Wednesday, December 29, 2021

Reflections of 2021 ~ Yearly Recap

Happy 2022 everyone! Wow, 2021 was a year to remember - can you believe we made it through a whole year of a pandemic?! It's been a long year to say the least with a lot of back and forth on restrictions and waves of covid - it's a lot! So, I hope you know that however you made it through this year, you are doing great! I've been up and down with how I've been dealing because I'm really hoping the end is in sight, but it's been a long time in this pandemic. 


I'm a super nostalgic person and I love looking back a moments in time and remembering how it was and picturing myself back there (this is why I'm a big scrapbooker too!), and despite dealing with a pandemic, there was some really amazing moments from this year! 

Damian Turned 16


Oh poor Damian had his birthday right at the height of some pandemic restrictions, so he wasn't able to do anything for his birthday - I made him a warhammer cake and macarons for him to at least try and make his day as special as possible! 

We Made Do With Outdoor Activities 


We had been coming up to a year of pandemic restrictions and I used to get together with a group of friends monthly for brunch - as it warmed up and we were able, we've switched to outdoor or one-on-one meetings when possible! We did skating and zoo dates! (Of course, as the year has continued in the pandemic we tried to continue this where possible, but have not gotten back to brunches quite yet!)

We Tried To Catch A Leprechaun 


We have been trying to have a go at some crafts to keep us entertained during the pandemic and so for St. Patrick's Day we had so fun and put together a little pot of gold at the end of the rainbow with a trap to try and catch him - no luck this year, but maybe next?! 

Damian Got His Learner's License


Yay! In March, Damian passed his Learner's Test - it's taken him 3 times to pass the test, so I'm proud he finally did it! He's a little nervous to start driving so we will start by taking it slow and put him in Driver's Ed classes! 

Elliott Turned 4 


Little Elliott turned 4 years old in April - we also had lots of restrictions in place in April, so we had small gatherings with our immediate family all at different times for the day! I made a death star cake and storm trooper macarons and had a lot of fun prepping for it! 

We Fell In Love With Baby Kangaroos 


We have been to Cobbs Adventure Farm before and it's so great, but this time they had so many baby kangaroos and wallabies and it was amazing! The boys absolutely loved it - they were so soft and you could feed them all! Adorable! 

I Tried New Things 


I always like to try new fun things (especially when it comes to baking), so I picked up Focaccia art and I love it! It was so fun and turned out so pretty - I've done it a few more times! I also gave Rollerblading a try and I discovered I'm a pretty good kite-flyer! (It's not the same as travelling to anything, but I'm making the best of it!)

I Got Double Vaccinated 


We got our first vaccinations in April and had our second ones at the end of June - I'm terrified of needles, so it was not easy, but I really want to do my part, protect myself and my loved ones and see the end of the pandemic! 

I Went To The Nordic Spa At The Kananaskis Lodge 


I finally made my way out to the Kananaskis Lodge and went to the Nordic Spa (I wrote a whole post about it here if you are interested) - it's a whole day of hot, warm, and cold pools and you rotate through the pools and relaxing time and it's amazing and so relaxing! Next time I want to stay out there and it's amazing there! 

I Had A Busy Family Filled Summer 


This was an incredibly busy Summer - we spent a lot of time at the cabin (where we found these lovely natural hot springs) and it was lovely. We also had time with family here and it in Penticton with our family. Sadly, during the Summer my grandmother also passed away and it was really hard - we luckily had family all around to support us and we were able to gather as a big group and be together. 

We Got A Little Up Close To A Bear


Yes, I took this picture of my kid before telling him to get away - the bear is cutely walking away and looking for berries and we saw it a few times this day and it was fine. But, darn if we weren't walking with our littles singing "we're going on a bear hunt" and whaddya know, we found one! It was actually so cool! 

We Enjoyed A Beautiful Fall 


Calgary had one of the most beautiful Falls ever - we rarely get a good Fall, typically it's like a week before it's super hot to super cold, so this year was amazing! We went to the Dinosaur museum, we went on plenty of beautiful of walks, went to a pumpkin patch, saw some waterfalls (these are Sheep River Falls) and I even saw larches for the first time - the only coniferous tree that turns yellow and loses it's needles! Gorgeous time! 

We Went Up The Calgary Tower 


For birthday this year we had a blast - we went to a sushi place that used a bullet train, we checked out the top of the Calgary Tower (Elliott's first time) and we also checked out the Bow Tower sculpture too! Such a great day and Elliott didn't even hesitate walking out on to that glass - the rest of us were much more slow getting out there! 

I Visited Vancouver To See My Sister 


My mom and I took a long weekend in November and went to visit my sister in Vancouver - we spent a couple of days walking around, shopping, eating and enjoying each other's company! It's been at least 10 years since I have been to Vancouver and I have to make it more often! We had such a great time! (We also planned our Italy trip again for next year, so here's to hoping it happens!)

We Had A Quiet Rest of The Year 


Honestly, it was such an up and down year - there were so many great moments, but there were also so many unknowns and weirdness with the pandemic. It was nice just to lay low for the rest of the year and recharge! 

I hope you all enjoyed 2021, and here's to hoping for a better 2022! 

4 comments :

  1. Your family is adorable and looks like you had a great year considering everything! Good luck to Damian driving. I still don't have my full license yet so I can appreciate his hesitation!

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    1. Thanks Mel! Crazy, but good year I'd say! I was slow at getting my license (I actually had Damian before I learned to drive), so I get it too!

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  2. Awww, congratulations to Damian on getting his Learner's! Now, you have a new person you can delegate tasks too LOL! I loved your focaccia art! It looked so delicious, but for some reason making bread really scares me and I don't think I can do it!

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    1. If any bread is going to be attempted - it should be Focaccia, it can be made with instant yeast too! I love it, but any other bread takes too much work, no sourdough over here!

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