Fall 2020 Update

    Once again I don't know what to write for my update. Fall is coming to an end and before we know it Winter will be here. I don't mind because I love winter but Fall will always be my favorite. Life has been hectic, happy and a little bit sad. Our beautiful Nora Rose arrived in September and then my parents and I got COVID. I planned on writing about it but I could never get very far. We were very fortunate because our symptoms were mild and there were no hospitalizations. We're the first people in our family to get it (hopefully the last). I'm just now realizing how stressful and exhausting it was. I had to take three weeks off of work to recover. Unfortunately in Social Work that means three weeks of no pay. I'm fortunate though because I'm still living with my parents and don't have as many bills to pay. The downside of that is it slows down the process of me moving out because of money. It's okay though because we're okay. We might see Nora Rose tonight which will be my third time seeing her which kills me. I'm ready for all the snuggles and spoiling her. 

 

Other than that not much has been happening. Work has been keeping me busy. I'm not going to talk much about work because I can't really share a lot of information. Another part of Social Work. I also turned 23 which is crazy to think about. I can't really wrap my head around it. I've been thinking a lot about the future and what that is going to look like for me. Nothing is set in stone but I'm starting to get more excited. People have been joking that soon I'll be having my own babies and I would laugh. Then I realized that it's not that far away. I'll be in my thirties before I know it. I'm realizing over and over again that I am an adult. I can have babies. I can get married. I can get my masters. I can move away. The list goes on and on. At the same time it still feels like I'm 16 years old and thinking about college. I'm finally able to start planning on my family and what that is going to look like. I can think about moving away. Obviously those things take time. It's going to take years. I'm excited though. 

Right now I'm trying to stay in the present and grow in my work and as a person. One of the things I've latched onto is cooking and baking. I've always loved to bake but I haven't really been able to spread my wings. My goal for 2021 is to learn how to make bread. I also want to start using my cookbooks more and putting an effort into making dinner. My Christmas and birthday list has been mostly things for the kitchen. A lot of people have told me to cook for myself before cooking for others. I get that. If I was cooking for others I would be worried about not doing it right or the food not tasting good. If it's just me then it's less pressure. Over the summer though I asked two of my friends if they wanted to have a 'dinner party'. It wasn't really a party because it was only the three of us. I wouldn't feel comfortable having a lot of people because of COVID. It was stressful because I started cooking late and I was scrambling. The meal was a lot bigger than I anticipated but I guess that's better than not having enough. I was surprised by how much joy it brought me to have my friends there and give them a meal. I realized that food brings everyone together. Food and cooking also reminds me of my Nana. Nana was really the one that taught me how to bake and cook. She was so good at it I genuinely believe she could have owned a bakery. Some of my fondest memories are being in the kitchen with her and my cousin, Jac. Every year we make pies from scratch. It's exhausting but it's worth it. This year Nana had double knee surgery and most likely we won't be able to do it. It is also as if the torch is being passed onto my cousins and I. It's hard to except that but it's happening. I can't wait to teach my children and grandchildren on how to make pie and hopefully bread.

I don't know why I specifically picked bread for this year. I think because it's humble and who doesn't like bread? It also feels very homey. I can see myself in a cottage or cabin and making bread or cinnamon rolls early in the morning. I doubt the first few loaves are going to turn out right but you have to start somewhere. 

That's all I have for right now. I'm ready for Christmas. I'm going all out this year. I've bought a ton of ornaments for the tree and hopefully there will be Christmas cookies to make. I'm also hoping for some snow this year. We'll see what happens though. Hopefully my next update will have one successful loaf of bread.

DFTBA

-AB