Happy Holidays 2020
Dear friends and family,
We hope this letter finds you healthy and in good spirits. What a year it has been. 2020 kicked us in the pants, but luckily we've managed to stay healthy and with a roof over our head.
This year challenged us in so many ways, as it has most people. If you haven't heard from us in a while, we wanted to give you a recap of our 2020, both the good and the bad.
Winter
Sedona hiking
We kicked off the year with a short weekend trip to Sedona, where we hiked multiple red rock trails and ate some amazing food. Some of the hikes were difficult and so rewarding to get to the top. This little getaway was the perfect way for us to start 2020.
Tahoe traditions
Every year we try to meet with friends up in the Tahoe area. This year Jeremy hosted a zombie apocalypse role playing game which was a huge hit.
Back to Japan
Our friends and family thought we were crazy to go to Japan on the heels of the outbreak, but it ended up being fine. We left end of february and came back mid-march. We had a small scare trying to get back home, but the entire trip was spectacular.
Spring
When we came back from Japan, the world changed.
The virus spread to the states and all of Jeremy’s booked gigs cancelled. Within a week the calls stopped coming. Loretta's company was hit hard by covid and In an effort to save the business, they went through a big round of layoffs and temporary salary docking. Luckily, Loretta survived the layoffs, but sadly had to say farewell to several colleagues.
It was a shock to our system and to say we were worried, was an understatement.
Jeremy’s projects
With Jeremy’s film work drying up, he turned his attention to woodworking. He started a youtube channel by building projects for the house and backyard.
Jeremy built a beautiful shade sale (above) for our backyard so that we could better enjoy the patio in the summer heat. He also built a garden shed, a dog bed for the boys, and a bunch of house hold decor items. (below)
And then something amazing happened…
Friends and family began hiring Jeremy to build furniture and household items. With these projects, Jeremy felt immense pride and fulfillment in being able to make a little money and improve his skills. Thank you so much to all our friends and neighbors who hired Jeremy this year. Here are just a few favorites:
Loretta’s birthday
All I wanted was to see the ocean for my birthday, so we took a drive up to Tomales Bay and had lunch overlooking this spot.
Connecting with our community
Our neighbors have really tried hard to make sure we still feel like a community during the pandemic. In the spring, they organized an outdoor art show.
We saw this as an opportunity to show off our work and our passions. The donuts drew the crowd in and got a ton of smiles. Jeremy made geometric pots, ornate bottle openers, and coasters. Our booth was a huge hit.
A few hours later, this happened… 😂
Neighborhood car parade
Another fun thing our neighborhood did this year was organize a car parade to foster a sense of community and solidarity while still social distancing. Here’s the video Jeremy shot as cars went by our house.
Summer
As we entered summer, we kept to ourselves. Jeremy worked in the shop, Loretta worked for Turo from her office by day, and worked on her Japan book from the couch at night. We went on walks with the dogs, Jeremy got really good at making tri tip, and Loretta learned how to cut Jeremy’s hair.
Every day life at home
In July, we hiked an old favorite, Mori Point.
Jeremy’s Birthday
We went camping for Jeremy’s birthday at Loon Lake. The weather was pretty warm and the sky was hazy from all the fires, but along the water it was perfect. The dogs loved the calm reservoir so much they actually dove in and swam!
Fall
Santa Cruz
I needed another visit to the sea, so Jeremy took us down to Santa Cruz in October and we walked along West Cliff Drive and down to the board walk. Afterward, we stopped at a restaurant and ate stress free outside. It was the least crowded, and most enjoyable post-covid restaurant experience we’ve had thus far.
Halloween
Halloween is kind of a big deal in our house. Our neighborhood decided to make this year extra special and have a costume parade for the kids. We decked the front lawn in a spooky scene and watched the kiddos go by.
Thanksgiving traditions
Every year we hike the morning of Thanksgiving and take our family holiday photo. This year was no different. We ate our modest Thanksgiving feast the night before, then packed up the dogs and headed to Carmel Valley.
We have persevered
And still, there were many days that weren’t happy ones. There were days when we got on each other’s nerves. There were worried days, and self-doubt days. There were ugly cry days when I just couldn’t take any more bad news, and there were burnt out days when I could barely speak. Throughout it all, we have survived largely because of Jeremy (and a steady supply of alcohol).
By just being himself, Jeremy filled my heart with laughter through his silly dances and ridiculous songs because he knew I needed them. He held me every time I cried, and supported me through the breakdowns and the panic attacks.
I love this man with everything I have.
Happy Holidays!
We wrap up the year with our sights on a happier tomorrow. We have decided to give ourselves a pass this Christmas and make this blog post our holiday card. We will be spending our Christmas in Joshua Tree, hiking and being together out in nature.
We sincerely hope you and your family stay well and safe in the next year. We hope that sometime soon we can see you in real life and dare I even say, give you a hug. Man.. we really miss hugs.
We’re hopeful 2021 will turn a corner and bring everyone happier days. Remember that we are always just a phone call away.
Love you all,
Jeremy, Loretta, Zero, and Darby
