Many people had a rough time this year. I get it. But, is telling yourself that “Next year will be better” really a good idea? This is the mantra I keep hearing over and over and over again. But will changing one digit on the date really make everything magically better? Or are people setting themselves up for more disappointment in 2021? Instead of waiting around for circumstances to change so that you can be “happy” again, maybe look at all the good in your life that you might have overlooked. Instead of joining in with the general consensus that this year was total trash, look at what gems came out of this strange year.
Having said that, I’m going to take this time to reflect on the amazing things that happened in my life…
On January 31st, I had a fire dancing gig at a swanky holiday party. It was cold, but fun. Little did I know that that would be the last one for awhile…
I started doing a lot of training and hiking with a backpack in early February. Even in crazy snowfall and often at night (because that’s when I mostly had the time). I started the training for a spring road trip that I had planned for out west, but that was canceled because of Corona. I was going to do the high peaks of Colorado, Utah, Kansas, and Nebraska. I was sad for a moment that I couldn’t go and all my hard training stopped. But then that’s when I decided to plan for trips closer to home. So the training resumed…
In the beginning of February, I did my first EverWalk planned group hike. 14 people and 2 dogs showed up and most of them were strangers. It was great! Most heard about it on EventBright and an Ohio hiking group where I posted the event prior. We had an unusually warm day for NE Ohio. We did 6.21 miles!
Also in February, I saw some avocado seed carvings made into jewelry online and thought that I wanted to try that. I ordered some carving tools and ate some avocados! I attempted to carve only 2 seeds so far, because I got busy with other things while eating more avocados. It took some time for the tools to get to me.
On Valentine’s Day, I went to a haunted house that did a anti-Valentine’s Day event. I married Elvis…
February 16th, I did a mini road trip to Michigan to meet some Ohio Poe Fans (Facebook Group) to check out Edgar Allan Poe’s portable writing desk at the Henry Ford Museum. We then went an hour away to the Raven Cafe, a really cool Poe themed restaurant and had drinks and great food.
On February 17th, I had a second EverWalk planned photo hike. We went to check out the abandoned Hillandale Bridge near Cleveland. This would be the last EverWalk hike that was not based in virtual reality.
Sure, I had Covid-19 before I even knew what that was. At the end of February, while doing Uber driving on the weekends, I picked up a guy that was hacking up his lungs in the back seat of my car. Yes, I remember him. He was super rude to continuously open mouth cough all in my enclosed car without once covering his mouth once. I picked him up from the airport and days later I had that same horrible dry cough along with a high fever, and no appetite… yada yada yada…
That’s enough about that…Now onto more good stuff…
I went on a random hiking Meet-up group hike with a bunch of strangers towards the end of March. Socially distant hike at O’Neil Woods Metro Park.
March 29th, I joined a worldwide “Light the Night” Facebook event where people light up their houses to show unity.
The very next day, I saw that the Smithsonian had an art challenge posted on Instagram. The idea was to pick a fine art painting and replicate it with only using 3 items that you already have at your house. I wanted to do the painting below cause I have an orange kitty, but I had no help take the photo while I held said kitty.
I even learned how to make roses for my hair out of toilet paper…even though there was a shortage at that time. Haha!
This is what I ended up with…
I got new porch deck boards mid May. My handyman injured his arm (on another job) and the rest of the porch will have to wait until Spring 2021. The end of May, I was already tilling up my garden for my pumpkin patch and weeding and mulching everything.
Towards the end of May, I was finally organizing all of my performing and non-performing jewelry in a new wall hanging jewelry cabinet.
This is a year that I took 2 state high peak mountain climbing road trips. One solo and one with Bryan. (see below)
On June 5th, I left on a solo 10 day trip. Getting my stimulus check right before I left was a nice bonus. I traveled through 13 States: Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, and Massachusetts.
In order to get and keep me motivated for training, I started virtual walking together with my good friend Mel. She lives 3 hours away.
People in my EverWalk Walking FB group saw my “daily walking selfies” with her and others wanted to join us. Gabby (California) was next and then Berna (California, now Florida), Lisa (California), Britt (Ohio), Joan (Seattle), Kathleen (Ohio), and so on and so on…
These people live all over the country and yet have become confidants and true friends that I love very much. Even if we are not all out walking, this tight-knit group of ours still checks-in daily.
I started teaching yoga again on Monday, July 13th and every Monday after that for the summer. It was on a beautiful farm: Crow Point Ecology Center.
I had a great summer birthday party on July 25th. My actual b-day is the 26th, but I wanted the party on a Sat. Kathleen and a guy that I only met once beforehand, joined me for pre-bonfire dinner and drinks at El Rancho Mexican Restaurant. I played music and sang (badly) with friends!
The guy’s name is Bryan.
After my birthday, Bryan and I didn’t talk for a bit because of an issue that I didn’t think was fixable. But for some reason (even though that issue was still an issue) he wanted another shot. Hmm…
So, we picked up talking together again and we quickly saw that our quickness matched. We started hanging out again and he even wanted to join me on my second road trip on Sept. 8th that I had completely planned to take solo. So, he started training with me. He spent more time drinking with his friends than training with me and I wondered if he would be able to do it. He did!
He started some training with me…
The trip came up so quickly after he decided to join me…
#1 for Bryan
I did 11 State High Peaks this year. That brings me to a total of 14! Even the ones that you can drive up to the summit, I’m proud to say that I climbed to the top of each and every one!
It was an amazing mountain climbing adventure! I can’t believe that Bryan joined me on such an extreme road trip and just when he was starting to get to know me too! It seemed to be off to a great start. But, often when things start off so intensely, it irrupts just as quickly in a fiery death. It was too much, too soon. I was not even sure I wanted a relationship again. It was a whirlwind affair that came to an end on a full moon night. Friday, Nov. 27th. The very day after spending Thanksgiving with his family. Some people are only meant to be in our lives for a short time and that’s ok…
Back to the fun stuff..during that time, I also spent some of my stimulus money on a yoga trapeze stand. So, now I don’t have to be cramped in the small space I was in in a corner of the living room. I also got a custom red and black bar for my dinning room made in the beginning of August.
The end of August (Aug.22nd), I drove 3 hours south to work The Lights Fest for American Fireworks again as their Licensed pyro. Bryan came down with me and I got to hang with my good friend, Mel and her family a bit beforehand. I got to meet Pebble, her new and adorable tiny puppy! EEE!
Sure, my Halloween flag and belly dancing performance was canceled this year, but that meant I could work on making Halloween signs for my yard. “RED’s Pumpkin Patch”, Welcome Great Pumpkin “, and “The Great Pumpkin is Coming”. I love Halloween so much that I started these all in July! This led to me putting these on Etsy and making my first sale mid-October. A “Welcome great pumpkin” custom requested sign was ordered. He wanted one that was double sided and on a stake for the ground instead of the hanging single sided deal I had listed. I rushed to get it done and to him in time for Halloween.
I did a fun senior photo shoot of a young girl at Squire’s Castle in the midst of all this other stuff. During an outfit change, I met the sweetest baby mouse. Leave me alone for a minute and I’ll find an animal to play with. Haha! He crawled right into my hand and up my arm.
I started decorating mid-September for Halloween! I took a purple Halloween wreath that someone had made for The family’s Halloween festival and revamped it. It was time. I got out of working on that festival a few years ago because I needed to push my brother out of my life for good, so this wreath was needing a fresh makeover. It was purple and in years past, I added purple lights to it and I even had my black light shinning a purple glow through my door curtains, but it was not totally me. I finally took it and started ripping all the pieces off of it, leaving just the frame. A few thousand trips to the dollar store later and wala…RED WREATH…OF DEATH! Much better. Then I got red lights to shine through the curtains and a red porch light…you get the idea.
Bryan thinks I should sell these on Etsy too.
The end of September, I finally finished patching the walls in my spare bedroom that had significant water damage. It took handymen several tries to get it completely sealed around the chimney, so I could patch and paint. Bryan helped me paint the room 2 different purple colors before my parents were to come for their annual October visit.
The entire month of October, I did at least one mile walk everyday with the exception of 4 rest days. That was hard. Somedays I was walking in the rain, some days I was walking alone at night, many times I was chatting with the Virtual EverWalkers, many nights Bryan joined me…other days he was sleeping when I was running like crazy right before midnight just to get that mile in. But I did it even though I was super busy non-stop!
On October 12, Bryan and I went to Szalay’s Farm to see their pumpkin patch and corn maze. I love fall!
I made time to carve a pumpkin! I bought and used a a Dremel for the first time ever to carve it. That’s pretty cool. I tried to grow my own pumpkin patch like I have in years past and I spent a ton of time working in my garden during the summer months. However, a horrible bout of powdery mildew killed all of my large pumpkin vines, so I had to actually buy a pumpkin to carve. That was strange. I did get several mini pumpkins that I grew up large archways. I made the arches this year for them and want to add more next year to my yard. I carried 2 of my mini pumpkins with me later on when I did Gordy’s Pumpkin Run this year (November 19th)!
Towards the end of October, I put up red outside curtains on my porch. I was hoping that it would insulate the porch a bit and keep the snow from blowing in so much. I put one of my 2 heated cat beds on a chair for a cat that likes to hang on my porch. His own little sanctuary. I set up another heated cat bed in my garage and added a cat door this year. In year’s past, I would keep the garage door propped open, but this way is much better. I have a litter box and several boxes and and beds for any animal needing to get out of the cold.
On Halloween Bryan surprised me with a pretty bouquet of Halloween flowers in all my colors! Red, black, and silver glitter and he even added purple to represent my purple loving friends.
We had a great time giving out candy together. I had more time to spend on decorating instead of choreography this year and I made my house into RED HOT HELL HOUSE! I can’t remember the last time I gave out candy because I’m usually getting ready for and driving to my show during that time.
I also was able to go to my neighbors Halloween party on time, for once, because I was not performing till late into the night. Bryan and I dressed up as Chucky (me) and Bride of Chucky (him) Ha!
My tenets that lived in the rental house, moved out in the beginning of October, so all of October and November (while doing all the Halloween stuff ^) was mostly spent re-patching, painting nearly the entire 4 bedroom house, and yard work (including burning up a shit ton of leaves, etc. Little did I know when I was painting the spare bedroom, that I would be painting the entire lakehouse right after this. Ha! Lots of painting this year. Bryan was nice enough to help a bit, when he could, but i was over there lots and lots of hours alone. When he was there, we listened to a podcast, an audiobook for the EverWalks Book Club (The Long Walk), blasted lots of music through my bluetooth speaker and had good conversations while working and beyond. I have never been in a book club before, but when I heard that their next book was a Stephen King novel, in October, I wanted to join. The book was written when he was 18, so it’s not his best work, but still interesting.
On Thanksgiving, I went out front and started decorating my little Japanese Maples with red bulbs, garland and lights. Simutaniously, Bryan cooked 2 asparagus and feta quiches with lots of garlic and green onions. If I bought all the ingredients, he agreed to cook them. That worked for me. We needed to be at his sister’s house by 2. The quiches ended up being really good and so did the other food his sister made. After we ate, his sister, 2 nieces and us walked down the street to his dad’s place to deliver some food. They didn’t want to join because of Covid, but his dad still wanted to meet me. On the walk back, my virtual ladies called! It was perfect timing because we were already walking. Once back to his sister’s, the boys played some poker and we snacked more and did some beer tastings.
The very next day, we went back to the lakehouse to do a little work. Then we had dinner at our favorite Indian place, Thai Pattaya, because is so close to the lakehouse. Shortly after is when we got into an argument that went till like 5am and that was the end for us. I don’t deal well with dishonest people.
After all that, I needed some down time to rest from the constant rental house work and Halloween busyness. I also needed to grieve the relationship ending so abruptly. I rested, I chatted with my great Virtual Walking gals, and I binged watched TV. Getting paid for my Stock photography helped get me through this time. I finished writing my travel blog from the last trip finally during this much needed time, as well. It felt good to relax.
In the end of December, I started going through my closets and organizing and purging. I wanted to enter the New Year with less crap and less stress. I still have a lot more work to do, but damn things are feeling better in here already!
On Midnight, on the Winter Solstice, December 21st, I sat and wrote most of this blog. Happy Winter and Have a Happy New Year y’all!
The night of Christmas Eve, my furnace broke sometime in the middle of night on the coldest day of the year! At least I had a space heater to get me by until getting that fixed. I was thinking about walking up to the local bar on Christmas day, just to see people, but I didn’t. I didn’t sleep well because I was freezing and it snowed a ton throughout the night. Super pretty, but I didn’t want to move! First big snowfall! First white Christmas in years! Trudging to the bar by myself in that much snow and on very little sleep didn’t seem as fun as it did a few days prior when I felt better. So, Gingi and I stayed in bed and ate cookies that my parents sent up, watched TV, and virtually chatted with mom and dad in FL to open our gifts to each other. I got a pirate flag to hang outside, a replacement yoga towel (to replace the one that got destroyed by a gallon of paint in my trunk that happened Oct. 5th…that’s a whole other story), and a check from grandma that will go towards a road trip that I’m planning in the next few months. The original plan was to be at Bryan’s sister’s house. I didn’t see one real person all day. In fact, I hadn’t seen people much at all in the week prior or after. This has happened many times before on holidays… any day really. It’s a good thing I’m really good at entertaining myself.
So, as we go into the new year, remember, it doesn’t matter what date the calendar says, nor does it matter what all those negative memes say about 2020. Don’t let circumstances in the world and negative people ruin your own solace. Now, to get my training mojo back! I gotta start getting ready for my road trip to do east coast high peaks all the way to Florida sometime in the next few months! I’m looking forward!
Keep on swimming!
