Blog hop courtesy of Alberta Equest.
I have been very bad about blogging lately but this blog hop seems to be a good way to start again.
What's the best thing that happened to you in 2020?
Personal: 2020 was my first full year of my new job (I started in summer 2019) and I am proud of how quickly I got up to being a fully functioning member of the team that I like so much. I got an excellent score on my recent year-end review and I am so happy that my efforts have been recognized.
Horsey: Riding Naia for the first time.
What's the worst thing that happened to you in 2020?
Personal: My Dad getting diagnosed with terminal Stage IV cancer. He's still with us and I am incredibly grateful for a medication that is keeping him reasonably comfortable and giving us more time, but it's really tough to know that our time is still limited, especially since I can't see him in person right now due to COVID lockdown.
Horsey: Losing riding fitness and skill. I really value all the young horse stuff I have done with Naia but it is hard to go from riding regularly to mostly just ground work for so long. In normal times I would have done some catch riding to get some saddle time but sharing tack and horses didn't seem smart in COVID times.
What was your biggest purchase in 2020?
Personal: My new to me car, a 2011 Chevy Volt. Not sure if this really counts because it was purchased fully using the insurance settlement from when another driver didn't yield properly, totaling my 2014 Toyota Corolla, but I am really enjoying having a plug-in hybrid now. The Volt has some impressive engineering that went into it.
Horsey: Naia, I bought her in February 2020.
What was your biggest accomplishment in 2020?
Personal: Surviving. It's been a tough year in multiple ways and some things have suffered due to stress but I'm still keeping on keeping on.
Horsey: Training a green horse. I have had help in being taught what to do, but I've done most of the initial starting of Naia and have learned so much about young horses along the way. This is a bucket list item for me to train a horse from start to finish and it's quite the journey (which is still very much in progress)
What do you feel COVID robbed you of in 2020?
Personal: The number one thing is time with my Dad and family. I didn't visit my family in person for months in the Spring of 2020 because I wanted to do the right thing related to COVID, but when we found out he had cancer it felt like so much lost time. I did get to see him regularly in the summer but I can't again now with the second wave.
Horsey: Honestly, losing Kachina and buying a youngster meant that I wasn't going to be showing in 2020 anyways and I was still able to get lessons until recently so I don't feel like I got robbed much in the horse world.
Were you subject to any COVID Impulse Buys in 2020?
Personal: Amazon clothing
Horsey: I bought way to many saddle pads but that's mostly because of my saddle pad addiction and overtime money burning a hole in my pocket, can't really blame COVID for that