My Highlights of 2021

  Hey Everyone!

A new year is once again upon us!  I don't know about you, but I feel like 2021 just zoomed by!  Maybe it's because my 15 month old has just grown like a weed, and I just want to 😭 every time I go through photos on my phone and see the changes happening everyday.  

2022 is upon us!  Well, almost.  Which means a new year of possibilities, goals, family moments, and so many positive things hopefully.  

I honestly can't complain about 2021, not when my family and I have experienced so much worse in the past.  I know this is a weird time we are living in, but I am just so grateful to be here, with my husband and our son, and our grumpy dog.  

Some highlights of 2021 were: (these may not be in order)

1.  We went to the reopening of Disneyland.  After 412 days of closure due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Disneyland was able to reopen and my family and I got to go.  It was such an incredible experience, being there, and experiencing such a historic event.

 
2. I got to renovate and decorate my office.  I went all out, painted the whole space myself, bought curtains, decorations, and even a couch!  It was so much fun, and such awesome to have my own space once again for all of my beautiful books, and collectibles.  

  



3. I got to celebrate my first ever Mother's Day.  My husband made me feel so unbelievably special, as he always does.  <3



3. We went to Monterey on a family trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium.  


4. I became a Bookstagrammer!  The Romance Bookie is now on Instagram! So I've had a lot of fun taking photos of my books (and Funko Pops!) this year!


5. I started a new hobby.  I joined the Planner Life!  I am obsessed with planners, and it is all thanks to finding Little Inkling Designs Novel Companion this year! This obsession has grown ten folds, and expanded to an entire room!  But I am loving it and it has gotten me back into reading!


6. My family and I decided to put my family home up for sale, and my husband and I moved to a new town, which we absolutely love! The picture below is of my family's property.  Moving also allowed me to once again have a new space, not as big as my original space, but I'm really loving my cozy new place!


7.  For my husband's first Father's Day, I made him something that is on my to-cook bucket list...a Beef Wellington.  


8. I became a US Citizen!  After 23-years in America, I finally get to call myself, officially, an American!  


9. I started a very serious health journey this year, for myself and for my family, and have lost just over 90 lbs so far. The picture on the left is me in July during my Citizenship ceremony, and the one of the left was a couple of weeks ago.

 

10. We celebrated our son's first birthday at Disneyland once again!  We didn't even think about going back, but couldn't resist, when Disneyland had a sale on their tickets.  It was such a fun trip, and we got to do Oogie Boogie Nights, dressed as Jungle Cruise Skippers!

Alex had just started walking, so he got to walk around Disneyland, and had a blast!


My family and I had our ups and downs in 2021, but overall it was a good year.  Some big changes came our way, and we are trying to embrace them towards a new beginning, so to say.

I hope everyone had a good 2021, and that 2022 brings you lots of happiness and fulfillment.  <3

Happy New Year!

The Romance Bookie :)

Comments

  1. Liz ParkerJanuary 1, 2022 at 2:23 AM

    Sounds like a fantastic year! Cheers 🥂 to another year of friendship. :)

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Marriage Vacation by Pauline Turner Brooks (aka Jo Piazza)

Image
Hey Everyone! I finished another book!  I bought this one along with Shrill , when I found an Amazon Books store in NYC last week! I cannot believe I already finished both in less than a week, when I hadn't finished a single book since last July! From Goodreads : In season four of Darren Star's hit TV Land series Younger , the editors of Empirical Press are shocked and deeply moved when they read Marriage Vacation , an autobiographical novel by the publisher's estranged wife, Pauline Turner Brooks.  Knowing the book will cause a sensation, they decide they must publish it.  Now you can read what the hype is about. To find herself...she might lose everything. By all appearances, Kate Carmichael had the perfect life: two adorable daughters, a pre-war town house on the Upper East Side, and a husband who ran one of the most successful publishing companies in New York.  But when Kate attends the wedding of two of her oldest friends, and reconnect...
Read more

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

Image
I saw the movie Hugo (directed by Martin Scorsese) right before the New Year.  Let me back track, and let you know that usually I am NOT a fan of Oscar movies.  If I'm being honest, I find them to be boring.  However, this year has seemed to bring quite a few more exceptions than normal.  Among those are: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 , The Help , and Hugo.   I fell in love with Hugo .  I thought it so beautifully done.  The music, the characters, the story.  I found myself crying even at points that wouldn't necessarily make you cry.  I honestly, didn't know the movie was based on a book; but when I found out at the end, I knew I had to read it. The winner of the Children's Caldecott Award, The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick is nothing like anything I've ever read.  Normally, when I read I imagine the story that I am reading  unfolding in my head like a movie; but with The Invention of Hugo ...
Read more

The Hunger Games Should be BANNED!!

Image
Okay, let me begin by saying, you may find my title misleading...but guess what? It got you to read this post! :) PLEASE CONTINUE READING!! I really think something needs to be known!  The Hunger Games should NOT be allowed in elementary schools!!  In fact, I don't even think it should be allowed in middle school either! This is the whole point to this post! I read the series last year, and enjoyed them.  I thought the story was definitely very original.  I am going to be making a few lists in this post, and here is my first... Pros about The Hunger Games : -original story -great characters -details were great...sometimes a bit too much actually -metaphorically speaking, the message I got out of this book is people are selfish and that they would do anything to survive, and while this isn't a great message, I think it is true about people (at least quite a bit around the world...NOT all!! but quite a few) Cons about The Hunger Games : -I think my #1 c...
Read more