Looking back on 2020

While it is so very easy to focus on the many negatives of 2020, and those certainly should not be ignored, with this post I am choosing to look at the positives that this year has brought to me and my family. After all, if I didn’t focus on the positive, I don’t think I could quite get through each day during the time of Covid-19. So as I look back on 2020, here is what I are some landmark events in our lives as well as a few things I am thankful for …

January

Starting my own business

My 2020 started off with a bang when my friend, Jessie Wyman, asked me to write and manage her blog for her photography business. Shortly after we established a killer system I started taking on more clients, mostly in the wedding and photography industry. And I have been loving every minute of it! I also became a contributor for one of my favorite online outlets, Career Girl Daily, but they’ve recently gone on hiatus. In 2021, I’m looking forward to taking on more clients, as well as more collaborations for FK&Co.

March

My Mom Retired

My mom has had a job since she was 11 and really, she’s worked all of her life. So it was time for her to call it quits. She gave her notice in January that she would retire at the end of March. Of course then Covid hit and we were all nervous about her going into the office. But her employer was really good to her and told her to stay home in mid-March while still paying her through the end of the month.

Now she takes care of Arielle while I work. It’s a wonderful system because I never have to worry about where she is or who she’s in contact with, which has become so important since Covid hit.

My Sister’s 30th Birthday

Right before Covid hit we celebrated Anna’s 30th birthday with a small, Marvel-themed party. I even made up a playlist of songs from the entire canon of movies, ordered a personalized superhero cape for her to wear and we brought in a life-size Iron Man balloon. Arielle was dressed as baby Captain Marvel and my mom wore an eye patch as Nick Fury (not pictured). I think we win family of the year.

Work from Home Life

Alex is a very social person. He loves getting dressed and going into an office every day. He enjoys going to meetings and hanging out with his friends and coworkers. So when he got the orders to work from home in March, it was hard on him. But one thing he really enjoyed was being able to spend more time with Arielle. Because he was home he had the opportunity to see her take her first steps and hear her first words. He has since gone back into a socially-distanced office, but occasionally works from home and he always loves a visit from his girls.

On the other hand, I found that I loved working from home. My only problem is that I can get easily distracted by one adorable little girl, even when my mom is taking care of her.

May

My first Mother’s Day

Though my first was not the Mother’s Day I had planned, it ended up being so much better. So often on holidays I am so busy that I don’t have the time to reflect on how blessed I am. Instead of the elaborate road trip I had my heart set on, we ended up staying at home, watching some of my favorite movies, having the most delicious lobster roll of my life, and I got to snuggle with my little family. It doesn’t get much better than that!

Arielle’s First Birthday

I think I started planning Arielle’s mermaid-themed First Birthday Party before she was even born. Alex and I would joke that on the invitations we’d include, “Shhhh! It’s a Surprise!” As if you can surprise a one year old.

But the joke was on us in the end. While I kept planning her party, the world had another kind of plan and life, as we knew it, shut down. Finally at the end of April we called it. There would be no traditional Birthday Party for Arielle this year. So instead we celebrated with a birthday caravan on May 27th.

I also wrote a letter to her to commemorate her first birthday. Though I don’t want to rush her childhood, I’m looking forward to a time when she’ll read it and understand the love behind my words.

How to Throw a Mermaid-Themed First Birthday Party

August

Turning 34

I’ve had some pretty epic birthdays, but obviously this year’s August 4th celebration was a little different. However, it was no less wonderful because I got to spend it with Alex, Arielle and my Mom. We even got in a short visit with my Nunny and my sister. We took a scenic drive along the North Shore and had lunch at the Chinese place at the Salem Willows, where I used to spend many happy summer evenings during my childhood.

We finished out the day with a sushi dinner while watching one of my favorite films, Roman Holiday. One of the things I loved most was that I got a big hug and kiss from my baby girl. It was wonderful watching her run around on my birthday this year. Last year she was still so small, she was barely rolling over!

Celebrating 6 Years of Marriage

On August 16th, we celebrated our sixth wedding anniversary at The Lookout at The Envoy Hotel in the Seaport in Boston. Though it was on the chillier side for summer in New England, it was still a lovely evening and one of the few date nights we’ve had since Arielle was born. And while I still haven’t assembled our wedding video or a physical album, I did put together a virtual album to commemorate one of the best days of my life.

Newlyweds Wedding Photography Salem Waterfront

October

Starting a Podcast

In late October I launched a podcast with my friend and frequent collaborator, Jessie Wyman of Jessie Wyman Photography.

The Cocktails & Content Creation Podcast was born out of our conversations about easy ways to do our work and distribute it. And if a photographer and a writer have the same questions, we figured that other content creators were probably dealing with similar issues. So we decided to take these conversations, along with our questions, and call in some experts to help us out. Make sure to follow our Instagram and check out the podcast, released every other Thursday wherever you listen to your podcasts. And we’re planning on taking it weekly mid-2021!

December

A Quiet Christmas

Arielle caught a cold on Christmas Eve so our plans for any socially-distanced holiday visits for Christmas Day were nixed. We had already planned on eating at home, so we still had a wonderful meal. And instead of the craziness of going from one house to the next (which is usually a lot of fun), we were able to just relax and watch Christmas movies all day as we opened up presents. It wasn’t the Christmas we had wanted, but it was the Christmas we needed after a stressful year.

All Year Long

The time we got to spend with Arielle

I mentioned this earlier but I cannot stress how wonderful it was to be able to spend so much time with Arielle. I’ve never been very maternal, but it turns out that I love being a mom and I love spending time with my daughter, more than anything else. Over the past nine months she has learned to walk, run, say Ta-Da, Mama, Dada, and so on, climb up on the sofa, play pretend, feed herself … and I’ve been able to witness it all.

I am so grateful for all of these moments in our lives. But I am also grateful to the first responders, the health care workers working so hard to take care of those who are sick, and the researchers who have produced a viable vaccine. I will be anxious for my family to receive it. And though I know we will be unable to get back to normal in 2021, I’m hoping that between being cautious and wide distribution of the vaccine, we can develop a new normal that involves being able to see family and friends more.

2020, you haven’t been kind, but you’ve definitely taught us what matters most in life.