I really debated if I would do a yearly recap for this year. We all know 2020 has been anything but normal. I didn’t accomplish all I wanted to, my wedding season was small, my trips and holidays basically non-existent. This year was more about getting by than anything else. Honestly, I didn’t think I would have anything worthy to share.

But I remembered, these posts aren’t to show off or boast. My blog is more than just my business, it’s my time capsule. When I look back on all my past years, I want to remember everything. We are constantly changing and evolving with each passing year and I don’t want to miss a moment of it. Even if no one looks at this post, I will. I will see our lives frozen in iPhone images that truly captured the raw and the real that was 2020.

Sure, some things did happen in 2020 and you’ll see that in this post. But for us, this year was about surviving. There are a lot of things we went through that I’ve chosen not to share in this blog post. I’m sure there are a lot of things you’ve had to get through too. We had countless weeks and even months of tears, breaking down, depression, and wishing the pandemic was over. We struggled.

I share this not for sympathy but for you to understand. When you look at these photos, do not compare our smiles to what your year looked like. This year was HARD. If all you did was make it through, that is ENOUGH! Please do not think you needed to do any more than that. The fact that you are still here and you are breathing is all that matters.

2020 rocked our worlds but hopefully it also brought us closer (metaphorically, of course.) I hope it taught us the importance of family and counting our blessings. I hope it woke us up to negative parts of our lives and helped us grow. Just because we’ve always done something one way, doesn’t mean it’s working. I hope in the new year, we take what we’ve learned and we use it to bring about change for good.

I applaud all of us who made it through 2020. We are survivors and warriors. I hope when you look back on 2020 you find your own pockets of joy. Here are mine:

Black Barre Celebration at Pure Barre in January!

In January, Matt and I participated and completed Whole30! We also celebrated an Ugly Sweater party and the Packers playoff game at Lambeau (against the Seahawks – little did we know Matt would work for them soon!)

My sweet friend, Nicole, and I hosted three workshops called Grasp the Gram!

In February, it was off to Mexico with friends to celebrate the year most of us turned 30!

We also celebrated Valentine’s Day, Winemakers, and Taste of Wine and Cheese in February.

I was a guest on a radio show, won The Knot’s Best of Weddings 2020, and celebrated 9 years in business!

As Winter was ending, my photo shoots started picking up for the season. Then the pandemic made its way to our country and quarantine took over. End of Winter and Spring looked like Zoom Happy Hours, lots of organizing, cleaning, working from home for both Matt and I, reading books, doing puzzles, going for walks, and trying to stay safe and healthy. We also binged a lot of Netflix! Who else loved Tiger King, The Circle, and Love is Blind?!

Matt was already working for the Seattle Seahawks during this time and was actually supposed to be in Seattle. Because of the pandemic, he worked from home instead.

Does anyone else remember when gas was only $0.99 for like a week?!

Quarantine meant church at home too. Lots of cat snuggles on Sunday mornings!

In April, I sent special gifts to my couples who had to postpone their weddings to new dates, launched an album shop, and celebrated Easter at home!

As Spring began, we started taking more socially distanced walks and spent as much time as we could outside.

We also donated blood in May, my first time ever!

End of Spring/early Summer when some restrictions were being lifted, it meant Pure Barre could resume safely!

Our friend, Molly Jo, created some beautiful photos for us!

We also got to announce Matt’s new job with the Seattle Seahawks and our eventual move to Seattle.

We celebrated our one year wedding anniversary on May 30th!

In June, we participated in the marches and protests for social justice. We know what we do will never be enough but we will continue to show up for others. This year has opened our eyes to the injustices of our country and we cannot unsee it. We must do better. We have made it our goal to really look at our unconscious biases, educate ourselves, donate our time and money to causes that matter, support Black initiatives and businesses, and commit to change within ourselves and in our cities. Black Lives Matter now and always.

Normally we go on a vacation in the Summer. With the pandemic, we opted for secluded time in a cabin up north.

No parties or celebrations for the Fourth of July. Instead we rocked our Old Navy flag tees and watched Hamilton a million times. And then we watched it another million times.

Matt joined me on the podcast to talk about business and marriage and my wedding season officially began. It was definitely a season to remember – full of hand sanitizer, masks, and lots of distancing.

This year I got creative with my business! I hosted a few webinars, launched an online shop, and created resources to help photographers.

This year, I still got to collaborate with awesome brands like Cat Person, LOFT, Mapiful, and Enso Rings.

Matt officially began his sixth season in the NFL and his first season with the Seahawks. It was definitely different having him work from home all year instead of heading into an office but I was glad to have him close.

Fall brought lots of time outdoors, voting absentee, festive photo sessions, celebrating my sister’s birthday, and my 750th Pure Barre class!

I celebrated five years with my house at the end of October!

After quarantining and negative COVID tests, we were able to safely make a trip to Seattle to look at places to live and sneak in a little exploring and a few photo shoots.

End of October into November meant more reading (I joined Book of the Month finally), Halloween (I dressed up as a dad), and a NEW ELECTED PRESIDENT!!

Matt and I had a really neat opportunity to have a tintype portrait made of us!

I taught so many wonderful Pure Barre classes including a Tuck & Glow and a festive Ugly Sweater class.

In November, I turned 30 years old! Matt and I celebrated with a staycation in Door County where we watched Christmas movies and ate too much cheese.

December brought a lot of changes! We closed on our home in Seattle, I taught my “official” last class of Pure Barre in Green Bay, the Seahawks made the playoffs, and we celebrated Christmas!

Cheers to next year! I cannot wait to see what 2021 will bring!