2020...Wow.
2020- What. A. Year. It has been a rollercoaster filled with more uncertainty, anxiety, and tension than any year I have experienced. Yet, God in his goodness, once again, revealed more of himself and blessed me with gifts grander that I ever could have dreamed up on my own.
Like I said last year, "one of my favorite ways to praise God is to reflect on His faithfulness, so I'm composing a flyover recap of [2020]...mostly for my own sake, and yours too if you're bored." So here we go.
January: The year started off with a bang, and by bang I mean agreeing to date the man of my dreams at 2:00 in the morning just hours before my plane left for Nepal. In an eleven-day whirlwind (that you've probably read about twice by now), we decided we might be compatible and figured it was safer to secure the package before spending a month on opposite sides of the world. Then, I took off on a 16-hour flight to Nepal to learn about the gut-wrenching injustice of human trafficking juxtaposed with the God-given hope that comes from anti-trafficking organizations like Love Justice International. I got to play soccer with Nepali children, teach a class on DNA, hike the Himalayas, and ride bikes through cattle-filled gravel roads with friends like Lauren Murphy and RaeAnne Hankla.
February: The end of J-term brought sweet reunions to my long-distance honey, my family, and my best friends on Third West Olson. I moved back to Taylor where I took classes on creative writing, middle school methods, and drawing. I made regular Sunday trips to Indianapolis to attend church with my boyfriend, followed by fun lunches and sunny trail walks in the unusually warm winter weather. My friends and I regularly had movie nights, made Waffle House runs, and ate more Mexican food than our budgets or stomachs would ever deem acceptable. On a Wednesday walk back from class, I told Maggie Theaker I might want to be a middle school teacher. She screamed and said the same.
March: Rumors of spreading COVID-19 threatened the inner peace of our entire world, and for as long as I tried to convince myself it wouldn't happen to us, Taylor students eventually received the email that it was time to pack our bags. We figured it would be nothing more than an extended spring break. My senior roommate, Alex Francis, and I skipped youth group (where we were leaders) to go swimsuit shopping because, COVID or not, we were ready for the beach. The allowable group size gradually shrunk, schools were shut down, and we were instructed to pack our bags for good. I settled into home for what I thought would be a temporary amount of time, growing comfortable with Dutch Blitz battles and cooking dinner as a family. Surely the virus would go away soon.
April: The vicious email came that we would not be returning to Taylor. COVID was only growing and hospitals were reaching full capacity, shutting down churches, restaurants, schools, and the entire country for an indefinite amount of time. The comfort of home was not without a bit of nervous tension, wondering how dangerous this virus was really going to be. College tried to resume with normalcy but every Zoom call class was filled with, "we just don't know what to do." Warm weather populated the trails in masses never seen before, Bible studies met via FaceTime, and everyone became experts at going on walks and eating dinner together as a family. The days were filled with learning yoga, finishing assignments, playing more Dutch Blitz, and calling my quarantined boyfriend every night until we couldn't stay awake anymore.
May: My memories of May are marked by road trips down I-74 to the house of Joe House, where we would go on bike rides, order takeout, swing dance in the living room, and walk like crazy. A Cinco-de-Mayo celebratory mishap landed us in urgent care with 6 stitches around my middle finger and a newfound appreciation for my enneagram 2 lover who can't bear to not go above and beyond in caring for me. We kayaked, had bonfires, celebrated socially-distant birthdays in Grammy's garage, and once again wove throughout the trails on bikes or blades. Lilly and I often adventured in bike rides to ice cream shops or stayed home, sipping limeritas and watching DisneyPlus.
June: Summer began and I kicked off round two of my internship at Rock Point surrounded by some of the most thoughtful and entertaining people I know. We reopened church, made vlogs, remembered the vitality of corporate worship, and enjoyed coming together with so many Christians our age. Lilly and I began workout Wednesdays and Joe and I got to serve together by opening doors at Rock Point. The COVID numbers lessened enough to slowly reopen restaurants and we thought maybe the world would return to normal after all. My family took a trip to Florida filled with runs on the beach, bodyboarding, breakfasts and books.
July: Joe and I watched fireworks from the balmy water of Heritage Lake with our friends Hoppy and Nicolette, rollerbladed through the bustling streets of Chicago, attended weddings via drive-by parades and Facebook Live, and spent regular time diving into God's word. Abby, Lilly and I did yoga on Thursdays and then sat under the stars, blissfully reminiscing on the "good ol' days." I got word that my student teaching placement would be fully virtual which temporarily rocked my world until Maggie Theaker called and promised we'd make the best of it. I moved into a basement apartment in Fishers, Indiana with Maggie and Audrey and got ready to take on student teaching.
August: The days were filled with more Zoom calls than I even want to recollect. I was trained under the hilarious instruction of Carla Sanford and Hillary Freeman, assigning culture projects and talking about grammar with some of the coolest freshmen and sophomores of all time. I ate lunch outside with Maggie Theaker where we laughed to the point of tears about the chaos of student teaching. We regularly went to bed at 8pm and enjoyed weekends visiting restaurants in Fishers.
September: September was much like August, filled with grading, going to bed early, begging students to turn their cameras on, and praying for the perseverance to make it through another Zoom call. My family came to visit for different dinners, Joe and I got involved with an MC through Soma Church, and we looked forward to spending entire Saturdays together going on adventures and staying off of Zoom. September was also the month of a grueling 27-mile walk on the Monon, where our friends and our God blew us away by donating to our walkathon and helping us raise money to buy coats for kids in Indianapolis.
October: This spooky season was home to a much-needed fall break, lots of pumpkin carving and days of doing nothing. We explored many pumpkin patches and apple orchards, attended church services at the State Fairgrounds, and went on hiking trips around Indiana. I moved from North Central to Speedway Jr. High for a fully in person student teaching experience, which proved to be a tremendous (yet exhausting) blessing from the Lord.
November: I grew to love middle schoolers, accepted a long-term sub position with my favorite eighth graders, turned 22, and gritted through the final days of student teaching. We visited our friends at Taylor, watched Reyna dominate in soccer, belly laughed with Maggie Anderson, and resorted back to "The Wedge," our temporary basement dwelling, for some final days together. Thanksgiving break was unlike any other - a canceled pie run, Kahoot-filled family reunions over Zoom, and gathering in the church to honor social distancing guidelines. COVID numbers re-spiked in a way that discouraged and divided, but the Lord remained faithful through it all.
December: My favorite month of the year started off with a rowdy week in a Speedway hotel to conclude the last three days of student teaching. The following weekend had me on a dinner date with Joe House that ended with him on one knee and a ring around my finger - the sweetest and most unexpected gift from the Lord. I virtually subbed from home while wedding planning, giddily praising Jesus for the opportunity to marry the man of my dreams. Christmas approached quickly and with great anticipation, even among the hustle of trying to lock down venues and decide on bouquets. A John Piper Advent devotional along with the permanently indwelling Holy Spirit ensured that we do not allow the eagerness of marriage to dismiss the celebratory birth of a Savior-baby born to give us life.
In a year that felt, overall, like a nightmare, these memories remind me of the good that shines through even the darkest of times. It was a year of loving, of counting what is important, of changing old habits and reshaping stale mindsets, and most importantly, of developing daily dependence on the Lord. Hallelujah and Amen!