With my upcoming appointment for my second dose of the Pfizer vaccine just days away, and feeling both extremely excited for the potential freedom this will allow and also very reflective on, I decided to take a look back at a post from last year: My Post-Coronavirus Bucket List.
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Go out to eat
I still love cooking, and also still love the break. We’ve eaten SO MUCH TAKEOUT this past year, doing our best to support small businesses and the restaurants we love. However, even takeout can get old.
We’ve eaten out a handful of times (almost always outdoors), and it is just as dreamy as I’d imagined. I’m very much looking forward to walking to a few of our neighborhood favorites later this month, and hopefully catching up on dates nights this Spring and Summer.
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Go to church
At the time I made my initial list, our church was hosting online services only. We did eventually open back up to in-person services (with reservation required). We have recently started our kids’ ministry back up, and things are starting to feel some version of “normal.” The pews still aren’t packed, but during worship I can feel the excitement and tenderness of the hearts in the room, still hurting, but healing. And being together in a space, although masked and socially distanced, has been good for my soul.
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Have people over for dinner
Over the past year, our house was mostly quiet, and we missed the energy and consistency of our weekly dinners. We are easing back into them this Spring, and I’m even more thankful for the food and the company and the conversation and perspective they provide in my week and life.
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Meet the babies
This one is tough. I wrote about my friends having babies during the early days of the pandemic. Those babies are now turning one. I never got to meet some of those babies in person (due to family relocations), and the little ones I have met have only been in passing. I’m still holding out for baby (now toddler?) snuggles, and am doing my best to encourage the not-so-new mommas.
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Go on a playdate
My daughter has had one playdate since starting back to in-person school. She was in heaven. From my conversation with my friends and parents of my kids’ friends, it feels like the warmer weather and winding down of school will lead to plenty of playdates in the coming weeks.
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Go to a festival
Last year we did Fest in Place, which was actually pretty fun. We got to tune in to many of the However, we are BEYOND excited that French Quarter fest (our fave) is scheduled for October of this year, along with Jazz Fest.
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Have a crawfish boil
My husband did insist on keeping up his crawfish craft last year, with a small(ish)-scale boil for our family of 5. It was good for him, but that was A LOT of crawfish to eat. We are excited to host a boil for our parents when they come to town in a few weeks.
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Visit family
We missed our annual Christmas trip to Tennessee last year. But our parents are recently fully vaccinated and are coming to town to celebrate our middle son’s birthday. We are beyond excited to give all the hugs, and even more so for our kids to get to interact with their grandparents in real life.
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Go to the office
My office officially reopened on March 1. I work in a small office with only a handful of other employees, but seeing faces in person as opposed to through a screen has been such a morale boost for me (and I think for all of us). Working from home is a luxury that turned into a necessity. It is something I will continue to do when needed, but definitely not on a daily basis.
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Get a haircut
My kids and I did finally get our much-needed haircuts. But in the midst of the pandemic, my hairdresser moved. My go-to gal for a decade! So, in a couple of weeks, I’ll be getting my second haircut in a year, but this time, it will be with someone new.
As I looked back on my list, and reflected on the past year. I recognize that there is much to grieve and at the same time, much to be thankful for. We’ve lost so much, and at the same time, gained some valuable perspective.