Life Update: November 2020 Edition
Hi, all! You may have noticed that I missed this Monday's post--it was my husband's birthday! We had a great day together, and I am not at all sorry I didn't get anything posted 😂
This time of year, many of my friends and family members send out Christmas cards and letters about how their year went. I thought we could do kind of the same thing here! So, without any further ado, here it is:
2020 has been a rough year for everyone, but it's been pretty much the same for us, if I'm honest. Aside from wearing masks everywhere and not going out as much (we were already hermits beforehand), we've really only put in some safety measures like regular purchasing of hand sanitizer and some home school for a while. We received the government's stimulus payment, and it really helped us out with a lot of things. Being able to work from home as a writer full-time is an amazing thing, but it's not always the most well-paid gig!
Before all the virus stuff started, I helped my parents and a few of my siblings move to Oregon. I'd never been there before and enjoyed the trip. We went to the Sea Lion Caves (I very much recommend, btw), a few national parks, and I had the best sushi of my life in Florence. It turned out to be my one trip of the year, as everything shut down right after I got home.
The kids started at home school through their current elementary school in April. When it came time to enroll for the 2020-2021 year, we decided to do online school through Arizona Virtual Academy. Unfortunately, that didn't last very long 😂 Unsurprisingly, it was a ton of work, and I felt very frustrated and lacking. When it finally came to my sanity or their education, I made the tough decision to send them back to in-person school. I'll be honest--I am not cut out for homeschooling with all of my mental issues. If you didn't already know, I have hypothyroidism, which messes with hormones and can cause anxiety and depression. I have regular anxiety and depression disorders on top of that. When I realized I was literally feeling like dying over school stuff, I knew I had to decide that was going to be best for everyone around. Thankfully, that choice was the right one, and we are all feeling great now 😊
Speaking of school, I finished another semester of my Associate's Degree in the spring and am only four classes away from finishing. I took the fall semester off because of homeschool needs and am happy I didn't have to try and figure out MY education while struggling with the kids. I'm planning on finishing this spring. It's been a long time coming, but I'm excited to have finally buckled down and be finished. I may continue my education and get a Bachelor's in something, but I haven't decided for sure yet.
Over the summer, I got a job at a local pizza place--the same one I based the Ray twin's pizza parlor on in The Swept Away Saga. That's why I won't be releasing any more books this year 😅 Working a full-time job took up all my "work time." I enjoyed my time there, though, and it was nice to get out of the house for a bit!
Since then, it's pretty much been life as normal. I'm working on my current project, Maestro (Immortals #1), and planning a few other projects. As the seasons change, we've rehomed cats, chopped wood, and sat in front of a cozy fireplace. Most of all, though, I've been reading again. It's been so glorious! When I made my TBR list for this month, I was worried I was optimistic. I'm thrilled to share that I've already read more than I put on my list. It has felt so wonderful to be reading and enjoying it again. I went through a few-years-phase where I couldn't seem to get out of my writing brain enough to really enjoy reading other things. I don't know what changed to make it happen or to make it stop, but I'm so happy it did.
So, there you have it! It's not much of an update (again, because I'm a hermit and don't do anything, haha), but that's what's going on in my life. I hope you are all staying happy and healthy!
