Hello blog friends, and thanks for stopping by! I thought it would be fun to post my 2020 favorites as my first post here. I think we can all agree that 2020 wasn’t the greatest year, but it will for sure be a year we will never forget. 2020 brought on a lot of change for me; my first year post grad, working a full time job and then working from home after a month in the office, making my health a priority for the first time, quality time spent at home with loved ones.....really the list could go on. I’m choosing to remember the good that 2020 brought and leave the anxiety and uncertainty in the past and moving forward with hope and caution as we continue our journey through the pandemic.
I would love to share a small recap of my 2020 here for memory sake, which I am planning on doing soon! But for now and to keep it lighthearted to start- I’m just gonna share the stuff that I liked from the past year. And trust me, if it made it on this list, it’s good. I don’t know about you, but being cooped up for the first part of quarantine and having nothing to do brought on a LOT of unnecessary amazon prime purchases. If only I could get my money wasted on tie dye kits and 1 lb dumbbells back......
Oh well, it’s all a learning experience right?
Anyway, onto the good stuff!
Harry Potter
I have always been a fan of Harry Potter since I can remember. I grew up watching the movies, and did my first read-through of the series when I was 12. However, this year Vera Bradley released their Harry Potter collection back in the summer and for some reason that made my brain snap right back into my 12 year old obsession with all things wizarding world. Why?? Truthfully, I have no idea what about this collection made me spiral right back down Diagon alley to fight Voldemort off with the crew, but it did. Considering I also haven’t been interested in Vera Bradley items since I was 12 either this was a strange connection....maybe it was my brain’s version of a mid life crisis (kidding) or a new way to bring some fun into the odd year 2020 was.
Well, a Vera Bradley Harry Potter tote bag and matching cosmetic case later (🤦🏼♀️) I was happily turning Through the pages in the magical books and didn’t look back. I spent the last half of the year re-reading the books, watching the movies and listening to my new fav podcast, Potterless, and I have to say- it was so much fun.
Once I finished the series, I went against my better judgement and read the Cursed Child for the first time but that’s a rant for another post. For now, let’s just pretend it doesn’t exist, ok? Cool.
Now that I’ve watched all the movies and read the books I’m currently reading J.K.’s newest release, The Ickabog, and following it up with the Fantastic Beasts screenplays. I will report back in due time, but honestly anything is better than reading the Cursed Child ever again.
At Home Spin Bike
Back in January of 2020, I was determined to make this year all about fitness. I joined planet fitness to do the elliptical machine for 20 min and lift up a kettle bell off in the corner where nobody could see me awkwardly doing an incorrect workout in my 2016 Shawn Mendes concert tee every other day. Back then I was unemployed and eventually had to cancel my monthly membership before the $10 came out of my account (I thought I would have had a job by the next month....I was wrong! And broke!)
Anyway, I had a good two week run as people normally do in the first few weeks of the year at a new gym. But then, by the end of February I DID get a job and I could afford the $10 a month! Unfortunately, the word stopped barely a month later and you know what happened. Gyms closed, everything closed, and I’ve been working from home ever since.
I started my at home workouts by dancing around annoyingly in my parents kitchen while my mom made dinner. Looking back, I probably looked like a flabby worm that couldn’t get off the floor. My parents probably still make fun of me behind my back about those days.
As the weather warmed up to around 45 degrees in MI, I moved onto jump roping outdoors and discovered the beauty of preworkout. But because it snows basically until June here in Michigan, my outdoor jump rope sessions to old school Justin Bieber music were pretty inconsistent. I did try taking it inside, but I don’t think my dog appreciated her food bowl being knocked over in the name of cardio.
Now, this is where the bike comes in: I convinced my dad to go in with me to pay for the cheapest workout bike I could find since I wasn’t going to drop coin on a real Peloton and 3 weeks later the sunny bike arrived on our doorstep.
I have to say, I have never liked a workout more than riding the bike. I started off using Peloton’s app since there was a long free trial time but did get bored of the workouts offered. I now use the Playbook app and take Gabriella Guevara’s classes about 5 days a week and love it! She also offers free classes on her YouTube channel that are great to start.
I’ll be honest, I have not done a great job being super consistent with working out. I took basically the whole summer off so I could drink beer and eat whatever I wanted, but hey, it’s all about balance right? All I’m sayin’ is, I found a great workout that I loved in 2020 and I’m looking forward to continuing in 2021!
Alani Nu
Along with working out, this year I also discovered preworkout! Admittedly, I’ve only ever taken preworkout from Alani Nu, but like every other basic bitch in America- I love it. It has fun flavors and really helps my endurance during a hard workout and I truthfully do not want to work out without a preworkout ever again. I also really love their BCAA, energy drinks and protein bars! Not a huge fan of their protein powders, but if you like drinking straight up chalk and grass give it a try.
Rebecca Minkoff Mini Avery Tote
This was a more recent purchase, I think I got it back in October or November? But I loved it enough for it to make it onto my Oprah’s favorite things knockoff post so its pretty good!
This came into my life because I had a particularly rough day at work which of course I thought I could cure with some retail therapy. I pulled up a Louis Vuitton bag for $1,400 that I was just minutes away from purchasing and ruining my life (and credit). Thankfully, my boyfriend talked some sense into me and I did not end up with the Louis that day. However, this made me want to find a similar bag but minus the mortgage payment. After some searching I found this tiny bag on amazon and love it! Warning, it IS small (hence the name, MICRO tote) but honestly it’s perfect for holding what you need. 2020; what else did you need for your daily boredom trips to Target other than your wallet, mask and hand sanitizer anyway?
Apple Watch
This was a gift that I didn’t want up until this summer. I was always against apple watches because I really just didn’t want another excuse to be connected to my phone 24/7. But then I started participating in step challenges at work and suddenly I wanted an Apple Watch more than anything.
I did start off using it to count my steps, but I truly love it for so much more. I like to track my fitness with it, although I never really look at the data recorded on it I just like when I get notified that I closed my rings each day haha. I also like it to track my period, and it will notify me when my next cycle is about to start which comes in handy because I normally get the notification when I’m in the middle of losing my shit over something stupid like why my boyfriend doesn’t love bowling with a passion, or who got butter on the butter dish. Basically it gives me an excuse for being crazy and gives me a warning as to why I’m losing my mind each month- truly a life saver!
I also just like it for the ease of reading messages, checking the weather, and pausing/ playing my Harry Potter podcast (mentioned above). Probably what most people use it for.
Local Travel
There weren’t too many trips in 2020, but we did manage to make some trips to local areas and do some fun and socially distanced activities!
May my boyfriend and I took a trip to see the tulips in Holland, MI. This was great because it was outdoors and not many people around.
In July we took our annual family vacation to Traverse City, MI. Normally this week has a lot of hustle and bustle with going to different bars and tourist destinations, but this year we spent pretty much every day on the beach (we even had a private beach!) and I have to say it was one of my favorite trips ever.
In September my boyfriend, dad and I went up to Mackinaw and Michigan’s upper peninsula. We hiked around Mackinac island, hiked along pictured rocks, tried the horrible invention of pasties, and even got to experience a joe-exotic like bear farm. It was so much fun!
Sweatpants........duh
Not much of an explanation here. I have been working from home since March. All my jeans have been replaced with sweatpants from Target. I’m actually dreading going back to the office because that means I will need to wear my jeans again.
Body Love/ Fab Four Smoothies
I read this book at the beginning of 2020 and it is really a great book. One of my main focuses this year was to learn how to live a healthier lifestyle with proper nutrition and exercise. I’ve never followed a diet (especially not a fad diet) and never will, but this book taught me so much about nutrition and how to properly eat food that is good for you which is exactly what I needed. I have gone on and off with smoothies, but it’s a goal of mine to stay consistent with starting off my day with a Fab Four smoothie in 2021. So far, so good! I do make small modifications to the recipes in the book, and the rest of my eating throughout the day is far from perfect- but honestly life is all about balance and as long as I’m trying that’s all that matters to me! Now I gotta end this post so I can make myself some pizza rolls for lunch.
I hope you enjoyed this first post! I have a lot of fun ideas coming up hopefully soon. If you wanna continue to stay in touch, make sure to follow my Instagram and Pinterest!
Hope you have a great and healthy 2021 ahead!
Angela
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