2021 didn’t really shape up to be the ‘better’ year everyone was hoping, but it still ended pretty well.
December started with a gift from Rob…my first advent calendar ever. How fun is this?! Each day included a mini bottle of wine from all around the world.
And a few days later, my friend Mel gifted me with this perfect glass to enjoy it. It was so nice to enjoy a glass of wine on the deck before dinner each day while watching the birds fly over.
I also took part in a fun resin class at the start of December with my friend Crystal so we now have a beautiful new serving platter and also a smaller wall hanging.
I only worked the first 2 weeks of December before starting a month of vacation. My last week of work was actually really nice. For the first time ever, my team had a little Christmas celebration and went out for a beautiful dinner by the beach. We were having such a lovely time, no one remembered to take a photo, but I did get a picture of the gorgeous cupcakes one of my colleagues made for each of us.
A few days later, on my last day of work, most of team also attended a cocktail night put on by our students to celebrate our 2021 grads. Two nights out in a week is a bit of a record these days! It was a really nice evening with students from all years of the program attending and a perfect way to end my last day of work.
While I was busy wrapping up work for the year, Rob was getting the house ready for Christmas. I don’t think the novelty of decorating in the sunshine without your fingers feeling like they’re going to freeze has worn off yet. We don’t do much decorating inside anymore, but do pull out the stockings I made years ago and a few other Christmas items.
Other than the five days we spent in Whitsundays, we spent all of the holidays at home. I don’t usually like to ‘waste’ my vacation time to just stay home but it was exactly what I needed this year. I actually managed to keep the weeks completely work free and just swim, nap and read. I managed to read 63 books this year!
Rob made sure to make the days feel special with fancy drinks and meals too. We enjoyed some mango margaritas in the pool
And on rainy days, caesars on the patio while we worked away at a puzzle. This puzzle kept us busy…it’s never easy when the picture on the box doesn’t show the full image of the puzzle. But it was a great holiday activity.
Christmas meals are a bit different here compared to Canada. Seafood is usually a main part of the meal. Not to be left out, Rob put together a seafood extravaganza for us for Christmas Eve. It was super yummy!
It was also the last day of my advent calendar which included a bottle of prosecco. Opening bubbly isn’t my favourite thing to do.
Then for Christmas Day, he made a traditional turkey dinner but did it all on the smoker so we didn’t have to turn the oven on.
I even contributed to the meal with a no-bake Tim Tam cheesecake. It was good, but I think I still prefer the baked, New York style ones. And moving forward, I’ll be able to go back to making great pies with the Christmas gift Rob got for me. He ordered this in special from an international food store … best gift ever!
We celebrated New Years Eve with Manhattans…
And then champagne at midnight while we watched the Sydney fireworks on television. As much as I think fireworks are pretty wasteful, it’s still an impressive sight.
And just like that it was 2022 and time to clean away the Christmas stuff, including my advent calendar. Needless to say, January is an alcohol free month for us!
So far, 2022 is looking like it’s not going to be much different from 2020 or 2021. Thinking ahead to another year of restrictions, not being able to see family and friends, and a whole lot of work stress with uncertainties about staffing, teaching, and clinical placements is a bit overwhelming. But fortunately, I live in a place that lets me connect with nature every day. Sunshine and the sound of waves rolling in always fill me with gratitude and peace.
I hope all of you are also finding moments of joy each day and are embracing positives in this new year. Happy 2022 everyone!
It looks like it was a lovely Christmas holiday for you, Honey. I like to read your blog. Love Nana. ❤️