Despite CV19, despite rioting, despite elections...what has gone right this year?

[Liz CA]

For you, for your family? What are the positive things that are happening in spite or because of restrictions?

What goals have you reached?

How will you remember this year? Or rather not remember it at all?    (I had hoped we had new emojis with the facelift, unfortunately, not).

[Kassia]

It's been an absolutely horrible year for us overall, but the restrictions from the pandemic have made my dd's transition to college life so much easier.  She's an extreme introvert with social anxiety and all of the restrictions have made her transition to college so much easier.  She is getting used to college life without all the stress of large groups everywhere.  Even in the spring, the change to everything being moved online made what was a very hectic semester much quieter and manageable for her.  

 

 

 

 

[desertflower]

Positive things:

I discovered that I had plantar fasciitis in my left foot right before SIP.  It has been hurting for months, but I just thought that was with old age.  LOL  Didn't realize that it was just plantar fasciitis.

It is almost healed now, if not 99% healed.  It was not going to heal the rate I was going before SIP. 

My girls got their singing phrase out of the way via outschool.  I was happy it was so cheap!  Also, one of my daughters figured out that she doesn't want flute lessons anymore either and her lessons was on outschool too.  So again, done cheaply. 

How I will remember this year.

My son was baptized in January.  One of my daughters was baptized in May.  I also get to worship with my parents and my husband's parents and brother's family.

 

 

 

[ashfern]

We finished up the renovations for the house that we bought last year. Had new windows installed in Feb, new siding, pressure washed, new shutters, & painted in April, and new gutters & downspouts in May. Had an above ground pool put up in June. Final bits will be building a deck around the pool and getting new exterior doors. So glad we decided to move in 2019 or else we'd have been stuck in the old house.

[Susan in TX]

My daughter graduated college, got married, and now I have a new grandbaby on the way.

Susan in TX

[Ottakee]

I have reconnected with 2 friends.

First is a childhood friend that moved away when we were 10.  We had been FB friends but when covid happened we started walking "together"....her in Georgia and I in Michigan....we would chat on the phone as we walked out miles.

Second friend was a very casual friend that I met when she was my daughter's horseback riding and jumping instructor.  Always friendly but not really friends.  Covid hit, the barn had to basically shut down and this friend posted on a local hiking  FB page.  I messaged her and we started chatting and have ended up hiking, bike bg it kayaking 1-2 times a week since.  Really enjoying getting to know her a lot more outside of being clients of her show barn.

 

[freesia]

Great idea for a thread. I need it as we are in a bumpy phase rn.

It was good for me to slow the pace we were on.  It was too much for me.

ds2 is coming out of the grumpy teen phase and is being very responsible and hard working.

Dd 1 handled everything well and is very organized with the college search.

Ds 1 finally got his driver’s license and was able to piece together enough work this summer.

Dd2 managed to actually increase her friendship group online ( I mean develop and expand her irl group, but online.)

Dh actually got a nice raise.

I hope  will remember this year as one that drew the family together during the years it’s easy to just run a million different directions. I hope it will be one where the flexibility and resilience we have learned will help all of us to be healthier as we realize that we can survive even when everything we were looking forward to vanishes. 

[J-rap]

I've been able to have some really special times with my 92-year-old dad, having conversations we'd never had before.  I've also been able to have lots of of time with our young adult dd since she rarely socializes now during the pandemic, except with us.  She moved in with me for a month during the violence in our city and when my dh was gone.  That's a month we'll remember forever!  

I've been able to get involved with a very special Zoom group organized by our church, with people from all over the world.

[rebcoola]

Well we got a travel trailer, a hobiecat 17, and a new dog.

MDD quit gymnastics but the shutdown made it way less awkward.  She has shift to more acting and it's gone really well.  She got into a special performing improv troupe.  She also got a small part in the Children's Theatre/Shakespeare troop mash up digital production.

The toddler is typically cute and adorable and a great distraction.

[Selkie]

My young adult kids being home has been wonderful. I was expecting to have an empty nest at this point, but the nest is still full and I'm enjoying it while it lasts.❤️

We've had a very good year financially, which was unexpected. Turns out that the virus and the riots have made lots of people want to move out to our secluded neck of the woods, and that has translated into loads of business for us.

Dh and I have made focusing on our health a huge priority for the past few years, and despite being in our early 50s, we both feel better than we did as young pups. I'm thankful for that.

[Spy Car]

I have enjoyed listening to music since I was a wee tot. The musical genres that have captured my attention have expanded over the decades.

This year I've become absorbed with the music of Anton Bruckner, Richard Wagner, and Gustav Mahler (along with other Romantic-Late Romantic composers including LvB).

Until a few years ago I'd never even heard of Bruckner. Now he is my favorite composer of symphonic music. It's keeping me sane*.

Bill (* )

 

 

[Spy Car]

18 minutes ago, rebcoola said:

Well we got a travel trailer, a hobiecat 17, and a new dog.

MDD quit gymnastics but the shutdown made it way less awkward.  She has shift to more acting and it's gone really well.  She got into a special performing improv troupe.  She also got a small part in the Children's Theatre/Shakespeare troop mash up digital production.

The toddler is typically cute and adorable and a great distraction.

Hobiecats are fun. Envy. 

In younger days I used to sail one on the San Francisco Bay. Quite a workout challenge when the winds would come up (which was almost always). Don't think I could do it anymore. Not there. 

Bill

[rebcoola]

35 minutes ago, Spy Car said:

Hobiecats are fun. Envy. 

In younger days I used to sail one on the San Francisco Bay. Quite a workout challenge when the winds would come up (which was almost always). Don't think I could do it anymore. Not there. 

Bill

It's super fun and we got lucky and got it for free.  Spent time this summer fixing it up and DH and 13 year old just took out for the first time labor day weekend before the smoke hit.  

[Guest]

So grateful that I got to Europe before everything closed down. I’m still “high” on Germany and Austria, which I loved so much more than I expected. 

Dd and I got paralegal certifications during restrictions. Ds did driver’s ed on-line, which made a task I usually find quite inconvenient much more convenient. 

I learned to do certain things in baking that I previously just didn’t spend the time learning. I can make a truly delicious cinnamon swirl bread and sourdough English Muffins. Next up, make croissants and, once I can do that, I want to make Pain au Chocolat. 

[Spy Car]

2 minutes ago, rebcoola said:

It's super fun and we got lucky and got it for free.  Spent time this summer fixing it up and DH and 13 year old just took out for the first time labor day weekend before the smoke hit.  

Wishing you clears skies and good winds. Not SF Bay winds, but good winds. LOL.

Bill

 

[Elizabeth86]

Well.  We just came off of a couple really tough years.  This year has gone personally well.  I'm quite the introvert, but found myself roped into a lot of things for the kids.  I have been in heaven not having to drag our family out anywhere.  No commitments are the way to go. This time has been so relaxed and ideal for all of us.  This time has been a blessing to our family and I think we will remember as a happy time all together. We are approaching the end of all my kids being little.  They are almost 9, 7, almost 5 and 2 so they still all play together.  I know the years ahead will change the whole dynamic of our family.  It's been nice just having more time to take it all in and treasure it instead of rushing. 

[Teresa in MO]

I have had three granddaughters born during the pandemic.  One in March, one in June, and one in July.  They have been my joy during all this!

 

[PeterPan]

Waving hand!!! I've got a HUGE one!!! We had been dealing with ds' anxiety and behaviors for years, but he was always just under what the doctor would medicate for. When coronamess went down, he was suddenly sitting in a chair all day, rocking, unable to move or get anything done. The doctor agreed to start meds, and they've been AMAZING. Life is SO much better with him.

I would never wish for hundreds of thousands of people to die, but I'm really grateful it got so bad that they would finally start us on meds.

[Loowit]

DH started a new job earlier this year that is full time work from home.  After years of long commutes and travel, it is great that he is able to be home.  He is so much happier now.

We finally found time to finish some projects around the house that we kept saying we wanted to do.

[mommyoffive]

Dh got a raise and bonus. 

We saved so much money with not having kids activities  and having them go away for summer. 

We did a lot of home improvements to the house.

My oldest 2 learned a lot of home things.  Cooking, home improvements, animal  care, shop class, and more.  They have grown. 

We have so much less stress.   Dh is still working from home 100 percent.    I am not running the kids anywhere.    I love it.  We have so much family time again.   Before this we had maybe one day together.    This time is a gift.

My kids have shown me how much they love to dance to their core.  They have gotten amazing experiences with top dancers around the country.   Dance has really helped them through this pandemic. 

[EmilyGF]

DD12 and DS8 had best friends who moved to the Netherlands 4 years ago. Somehow, they stayed close all these years. With the shut downs etc, they now have weekly or more Skype playdates.

DD12 is in an online Bible study with her cousin and some friends who moved away. It lights up her week.

It has been so nice to have DS15 home while still having the school give him assignments. I love how his relationships with his siblings have blossomed and how his siblings have taken up loving birds because of him (though today DS8 called a Great Egret a Pelican - possibly just to drive him crazy). 

We've hiked every weekend this summer as a family. It has been a sweet time.

We've had a lot of rough stuff. Looting on our block. DH's mom dying. DH's dad's mental illness level becoming undeniably clear. 

[SKL]

So far, the marching band at my kids' new school has been a great experience.

I finally got my black belt.

We had so many activities last spring before the shutdown.  The shutdown stunk because it killed many things we were all looking forward to, but it was good to dial back the pace and start over.  We needed time to focus on things that usually got swept under the rug.

I finally installed my bike rack and we went on a bike ride with my sisters and nieces.  Hope we can do that again.

That said ... I still don't love 2020!  But, at least we are alive and healthy.  We have so many blessings.

[mom2scouts]

My first grandchild was born this year!

[TravelingChris]

We have had two great vacations since Covid.  First we went to what initially was a weekend to Gulf Shores State Park in Gulf Shores, AL in early June.  It was great and we had a lot of fun together even w social distancing.

Then we decided to do a roadtrip for our 35th anniversary (originally was a trip to Germany and Switzerland).  We are almost done with it- tomorrow is last day. 15 states so far and 16 tomorrow.  Masks, eating in hotel rooms or socially distanced restaurants or in car, and going to non crowded places has kept us safe.

Then right before we left, my ds got a job locally and while we were away, he got a much better paying job online doing pharmaceutical work.  He had to stop working in a pharmacy because he kept developing more and more allergies to meds.  So this 8s a great solution and more meds and online.

 

 

 

[KungFuPanda]

It's a bit of a stretch to find a silver lining.  I'm so over house arrest and we'll have to be more careful than most for longer.  I have had my best gardening year ever because I broke down and got a community plot.  My shady yard had some limitations but I can grow anything on my plot and it's a place to GO.  I've also completed several home projects.  So far I've:

-Organized the tools - It doesn't sound like much, but we've NEVER done it in 27 years of marriage.  EVERY project started with a scavenger hunt for tools.

-Reorganized the master closet - the shelf just collapsed one day! Turns out it was only supported at the ends and it just gave up after 47 years.  I'd been meaning to raise that shelf a foot for years so that we could have double hanging space for dh's shirts and pants, so this was the perfect time.  Now my closet is beautifully organized AND the new shelf/hang bar is supported all along the back as well as the sides. 

-Built a ramp support for DS's wheelchair ramp - We have a portable ramp put a sliding door to the back patio for DS's power chair.  The problem is that when the ramp is in place you can't use the screen door.  You have to move the ramp to close the screen door because it blocks that track.  I build a support for it yesterday.  Not only can we use the screen with the ramp in place, the ramp is now bolted to the support and the house.  There is no wobbling or shifting and I no longer check it before each use.  I can still remove the ramp if we need to travel with it.

-Front landscaping - as much as I enjoy gardening you wouldn't know it by looking at my front yard.  I finally broke down and started putting more bushes and perennials up there so it will look nice with very little maintenance. I have more azaleas, rhododendrons, and hydrangeas all on their way to be planted up there.  I've gotten realistic and embraced the whole woodland garden aesthetic because there is very little sun up front.

-Open shelf pantry in the kitchen - I just bought the wood tonight and tomorrow I will start building my open kitchen pantry.  I have an eat-in kitchen, but the working part of the kitchen is pretty much a galley.  The table area is a waste of space.  We don't eat in there and I end up piling on the table.  I have a section of wall that's two feet deep and 8 feet long that is about to become shelves.   I'm getting rid of the table and making the peninsula larger with an overhang for two bar stools.  When I'm finished I'll have about 24+ more square feet of counter space and about 50 more square feet of shelf space. I plan to build a table-height counter that serves as accessible workspace for DS as well as a table for two.  There will still be seating for 4, just not all around one table. I also plan to build some sort of faux garden window into my 4x6 window in there.  I cook big and I can and I grow plants and my kitchen has never reflected that.  I also LIKE building things with wood so this is going to be my project. I'll also need to paint it.  I'll probably resist the urge to re-do the floor for a while.

-I'm toying with the idea of reassigning the downstairs rooms AGAIN, but I'll let DH get used to the kitchen first.

[math teacher]

I got a job teaching first grade, and I love it. I am finally working with a team, and I like it a lot better than my other teaching positions. 

Ds graduated from college.

I have started losing weight. Fourteen pounds off!!

These are three huge things to me. Thanks OP, I really needed to look on the bright side.

[Annie G]

We’ve never lived closer than 12 hours from our grandkids, and for 5 years we were 21 hours away.  We’ve all moved and now live 3 hours from each other and get together at least monthly. Heaven!

Youngest Dd got engaged and has moved to a city they love. Not near us at all, but at least it’s not California...that was NOT a good place for her. 

[Tap]

This is going to sound odd to list as a positive to most people but Dh and I have agreed to file for divorce and are moving forward on the process. We will hopefully be done in about 5-6 months. To those who know us IRL, they are all ecstatic for us.  We get along good, are freinds and it is super amicable, but we really need to split our households. Doing it during the pandemic, is kinda funny for us. We talked about it 3 years ago, but the past 3 years have been so hard and emotionally draining due to unrelated situations, that the fact that we can move forward is a great relief!!!!

We would love to have been able to finalize in 2020 but refinancing the house is going to stall that out and it will be early 2021 instead. 

Woo Hoo!!! 

 

 

[Pen]

Thank you for the question!!!

 

It is good to think about blessings and positive things!!!

I think that much has been positive. Contacts from/to some old friends due to CV19/wildfires/riots...

possibly some health benefits from doing things for CV19 reasons...

Dealing with a post family death situation through to completion...

My son got his driver license...

most people in my life are reasonably healthy and plugging along...

[Shoeless]

Well, I have a lot more clarity of mind regarding what's important. The pandemic has given me the space to consider what I want and where I am going.  

[SKL]

Oh yeah, I should have added that I've finally started losing a little weight, mostly thanks to my commitment to walk a few miles a day at least.  Things had been going in the wrong direction for too long.

Other thing health-wise is that I reached the official definition of "menopause," hooray!  Actually that might be worth throwing a party over.  😛

[gardenmom5]

My grandson actually let me play with him.  Every other time I've seen him, he's been very mistrusting and wouldn't let me near him.  I go back in Nov when the new baby comes - so hopefully he'll let me play with him then too.

Dudeling started at a private school for nuerodiverse kids.  It's one -on-one.  He's mostly happy there.  (everything is online - so he's loving that part.)  He's cooperating.  Granted it's only been two weeks - but this is still a big deal.

[Laura Corin]

Both my children are doing well. Calvin has a new job, Hobbes is getting good marks at university.  My relationship with my mother is stable. We managed to move into a house that I love. My job seems secure. I'm likely to be able to work partly from home in the future,  which I  prefer. My eldest brother got the help he needed. My second brother's heart disease was probably caught in time. My old dog is healthy.  I am looking forward to taking modules at the university.  Husband has taken up cycling and has started volunteering. 

[mathnerd]

My garden is doing better than it has ever done in the past 20 years - admittedly, I have also put in more effort on it than I ever had because of covid.

I got out of most extracurricular activities that my son had outgrown but which we continued because he had done it for a very long time (we never quit anything!) and because we had wonderful relationships with the teachers. Most of them shut down during SIP and it was somehow easier to discontinue when they restarted rather than having a difficult talk which would have been hard. It would save me a lot of driving time if things ever go back to normal, not to mention money savings and more free time.

[Momto6inIN]

I got to have oldest DS home for an extra 5 months since he decided to quarantine at home with us instead of at college and then his summer internship turned out to be remote instead of in person. I didn't expect to ever have us all 8 live together again, other than maybe Christmas breaks, so that was an unexpected blessing. He and youngest DD really had time to bond, which was an answer to prayer ❤

DH has a big innovative project in the works at his job with the potential for him to share in the big profits at very little personal risk for us. It means a lot of long hours, but he is energized by the challenge.

DD12 is showing signs of finally reaching the logic stage in her reasoning and is starting to actually care about doing her best in her schoolwork.

DD1 began sleeping through the night! Hallelujah!!!!!

We took a wonderful week long camping trip together in the Smoky Mountains.

I had the time to start some self improvement projects - exercise, getting through my "to read" pile, re-learning piano, and brushing up on my Spanish.

[Kidlit]

Last year, after a decade of homeschooling, all the kids went to school and I went back to classroom teaching.  We were all in a small private Christian school.  Over the summer, I was hired as the STEM teacher for a small public school system’s elementary schools.  This is a good thing because it’s a big salary increase, plus benefits, including state retirement, which I am only about a year away from being fully vested in. 
 

We also moved back to my hometown this summer (only about 5 mi away from where we had been living).  Our new house is smaller than our old house (downsized from about 4000 sq ft to about 2500 sq ft) AND it has a POOL!  Having a pool in my backyard is a dream come true for me.  Our master bedroom is also large enough for me to have a private sitting area, which is something this introvert has needed for a while. 😏

Everyone in my family is relatively healthy.

 

OP, thank for asking this question!

[Guest]

DD got to present at an international conference in her field of interest before graduating high school, which was one of the top goals she had set for herself years ago, in January. And we got to go to Australia and New Zealand, for what truly was the trip of a lifetime-so far, at least. 

 

Also, my piano studio and the restart of my professional life has gone well. In some respects, COVID has increased it, because I've gained several out of area students, and been able to keep a family who had a military duty station change because I learned how to teach remotely. It seems likely that I will be able to continue to grow my program once DD leaves the nest. 

 

[Serenade]

15 hours ago, Kassia said:

It's been an absolutely horrible year for us overall, but the restrictions from the pandemic have made my dd's transition to college life so much easier.  She's an extreme introvert with social anxiety and all of the restrictions have made her transition to college so much easier.  She is getting used to college life without all the stress of large groups everywhere.  Even in the spring, the change to everything being moved online made what was a very hectic semester much quieter and manageable for her.  

 

 

 

 

I think this has helped my son transition to college, too.  It's hard for him with hybrid classes, but at least he doesn't have any social pressures to have to deal with.  He's a junior transfer student living in a dorm, and he's not going to college for the partying.  In his own words, rolling his eyes, "Mom, I'm not going to college for the social life.  I'm going to get a degree." 

Edited September 20, 2020 by Serenade

[Pippen]

I was drinking way too much Diet Dr. Pepper before the pandemic. Then it became unavailable in cans and I couldn't bring myself to drink multiple plastic bottles a day, knowing they were less recyclable and could wind up in landfill. It took awhile to ease off, but now I allow myself just one on Friday after work.

Also, my young adult children were all in transition when the pandemic hit--one started a new job three weeks before lockdown and another started a new job six weeks before lockdown. A third graduated from college in May and started a new job a few weeks later. I can't say it's been easy for them being isolated, but they're thankful to have jobs and be living independently. 

[Meriwether]

My oldest son has a job and it has been so good for him. My younger son isn't doing band this year, and it has been so nice not to have our mornings disrupted with his 3-4 band classes (no more than 3 per day, but 1, 2 or 3 depending on the day). School is going better for everyone this year. Dd17 is taking 8 credits at a local LAC for a nominal amount. My niece is losing her 1st semester and having brain surgery, but she probably doesn't have brain cancer - crazy how what we are thankful for shifts. Two weeks ago we would not have been thankful for brain surgery.

[Momto6inIN]

Oh, and I forgot 1 other thing - we paid off our mortgage this year! Woo hoo!

[Lawyer&Mom]

I’ve lost 40 pounds since March.  Combination of illness, anxiety and only eating the boring basic food we make at home.  So it was the easiest and hardest weight I’ve ever lost!  But I’m no longer obese, and if I lose another 10, which seems likely, I won’t even be overweight.  

[mommyoffive]

I love this thread .  2020 sure has been hard, but there are still some good times in all this.

[Lady Florida.]

What a great thread! Thank you for starting it @Liz CA.

 

13 hours ago, Teresa in MO said:

I have had three granddaughters born during the pandemic.  One in March, one in June, and one in July.  They have been my joy during all this!

 

 

13 hours ago, mom2scouts said:

My first grandchild was born this year!

Congratulations to both of you! Grandchildren are a special kind of joy. ❤️ 

12 hours ago, TravelingChris said:

We have had two great vacations since Covid.  First we went to what initially was a weekend to Gulf Shores State Park in Gulf Shores, AL in early June.  It was great and we had a lot of fun together even w social distancing.

 

Aw, it must be sad to see all the flooding there, knowing it was beautiful just a few months ago. 

12 hours ago, Annie G said:

We’ve never lived closer than 12 hours from our grandkids, and for 5 years we were 21 hours away.  We’ve all moved and now live 3 hours from each other and get together at least monthly. Heaven!

 

Now I feel bad (kind of). We complained that we were an hour away and we moved to get closer to our grandkids. I'm happy for you that you're so much closer to yours now. I agree. Being close to grandchildren is heaven!

[Zebra]

I like this thread.

We had a rough summer too, and no one had cancer or anything, but it was just one blow after the other.    Which I will not detail here!    And I finally reached this low point and thought I couldn't take anymore.    And then things turned around, and I feel much relief and happiness right at this moment.    All in the span of 3 weeks, every thing that had to let up from the past 6 months reversed itself enough.    Don't want to go into too many details, but for me it was a big personal faith moment for me.   Not everything works out in life but the last month has just been much easier to take.

And I just have a little more hope right now.   If I can fill my cup up a little, I can face the road ahead.

[elegantlion]

Two good things: 

I finished my master's in July

I'm in a stable wonderful relationship with a man that adores me and I adore him. 

The rest: 

Pretty much crap - lots of stuff not Covid related that I can't post, but it's been a heck of a year for both of us, many things that won't get resolved soon. Thankfully we have each other. 

[Spryte]

Excellent thread.

It’s been a tough year here, but:

DH and I are both healthier. 

Adult DS is in a good place mentally. Great job. Girlfriend.  Positive.  This is huge.

Our garden was amazing this year.

I’ve cleaned out our storage areas, and purged a lot of items.

My mom (with us) and ILs (in separate facilities) are as well as can be expected.

 

[sassenach]

This has been mostly a season of loss, but here's a few good things:

With my classes moving online, I'm losing much less family time than I would have otherwise.

DS had a nagging injury that was able to fully heal because his baseball season was delayed.

DD was able to get her license despite the chaos.

[Carol in Cal.]

Lots of very rough stuff but on the good side:
—I was nutsy overscheduled with out of state trips.  Each one good, but the sum of them insane.  And they all either got cancelled or moved to online formats, easing my life considerably.

—I decided at the beginning of SIP that I should pick one thing to do to improve my health, and what I chose was HIIT.  I started exercising for an hour 3X weekly, and I built up my stamina and muscles, something I didn’t think I could do anymore due to tendon damage from Cipro.  So that was great, and then BONUS I realized to my utter surprise that I had also lost some weight!  I’ve heard so many times that ‘you can’t outrun your mouth’—ie that exercise alone does not make you lose weight, but it pretty much did as I made no serious adjustment to my eating.  (And actually—it’s the drastic loss of exercise in my very sedentary job that got me gaining, so this should not be a surprise in my case.  Conventional wisdom is not always right for everyone.)

—There are a lot of things that I’ve wanted to get done at home that required someone present there to allow workers to finish them, and I’m knocking them off incrementally since I’m WFH now.

—Although I miss meeting with folks in person, it’s undeniable that it’s easier to dress comfortably when meeting via Zoom.

—I finally got a sourdough starter going, something I have wanted to do for a long time, and have perfected real SF sourdough!
 

[Ali in OR]

I feel bad that my kids have lost so much, but I do enjoy having everyone at home once more. I really like my college kid, and I just don't see her enough when she's at school. Also my extended family is great, but we don't do so well at keeping in touch. We've established a couple of group text chats this year that have been nice, even if the subjects have sometimes been not great (dad's heart attack and coronary bypass surgery, all of us living in smoke). So a win for family togetherness.