2021 Review
It’s time! For my year review. Every year around this time, I review the year by month.
January – Decided to take a trip to Cancun for our anniversary, YES! Had a great time and got to visit with our Florida families for a bit. The resort was beautiful, and it was really nice to spend a week not working and just relaxing (weird, but nice). January is also Bear’s birthday!
February – My birthday month! Citrus Bay released as well! Usually, February is a pretty easy-going month, however, this year it wasn’t. So, in February my Uncle Eddie passed. It sucked and I really regret not speaking to him more before then. However, I know he’s no longer in pain and that’s the most important thing. Also, in February my best friend’s father passed. And from experience, it is the WORST to lose a parent you love and look up to. He passed the day of my uncles funeral so the next day as we drove home, I booked myself a flight to Florida. James and I gathered things I needed, packed my suitcase (with my work and personal laptops) and the next morning I was off for Florida. James drove down the following weekend for the funeral. It was a hard month, but I’m glad I was able to be there for both of my families.
March – Possessed by Passion released. This was an amazing boxset and an amazing experience. And while we didn’t get our letters from it, I LOVED every minute. It was crazy and fun. We also took a trip back to Florida. I mean I figured we were on a roll since we drove down in November, December, January, and February already!
April – OHHOW event number two in the books. It was a great weekend of writing wildly. Instead of 100 hours we cut it down to about 36 – 40. Midnight Sparrow released. AND we got tank back. Now if you know, we had a bit of an issue with tank. (See this post for more information about it). But we did get him home and cleaned up. Damn I missed that truck.
May – Enlisted: A Soldier & His Pitt released! Gosh May was up and down. So the end of April/Beginning of May we brought Tank down to Florida (we sold him to a friend of James’s). And Jen was having a BBQ in honor of her dad, Jeff. So obviously we weren’t going to miss that. After the BBQ I did break the news to them all that James and I wouldn’t be back down to Florida again until we were ready to move. This was sad for us all, but we needed to save vacation days and get things in order. Sadly, we did need to come back down toward the end of the month. W, a battle buddy of James’s passed away. Our hearts broken and we went into immediate planning mode to help the family. So back down to Florida we went to say goodbye. This was also when Taylor told us she would love to have us in Florida for her birthday (in October). This sent us into more planning to be in Florida by then.
June – A very boring month, but lots of planning on our part to get to Florida. Applying for a loan for a house, etc. For more details about our house storyline (please see this post).
July – Went to visit my little sister in Maryland for the 4th of July. This started the tour of visiting family before our move. This is also a tough month for me. My dad’s birthday (7th), my grandmother being gone for three years (7th), and one year of missing my best girl, Legacy (22nd). We also took a trip to Jersey to visit with family. Stayed with Teresa. Got to visit with Uncle Kenny for a bit, and also got to see Adam and his family. 😊 Was a great trip and a great way to say, “see you later!” to family. July we also had another OHHOW event. While this one wasn’t as bit as our November one, or even April, it was still a TON of fun and really helped push OHHOW out there even more.
August – Oh you lovely month. August was BUSY for us. First, I was invited (and accepted) to be an attending author at SaSS! Amaretto Scented Letters released! We drove down to Florida during the first weekend of the month to pick up two if Tiffany and Joe’s kids (Jezel and Theia). They were heading back wit us to pack and help us move two weeks later. AND WE DID! Two weeks after that we spent a very LONG Friday loading up the truck and heading out on the road (way later than I wanted, but still). And we were on our way home to Florida. I also accepted an invite to be an attending author at Tampa Indie Author Book Convention! Woot! Check my Facebook group or Discord for dates! August always sucks for me too. It reminds me that my dad is no longer here. I miss him all the time.
September – Was house searching month. The month was NUTS. We spent a lot of time trying to find the right house for us, and we finally did toward the end of the month. We were at Jen’s adjusting to all living together, and truly having a blast. To see more about our house searching journey (see this post).
October – Ah! My favorite month! Halloween baby. Taylor’s birthday and a boat load of fun! We were still dealing with house stuff and the mortgage company. We were supposed to close on the 22nd, but that got pushed back to November. No biggie gave us more time to get things together. We had a great month, kept things going smooth and started preparing for an event in honor of Jen’s dad. 😊
November – BIG MONTH! We bought a house! We couldn’t have been more excited to finally be homeowners again. It took a lot of work, but we were able to get everything moved in one weekend. We did have the First Annual Spike’s Shoot for a Cause in the beginning of the month, and it was awesome! I’m actually really excited for next year. November is also Thanksgiving, and we spent it with Jen and the family.
December – This month! I can’t believe it’s Christmas already. Although this year does feel like it’s been twenty-four months and not twelve, it’s been an over all good year. This December we aren’t doing much except spending it home with family and getting our house in order.
This year has been both challenging and great. There have been obvious sad moments, and some happy ones. I’ve lost friendships (that I never thought I would lose), I’ve gained more love for my family and extended family. I’ve grown as a person, a wife, a dog mom, and an author. I’ve published more books, set new goals, and bought a home with the man I love. This year I’ve also started to tell my story. Be more of who I am and who I want to be and I couldn’t be more excited (and scared) to see what the next year holds. In a few days I’ll be writing my annual goals post. I never set resolutions, just goals. I’ll go over my goals for 2021, see what I accomplished, what I didn’t. Then I’ll write out my list for 2022 and start working toward them!