Perspective changes everything.
Last year I spent some time reflecting on 20 things I was thankful for 2020 to place in my lap. While the world was sent into overdrive, I took some time to learn about myself and heal. The negativity all around us is easy to be consumed by. When we look toward gratitude and reflection, we are building a better version of ourselves and giving better to the people around us. The trickle down effect is life changing.
2021 brought new lessons and new perspectives. We started the year with renovations all about, with a rather lofty goal finishing everything. Ha. Ha. Ha. Have you ever lived in a home while completing several major renovations – I do not recommend it, but here we are! You can read about The Grand Ballroom, Coffee Bar, and Pantry Project while I leave you hanging for more goodness in 2022!
Back to the recap! We were moving right along and then the snowpocalypse settled for many days over all of Texas. Snow, Freezing Temps- all over Texas. I will never forget that storm for the rest of my life and I pray we never have to experience that again. Once the weather cleared, we continued on with the renovation; window installation, flooring installation, hanging drywall in too many areas, and demolition on the kitchen by March (stay tuned). In May, I decided I needed to jump into another (stay tuned) project – the dining room. In June, David’s friend Robert installed the kitchen floor and backsplash, while we worked on our part. My amazing Uncle came in handy to build the kitchen cabinet doors. Side story: We were exhausted, like really exhausted and Hondo had some free time! Praise be! So we did what any normal renovation would do – we measured via FaceTime. Spoiler alert, they fit PERFECTLY! These projects consumed all of time and energy for the first quarter of the year and by summer we were ready for a break.
We took a couple of trips this summer. Our sweet blended family made a trip in June to Gulf Shores, AL. I intended to write a post about our time there and tips from what we learned, but life happened. Let’s just say there were some positives and negatives. I think traveling to different beaches and towns sounds more fun than going to the same location, anyway. David and I took a couples trip to Wimberley, TX – I cannot recommend the Texas Hill Country enough, just book a trip y’all. When we returned from our trip, life turned upside down.
The last half of 2021 has been spent in survival mode. David suffered a serious hamstring avulsion injury. One that required surgery and many months of sitting on the couch. (insert all of the emotions, here). At the time, I really wasn’t sure how we were going to make it. Let me tell you, we have the most amazing friends and family who brought food and sent gift cards. Friends who supported me through the ugly six-weeks of never-ending: mom-duty, full-time caregiving, full-time job, full-time school, and a house in mid-renovation. Oh, I can’t forget to mention starting a new job in the midst of all of this. A neck injury for me and Covid for the family rounded out the remainder of the year. Yet, we are here, to the other side and I couldn’t be more thankful for the lessons learned and perspective gained. It was not easy, there were many tough days – days filled with tears. I am standing, my family is thriving, I’m learning my new job, and not to brag but I managed a 4.0 this semester in school. I am pretty dang proud.
The injuries, the sickness, the renovations, and the everything in between made for an interesting year. I am thankful for trials we faced and the grace we learned along the way. However, I would really appreciate if life will stick to the plan for a while.
Meeting 2022 with a fresh perspective and hopes to crush the next set of goals, with a side of grace.