2020: A Year in Review

For me, like for many of us, 2020 looked nothing like I expected. When we rang in the year from Taiwan, I expected to face new challenges, to grow Lemon and the Sea, and to learn how to work and raise a toddler at the same time, but I never expected to do it all while being stuck at home for months at a time.

Looking back, 2020 was actually a blessing for us. Because Jay is a teacher and his school decided in April to only to virtual classes part-time to finish out the 2019-2020 school year, he got to spend more time with Daniel than we ever expected. And while the stress of not knowing what was next made things hard, getting to see our son grow from a baby on the verge of walking to a full-on toddler running and climbing has been so much fun!

January

We started the year in Taiwan visiting Jay’s grandmother, aunts, uncles, and cousins. It was my second trip and Daniel’s first. Flying with an 8 month old and learning to co-sleep with about an hour’s notice was stressful, but we’re incredibly grateful that we were able to make this trip.

Jay’s grandmother passed away just before Christmas this year and we’ll forever cherish the photos we have of her with Daniel.

January also saw the launch of the Network Support Services website that I helped to customize. This was my first Squarespace 7.1 website and I learned a lot from getting into the updated platform.

February

In February, Daniel took his first steps and then went from a few wobbly steps at a time to walking across the room in just a few days. We were surprised by this - he’s hit most of his milestones early (except sleeping), but we loved being together to see it.

This was also one of the last times Daniel and I attended Toddler Story Time at the library and the last normal trip we took to visit my family in Pennsylvania.

I also launched the Curiosity Tank website. This website design process was different than most because I was actually the developer on the project. The design was done by another person and then I translated it into a Squarespace website. It’s one of the most CSS-heavy websites I’ve done to date.

March

In March, I started blogging again after almost 3 years. Because of travel early in the year and then the complications of trying to record a podcast with a house full of people, Process to Profitability was on hold, but I still wanted to share content with my audience.

Jay’s last day of in-person school was on Friday, March 13th. That lead to 2 weeks of no school for students while we waited to see if we would be returning to normal or staying at home like many other states were doing.

Daniel made friends with an orange he named Todd and helped us buy toilet paper before it was wiped off the shelves.

April

Virginia’s “safer-at-home” order began on April 1st, which meant Daniel’s first birthday party was held over Zoom. We also pulled out the swimming pool we had purchased two years ago and let Daniel try out the water for himself (including getting in fully dressed with shoes and all).

Despite delays because of COVID lockdowns in India, we launched the Asha Project website and they were able to start selling products through the site to continue to support the women who are part of their organization. This was the first time I’d worked with Shopify for a website.

May

In May, I began the brand design process for Lemon and the Sea by interviewing potential designers.

Jay worked with a few friends to rebuild our deck and create a better place for Daniel to play outside.

Daniel got his first taste of ice cream (and absolutely loved it)! We also took a weekend trip to PA to enjoy some time outside and see Daniel’s grandparents before the summer.

June

In June, Daniel and I took a trip to the zoo at lease once a week just to get out of the house. He also got a chance to visit with some friends at our church’s outdoor pavilion and see kids his own age.

I helped to make some small updates to the CAVdesign website to get it ready for some collaborations and to update the portfolio with recent projects.

July

In July, we took a trip to Virginia Beach to let Daniel for the 4th. The beach we stayed at was quiet and not too crowded - perfect for a toddler and for social distancing.

I also launched the Professional Success Coaching website and joined the Square Design Mastermind with the intention of designing the updated Lemon and the Sea website.

August

August is generally a slow month for website design, so I used the time to continue designing my own new website.

We also hired a nanny for Daniel so we would have childcare when school started back in September and Daniel took his first trip to the store in 5 months. We also took another quick trip to Pennsylvania before my mom was back at work and Daniel enjoyed ice cream and sitting in buckets of water (he was eventually upgraded to a homemade slip and slide).

September

September was a big month for us. Jay started back at school (virtually), my in-laws moved into their new house 10 minutes down the road from us, and I took Daniel to visit his great grandparents in North Carolina.

Daniel also got his first stitches after he cut his finger while playing in the kitchen (we never figured out what happened). He was a champ about getting stitches and was very careful with his finger until everything was healed.

I also launched Lemon and the Sea’s updated brand and website after months of working on it!

October

In October, we were able to enjoy having my in-laws live near us. They watcehd Daniel twice a week and it was a highlight for everyone. We went apple picking at a small orchard to avoid the crowds at our normal location, and took our first trip to the library since March.

We also got to watch as our yard flooded due to a crazy amount of rain while Daniel enjoyed getting soaked.

I also began work on Lemon and the Sea’s first Squarespace template. It’s still in the works, but I’m excited to see everything coming together!

November

Daniel got to enjoy his first leaf pile on a visit to Pennsylvania (it was too wet here to jump in the leaves). We took a trip to the pumpkin patch where Daniel enjoyed getting completely covered in mud and had a small Thanksgiving dinner with family. We also got some updated family photos from Burchett Photography!

December

We celebrated Daniel’s first real Christmas (since he actual first Christmas was in Taiwan) as a family and laughed at him refusing to accept clothes as a gift.

My gift was a new sling from hope&plum, which I had been asking for since the summer. It’s the perfect color and a stronger material now that Daniel is getting bigger.

We also mourned the loss of Jay’s grandmother right before Christmas, but were happy that his parents had been able to visit despite the COVID restrictions.

I had the privilege of helping Candice Prentice begin her business’s transition to Delivered & Restored, which will continue in 2021.

And that’s a wrap on 2020! I’m excited to see what 2021 brings, both as in business and in life!