I can't believe it's time to write another year in review. For me, 2021 flew right by. I had a lot of high hopes after the disaster that was 2020. This year still had a lot of challenges with the pandemic, but things are (mostly) looking up. I definitely felt like this was a more complete year than 2020 ended up being.
With the COVID vaccination's roll out, things got more back to normal. They're still not 100% there, but they might not be for a while. However, in 2021 Eliot and I got out a lot more and did a little bit of traveling. We had a lot of great memories and moments!
This year, I also left my house more than I did in 2020. It felt like a more "normal" year even though things certainly aren't back to normal. Eliot and I started to do a bit of traveling. We also timidly dipped our toes back into the world of amusement parks.
Here's an overview of Eliot's and my 2021!
2021 Year In Review:
January- Eliot's and my New Year started colorfully with the addition of our new Twinkly Christmas tree. We had our eyes checked while the January 6th mob was attacking the Capitol Building. NHL Hockey returned and we watched our first San Jose Sharks game since the pandemic started. We celebrated Happily Ever Hatter's 7th birthday and National Hat Day. We finally went down to Massachusetts to visit the Disney Store. We watched the Inauguration and I was inspired by the shattered glass for women. Bernie Sanders and his mittens were what united the country in laughter through numerous memes. Jeremy visited us over his birthday weekend. For the first time, I publicly acknowledged my mental health struggles over the past few years and stepped into my power and purpose as a Magic Maker.
February- February brought cold winter days, snow, Valentine's Day, President's Day, and Mardi Gras. We helped Eliot's sister Elissa start a zoo blog. I started working on my own blog updates and re-branding. I refreshed the graphics for both of our Etsy shops. I also said goodbye to my original blog logo.
March- In March, my spring sewing class started. I finally officially changed my blog name! I got my new glasses and I was obsessed with all of the options available! We officially marked one year since the coronavirus pandemic started. On St. Patrick's Day, we were dealing with a squirrel in our house. Eliot did the first cuts on our laser machine. Eliot and I caught the squirrel a week after it made it's first appearance. I officially changed my social media accounts to reflect my new blog name! Finally, I took an online coaching class that I really enjoyed.
April- Eliot and I went down to IKEA and the Disney Store with Jeremy over Easter Weekend. Things went on as usual... I had my ear, nose and throat appointment while Eliot had a tooth extraction. I finished my spring sewing class. We saw the first looks at the Disney Wish. And Disneyland re-opened for the first time in 412 days!
May- May meant spring was slowly arriving. I celebrated my 8th blogiversary. Eliot and I got our first COVID vaccines on Cinco de Mayo. Eliot and I received some magical mail and merchandise from Aulani. We got together with my parents and Jeremy in Freeport over Mother's Day. Eliot's sister Sara graduated and became a doctor. I got a nice half birthday surprise. Things started to get really busy with our businesses and personal lives. Eliot used up the rest of his vacation days at the end of the month. My family came down to visit over Memorial Day Weekend.
June- Eliot and I got our 2nd vaccine shots. We got our butts kicked the next few days, but it was worth it. We celebrated Eliot's birthday. We reached our freedom point and the world suddenly felt new. We had a reset back to normal. Eliot and I made progress working on our house. My family visited over Father's Day weekend. Eliot went away for a few days for a business conference. It started to get really hot out, but thankfully I was still able to see my cousin.
July- Our July started with a new found sense of freedom and optimism. I was so excited to be able to do things again, that I made a Summer bucket list. We celebrated the 4th of July in Bar Harbor. I also celebrated Emoji Blitz's 5th birthday. We booked our vacation down to Virginia. Disneyland celebrated her 66th birthday. I had a minor operation on my head. The Tokyo Olympics started. Eliot and I enjoyed Christmas in July. We marveled at Simone Biles. I also celebrated Harry Potter's 20th Anniversary.
August- August kicked off with a lot going on. I did my first DIY tutorial on here in years. I reached 100 blog posts for 2021 using a new method I started doing. The Olympics ended but they left me feeling inspired. We did a bunch of summer things like going to camp, taking our first trip to Water Country and going to Scoop Deck for ice cream. Then, we had even more summer fun like going to BBQs, playing board games, watching Jungle Cruise, seeing the Old Orchard Beach fireworks, playing mini golf, getting Pier Fries, having a picnic at the park and visiting the Portland Headlight.
September- September came and the fall slowly crept in. Eliot, Jeremy and I took a Farewell Tour to our closest Disney Store and Outlet Store. Over Labor Day, we went up to visit my family and we had a BBQ, went mini golfing, and had s'mores. We all marked 20 years since September 11th. I celebrated National Felt Hat Day by paying homage to all of my ear hat creations. We went to Virginia for our first vacation in a year and a half. I celebrated National Talk Like A Pirate Day. The following day was Eliot's and my 9th Wedding Anniversary. We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Virginia and the chance to relax and catch our breaths. We returned from Virginia rested, relaxed and rejuvenated. We ended the month by saying our final goodbyes to the Happily Ever After fireworks show at the Magic Kingdom.
October- October kicked off with Walt Disney World's 50th Birthday! I hosted my own at home celebration filled with small shop finds, 50th merchandise, new nighttime shows, specialty foods and a throwback of my 50 top WDW memories. In the middle of that chaos, my fall sewing class started and Elissa also visited us. Eliot and I watched the new Muppets Haunted Mansion special on Disney+. Hockey started and we enjoyed watching the Sharks again. Eliot announced his decision to start his own YouTube channel (coming soon!). We took a weekend off to visit my family and enjoy Acadia National Park. Then we went down to Massachusetts for a few days for Eliot's EASTEC conference. We enjoyed our trip to MA and going to Six Flags, the Yankee Candle Village, swimming, shopping and out to dinner! Eliot got promoted to senior mechanical engineer at work. We ended the month with me confessing about my candy corn obsession and we enjoyed Halloween with our neighborhood!
November- As soon as the calendar flipped to November 1st, I was ready to deck the halls. We celebrated the 20th birthday of Monsters Inc, got choked up over the new From Our Family to Yours video, and booked our first flights in also two years. Eliot and I explored Salem and went to see Simone Biles and the US Women's Gymnastics Team during the Gold Over America Tour. We celebrated Mickey's birthday with a throwback post. I celebrated my 37th birthday and had a wonderful weekend. Beauty and the Beast turned 30. My fall sewing class ended. Eliot and I went to my parents' house for Thanksgiving Weekend and Hanukkah began.
December- Eliot and I continued to celebrate Hanukkah. I took time to acknowledge Walt Disney's 120th birthday. Eliot and I celebrated the 10 year anniversary of our engagement. Eliot and I were crazy busy between work, our businesses, my parents visiting, massage appointments, shopping, food poisoning, me covering for my old job, finishing all of our holiday orders and having our first neighborhood Christmas Cookie Exchange Party. I stopped for a moment to take a breath of fresh air and enjoy the First Day of Winter. Eliot, Jeremy and I went to my parents' house for Christmas Eve and Christmas and we had a mostly magical weekend! Now, Eliot and I are ending the year with a trip down to Pittsburg and West Virginia to meet up with Eliot's family... (more on that trip sometime in the new year once we're home)!
As you can see. the year definitely picked up in excitement and activities after Eliot and I received our coronavirus vaccinations. It still hasn't been what I'd call normal, but 2021 definitely beat out 2020! There's no denying that!
I think our 2021 was a great year. It was filled with a lot of fun, wonderful moments and memories that we'll always cherish. Thank you 2021 for all of the fun!!! °o°
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