Goodbye 2021

Ending the year on this beautiful note.

Thank you, Moonsquid.Ink! Best Auntie ever.

The Year of the Bachelor

Ooooh boy howdy did I have a weirdly productive 2021. Does anyone remember, from the New York City iteration of my blog, how 2012 was The Year of Harry Potter? I cracked open the books and completed the entire set, and movies, in less than half the year... and spent the other half mourning the end of them all.

Well, this year was different, and omg has it been a feat. At first it was kind of embarrassing, but then it started to really be quite impressive so I decided to wear it like a badge of honor. The Bachelor franchise.

I am not one for reality TV (or at least, I wasn't). Never watched any of them and didn't know really anything at all about The Bachelor other than knowing it was a show and occasionally hearing people mention it. Here's how it all started...

It began with Hulu's show A Teacher, if you can believe it, about a teacher that has an affair with her high school student. I got Jessica to watch it in tandem with me so we could discuss it. When that finished, we wanted another show to watch and discuss (the millennial's version of a book club, I suppose), and she told me her friend was having her watch The Bachelor when it started this January and I should join in. At any other point in time, I probably would have noped out, but, on maternity leave and locked down, I sighed and agreed.

I watched that season premier, featuring Matt James, and was so into it, that I was dying waiting for the next week's episode, so I went on over to Hulu and found Andi's season of the Bachelorette available that I start bingeing in the meantime. I chose a Bachelorette season so I wouldn't mix up the girls on Matt's season with the girls on another season. But after I finished Andi's, I wanted to watch the other seasons on there, and it always ended with "I'll just watch this one other season..."

After watching all the seasons available for free across the streaming platforms that we subscribe to (including having AJ buy me a season for my birthday), I ventured into the seasons of Bachelor in Paradise available. By this time, I was a fully crazed member of "Bachelor Nation" and so invested, Jessica even bought me a book about the franchise.

But it still didn't end there! I found out about a free website where you could watch every single episode in the franchise ever. First I thought, I'll close the gap between the earliest season I ever watched up to the present (which was a feat in itself!) But then it was like "well I'll back up a few seasons..." and then "well I wanna see where this person came from." (One of the geniuses of this show is that, after investing in these people for 2 hours a week for 12 weeks, they'll pick a fan favorite to go on to become the next Bachelor/ette, so now you know them and are eager to see their journey. It's truly a never-ending cycle.

Very early on, I did see how absolutely ridiculous this was, and I did actually make it a goal to get through THE WHOLE FRANCHISE, and even so, I can't believe I started it all and ended it all, this year alone! I should note: I wasn't completely glued to the screen taking in every moment the whole time. Basically, I set up dual monitors as I worked, so I just had it constantly on on the second screen all day while working. And depending on how invested I was when I was done working, might have taken it over to the TV while I fed or played with Sophie. And also, the archive online that has all the seasons available, doesn't have all the episodes of all the seasons available, so some of the earliest seasons I was only able to watch a handful of episodes. But I did watch pretty much everything available that I possible could. 

I'm not trying to make excuses. It has been an insane investment that really didn't add anything of value to my life. But somehow, I'm very proud of this.

In case you are unaware, this entire franchise includes the following (to post date):

-25 seasons of The Bachelor
-18 seasons of The Bachelorette
-3 seasons of Bachelor Pad
-7 seasons of Bachelor in Paradise
-1 season of Bachelor Winter Games
-1 season of Bachelor Live
-2 season of Bachelor Happily Ever After
-1 season of Coming Out Colton (Kinda. Technically.)

Oh, and this is only the US franchise. I didn't attempt UK or Canada or Australia or New Zealand or Japan or Germany. I know my limits. Maybe within my lifetime though.

What I didn't watch, which is included in that list that's left for me is: the 3 seasons of Bachelor Pad,  1 season of Bachelor in Paradise, the season of Bachelor Live (which is just a recap of everything, so technically I've watched it), and the 2 seasons of Bachelor Happily Ever After. But I'm sure I'll get these all taken care of before January is done. This is quite the feather in my cap!

Here's to 2022!

Palm Springs

Well, we got out of town for a few days up to Palm Springs. Of course, so did a lot of other people. It was pretty crowded, but it was very beautiful and a nice time, even if it was a quick trip.

We stayed in Debbie's time share, which were really nice grounds (how were so many people in the actual pool in that 50 degree weather??) but we played bocce ball (I won LOL) and Sophie had fun playing in the dirt and only made the mistake of trying to eat it once.

AJ and I found a fun speakeasy one night while Gebbie watched the baby, and the next day we visited The Living Desert. I'd actually had it on my list of things to do for awhile and it was great to finally visit it - it was pretty awesome.

See you next time!

Holiday Cheer

We've had a few fun holiday activities lately with Sophie (which has really made me realize that she doesn't have really any festive outfits. Oh well) and it included our own family Christmas celebrations. 

She is weirdly obsessed with Enzo

She really got some great gifts too, like wooden clogs from Holland, a super awesome kitchen step stool and a fun little tea set.

While we already have a tree, we like to visit Christmas tree farms to pick up some clippings to put around the house to get the fresh pine scent.

After that we went to the Spectrum (mostly out of boredom) and Sophie just loved sitting and watching (and judging TF out of) the ice skaters. That was fun.

Yeah, she wasn't into these photos

There is also a house in our neighborhood that always has some great decorations that include arches over the sidewalk (they do this for lots of holidays!) and I love taking Sophie on walks in the evening to see the neighborhood lights and walk under the arches. She's always pulling everything off her head these days (even hair ties holding a ponytail up) but she looks warm and cozy for a hot second at least (pun intended).

Only 5 days left until Christmas which is always such a bummer, but hoping to really enjoy these last 5 days!

Dorothea Evelyn

I remember what a big party her 90th was. I can't remember for sure, but it's possible that she was still driving at that point. She was in good shape for so long. I held my breath for her 99th and just a few months later when the year turned, I remember thinking... even if she doesn't make it until Fall 2017 for her 100th, at this point it's pretty crazy that she's seen 1917-2017. So how unreal that after all that, she lived to be 104 years old. 

So many people get so much less time with their grandparents; we were so lucky. And it was a devastating last few weeks, and I was fervently praying for her suffering to end... yet even so, when it happens, it is still surreal, and so upsetting. I had nothing left unsaid, nothing left undone, and yet it doesn't not hurt that she isn't here anymore, and I won't be able to spend any Saturday or Sunday afternoons at her home, and she won't be present for any more milestones in my life. I miss her already.

November 6, 1917 - December 9, 2021

L to R: Laura, Herbert, Dorothea, Eugene and Wilbur
1927

Love you, grandma. Rest well.