Is it still 2020? Some days I feel like the two years have blended together and I can’t tell them apart. It is nice to reflect and try to pull 2021 out of 2020. While we didn’t get in the international travel we hoped for this year, we still did some special things and got out and explored. I would say this year heavily relied on reading. I decided to take up some new book challenges and engage with books in new ways and I’m really glad I did as it helped me get through the year. And it all began on January 1, 2021…
- Joined an online book club and participated in a digital book club
I joined the Modern Mrs Darcy book club online to try to broaden my reading experience this year. I wrote out my reading challenge for the year, including reading a Russian classic author, reading 6 books from countries I’ve never read a book set in, read a horror novel and read a book Dave recommended among other things. I read the most books I’ve ever read in a year (85!) and learned that I like plot driven novels better than character driven ones. I also met with a group of people from all over for a book club discussion around the book Jayber Crow and watched several authors talks for books I read for the monthly book club selection. I’m definitely keeping this up for next year and will set some new challenges including more new countries.
Top books from this year in no particular order:
- It’s What I Do – Lynsey Addario
- Maybe You Should Talk to Someone – Lori Gottlieb
- From the Ashes – Jesse Thistle
- Finding Freedom – Erin French
- Permission to Screw Up – Kristen Hadeed
- The Push – Ashley Audrain
- Born a Crime – Trevor Noah (do the audiobook!)
- The Midnight Library – Matt Haig
- A Carnival of Snackery – David Sedaris
- Greenlights – Matthew McConaughey
2. Took over a construction project
In January I added a new responsibility to my job, by taking over the responsibilities for a new ten story building Covenant House Vancouver is building to add 75 new beds for youth in the city. We are working to complete for this coming spring. I’ve never worked on anything so large, but it is right up my alley of planning and organizing and uses my skills so well. I rarely feel stressed about the work and have a great team of people to work with in making this project a reality. I’ve learned so much about construction and will continue to carry my learning into a renovation on another site that we are also currently planning to start next summer. Serving vulnerable youth in this way has been amazing, I really feel God has placed me exactly where He wants me.
3. Bought my first oven and it was a double oven
Our oven went in the spring. It was the one that came with our place and it meant that for the first time I got to go oven shopping. I like to cook and felt like this was a treat to pick out what I really wanted. Meaning it was time for a double oven. It has been awesome. Because the top oven is so small it heats up fast and keeps an even temp and is used most often for any sheet pan or casserole style meal. And I can finally cook two things that require different temperatures. Due to supply chain issues I got my third choice oven, but overall really happy with this one.
4. Took an Indigenous Canada course
I learned this summer that I have been an ignorant Canadian when it comes to our Indigenous population and history. And I have a Masters in Public History! I took this course soley focused on Canada’s Indigenous history and current reality and it was so eye opening. Growing up in the 80s/90s I learned very little about this history in school and that is really shameful. I didn’t know what a residential school or the Sixties Scoop was until the last few years. I grew up 5kms from a reserve and didn’t even know the name of the people who lived there (Delaware Nation by the way). I took the University of Alberta’s Indigenous Canada course last summer and knowing what I know now, I have so much empathy for First Nations, Inuit, and Metis people in Canada and what they have suffered over the past, and it helps inform me of where the trauma that the youth that are supported through my work are coming from. I highly encourage any Canadian who thinks that this doesn’t apply to them to rethink that thought and take this course or do any learning about the people that lived here first.
5. Spent a full week in the Okanagan
For a local getaway this summer we went to the Okanagan for a full week. We’ve never gone up for this long and we had a great time not being rushed and staying in different sections of the Okanagan Valley with friends. We did some nights in Vernon, Peachland, and Lake Country. The only disparaging part was the the horrible forest fires were literally all around us. Helicopters few over head constantly taking water from the lakes to the surrounding hills. You couldn’t look any where without seeing smoke. We even saw flames in the distance. For the first few days we mostly stayed indoors and the sky was full of smoke and ash, but it did slowly clear up mostly by the end of our week there and we got to have some fun outside.
6. Living in climate change
Folks, if you are still on the fence about climate change, come to BC. We had a Heat Dome in June (picture 40+ degrees and no air conditioning) where over 500 people died from the heat, July – Oct the worst forest fires on record where the whole province seemed to be fire. Then in November an extremely rare tornado by the Vancouver airport, followed the next week by the biggest natural disaster in Canadian history as the lower half of the province fought unimaginable flooding and damage to it’s road and infrastructure which closed Vancouver off from the rest of the country, cutting off supplies routes and gas lines, and trapping people in places and evacuating whole towns. And that all happened in less than 5 months. At this point Covid feels like a small nuisance and like the Big One’s just around the corner. It has been a hard year out here and I have cried from knowing people who have lost their homes, the fact that we have climate refugees in our Province and that this is just the start of what is to come in the next couple decades. I can’t imagine what our world will be like for my nieces and nephews and that is heartbreaking. It won’t be as comfortable as I had it growing up. Life has changed as we know it and we aren’t doing enough to bring this precious planet back to stability.
7. Camping on Mayne Island
I’ve never been to Mayne Island and haven’t been camping in over a decade, but was up to give it another go when invited by some good friends. We had a beautiful camp site on the ocean pass between two islands and had great coverage even though it rained. There may have been a brewery visit and a pizza order in there too.
8. Visited the American Midwest
There were lots of new things on this trip. We went to Chicago (Dave’s first time) and went to the Field Museum and Second City Comedy Club and did a lot of walking and bad food eating, then drove through Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, and Kansas where we stayed a couple more days to visit family living on the Fort Leavenworth base just outside of Kansas City. We’ve never been to “middle America” and you can bet we listened to Omaha by the Counting Crows as we drove into the city. And ate stupid sized portions including a massive pork chop at the Iowa Machine Shed restaurant. I’ve also never stayed or been on a military base, let alone an American one. It was an interesting experience being in such a large one (3 primary schools on this base!) and seeing all the memorials and going through the check point to get in each time. We got to eat Kansas City BBQ (delicious!) and went to Chick-fil-A and Shake Shack for the first time as well.
9. Experienced a jazz show
I have wanted to go to a jazz show for ages and it seemed like something you had to do when you were in Chicago. What better city to see jazz? I LOVED it! The Connie Han Trio was amazing. She is an incredible pianist and they had a surprise saxophone player come and join her and the bassist and drummer for a couple songs. I was in heaven with a smile on my face the whole show.
10. Competed in a stein holding contest at Oktoberfest
Kind of a funny one to end on. There was a low-key dinner only Octoberest at the German club in town and Dave and I both participated for our table in the stein holding contest. I flaked out halfway through (I’ll blame it on my rigorous workout in the morning), but Dave won (I credit it to the rigorous workout he did with me in the morning).
Extras
Niagara wine touring, blind whisky tasking, getting a Sweet Reads box subscription for three months where you get a surprise book with some fun themed items mailed to you each month.
2022!
Here is to what I hope is a year that might include an international trip in the summer, a brand new completed 10 story shelter for youth in need in Vancouver, and plans to cook through an entire cookbook. Don’t let me down 2022, I’ve got high hopes for you!
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