So we are officially in 2022, and it’s that time of year everybody looks back on the previous years memories…the good, the bad, the Covid. So naturally, I am doing the same. And although it may be an unpopular opinion, given the fact we were still in a pretty heavy pandemic most of 2021 once again, I actually had a pretty great year…and I’m not sorry about it :)
Let’s take a look…
The first few months of the year involved me still getting back into the swing of things of working full-time and mommying full-time. I am beyond blessed I have a job that is allowing me to work just about 100% from home — life saver. It was a challenge to get used to at first, but overall I got into a swing of things. Tobias, Jakob and I spent a lot of time together during the cold months, and had a great time taking Jakob to a bunch of swim lessons to help him get used to the water.
In May we got ready to take our first vacation as a new family with our little guy! Tobias had a conference to attend for.work in Orlando, so we extended it for the week, and my parents came as well. This was the first time Jake was on a plane, and at almost 9 months he rocked it.
Although Covid restrictions were still in place, the vacation was amazing — Jakob met his Aunt and Uncle, we went to the pool, visited Sea World, Epcot & the Magic Kingdom, and did a lot of relaxing as a family. It was such a nice, and much needed, time.
Oh yea — and we had our first official Mother and Father’s Day after Jakob was born. Gotta say, felt pretty cool.
We finally made it into summer, and lots of nice warm days & nights all together. Weekends were full of walks with the dog on hiking paths, spending time on our newly painted and re-done deck (done by Tobias), and ventured out to as many outdoor places as possible.
One thing that was really important to me to try again since having Jakob was a horse show. I showed at least 2-3 times a year prior to Jakob, and although I knew it was going to be different now, I really wanted to prove to myself that I still got it in me. And I did. And it was super fun :)
Shortly after this, it was time for our big trip over to Germany to meet more of Tobias’s family and introduce Jakob of course. Again, the kid rocked the flight (with maybe 1 or 2 meltdowns but we’ll give him a break). During this time we had a family reunion and Jakob met sooo many new faces and had a blast. We were also able to sneak away to Prague for a couple of days, which is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever seen.
While we are on a topic of traveling, I’ll quickly recap the other places Jakob got to visit during the rest of summer and fall:
The Detroit Zoo
Northern Michigan for a Labor Day weekend getaway
Chicago (came with us on a business trip with my parents help) - spent lots of time at the Shedd Aquarium, his favorite place now
Las Vegas - and got to see the Grand Canyon!
Fall also gave us a couple firsts: Jakob’s first birthday and his first haircut! We were able to celebrate his actual birthday in Chicago, then had a small party back at home with family. His haircut went as well as it could have I would imagine! I kept some hair…so I’m officially that mom now.
One thing we missed last year due to Covid was our annual 10k Turkey Trot that is held on Thanksgiving each year in Detroit. My best friend Margeaux and I have been running in this the last 7 or 8 years, so to miss it in 2020 was a total bummer…but luckily 2021 let us have it! It’s such a fun tradition — my dad drives us down there, watches us go, we strut thru the 10k the best we can, and then basically go home and sleep after. I love it.
Finally, I personally got to round out my year going on a solo yoga retreat in Costa Rica for about 6 days. This was really nerve-wracking for me since it was the first time I voluntarily went away from my baby for multiple days in a row. Although I was extremely anxious, I was so glad I went because I learned so much and had a blast.
Our year officially came to a close with a Christmas Day where we could all be together, Jakob got spoiled by gifts, and we all laughed and ate too much food. Oh yea…and Tobias finally put a ring on it (just a few years and a baby later).
I loved 2021. 2022 you have big shoes to fill.
