Reflecting on 2020
This year has been filled with uncertainty and feelings of being put ‘on pause’. The pandemic has certainly turned our world upside down, but has also given us all some time to reflect at home about our own lives. We’re evaluating things we want to improve on, new ways to achieve our goals and remembering what is and who are really important to us. Here is what we’ve been up to during these times.
Erin
‘This year has given me the opportunity to slow down and reevaluate my formula for happiness and success. Overall, I’ve been feeling good and have developed a new appreciation for so many things. I have a garden on my patio that I’ve been tending to and my plants are thriving for the first time in a long time! I have tiny succulents coming in and flowers blooming on my mature Mandevilla vines. I also started an herb garden this past Spring of basil, parsley, cilantro, and mint which is surprisingly doing very well. I’m really excited to see new growth everyday and to be making the best of my backyard space.
I’ve also spent a good amount of time over the last few months engaged in some self-driven learning. I’m reading a lot! I have a lot of great books at my disposal and quite a few new ones on my wishlist (and a stack of magazines that have been on my desk for months that I’m finally getting to!). I set a goal on my Good Reads app to read 15 books this year and so far I’m at 12 (I have some catch up to do over the holidays!). I’m now onto reading ‘The Wine Bible’ which is a classic course on learning about the fundamentals of wine and the wine industry.
Aside from that, I’ve been enjoying time urban hiking throughout San Francisco, practicing outdoor yoga (a new experience doing yoga outdoors as opposed to in a studio!) televised concerts in my living room (Post Malone's Nirvana tribute for Coronavirus relief was so good!) and cooking & baking from my new recipe books - ‘Soul’ by chef Todd Richards and ‘Tokyo Stories’ by Tim Anderson.’
-Erin
Olivia
‘If there is one good thing that has come out of these challenging times is what is now known as our “pandemic puppy.” One of my life long wishes of having a dog in the family has finally been fulfilled. Enter Hazel. She’s rescued from Mexico, loves running outdoors, licking toes and snacking at all times of the day.
Besides becoming a new dog parent, most of our time is spent hiking, camping, going to parks and getting as much outdoors as we can during these indoor-forward months. Being indoors has been focused on self-improvement-painting, reading and cooking. We’ve been using our time to learn new recipes and elevate our cooking game-i.e making homemade tortellini from scratch from ‘Pasta Grannies’ recipes, mastering the art of baking the Milk Bar birthday cake and watching all the episodes of ‘The Great British Bake-Off.’
At the end of day, I think finding connection to the world is what we are really trying to maintain. Whether that be hosting virtual board game nights, participating in Netflix watch-parties or meeting like-minded people through the dog community.’
-Olivia
Kristin
‘Typically, I try to compartmentalize my roles as mama and business owner. Its the easiest way for me to stay focused in each space and to make the most of the time when I have it to give. Like many other parents, Covid has presented so many challenges in this area. My days have been consumed by trying to answer emails, planning crafts, joining zoom calls (with visitors), and staying engaged on all fronts.
We have acclimated, like all families and found the silver lining; more family time and more inspiration through time spent together outdoors on “adventures” as my daughter would call them. Instead of the busy commute rush, and evening events or meetings, I’ve been cooking, gardening, going on neighborhood walks or having Frozen dance parties. We have gone cherry, apple, pumpkin and flower picking, followed by baking or making popsicles with said ingredients. Keeping Maya engaged when she’s not in school has inspired crafting, scavenger hunts, yoga and hiking.
Mostly though, we’ve been at the beach, either here or up in Tahoe. Even with those really smoky days, we wouldn’t trade living here for what the outdoors has given us during Covid. Trying to find a way to roll more quality time like this into life once it is back to pre-covid ways will be the challenge, but I’m really dedicated to working on it.’
-Kristin