2021 - A Year of Goals All Around

Hi Everyone! 

So, life has been pretty crazy lately... and by lately I mean, the past two-ish years. Who knew a colossal pandemic would wipe out hundreds and thousands of people across the world? (I'm pretty jaded by now, so my numbers are probably totally off there.) 2020 was a whirlwind where we were all questioning every move, literally and hypothetically, and who knew so many people didn't practice basic hygienic principles throughout the day??? There was much to smack our heads about in frustration and also, much to be thankful for, because we made it. Who really know if we're out of the woods yet, but thanks to the many advances in science and our access to education and healthcare systems, the husband and I are fully vaccinated and boosted, heading into the 2021 holiday season. 

Right now is probably a good time to introduce myself. I'm Sam, recently married Hughes (nee Kalany) and I'm a full-time Digital Media Specialist/Copywriter at a Technology Solutions Distributor in the great Bluegrass state, who has had it pretty good since the start of the pandemic and is STILL currently working from home, which both my 23-month old Labradoodle, Luna and I both appreciate entirely. I'm married to the perfect partner and lover, Christopher and he funds (both financially and emotionally) all of my little manic goals and side-projects without hesitation.

By manic goals, I definitely depended on both my father, who lives right down the road and my lovely husband this past Spring/Summer to build me two fully-operational raised garden beds in our backyard so that I could sow a plethora of seeds and planters to harvest mid-Summer and early Autumn, and boy did we have a good season this year. From sweet potatoes to eggplants, tomatoes, and spicy peppers (even though I'm not the biggest on spicy things... I just wanted to see if I could do it), we were giving produce away by the bagful. Not to mention, I went full conservationist, and decided to get into pickling and conserving as much as I could to "last the winter," as if the grocery store isn't 5 minutes down the road and we don't both have well-paying jobs in the modern world, haha. I crack myself up. 

Reading also helped me pass the time, as well. I started the new year with a goal to read 2 books a month, which kept growing and multiplying as time went on, and I was reminded how fond I was of reading page after page and genre after genre. Mid-February, I found that it was fun to converse with friends about the books they were reading and decided to start a Book Club for the Quarantine-bound individuals in my life. While we weren't all necessarily quarantining due to COVID-19 exposure, we were definitely pretty confined to our homes because mandates and social distancing guidelines were still in place. With things being lifted and businesses opening back up now, I'm definitely more of a homebody than I ever was before and prefer to cozy up with a book and my doodle (if she'll let me) and wait for the cookies to be done or wait until my focaccia bread is done proofing. 

Reading and Gardening have both proven to be great cheerleaders in my pursuit of bettering my mental health as well. While there's no shame in being medicated or inquiring about medications to provide mental health relief, nothing makes me happier than a trip to Half Price Books or drawing up a map of my garden space for the following season. The little serotonin boosts are definitely worth it and I so enjoy linking up with my Book Club babes the last Thursday of every month to talk discussion questions and dive deeper into the books' tones. 

The point of this blog is to provide a warm place for those struggling with anxiety as well, while also publishing my thoughts and reviews on books I've read recently or ones I couldn't put down. There will also be a mix of gardening updates as well, as we brave through the cold winter months and pray to the Garden gods that the garlic shoots up soon from the frozen ground, and I won't be without all of the garlic smells come July. 

Welcome and enjoy!