EVEN DARKNESS MUST PASS // 2020 WRAPUP!

IT'S 2021.

I'm pretty sure everyone has been waiting for this since March.

It's so hard to believe that we're here, past 2020 and into 2021. It has been QUITE. THE. YEAR, but nobody needs me to elaborate, right? We all know what's up. And I think it's an understatement to say that it's a bit of a relief to see 2020 go out the door. 

But the year wasn't all bad, and I for one am thankful to say that my 2020 was actually pretty good. Of course, I wasn't untouched by all the craziness (birthdays, Easter, Thanksgiving, were more different than they ever have been), but overall I can look back and smile.

So, that's what we're doing today- looking back. Here's my recap of 2020!

I didn't reach my Goodreads goal. 

Just thought I'd get that out of the way right off. xD My goal was 45, and I only made it to 33. BUT IT'S OKAY. I still had a great reading year!

I won't try to list ALL the books I read, but here are some highlights!

Out of Time trilogy by Nadine Brandes // I reread this series this year, and guys, these books were just as amazing the second time. They hit me in every way they did when I first read them, aaand... yeah. I'm already planning another reread. ;P

Rising Shadows trilogy by Ashley Townsend // Defying Shadows made me SOB. Like, not even joking. It's very rare that a book makes me actually cry, but this one... this one did. #thefeels 

Dust by Kara Swanson // This was SUCH a magical read, and I definitely want to reread it in 2021! Shadow also releases this year and I CAN'T WAIT. Dust was just SO GOOD. 

Lord of the Rings // I read The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring this year, and I've so enjoyed taking a trip through Middle Earth again. Even though they kind of slowed my reading down, I think a comfort read was exactly what I needed at the end of this crazy year. 

This year in the writing realm, I...

-Finished the first draft of Once Upon! I started this book for NaNoWriMo 2019, and finished it up in April for Camp NaNo. So happy to see it (partway) finished!

-Made progress on the second draft of Roots to Claim! I was really hoping to finish this draft in 2020, but it just didn't happen. This is definitely a big goal of mine in 2021!

-Won NaNoWriMo and wrote 50k of Twice Upon! AKA, book 2 in my Trentley and Jynnia series. (Currently unnamed so we just keep calling it the Trentley and Jynnia series. xD) 

-Had stories published in three anthologies! I'm still just... so blown away by this. Not only was 2020 the first year I saw my name printed in a physical book, but I'm so blessed to have had it happen three times over the course of six months. SO surreal. 

February: ENDGAME.

I STILL CAN'T GET OVER THIS AHHHHH

YES. My family completed our Marvel journey with Endgame back in February, and, well... it broke me. I wrote a whole post about it here, so I won't ramble about it now, but suffice to say that I was a mess for days afterward and I JUST REALLY WANT TO WATCH IT AGAIN. 

March: Turned 22, was excited about having a Taylor Swift Red-themed birthday party (you know, feeling 22 and all that)... then cancelled it because COVID. -_-I planned on postponing it to fall or something but LOL COVID STILL HERE

May: Started a YouTube channel! And then... promptly neglected it. xD I'm hoping to provide some new content in this next year, though! I've just been having some camera troubles, but I'm working through them. Painstakingly. xD (I might have a couple videos already filmed that just need edited...)

July: Met a Power Ranger, which was by far one of the coolest things I did this year. 

August: Started college. It's been wild these past few months, and I've had my fair share of Stressed College Student moments. But I've (mostly) enjoyed the experience, and I'm proud of myself for surviving it through the first semester. (it's worth mentioning that I guessed my way through 90% of my history class and still somehow came out with an A so there's that xD) 

I also started watching Avatar: The Last Airbender! I'd been wanting to watch this for a WHILE and I finally got into it this year. (and yes, Nicole, you are 100% responsible.) I'm still only a few episodes into season 1, but it's so much fun and I can't wait to get further into it!

October: Changed my major! I started out majoring in business management. Basically, I didn't have a clear vision of what college was going to do for me, so I figured a business degree would be a useful thing to have for a variety of careers. Well, partway through the semester I started having second thoughts, and when I looked ahead at all the classes I'd need to take to finish out a business degree... that pretty much sealed the deal. SO. MUCH. MATH. And a bunch of other gross-sounding classes that I don't even want to think about. xD SO, I changed paths and am now officially an English major! 

I also did a genderbent Winter Soldier for Halloween and honestly that was one of the highlights of my year. xD I have to wear a mask at work now, so I was determined to make it look cool and I THINK I SUCCEEDED. (I told my brother to come in my room to see what I was dressed up as, and when he came in I was hiding in the corner with the lights out and the Winter Soldier theme playing. xD Had to recreate a scene from the movie, y'know.) 

November: I got COVID! *sarcastic cheers* Yep, crossed a major thing off on 2020 bingo, right there. xD My mom got it first, then my brother, then me and my dad. I already lamented about this in my NaNo wrapup post, but guys. Trying to write a book without being able to taste chocolate OR coffee = A NOT FUN TIME. (My taste and smell is back now, though. So I've been sniffing every candle I get my hands on and appreciating it more than I ever did before. xD)

Some fun blogging stats from 2020:

-Apparently my most popular post was the Awesome Blogger Award! 

-I reached 40 followers! (not gonna lie, I'm glad this happened before the end of the year because the odd number was bothering me xD)

-I hit 18k pageviews and 1.4k comments! 

So, here we are, in the dawn of 2021. I can't believe it's already January again! I'm so excited for the fresh start of a new year. New years are my favorite and I can't wait to work on the goals that I've been making! 

Like I already mentioned, I think we're all a little relieved to see 2020 end. Of course, the year didn't cause all the bad things that happened. Everything didn't just dissolve when the clock hit midnight on New Year's Eve. But seeing 2020 end is still meaningful, because seeing a new year come in is a symbol of what we've all just come through. I don't think 2020 has been easy for anybody, and welcoming in 2021 is like a small triumph that says WE MADE IT. Maybe the troubles aren't over, but we've proved to ourselves that we can withstand more than we probably ever thought we would. 

"But in the end, it's only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer."

-The Two Towers

That being said, I think it's important that we all stop and look back at 2020 with appreciation. Yes, it was a strange year. For some, maybe it was an awful year. But there was still growth, no matter what you went through. It's okay to be glad it's over, but I think we can (and should) still appreciate its existence. After all, a lot of beautiful things happened this year. I, for one, was inspired watching all the encouragement and good spirits in blogging and social media. People came together in the only way they could, providing hope and love. We acknowledged the severity of the pandemic, but we also found ways to laugh and stay lighthearted in the midst of it. People have helped each other through this wild year, and it's been amazing to watch. 

I have no idea how long we'll still be dealing with this craziness. I, for one, am more than ready to see masks, plexiglass, and social distancing reminders go away forever. But, well, there's no telling just when we can get "normal" back. Until then, let's all just do what we can to keep holding onto the positive, being kind, and trusting the future to God's hands. 

Thank you all for walking through 2020 with me! You, without a doubt, made the year 100x better. I am endlessly thankful for you all, and I can't wait to explore this new year with you! You'll never know how much your comments, your support, and your friendship means to me.

Before I go: I may go on hiatus this month. At least partially. I honestly haven't totally decided yet if I will or not, but I'd like to do some more reading and writing before school starts up again. So if I don't post at all or as regularly, that's why! I hope to get back to regular posting by February, though. 

Here's to a wonderful 2021! HAPPY NEW YEAR!

So tell me, guys- what's something GOOD that happened to you in 2020? Or one reason that you appreciate it despite its craziness? And what are you most excited about in 2021?