I do have to remind myself that I started this blog not just to share with you our adventures but also use this as a way to capture our emotions with all that we have experienced so that Matthias and Logan are reminded of the many moments that we shared as a family.

It is without a doubt that those of us old enough to remember, will remember 2020 as the year like no other. A year that made the world realize that we are not prepared for everything but we are able to live through ANYTHING.

2020 brought with it many valleys. COVID 19 transformed our way of life and in many cases put a stop to or paused our Normal. However, with all the negative impact 2020 has had on us it has also thought us some very important lessons. It thought us that we are capable of change, and very quick change. We saw the world learn to work virtually in just two days. It thought us that there is more to life than we realized. The tiny moments that we spend with our love ones and how much we did not realize they kept us whole. 2020 with its many lessons, I believe, has set us up for anything because now we realize that we are capable of so much more.

Together our little family of four spent our 2020 like most. Homeschooling, video chatting, having virtual birthday parties, not being able to hug those we care about and love. However, did we ever manage to make amazing memories as a family. And to be truly honest, it might just be the first time that I felt I’ve really watched every minor transformation of our two amazing boys.

Matthias is amazingly intelligent and definitely ensures he’s keeping abreast with the news. Like everyone else, he listens with intent and looks at those charts anxiously waiting for a declaration that it is all over.

He has been spending his time mastering ice skating and talking about being the fastest hockey player ever. Of course, there are the girls. Yes the girls. At seven he has a new planned wife every week #trouble

Now Logan is a nature lover at heart. He has surpassed any expectation that we had for our children when it came to the outdoors and had taken the love of nature to new levels.

He wants to protect every tree, read about every sea creature (he’s obsessed with sea creatures, even the pre-historic ones), he looks forward to spring so he can have pet worms and he insists that every fish we catch must be released. Oh wait, and he can name every shark there is. How he even knows the names of those we’ve never heard about? Don’t ask!!!

So, yes, we made the very best of the year that will be forever known as the year like no other.

We camped, hiked, fished, Matthias learned to canoe all on his own and then we camped some more. We turned our house into a home. Our solice. Derek and I designed and outfitted our outldoor space into a space we love. Equipped with a fire pit and everything. We kept busy doing many things that normally, we never would have done and in all of this Derek also started his own business “D and M Design-Build” and I am training for my Private Pilots Licence.

As for me, I was and still am considered an essential worker so I’ve been to the office everyday ensuring people and asset are safe and running as expected. There is no company I would have rather been working for in these times than for Shell. Our employees, myself included are always looked after and made to feel supported. These are most important in these times.

So, goodbye 2020. Thank you for the many learnings and adventures. Thank you for forcing us the get ready for the future, whatever that may look like and hello 2021.

Here’s to new memories, new adventures and new beginnings.