Top 5 of 2020

My iPad Mini has been my best purchase. I really wanted a tablet for reading. I initially bought a Kindle, but didn't like the screen quality and the lack of versatility. I love using my iPad Mini for reading, workout videos, and watching movies on flights. It's the perfect size. 

Lululemon On The Fly pants are my most complimented bottoms. There are two fabrics - luxtreme and woven. I prefer the luxtreme fabric in the 7/8 ankle length. I'm afraid they may be discontinued because they're all on sale now. 

2020 was the year of retinol for me. I consistently used Skinceuticals 0.5 retinol and I have noticed significant improvement. I wish I would have taken a before photo, but the fine lines around my eyes are less visible and my skin texture is so much smoother. 

Adidas Ultraboost have been a favorite for years. I tried several different running shoes (Nike, On running, Hoka One One) in the past year and can confirm these still stand in the #1 position. They are so flexible and comfortable plus they look great. 

I am very lazy with my hair routine. I have always showered at night and slept with wet hair. The finished "style" in the morning was uncertain. I usually tied it up because it was so kinked. The Revlon One-Step Styler takes only 4-5 minutes each night and my hair looks smooth and styled the next day. 

This is 32...

 

Chin lifting masks and pickling red onions😂

Brady brought me coffee this morning and Evie is insisting on cake tonight, but I'm quite happy watching Bridgerton and ordering birthday gifts for myself🙌 I got this Winston Churchill print and this Monica Vinader bracelet.

2020 Books

 My goal for 2020 was 30 books. I fell short, but I think I'll shot for the same goal in 2021. I tried to read different genres in the beginning of the year, but switched tactics midyear and just started reading what I like, which is WWII biographies.

Here are my 2020 books ranked...

1. A Higher Call by Adam Makos

2. In The Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson

3. The Splendid and Vile by Erik Larson

4. We Were The Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter

5. A Woman of No Importance by Sonia Purnell

6. The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne

7. A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

8. The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris

9. The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer

10. The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead

11. This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel

12. City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert

13. The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes

14. Lost Roses by Martha Hall Kelly

15. The Guest Book by Sarah Blake

16. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

17. The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer

18. Such A Fun Age by Kiley Reid

19. A Nearly Normal Family by MT Eduardsson

20. A Love Hate Thing by Whitney Grandison

21. Something In The Water by Catherine Steadman

22. The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena

23. The Secrets We Kept by Lara Prescott

24. Ghosted by Rosie Walsh

25. A Summer Affair by Elin Hilderbrand

Good Stuff

Aveda leave-in treatment was recommended by my hair stylist and she said it's better than Olaplex. I had to buy it to see for myself and I actually agree with her. I had a lot of breakage around my hairline and it looks so much smoother and stronger now. Plus, it's a leave-in treatment which I prefer. 

Avene moisturizer is perfect for oily skin. I've been using this day and night. It's lightweight and hydrating. I never feel greasy throughout the day. 

COSRX pimple patches work so well! I was shocked the first time I used one. I wore it overnight and when I woke the pimple was totally flattened. It's grossly satisfying and I will always keep these on hand now. 

Aritzia face masks are my favorite and I've tried a lot in 2020 (Athleta is a close second). They are a good size and comfortable to wear all day. They wash up well. Make sure you get the petite size. The standard size is way too big. 

Chantelle Lingerie no-show bikini is the perfect no-show underwear if you don't like wearing thongs. They're pricey and I don't believe the one size fits all, but they are the best I've found. You can't even see panty lines through leggings. 

Lululemon On the Fly pants are my go-to lounge pants. I've definitely mentioned them on the blog before. I just bought my fourth pair (currently on sale). My sisters and mom also got them for Christmas. I get so many compliments when wearing them. They're great for travel.

Topdrawer house shoes = the only footwear I've worn the past month. They're washable (which is why I bought them), but they're also easy to pack and really comfortable. Definitely my favorite slippers and I've bought a lot of slippers over the years.

Shows I've binged (and really enjoyed) during recovery: Killing Eve, Virgin River, Mindhunter, The Undoing, The Handmaid Tales

Iowa

 Happy Holidays from Iowa! 

Surprise, surprise I had another hip surgery. This is the fourth (and final). The silver lining of this surgery is the fact that we get to spend the holidays in Iowa with our family. I'm recovering at my parents house while Evie is having lots of fun with her nanas, grandpas, uncles, aunts, and cousins. She's going to be disappointed to go home in the new year!

The perk of having surgery in Arizona

My sisters took the kids to meet Santa!

Lights at Reiman Gardens

with cookies, hot cocoa and a princess dress of course

Snuggling baby Carter

Snow day!!

She absolutely loved playing the snow

She was outside all day with her nana and uncle

This baby (and Runner) goes everywhere with her 

She looks so grown up with this pose

Decorating the tree with dad

There are 59 candles on that cake! We had to open the door to let the smoke out lol

More baby cuddles

Hello

It's been a minute...

I've had a lot of thoughts about this blog lately. Do I keep posting? Do I let it go? I'm horribly inconsistent with it this year, but I really enjoy blogging and love to look back and reminisce (and stalk baby Evie photos). 

Like everyone else, we haven't been doing much this year. Every week is the same. Fortunately, Evie has very low expectations of us now. She's happy with crafts and walks to the park. I really wish she had the attention span for a movie, but she doesn't last longer than 15 minutes. I, on the other hand, have been watching Netflix every single night. I recently finished season 1 of Virgin River and just started season 4 of The Crown. I'm also really into podcasts this year. I'm hooked on Smartless, Absolutely Not, and This Is Important. 

We'll see what happens with this blog, but I'll leave you with a few random pictures from the past month...

Evie looking for boats

Candy transport via baskets, chutes, nerf guns, etc.

Baby comes everywhere

She's a daddy's girl

Evie caught me sneaking oreos

Trip to Iowa

 It's been nearly two months since I updated this little blog. Honestly, not much has happened. We took a trip to Iowa to meet the two newest editions to the family. My sisters both had baby boys! So crazy after having a family of girls for so long. Amanda had Chance in July and Brie had Carter in September. It was so nice to cuddle sleepy babies and soak up that newborn smell again. Evie thoroughly enjoyed playing with her cousins and I got to run with my dad! We ran further and faster than either of us have when we've been running alone.

Just give this girl a coloring book and iPad, she'll rock a 3 hour flight

Baby Chance

Livi kept trying to sit in her barbie car

The girls!

Story time for all ages lol

Uncle Brady is actually a big fan of babies

Trip to the orchard

Watching a baby goat race

So sweet to see them all together

This girl has one speed and it's fast

Livi couldn't do a lot of the activities at the orchard, but she probably had the best time lol

Jump, jump

Cutie

All smiling!!

Hayride

Walks with Bompa to find deer

Evie has a very special bond with her nana

See what I mean?

Evie's Aunty Cait (she kept correcting my mom when she called her Caitlin lol)

This picture makes me laugh

Riding her new bike! She cried when she had to leave the bike

So proud of her baby cousins

Playdate with Amanda and Morgan!