Happy 2021...

Happy 2021...

No, seriously - Happy 2021! :-D

I know everyone was thrilled to bid adieu to the dumpster fire that was 2020, but to be very honest, 2020 was not as exceptionally cruel to us as 2019.

Will doesn’t have a deep passion for school either way :-P so he is just fine with virtual. He plays basketball outside with his close friends every other day, and they have an official rec league team together again this winter:

Annelise officially prefers virtual school - it’s been perfect for her, as this has been a year of completely redefining her personality & preferences: no peer pressure steering her away from being true to herself (*not* that she ever bends to peer pressure, anyway! It’s a stunning hallmark of her true self: she really & truly does not care what other people think – a gift & quality I wish I had or could even cultivate!)

A few people have pityingly said, “Oh, I hate that Covid has done this to their high school experience!” No, thank you - there’s no reason to feel like that. We’re good! It’s been interesting to see other people project their own disappointments our way, when actually we’ve probably personally gotten more peace in 2020 than 2019. Our 2019 losses are not yet redeemed, but having the whole world on hold hasn’t felt oppressive or restrictive - in fact, exactly the opposite: it’s felt *freeing* not to fall prey to FOMO! (“Fear of missing out” - no one can travel or do the big things we really can’t afford to participate in right now, anyway = peace.)

Closing with my Faves of 2020:

Ultimates: Ted Lasso & Schitt's Creek

💿 Songs:

Ben Platt “Run Away” (so beautiful!)

BTS “Dynamite” (silly, but it just makes me happy, esp. the key change at 2:47, & I love how all 7 members each get to shine!)

Enneagram - I’m a 3, & I love learning more! 

🎧 Podcasts:

Brené Brown’s Unlocking Us (the. best.) 

Joyce Meyer’s Talk It Out 

Phil Vischer’s Holy Post (yes! the Veggie Tales guy! such high quality, in-depth analysis) 

Jen Hatmaker’s For The Love 

Mo Gawdat’s Slo Mo 

Malcolm Gladwell’s Revisionist History 

Leah Remini’s Scientology: Fair Game (fascinated to hear more about this awful cult after watching the whole Aftermath series!) 

Dr. Laurie Santos’ The Happiness Lab 

🧘‍♀️ StudioSmile Yoga & Fitness

📺 More TV I loved - TV’s my favorite:

The Great British Bake Off

The Crown

Call the Midwife

Cobra Kai

Queen’s Gambit

Crazy Delicious 

Somebody Feed Phil

Jack Whitehall: Travels with my Father

World on Fire
Little Fires Everywhere
The Morning Show

The Undoing

Murder on Middle Beach

I’ll Be Gone in the Dark

Unsolved Mysteries (Netflix reboot - same creepy theme song from growing up in the 80s!)

Dead to Me

Derry Girls

Drag Race

The Politician 

Last Chance U

On Pointe

Over Christmas (auf Deutsch)

The Challenge (Will & I just got into it together this year - love sharing competition shows like this, Amazing Race, Big Brother, & Survivor with him!)