Well, you've heard it everywhere and from everyone I'm sure--what a year 2020 was. We'll all be able to say "I remember 2020." In some ways life will never be the same again. The losses, especially for those of us who have lost friends or family this year will be felt forever. May their memories be a blessing this holiday season and throughout the year to come.

But here, I'd like to focus on what went well, what brought us joy and our hopes for the future.

Back in the salad days of January and February, I was getting ready for a half-marathon in New Orleans and my 55th birthday and asked the kids if they wouldn't mind skipping out on school to join Pete and me there. Little did we know it would be the last vacation for the rest of the year and longer--there's no finer place than New Orleans at Mardi Gras to make lasting vacation memories.

It was an epic journey for Katie, who had to trek from Roanoke's tiny airport through two transfers in bad weather, with many cancelled flights. A day and 12 hours later, she arrived! In the meantime, Pete, Zack and I, already in NOLA, had gone to breakfast and I tripped off a curb and broke my foot! While I iced my foot, Pete was searching out alternate flights for Katie. I found a local company that rented wheelchairs but found when we got there, they had those scooters you can put a knee up on. Vacation and marathon back in business!

 

I was able to walk along, so decided to start out limping and see how far I got with Pete on-call to deliver the scooter if needed. Having Pete, Katie and Zack at the halfway point and the finish line were enough to get me the whole way--in just under 4 hours LOL.

 

 

Just after getting home, I headed out--now with a boot on my foot--to celebrate Phil's and my birthdays and spend some time with mom. 

 

In March, I started working for GBH again on their event strategy now that everything had to move online. Zack's classes transitioned to fully virtual, which was bumpy not only for students but for professors who had never taught online before. All in all it went well with a little extra email and phone communication than usual and he did very well. Katie came home for spring break early, with only 48 hours notice to pack up all her things just in case they did not return as planned. She packed as much into a friend's car as possible, but there was still a good amount of things back at school. Turns out, she was not to return again for the last semester of her senior year. Pete also moved his office home full time and we each worked out our own spaces to get work done without interrupting each other too much.

In May, Zack and Katie turned 22 without too much fanfare. A little celebration at home as I remember. Pie was eaten, of course! Just after, Katie and I made a quick day trip to Hollins to pick up the remaining contents of her dorm room. It was nice to see a few friends, but sad to know that the rest of the senior year traditions would not take place as hoped. Graduation was first moved to the summer, then to Labor Day weekend and now to Memorial Day weekend 2021. But there was an online celebration and at the last minute we were told to tune in online for a little ceremony, which grandparents and aunts and uncles were able to attend as well. We all cheered our cum laude graduate!! 

I drove to LI to spend a couple of weeks with mom. Lucked out that it was the one time Virginia's numbers were low enough to be off the NY hot list. And was also able to work in a visit to my dear friend Allison who lost her husband Bob to Covid in March. He was a big-hearted family man and is missed daily by so many.

Over the summer, I suggested and Pete agreed that it had been too long since he had played the drums and we invited the band over to play 6' apart and masked on our back deck. It was wonderful. Not just for us but our neighbors have stopped us on the street to say they appreciate the live music! This has been a monthly event at our house since.

We had planned to take a family trip to Florence to celebrate graduation and also, Pete's and my 25th anniversary, but instead the trip is indefinitely postponed, we celebrated our anniversary with a date eating at a restaurant! The Salt Line, near Nationals Park, has a breezy outdoor patio. It was a lovely, relaxing evening out together. Not very fussy but so, so nice. We met 30 years ago. It's hard to believe.

We made another quick trip to Hollins to clear out Katie's art studio and pick up the paintings featured in her senior art thesis. Three copies of her writing thesis were also printed, two for her and one added to the Hollins collection. Then we spent a few days (Toby included) at Shenandoah National Park. The views were incredible and it was good hiking weather. It was so nice to get out of the house!

Pete also left Deloitte after 11 years to move to IBM. The commute to work remained the same--upstairs in our loft! It's a strange time to start at a new place and make connections with co-workers, but it is coming along.

How is it that days could move so slowly but still the summer flew by? But it did and Zack was back at school--again all virtual classes. Katie is editing her book, Pete is working, training and meeting IBMers and I'm planning a variety of online events for NOVA, American Experience, Masterpiece and other GBH series. Pete and I also did a few walks and hikes as the fall weather has allowed. Nothing better than the great outdoors and national parks (lately Great Falls) to clear out the cobwebs and anxiety.

We had mom here for Thanksgiving and it felt like a real holiday--under cooked turkey and all ;-). We put the Christmas tree up while she was still here so we could celebrate. The earliest I've had one up in my entire life!

 

BUT--took no photos-duh.

And now it's less than a week til Christmas.

Life goes on. I hope yours is filled with joyful moments, love and gratitude.

Merry Christmas-

See you in 2021.

--Liz