2020: The End of a Bittersweet Year

Hi friends,

I know it’s been awhile since I last wrote. As you can imagine, life’s been a little bit hectic as of late, but it’s difficult to fathom that this insane year is coming to a close. Here’s some updates from what I’ve been doing lately as well as my reflections on the past year and foresight into the new one.

I’m Employed!!!

One of the big reasons I’ve been more sporadic with my posts is that I’m working full-time once again! After six months of intensive job searching, I’m pleased to share that in October I became the newest Account Executive at SHIFT Communications, a public relations agency in San Francisco. While onboarding and working remotely has been challenging to say the least, I’m incredibly grateful for a fresh start and the opportunity to work with new colleagues and clients.

Corn Maze Shenanigans

Getting lost in a Corn Maze has become an annual October tradition and I wasn’t going to allow Coronavirus to disrupt that this year. I, along with my girlfriend and six other adventurous friends from my church life group, drove over an hour to one of the few corn mazes still open in our area - the Dell'Osso Family Farm in Lathrop. While they were more crowds than I would’ve liked, the experience was pretty spectacular. Not only did the farm boast a large corn maze, but it also had a haunted house, carnival games, a train, and a good old fashioned pull-up holding contest. Highly recommend the trip from the Bay Area if you’re looking for some fall fun in 2021.

I Was On a Game Show...Sort Of

Over this past year, I discovered one of my favorite game shows of all time - 25 Words or Less, hosted by Meredith Vieira. The premise of the game is to get your team of celebrities to guess words given to you by using as few clue words as possible. In late summer, I heard about a promotion the show was doing on social media where Superfans could be virtually paired with a contestant on the show and win some $$. I applied on a whim and about a month later, I got my literal five seconds of fame. Here’s the link to see for yourself:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFPXECR_2qk&list=PLU_oaRBZIL3-CXWessSyhHWfNd4VvxPD1&index=13

One Year Anniversary!!!

My girlfriend Vimbai and I celebrated our one year anniversary this past November and celebrated at Shadowbrook in Capitola, a unique restaurant on a hillside overlooking a lagoon, which I had previously discovered when one of my former companies had their holiday party there. Fortunately, we managed to go just before our area reimposed indoor dining restrictions. While the pandemic threw a curveball at our relationship, I’m super proud of how we managed and maintained it :)

Carmel-by-the-Sea

Speaking of my girlfriend, she decided for her birthday to take a weekend trip to Carmel, just south of Monterey. I had never been before and had no idea what to expect from this small and somewhat isolated town, but I was pleasantly surprised. Carmel brings a unique vibe to an otherwise commercialized America, as all the shops, restaurants and hotels were boutique and quaint. The town was small enough to walk from place to place, and is home to the Carmel Mission, where father Junipero Serra is buried. Going just before Christmas, the main street through town, Ocean Ave, was decked with lights.

After spend a day hiking at Point Lobos reserve and taking selfies at the Bixby Bridge, we ended our trip with a brief visit to the beach (it was freezing!!) and a drive along the 17-mile road. While I don’t know if Carmel is worth a second visit, I would recommend a stop for anyone traveling up Highway 1 or a weekend getaway for folks from the Bay Area. Maybe visit during a slightly warmer time of the year though ;)

The Holidays

As for many families this year, the holidays looked very different at my household. While I am fortunate enough to live in sunny California where the climate is conducive to outdoor gatherings, ferocious winds on Thanksgiving ended up snapping one of our pop-up tents that we set up in the backyard for our family Thanksgiving lunch.

We therefore decided to have a smaller indoor gathering for Christmas with just my grandparents, girlfriend, and one of my church friends. While our time together was fairly short, I was glad for the opportunity to have a semi-normal Christmas dinner.

BTW, we still had the best light display in our neighborhood this year :)

Ringing in 2021

Having battled six months of unemployment, cancelled trips, and not being able to see many of my friends and family this year, it comes as no surprise that my mental health suffered alongside many of my fellow Americans and citizens of the world. But amidst the pain and suffering, I have so much to be grateful for. My six months not working allowed me the opportunity to connect with former colleagues, explore some new hiking spots, start this blog, learn some new sports and take some online classes. I’m so fortunate that despite my unemployment, I was not financially strapped and I continue to lift up those who are. I’m thankful for a supportive family, girlfriend and church community who keep my spirits lifted in moments when it was otherwise tough to do so.

While lots of uncertainty lies ahead for the new year, I know that God always looks out for our best interests. And while I’m confident that we will get to make up for cancelled trips and activities this year, I’m at peace knowing that whatever happens God’s hand is over all of it.

Here’s to a (hopefully) better year. Wishing you and your loved ones all the best in 2021!