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December 28, 2020

2020 In Review

Wow…….2020 was quite a year, nothing I expected as we rang it in, excited about a new decade and leaving behind magical 2019.

The year seemed to start out normal, we hosted a Noon Years Eve party for all of our friends who don’t stay up until midnight. It was amazing. I can’t imagine having thirty people in my house now.

We enjoyed the normal things like playing in the snow, going to birthday parties and going to gymnastics class.

While we had not yet been impacted by Covid-19 in mid January we got very sick and could not get well for many weeks.

It is unlikely that what we had was Covid-19 in January because there wasn’t many cases here then but it is possible, and I do wonder given how badly our lungs were impacted and how long we were sick.

We celebrated Valentines day and now it seems odd to be in someone else’s house.

We traveled to Dillion to see the ice castles, they were magical. It was very fun to share this trip with parents.

We decided to remodel our kitchen and spent time picking counters, back splash and cabinet color.

We signed Cannon up for his first season of soccer in the spring, we were very excited until quickly the world pandemic hit America. I mid March we were told that Cannon would have an extended spring break for two weeks. Those two weeks turned into the rest of the school year spent at home.

Cory also started working from home in March, he could do everything virtually so the only thing that changed was him now working from our home office. We really enjoyed having him home for lunches and seeing him more. My job was already online so noting changed other than having to share my office.

St. Patricks Day at Home
School at Home
Visiting Grandparents through the Window

We spent a lot of time walking outside since there was literally nowhere to go and the playgrounds were closed. It was not an easy time. With two little kids who didn’t understand why they couldn’t see their friends or stop and play at the playgrounds like they were used to. We had fun most days but also missed our normal life.

We spent Easter without our family but still had so much fun hunting for eggs.

Emmy turned two and we celebrated her the best we could. She didn’t get a party but she did get to see her grandparents over the fence.

We stayed home some more and enjoyed some spring snow.

When May came so did the sunny weather. We spent most of our time in the backyard. We missed our people but things were looking up.

Then we struggled when our precious little Humphry got very sick and we came very close to losing him. We were lucky that he was able to come home to us.

We got to celebrate Cannon’s last day of pre-school. It wasn’t the way we wanted him to get to end his first year of school but we were safe and healthy.

Things started to open up when June rolled around so we spent as much time as possible enjoying the mountains.

Cannon turned four and we were very excited to have a little party for him. We had Cory’s cousins over with their kids and I have never seen Cannon happier. He was in his element playing with his people.

Things continued to improve for us when playgrounds opened back up. I will definitely miss these days of always looking for playgrounds when these kids grow out of them!

As summer arrived things got even better for us, our neighborhood pool opened up with very small capacity. We had to make reservations and could only go once a week at the most, but we took what we could get!

We also started to see my parents again, we all missed each other so much and got to celebrate Father’s Day together.

We played in the backyard almost everyday and really learned to be thankful for what we had.

We also camped a lot! Cory and I have always loved camping and have been wanting to go more but Emmy didn’t like sleeping in a tent when she was little. We invested in a pop-up camper and that really solved the sleeping problem for her.

We continued to visit as many playgrounds as possible.

As August approached we found out that Cannon would be able to attend school half-time (two days a week). We sent him back to school very unsure about our decision to send him but he took it like a champ and didn’t mind wearing a mask at all. Emmy didn’t like at all that she didn’t get to play with the other kids at drop-off and pick-up.

We did virtual school on the days that Cannon wasn’t at school.

Cannon also got to play his first season of soccer. We decided that an outdoor activity would be safe enough.

We spent a day enjoying Vail in the early fall. This is one of my favorite places!

We were meant to take a big camping trip to California but the west was dealing with devastating wild fires. Our reservations at Lake Tahoe were cancelled so we changed directions and went up to the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone.

It was so incredibly beautiful in the Tetons, I really want to go back next year to camp and explore more! My parents and brother rented an RV and came with us. It was SO nice to just get out away from the house as well.

Yellowstone was breathtaking, it was so incredible to see. The kids loved it and dealt with all the time in the car like champs.

When we got home from Yellowstone we did all the fall things including a socially distant Halloween.

In November Cannon’s school was shut down due to rapidly increasing cases of Covid. We spent some of the month in quarantine because Cannon was exposed to someone that tested positive at school. It was stressful waiting for our Covid test results but they came back negative. We did school online, played, wore masks, cuddled and made the most of it. We also spent Thanksgiving just the four of us. We missed our family wanted to keep everyone safe.

December was much quieter then we are used to, there weren’t any Christmas parties or concerts to attend. We were lucky with the weather so we hiked and played a lot. We enjoyed a back yard Christmas celebration with my family.

My running was nothing to talk about this year, sporadic at best. I was hopeful to at least do something self supported but a knee injury in July that is still bothering me ruined any chance of that. No races and no real virtual events. Just lots of time on the treadmill and sometime running on my own near my house.

2020 was nothing that we expected, lots to be disappointed about but also lots to be thankful for. If anything this year has brought us closer as a family, helped teach us to lean on just each-other and count our blessings often. We are lucky to still have our jobs and our health.

We miss life the way it was but are looking forward to 2021 with anticipation and hope.

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We are having so much fun learning to ski as a fam We are having so much fun learning to ski as a family! Ski traffic I could do without 🫠
✨2022✨ I can honestly say this was the best ✨2022✨ 

I can honestly say this was the best year of my life. So many adventures. I am loving the ages of these kiddos and cherish our time together. 

Very unsure if we can top this in 2023 but we are sure going to try!
We hope you had a merry little Christmas 🎄 We hope you had a merry little Christmas 🎄
Winter hiking is just so magical. Definitely not h Winter hiking is just so magical. Definitely not hating winter this year! ❄️
We kicked off the holiday season by visiting the N We kicked off the holiday season by visiting the North Pole and seeing Santa! 

The kids had so much fun and it was way cuter than I was expecting. They said it was better than Disneyland 😂 @northpolecolorado
Happy Halloween!!! Cannon really wanted to be To Happy Halloween!!! 

Cannon really wanted to be Toad from Super Mario this year so we tagged along. 

Scroll to see 2021-> 2020 -> 2019 -> 2018 -> 2017 -> 2016 🎃
We finished up our tour of France with a couple da We finished up our tour of France with a couple days in Disneyland Paris. I love Disney Parks and visiting Disneyland Paris was a dream come true. We had such an amazing time on our entire trip. 

We are trying to plan our next trip. Where is the best place you have ever been? Do you have a favorite trip? I would love to hear about it. My parents say that Ireland was their favorite so UK tops the list currently but Italy or Costa Rica are on the list too.
In our last couple of days in Paris we took a bus In our last couple of days in Paris we took a bus tour to see the major sights. Our favorites included walking the entire Champs-Élysées and climbing to the top of the Arc de Triomphe. We missed out on seeing the Catacombs because we didn’t get tickets early enough. c’est la vie, I guess we will have to go back 😉
A cousin reminded me that I never finished sharing A cousin reminded me that I never finished sharing our trip to France 🫠 better late than never! 

We spent our first day back in Paris with a trip to Versailles. We loved the gardens so much and particularly enjoyed Marie Antoinette’s little farm. The history here is incredible and the opulence overwhelming. We walked over 10 miles on our visit!
Before our long drive back to Paris we did the thr Before our long drive back to Paris we did the three castle hike in Ribeauvillé, France. We climbed up the side of a hill to three castle ruins from the 14th century. It was really fun to explore and a great way to burn some energy before a long drive.
While we were in the Alsace region of France we vi While we were in the Alsace region of France we visited the sweet little village of Riquewihr. Rumor says this was the inspiration for Belle’s village in Disney’s Beaty and the Beast. Can you see it? We could and kept singing Bonjour while walking through town.
After leaving Switzerland we made our way to Colma After leaving Switzerland we made our way to Colmar. This sweet little town in the Alsace region of France near the German border. We loved all the half timber buildings and winding streets. We had some great local food and wine. Colmar was a lovely place to get lost for an afternoon.
It was so exciting to see the Matterhorn in person It was so exciting to see the Matterhorn in person. The peak was never fully clear of clouds while we were there which was a little disappointing but it was still majestic . We took a cog train and gondola up then hiked about five miles down on the five lakes trail. It was a beautiful day and we got to enjoy lunch mid hike. We loved the little (car free) town of Zermatt. We enjoyed some fun Swiss playgrounds in town before dinner. I love Switzerland and it’s mountains!
With the last of our time in Chamonix we took a go With the last of our time in Chamonix we took a gondola and cable car up Le Brévent. We enjoyed hot chocolates and crepes at the top with views of Mont Blanc. 

Next it was time to drive on to Switzerland 🇨🇭
We took a cute cogwheel train up the valley in Cha We took a cute cogwheel train up the valley in Chamonix to Montenvers to visit the Mer de Glace  glacier. At the top you can take a gondola a little way down then MANY stairs to the glacier. It was sad to see the markers of where the glacier was in years past and how much it has shrunk. We did love exploring an ice cave that they dig out each year. We had to try twice to get into the ice caves as the first time it closed right as we arrived due to a storm. It was worth taking the train twice.
After riding to the top of Aiguille du Midi we sto After riding to the top of Aiguille du Midi we stopped half way down for a couple mile hike and a stop at a mountain hut for lunch. This might have been my favorite lunch ever. The views were amazing and the weather was nice. The mountains here are STUNNING!!! #aiguilledumidi #chamonix
We decided to spend a few day in Chamonix to explo We decided to spend a few day in Chamonix to explore the French Alps. The experience we were most excited about was taking the gondola up the 
Aiguille du Midi (highest cable car in France). You switch cable cars half way up so you can enjoy the views. The top outpost is incredible perching on top of the mountain. I’ve never seen anything like it! 

The day wasn’t completely clear but the views were still incredible. #aiguilledumidi #chamonix
After a long drive across the French countryside w After a long drive across the French countryside we landed in Annecy at the foot of the Alps. 

Annecy was such a pretty little town on the bank of a gorgeous turquoise lake.  We got to enjoy lunch at a canal side cafe, wander the streets, enjoy ice cream and playground hop our way through town. 

Very excited about our next few days in mountains of France + Switzerland.
We drove into the heart of France to visit the Go We drove into the heart of France to visit the  Gouffre de Padirac. A large cave system including an underground river. I don’t have many good pictures given the lighting and lack of patience. We loved climbing down into the cave and riding a boat along the river. Probably my favorite cave that I have visited. Kids loved all of it too and are so good about us dragging them along with us across France.
After leaving Mont Saint-Michele we drove to Loire After leaving Mont Saint-Michele we drove to Loire to visit Château de Chenonceau. It was stunning and the gardens were fun to explore. The history here is so rich!
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