2020-Year In Review
I wanted to write a recap about 2020 because looking at the posts I made in this blog, I need to remind myself how it went down because it was by far the most pivotal year in my life to date.
I started off the year with my annual trip to NYC for MLK weekend (ironically, that is this weekend, so I should be in New York right now…). The threat of ‘Rona was on the rise, but no one had really heard much about it yet. I took my mom to the Russian Tea Room, we toured a bus around the city, it snowed! Also, when we go, we like to go to television tapings. This time we saw the Late Show with Stephen Colbert (if you’ve followed me since my Obama days, you know of my love for Colbert). (January 2020)
After that, I transferred locations at work. I can’t really write about work so much, but let’s just say the new location allowed me to grow in many ways. I went from a sales only location in a very glamorous shopping mall to a local service and delivery center. I knew nothing about the delivery or service side of the business and was used to being the expert on my team, so my ego took a major hit in trying to learn the newness-I was no longer one of the top salespeople. (February 2020)
On March 1st, we went to the season opener of the Seattle Sounders FC-they were fresh off a championship win and we had front row seats. That night, we picked up the light of my life, Kai-my American Kennel Club Siberian Husky who is a true gift from God. I say this, because in 2017 I took two pictures of my favorite dogs (Dubs, the University of Washington mascot and Turf, the dog who maintains the turf at the Seahawks Training Facility) and put them side by side. I found that photo last week on my camera reel and realized that those two dogs blended are my dog Kai-look at her! Look at the pic of Dubs/Turf! My mind thought I wanted a Pomeranian (I wanted a dog that smiled at me) but the Lord knew my heart and brought me my little lady (who is in heat right now….). I never had a dog growing up and I actually thought I didn’t like dogs-she’s the best!
March also brought the weirdness. I’m pretty sure I got the ‘Rones the first week. No safety protocols had been enforced anywhere yet. I wrote about it already, but I felt a fever the whole time but never had a risen temperature. I was so exhausted I could barely scroll the ‘gram. I stayed home that whole week. When I came back, it was for like a week before we all went to work at home. I LOVED working from home. I have ADD and was able to get much more work done. Thank God I got Kai when I did! (March 2020)
April brought the “essential workers”. My family was extremely fortunate. We both were able to keep our positions and were actually both required on site. However, looking back on it this was the most pivotal month for me mentally. My new location at work and working from home so much plus the stress of Covid made me pack on the pounds. We were required to wear a mask everywhere we go. I quickly realized that my prior grooming habits (rewearing the same makeup for a couple of days, not cleansing my face) were not sanitary for this new era we were living in. I also realized that my hair extensions were not going to work if I had to wash my hair every day to stay safe, so I rebelled. I got so mad at what was happening. I felt like my hobbies were taken from me. I am an artist at heart and I express myself through my appearance-I am damn good at glam and I didn’t see the point anymore. I took off all my hair, stopped wearing a lot of makeup (read from 30 products down to 10), and gave up the super glam life. (April 2020)
May brought restlessness. I was sick of being cooped up at only work or home and the weather started heating up. We took Kai adventuring all over, avoiding the stay home, stay safe rule (come get me). We avoided humanity, but you try and keep a growing husky puppy inside a one bedroom apartment! We explored. I also kept gaining weight.
Late May the riots began. I live in Seattle-I am sure you all saw how it went down. Because I am white, I don’t want to comment, but it changed my heart and also broke it. I will never, ever forget the night we got an emergency alert about armed gunmen going complex to complex robbing people. My apartment manager told me they were at the building across the street and I didn’t sleep that night. We prepared an emergency bag just in case we needed to flee. That f***ing sucked. I am grateful for the experience because nothing ever happened, and that I was able to experience what it would be like if we were at war. I also felt what many others feel all over the world on a nightly basis. I realized how blessed I am. (May 2020)
June. More riots. Watching Bellevue Square…I can’t. This was also when I realized how far I let myself go and started the Advocare 24 Day Challenge-I didn’t change much from that, but it started my climb back to health. I had a major flashback to high school that month. I graduated in the year 2000 and June was our 20 year. It made me remember some great people I used to be friends with and also how I used to feel. I realized that the current, less glam appearance I was rocking was EXACTLY how I looked my senior year. Chubby, brown, bobbed hair…the same clothes I wore then are in style now, so thats fun.
late 90s
June 2020
Then my grandmother died. Not only did SHE die, but during her funeral I realized that my other paternal grandmother had also died. I am fortunate enough to have both of my grandfathers buried on the Street of Heroes in a nearby national cemetery. Now, all 4 of my grandparents are there. After her funeral, I had a flood of memories about everything she witnessed me go through in life from her perspective. I was mortified and vowed to take her life lessons and implement them in my daily life. I don’t want to preach, but I spent a lot of time with my mother’s parents during childhood. They were extremely conservative and even started a bible camp. I always had an on again, off again relationship with my faith and I realized I was currently in an off again timeframe. It was also EOQ. (June 2020)
February 5th, 2011
July I turned my life back over to Jesus. I started my morning devotionals again (I would wake up, roll over, and open either a daily devotional or a passage in Psalms or Proverbs to get my mind focused on what is important-I still do this) and then would take Kai on a long walk before I did anything else for the day. I also bought a set of clip in hair extensions to get a little confidence back. Not much else happened in July besides the turning point of greatness for myself. (July 2020)
In August, we were visiting my family; we were talking about stocks and our investments, which I had none. My husband and I have been poor as dirt since we got together (our ten year is next month) and until I worked for my current company, we were paycheck to paycheck. I checked my E-Trade account and my sister said that we had enough available on hand to put a down payment on a house. Um, no-me? Buy a house? I lived in a homeless shelter, transitional housing, and tiny apartments for the duration of my adulthood. I remember moving to a new apartment with no furniture. We used camping mats and slept in the living room…my sister recommended their mortgage broker and real estate agent and we started the home search. We were approved for an FHA loan. The first house we put an offer on was a bust. The second one was a go, and now I am sitting in my own personal glam room/business office. (August 2020)
Southport Lake Washington, September 2020
September was big. I started glamming again. We bought and moved into our new house. The world looked extremely apocalyptic with the smoke in the air. It was really, really bad. We moved in it at it’s peak-nothing was stopping us from putting my own bare feet on my own plot of land. Move-in day was a big moment-a major accomplishment in my life. Aside from that, I had a new town to learn and new routines to begin. I didn’t know my way around, so my daily morning walks turned into daily morning yoga and meditative sessions. (September 2020)
October I kept climbing-still did my daily yoga, I was praying to be changed into an all around better person-I can get overwhelmed easily and that can make my attitude be less than admirable. I wanted to be better all around. I added more, lighter hair and we kept settling into our new home. We voted, too. (October 2020)
November I took myself back. I came to the enlightenment that I identify as a blonde. All month, every Monday I did bleaching and toning sessions to take back my crown. I bought a set of blonde extensions, then another set. I was back! Before, I had the hair permanently attached to my hair in a very bad way that made me have to re-do them all the time. Now with clip ins I can take my hair off every night and wash my hair every day-staying Covid safe.
Two weeks into being blonde, a beautiful white Model S wouldn’t stop haunting me on the lot. Turns out that baby fit all of my dreams-price, features, etc. Guess who made another miracle happen in 2020? Thanks, Jesus. Now I no longer feel like a fraud filling up my Mercedes at the gas station in my Tesla corporate jacket. I have more freedom to talk about Tesla’s because I am now an owner :). It’s name is Starlite-the horse from Rainbow Brite who was ever so fabulous. (November 2020)
Rainbow Brite and Starlite
Corey Ann Kevan
In December, it was a busy experience for me at work and my baby niece Corey was born! I didn’t have any other major events happen in December, but the entire year in review was a wild one. I understand that not everyone buys a house or a Tesla during a pandemic, let alone both-but note that hard work does pay off and I know that what I’ve endured in my 38, almost 39 years of life proves I am worthy, as long as I keep up the good work. I truly aim to make myself a better person to each and every one of you each day. I slip up all the time, but I keep trying. I don’t share my experiences to brag. I share them to inspire.
