saved all of his presents from his big package from us and his package from Reilly to open with the family. Reilly and Hunter had dropped off their gifts for us and they had all their presents from us. So we went around youngest to oldest and opened gifts and did stockings just like we normally do. Kam was eating the fudge and cookies that we made. Everyone was laughing and talking and it was pretty magical!! 

Ailey and all her stocking gifts from Bryn.

Bryn and her stocking haul from Kameron. He had a few little elves helping him make this happen.

Kameron opened up his stocking care package from Reilly and Reilly opened up her stocking and gifts from Ailey. They have so much fun picking things out for each other. There are a lot of snacks and candy wrapped very beautifully!! LOL. The limit is $100.

The proverbial Christmas morning photo that my kids demand I post every year. 

Missionary Kam meeting his paper plate version. He was a fan!! I'm going for the life-sized cutout next year! We've had too much fun with his hijinks!

Kameron opening his gifts from Reilly.

He loved them!! 

It felt like we were all sitting around our living room together... talking, laughing, teasing one another, and opening our gifts. Kam was only allowed a 2 hour visit with us and then he had to get back to being a missionary. All of the gifts that Tyler and I received were so sweet and thoughtful. Many were very sentimental. The kids put so much thought into them. It really touched our hearts. We visited with Reilly and Hunter awhile longer and then ate our Christmas Brunch. Ailey's cinnamon rolls were the highlight of the meal!

After brunch Tyler and I were like..."Wait! We forgot two gifts!!" (This gag never gets old!) Ha ha! We made the girls go downstairs while we brought in the two gifts that we "forgot about" and didn't wrap. When they came upstairs they were screaming with excitement!! Ha ha. Buh-bye Bryn's banana seat bike and Ailey's beach cruiser! Time for some serious off-roading! Reilly will have one too when she can go pick out a bike with us. We didn't dare pick one out for her! Kam has a sweet bike ordered in Minnesota if/when he ever gets to use one.

We had a cozy and delightful day. We talked to family on the phone, texted with friends, watched movies, played games, and snacked on good food. It started snowing at around 4pm so we got our white Christmas after all. We ended up having a very nice Christmas and...despite the distance...our family felt closer than ever. 

Day 288: 12-26-20 (Saturday)

Not too much going on today which was really nice. We slept in and then Tyler and I ran errands. Ailey wanted to come with us so we stopped for hot chocolates along the way. Once it got dark we headed home to grab Bryn and went to see some of our other favorite Christmas light locations. We went to my favorite secret Christmas location that we call "blow mold land." This place is dreamy!!

Then we went to our other favorite place that we call "The Dancing Lights." This light show is put on by my friend Steph's dad. It has been crowded every single night and we could never find a place to park until tonight. We love it!

Then we came home and played our new game that we got for Christmas. It's called The Rank Game and we LOVE it!! You can even play it over video chat!

This is such a fun game that EVERYONE in our family likes. That is a miracle. That never happens!! I can't wait to play it with extended family this summer! We also watched the new Wonder Woman. I'm over super hero movies.

We were really missing Kirk and Meki and the kids. Today is the day they drive up here every year and stay through New Years. We always ring in the new year together. :(

Day 289: 12-27-20 (Sunday)

We watched church via livestream today. We are limiting the places we go before Tyler's next procedure. The bishop called to talk to Tyler and told us some incredible news. Some generous person paid Kam's January mission fees!! Not just HIS mission fees for January but the January mission fees of ALL of the full-time missionaries from our stake!! WHAT?!?! That is so incredibly, amazingly, and unbelievably generous!! We were floored! What a cool thing to do!

My dad is still going strong with church. He asked to have Gayle's grave site dedicated and his ward went all out to support him. The bishopric and their wives, the Elders Quorum President and his wife, his ministering brother and his wife, and several other ward members all came out to the cemetery for this service. The bishop asked my dad to speak and talk about Gayle which he did and he showed them some pictures of her. One of the men from his ward sang a solo of Gayle's favorite hymn. The bishop spoke and dedicated the grave. They brought chairs for people to sit in while the dedication was happening. Afterward someone had brought hot chocolate and snacks. They all stayed and visited for quite a while. My dad was blown away by the love, concern, and support that he received. It was really neat to hear all of this. It meant so much to him.

Day 290: 12-28-20 (Monday)

Tyler's cardiologist's office called and his second heart procedure is scheduled for Jan. 4th. Meki called to say that Kirk tested positive for COVID-19. I am taking deep cleansing breaths today. I went for a big walk to try to get a grip on all of my worries.

Tyler and I went and grabbed the groceries for our New Year's Eve celebration. Like everything else this year it will be low-key. It is good that Kirk and Meki didn't end up coming up here this year. They knew it would be risky and they were right. We are missing them so much! We are still going to eat some of our favorite New Year's Eve foods. Raclette!! We have so many fun memories of New Year's Eves spent with Kirk, Meki, and all of our kids and, of course, my Mom. I am so grateful for all of the special times that we have shared together!!

My dad went to lunch with a ward member and the missionaries today. He had a really good time! He said that he felt like he had made a great new friend. This ward member is a single older man too. They had quite a bit in common. My dad enjoyed teasing the missionaries. We video chatted with Kameron tonight. The person they were teaching that had committed to baptism decided to wait and meet with them some more which was pretty disappointing but they were able to attend the baptism of his little guy! His family is returning to church after several years. Check out that baptism swag! 

They loved being a part of that special day and... Kam's hair is OUT OF CONTROL! Ha ha! But the missionaries haven't been given permission to go to "nonessential" businesses. His crazy hair needing a hair cut is rapidly becoming *essential.* Tyler needs a haircut so badly too! Not sure when that will be happening though.

Favorite Memes #12 Holiday Edition

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This is my very favorite Christmas meme of all time. Can I get an AMEN?!

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This 100% reminded me of Reilly's Christmas list. LOL!!

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