2020 sure did suck. At least I read a lot of books.

For an entire year, I mostly just went nowhere (at least physically...the books brought me all over the globe) and saved a lot of money.

2020 can be summed up by these two photos:

I suppose I did actually leave my apartment a few times when I went to Atlanta, GA in February for the Olympic Team Trials for the marathon and to hike the Appalachian trail...

...and this summer/fall we went to Chicago, IL, Door County, WI, and Des Moines, IA.

In Des Moines, we got rained on for four days straight and had a super average time not being able to go inside any restaurants or bars or spots of entertainment. Even though our trip was meh because #whovacationsduringapandemic, I could easily live in Des Moines and it comes with the perks of being SUPER affordable and containing one of my favorite people on earth, so that's a solid learning from that trip. And hey, corn is gluten free. 🌽

What else did I do in 2020 besides live in my head and repeat the same thoughts over and over for 10 straight months? Uhhhhh...

• Bought a spin bike for my living room where I now stream Peloton classes five times a week (formal Sunny Bike review forthcoming!)

• Passed the Wisconsin Real Estate Salesperson exam and became a realtor (haven't actually pursued anything with that quite yet though as too much is up in the air to fully commit)

• Got rid of my leased car and am now dreaming of living in a place where a moped or electric bike would be sufficient year-round transportation

• Saved $30,000 in cash and put $8,700 in retirement accounts 💰

• Invested in the stock market through 10 incredibly volatile and bullish Peloton shares 💹

• Struggled (still struggling) immensely with how to meaningfully participate in the Black Lives Matter movement and the local protests against police brutality and racial injustice while also wanting to stay safe from COVID risks and the community unrest. Ended up quieting myself online (got rid of Facebook and stopped logging into Instagram) and focused on what I could realistically contribute from my suburban bubble (not much).

• Attempted my first full marathon on April 11th to celebrate my 35th birthday and got to 17 miles before breaking down, physically and emotionally (this was right before I got diagnosed with Lupus and had no idea why my body was struggling so hard after months of dedicated and consistent training)

• Got plenty of quality musical time with my ukulele, keyboard, and records

• Volunteered at Heartland Farm Sanctuary before stuff got real bad around here with the RONA.

• Celebrated my one year work anniversary at Promega with a promotion 👯‍♀️

• Managed the aftereffects of Bitsy the Cat getting sick with Hyperthyroidism

• Watched the housing market absolutely rocket and come crashing down on my goal of owning a home in the next year (still actively saving that 20% down payment in case a 2008-era crisis comes back to benefit me)

• Wildly celebrated Joe Biden and Kamala Harris' win (after sitting in mourning for the first two days after the election)

• Oh, and I got diagnosed with Lupus AND Celiac disease, so that's been really enjoyable to navigate throughout 2020.

At least my itchy, red-hot flaming butthole and inflated stomach haven't had to be uncomfortable in too many places outside the comfort of my apartment. Unfortunately, I still haven't figured out how to modify my diet in a way that I actually feel good after eating food, but I start regular appointments with the staff Dietician/Nutritionist this month so here's to hoping for some digestion relief.

January - May I looked and felt like this. Eczema and painful rashes had taken over my entire body, I lost most of my hair, and had no idea what was going on inside of me.

With a little help from a dozen blood tests and a Hydroxychloroquine and Prednisone prescription, I was looking and feeling like this by the end of the year. My hair is slowly starting to grow back, I've mostly learned how to control my eczema, I'm slowly getting back into low-impact exercise with the spin bike, and have #goals to be able to join my Ragnar team in Oregon this year if I can get back to trail running fitness/health levels again.

Was that the most uplifting thing you've ever read or what? 🧐 #BUHBYE2020