2020 Quarterly Update #3

    Well, we made it through the year 2020, mostly in one piece? It was definitely an interesting and whirlwind of a year, and somehow we're already at the end of it. I, for one, am completely ready for the Christmas season, curling up inside and just relaxing before 2021 can begin. 

WRITING

  I finished Part One of The Promise, which is the third book in my medieval fantasy series, which you can find a little bit about under the Upcoming Projects header on my blog. I powered through and finished in September/October, just in time to write Don't Insult the Witch (or most of it) for NaNo in November. The Promise came quickly and easily, and left me excited to delve into Part Two in 2021, while Don't Insult the Witch was a little more difficult to say the least. *laughs nervously*

  I started a new weekend job in November (from 6:30am - 5pm) that definitely put a kink in my word count. I was maintaining a good flow for most of the month but the missed words on the weekends definitely caught up to me. But it was my first official participation of NaNo and I still managed to get down 35k that I hadn't had before, so I call it a win. ;)

  I'm very much looking forward to what's going to come in the new year, and I can't wait to share with you guys my one (so far secret) project that I hope will get my readers really excited! Keep your eyes peeled for that announcement in early 2021!

MEDIA

  I didn't get as much reading done as I would like, but you can see all my favorite books of the year in my previous post. 

  Aside from books, I started watching How I Met Your Mother (and am currently in season 6), saw season 2 of The Mandalorian (which was WOWZA!), and season 4 of The Crown (because I'm a simp for Princess Diana). The Mandalorian season finale got totally spoiled for me by the internet but it was still amazing, and just an amazing season in general (SPOILERS: ahsoka, amiright??). I am so pumped for a season 3! It's going to be...

(a How I Met Your Mother reference)

LIFE

  Life was well...life. The latter quarter of the year has been harder than the rest I think. Recently my province went back into lockdown, which has kinda sucked. At least we had a bit of a reprieve from such stringent rules for the summer months anyway. But other than that, the fall/winter/school year transition has been a little hard. I've mostly been working with very little in the way of socializing (obviously) and have felt generally discouraged. However, there have definitely been positives in the last four months!

WORK. Of course not all of my work is a positive, haha. While I love my training job, my new weekend job has made me have an existential crisis on more than one occasion. However, to focus on better things, at the barn we have had quite a few really nice horses coming through, including my horse Arthur's baby brother just this past weekend! Very excited to see how he goes. 

WEDDING. My cousin Hayley was married at the beginning of October in a beautiful outdoor ceremony and my sister was one of her bridemaids in an absolutely gorgeous plum dress that I definitely want to steal. This was definitely one of the highlights of October, and I'm so thankful that we were blessed not only with beautiful weather, but no heavy restrictions to ruin the day.

CANMORE. I went and stayed in Canmore twice this fall - once for Hayley's Bachelorette Party and once with Jonathan's family for a sort of Thanksgiving trip. Between the two trips we took in a couple of hikes, relaxed in the condos, and had some delicious meals (one Thanksgiving dinner and one Banff Springs Hotel brunch). 

PHOTOGRAPHY. I got quite a few photography gigs in the earlier part of fall, some family shoots, a grad, portraits, etc. It kept me busy editing and definitely fed my creative muse! Hopefully once the restrictions here ease up I can get back into shooting more regularly. 

FIRST RIDE. I finally put the first official rides on Phoebe and I am so proud of this little mare and how far she has come since I first met her. Even though we just wandered around I can already feel what a powerhouse she is, and I cannot wait for our future together!

CHRISTMAS. And, with much relief, the end of the year and the Christmas season came upon us! I cannot express how much I was longing for Christmas by the time December rolled around, how much I wanted to be done working and just be home, spending time with my family. We had a quiet Christmas with family and I'm so thankful for the days off, the gifts, and the time we had together.

TOP 10 HITS OF 2020:

• Getting a puppy! Our little Percival has been wreaking havoc in our lives since February!
• Celebrating 6 years together with Jonathan (yikes, I am an old lady)!
• Publishing Faithless!
• Our many hiking and camping trips this summer!
• Horse Camp in August!
• 2 Beautiful Weddings!
• Putting the first rides on Arthur and Phoebe!
• Having 1 week of summer camps!
• Participating in NaNoWriMo and finishing The Promise!
• Developing my photography portfolio even further!

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: 

2020 Quarterly Update #1

2020 Quarterly Update #2

LET'S TALK. 

  How was your 2020? What was the highlight? Did it drag or fly by for you? Are you optimistic or pessimistic about what 2021 will bring? And what are you most looking forward to in the New Year! Let me know in the comments below!