Year in Review: 2020
December 29, 2020
When I took a break from the blog in March, I had no idea I'd still have little of my usual content to share by the end of the year. I held onto some optimism when I heard Broadway would open by summer, by Labor Day, then eventually, by...sometime next year. My season tickets for touring productions all hang in limbo and the new seasons that local theatres announced with certainty have become wishful thinking.
The good, the bad, and the crazy have all happened this year. On occasion, I've had to ask myself "did that really happen this year?" Some things feel like a lifetime ago.
While not the theatre-packed summary of years past, here's my breakdown of the year:
January
I marked the first day of the year the best way I knew how: in the audience! I enjoyed a production of Murder on the Orient Express at Baltimore's Everyman Theatre. Sean even joined me!
To keep up the theatre momentum I saw one of my top least favorite shows on tour: Cats. I'm grateful now as it's one of only six live shows I attended this year.
My friend Amy and I were selected for "Pitch a Friend," an event where I told a room full of strangers via PowerPoint why they should date Amy. While fun in theory, the attendees were 99% female which did not work out in her favor.
February
I fit in three shows: Wicked on tour in Baltimore, The King's Speech on tour in Washington, DC, and Miss You Like Hell at Olney Theatre. It was exciting to have both classic favorites and new-to-me stories.
We celebrated a neighbor's birthday at his house with more than a dozen people present. Can you believe it!?
I went to lunch with some of my favorite work ladies where we discussed the virus and how we thought it would come and go quickly enough. We even scheduled our next lunch for May. Whoops!
March
I hoped and hoped that the virus would hold off long enough for me to see the two touring shows of the season I'd been most looking forward to: The Band's Visit and The Last Ship. I fought to resist the temptation of going to New York to see shows when prices plummeted. Thankfully, the authorities saved me from myself and things shut down quickly. Ultimately, the last show I saw was Bandstand in Washington, DC on March 3.
I was thrilled to be working from home, even if only for two weeks (ha!). I avoided hoarding toilet paper. I had enough for two weeks and surely it would be back in stock by then. Whoops!
As it became clear that we would be at home longer than two weeks, I took advantage of instacart, online jackbox game nights, and outdoor training via C25K for the relay I was supposed to run with work in October.
April
How many playbills do I have in my collection? Enough for two months of selfies on Instagram, as it turns out. I posted a show a day until the first restrictions were lifted...in Mid-May.
After a brief furlough, Sean was officially back at work.
We celebrated Easter at home together. The adult Easter Bunny used our mailboxes as baskets, leaving minis for all!
DoubleTree released their famous cookie recipe and I baked it...a lot. I justified it by sharing the wealth and dropping off wrapped cookies in my neighbors' mailboxes.
May
As the temperatures warmed up, we cautiously resumed some outdoor social activities including our traditional stoop nights (we formed a pod with some neighbors) and bringing lunch to my mom to enjoy al fresco.
Our living room received a quarantine makeover: new couch, rug, and a fresh coat of paint!
June
We had planned for a vacation to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary. but it clearly wasn't a good time. Instead, we took some photos to *remember* the occasion and enjoyed a steak dinner at home.
July
As if the year wasn't wild enough, things really started to shake up in July.
We took a short road trip to Connecticut to celebrate Sean's birthday. We were able to stay outside and enjoy the beautiful scenery, but were in a car accident on our way home...in New Jersey. Sean's car was totaled and we both had pain that we went to a chiropractor for for several weeks. We are grateful it wasn't worse, and for friends who didn't hesitate to pick us up when our insurance left us stranded.
Our company announced layoffs were coming and I was surprised to learn I was the only person on my immediate team not affected. It was another sad stressor to add to the year, and the moment that confirmed it was time to walk away from what I had once considered my dream job. I opted to pack up my office on their last day to say goodbye.
Thank you, Disney+ for giving us permanent access to Hamilton!
Taking advantage of still being at home and not knowing if things would shut back down, I went for it: the COVID chop.
August
We snuck in a drive to Pittsburgh before I started my new job. It was easy to stay outside/socially distant, and it was nice to see some bucket list items on the drive: Fallingwater and the Flight 93 memorial.
One of my 2020 "resolutions" was to attend another wedding in our friend group. One neighbor jumped at the chance to seal the deal at the courthouse while things were still open. Definitely not what I had in mind back in January, but congrats to the new happy family!
September
I celebrated turning 35 with cocktails and an outdoor viewing of Mulan on Disney+.
We visited my mom one last time while it was still nice enough to gather outside.'
My niece was born! I can't wait until it's safe to meet her in person.
October
We enjoyed our last few "pod" gatherings outdoors: a friend's birthday. then Halloween. Much different from the celebrations earlier in the year.
I accidentally won a gift card to a local tattoo shop. A tattoo was always on my "one day" list, and it finally happened! Inspired by my favorite show, Come From Away!
November
With cases rapidly increasing, we halted further in-person social activities and went back to virtual game and Netflix nights. Lots of time at home, including Thanksgiving.
December
Thank you Netflix, for that speedy adaptation of The Prom!
People are starting to get vaccinated. There is light at the end of the tunnel!
We dropped off birthday and Christmas gifts for my family ahead of time and again opted to stay home to celebrate.
New Year's Eve won't look anything like 2019, but New Year's Day will still commence with a musical: Ratatouille, the TikTok Musical, online!
Happy 2021 to all!
My wish is that everyone can return to the things they love and leave those no longer needed.
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