2021 Holiday Card- Groundhog's Day Edition
Groundhog’s Day Card. Because Christmas Cards are overrated.
It was a wild ride but a good year. I lived out of a suitcase for 184 days this past year. This means 50.4% of my year was on the move. And even when I did finally find a place in Santa Cruz, I was out and about so much my neighbor just assumed whenever I went on a trip that I had left for good, which would be on brand for me. If I was gone for more than 3 days, he would bring my mail to UPS, write on it “No longer lives here,” and ask that it be returned to sender. I reminded him many times that I will be here until the end of January. But maybe he knew how many times I thought about extending my trips indefinitely. But I always eventually returned, and I guess my mail did too.
Three days after graduation I joined the full time work force. I worked for a wine supplier based in Seattle. Two months in while on the new hire trip at the company’s ranch in the vineyards of Washington, I got a new job opportunity, I could not turn down. I found out right after our fourth wine tasting, which made me extra vulnerable and emotional about the decision I had made. The desired result of the new hire trip is to be super stoked that you get to be a part of this company and community of people. And that goal was successfully accomplished. Which it sucks to feel that way, and know in 24 hours you will be putting in your two weeks’ notice. Don’t get me wrong I was so excited about this new role, but at that moment I was glamping in a vineyard and thinking about how I was going to miss these perks and people in the alcohol industry. During a very competitive game of flip cup on the last night of the trip, against all odds my team made an unforeseen win after a rough start. My teammate/coworker said a phrase after the victory. This simple sentence turned out to be my mindset and anthem for 2021… “It be what it do.”
January:
Filled my medical insurance deductible in the first month of the year… thanks to the great trifecta that took down my immune system… mono, covid, and pneumonia. And during my first time outside on a walk when my lungs felt capable, a bird pooped on my head. It be what it do.
February:
During a snow storm/power outage, my housemates and I risked our lives to walk to Dominos to pick up a pizza because we had already depleted our entire emergency stockpile of non-perishable foods. Turns out Dominos, is not as resilient as their crust because the same conditions that was affecting our home a few blocks over, also impacted their operations. Who would have thought? It be what it do.
March:
I went on a ski trip to Mount Hood. I got brand new white gloves. Dropped them on the chair lift. You know what color is hard to find in snow… White. It be what it do.
April:
My friend, Anna, was thrilled to be done with nursing school! And rightfully so, if you witnessed what the University of Portland Nursing School put them through during their time on the bluff, then you will partially understand. If you were a nursing student at UP, like Anna, then you fully understand. During our graduation photos, she could not wait to pop the champagne. This resulted in an accidental cork release that almost gave me a black eye. It be what it do.
May:
Found out our Airbnb in Phoenix had a steam “room.” Three of us went to try it out. Turns out, it was just a shower with a steam function. We came to this realization, moments after all squishing in there and turned it on. The true tragedy though, was that the door got stuck. Jenni, Molly, and I were trapped as an insane amount of steam was released into the tiny enclosed “room.” It be what it do.
June:
I cried laughing at Kevin’s expense. This is not my unfortunate story to tell. So let’s hope a picture can speak a thousand words. It be what it do.
July:
Played a company pickle ball tournament. Britney and I were the underdogs and became nicknamed the Wonder Twins. We miraculously won our first-round game against the Florida sales reps. Shortly after the loss, the Florida duo parted ways. Rumor has it we were the reason for the split. The #wondertwins then got destroyed in the next round of the tourney but boy did it still feel like we won the championship. But we give our condolences to team Florida as they go their separate ways, because that was not how we wanted it to go down. It be what it do.
August:
Moved to California and unknowingly took the route that went directly through multiple fires and the AC broke halfway there. This was probably karma from some unethical but dire decisions that were made earlier in the trip at Crater Lake National Park. The line for the bathroom was very long, so my Mom and I figured we would just pee in the lake once we hiked down and got in to swim. We found out during the descent, that the lake is in fact one of the cleanest and clearest lakes in the world because the water comes directly from snow or rain. We still went because when you got to go, you got to go. It be what it do.
September:
Came back to guide whitewater for a weekend, on my first trip back I flipped the raft… my crew consisted of two moms who did not want to get their hair wet and two adrenaline junkie children. Two were thrilled with the flip. Two were not. I will let you guess which is which. It be what it do.
October:
I rented a furnished home and used their scale. It’s a smart scale… so it doesn’t show you anything it just emails your body composition to your account. Which in my case, would be my landlord. It be what it do.
November:
Kevin typed in an incorrect address, and we drove to the wrong town in Texas for Thanksgiving. For a second, we thought our grandparents’ retirement community changed since the last time we visited from one-story homes to mansions. It be what it do.
December:
I found out the hard way that you can’t check a bag later than 45 min before flight departure. My dad realized while driving to Northern California from LA to come visit me that he only packed his necessities in the car and forgot everything else. His “necessities” were his phone, grapes, and protein bars. The apparent non-essential belongings were all in his suitcase that he left behind in its entirety, packed with his clothes, toothbrush, phone charger etc. It be what it do.
Fast forward to the first month of 2022…
January:
Ryan came to visit in California and wanted to take me to my first Casino. The establishment turned out to be an arcade named, The Casino, which honestly is more our speed anyways. It be what it do.
(And YES Ryan broke the record for the classic Arcade Hoops. We may have stolen all the basketballs from the other Pop-A-Shot courts to make that happen. And after spending $40 collectively on tokens, we somehow still could only afford one prize, but it was a hidden gem. And we had a solid 10 minutes of fun with the splat shark until it was covered in sand and would no longer stick to walls, street signs, my face… really anything Ryan could throw it at.)
All jokes aside 2021, was a year of growth for me. I moved to a new city, where I did not know a single soul… although I was used to moving, I was not used to being alone. But it was honestly, such a rewarding process.
When not alone in my beach shack, the year was filled with so many incredible people. Thank you to everyone who helped me out during this big transition period in my life…whether that was through a place to sleep, a roundtrip buddy, or a place to stash my possessions… Jackie, I promise to come get my boxes this week. Thank you to those who took time out of their busy schedules to hangout if I was in a city near you.
I got to explore so many new places and met some awesome communities along the way (shoutout PTTOW). I learned to let my expectations go because in this new normal we are living in, where I sometimes think I can’t rely on anything (besides Punxsutawney Phil deciding the weather)… I have to let things be what it do… and just control the controllables. Thank you to those in my life whom I feel like I can rely on, because I would not have gotten through this crazy year without you. Beer on me next time I see you, which I hope is soon (well let’s be honest it will most likely be a can of House Wine, because I am forever loyal).
So happy Groundhog’s Day friends! I have always loved this holiday. Maybe it’s because I grew up in Nebraska and we tend to celebrate anything we can there. Or it’s because we let a rodent and a close relative of a squirrel, decide the environment of the next six weeks. A tradition other countries must hear about and think is absurd. But in the United States, it is an annual event… that just makes sense. But gosh darn it was he correct, look at this storm hitting the Midwest. Phil you have done it again, you furry psychic. I hope you all have a great few extra weeks of winter weather and remainder of the new year, when we go back to relying on humans for the forecast.
Cheers,
E
