A Much-Needed Toast to the New Year

Happy New Year! It’s the first weekend of the month, and that means it’s time to join my friends Coco and Deborah for the Ultimate Coffee Date. But hey, being that it’s New Year’s Day and all, I say pour yourself a glass of whatever you want and join along. I myself am cozying up to the fireplace with a nice cold glass of Sauvi B.

If we were having coffee drinks, I would tell you I’m just as glad as the next gal that 2020 has come to an end. Global pandemic aside, 2020 was a bit of a shit year for me. Still, there were many positives throughout the year, and I choose to focus on those.

Over coffee drinks I would share for those of you who don’t know, we got a puppy! You might have seen just a few pics of her on my Instagram account. Just a FEW. She is a Blue Tick Coonhound with a little bit of Blue Heeler mixed in. She is a rescue from a shelter that benefits military veterans. We named her Blue (nothing to do with the breed), and she is as sweet as can be. She will graduate (I fully anticipate with high honors) from Beginner Puppy Training on Sunday. She seriously is the smartest and best-behaved puppy in the class! You can follow her on Instagram for a daily dose of cute!

                  

If we were having coffee drinks I would tell you I received my first Covid vaccine on December 19th and will receive the second in the two-shot series on January 9th. I had zero side effects from the first one; not even a sore arm. And much to many people’s surprise, I have yet to grow a tail or a third leg. Here’s hoping this nightmare comes to an end soon.

As I pour another cup glass, I’d like to say that although I’ve dropped off of the social media train a bit, I’ve been keeping very active. I’m especially enjoying my walks with Blue. We take to the trails in the forest preserves that back up to our subdivision. Believe it or not, although we have lived here for over 27 years, I only started venturing out to the trails in the past few months. We came across this remnant of an ancient dinosaur just the other day. Hence the reason I haven’t spent much time alone back there.

And before I take my final sips, I want to take a moment to thank my friends in the online running community. A number of us bloggers from across the globe have been getting together virtually via Zoom, Instagram, and Messenger since the pandemic started, and I have to say, they are some of the very people who have kept me sane during what has been an incredibly stressful year. I am looking forward to seeing so many of them in real life when things go back to normal…whatever that might mean.

What would you share with me over coffee drinks?

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On my 2021 Race Calendar:

Nothing. Nada. Zilch.

Let’s hope that changes soon!

The Ultimate Coffee Date

 

I’m linking up with Coco and Deborah for the Ultimate Coffee Date. Why not pour yourself a cup of Joe and tell me what’s going on in your neck of the woods?

22 Comments

  1. I’m getting dose number 2 next Friday as well. So let’s send each other good vibes! We’re going to beat this thing!

    Blue is so cute! I’m glad she’s such a good pup.

    1. Author

      Yayyyyy! Let’s hope many more will follow suit!

      Blue has been a great addition to our family, and with me being home so much, she and I are attached at the hip!

      Happy new year, Wendy!

  2. Yay so glad to have you back for coffee (or wine) hey whatever works for you! I love the photos of you and the puppy and it looks like you both are really happy together. It’s nice to see you smiling again! Thanks for joining today!

  3. Aww, Blue is adorable! <3 I'm glad you were able to get the Covid vaccine! I have my second dose scheduled for a couple days after you! Super hoping that this nightmare will end soon as well.

    1. Author

      Thanks, Farrah. She’s a keeper! Glad to hear you got the vaccine, too. I’m perplexed by the many health care providers who won’t get one.

  4. Congrats on your puppy! It warms my heart that she’s from a rescue. I feel so strongly about that & one that benefits the military — even better!

    Glad you had no ill effects from the first dose of the vaccine. I will probably be one of the last to get it (not over 60, no underlying health conditions) so I get to wait & watch anyway. 🙂

    I completely stopped using IG. I still do stuff on FB, though.

    1. Author

      Thanks – we are so happy with her and it’s definitely an added bonus that the organization support vets! I do want to be more consistent on social media, but sometimes I struggle with content, especially with everything slowed down because of the pandemic. Hopefully your turn for the vaccine will come up soon!

  5. Your little baby Blue is adorable 😉 Lucky for you to have her, and lucky for her to have been rescued <3 Here's hoping (as a clink my "glass" with yours) that 2021 serves us all well, and steers us in a better direction than the 2020 detour we had to navigate.

  6. Yay on getting vaccinated! Illinois seems to be on the ball, or maybe all my medical professional friends live there. Yikes on that skeleton. That would give me pause for sure.

    Here’s to better times in 2021!

    1. Author

      Yes, I was actually surprised we got our vaccines so quickly. Hopefully things will roll out much quicker around the country over the coming weeks.

      Happy new year!

  7. It’s been a great year to love on our pets! Blue is a doll. Um that is one helluva “remnant”. Yikes. I am glad you ventured out on the trails though anyway. I too value our little group so much. Happy New Year!

    1. Author

      The coyotes have been out in full force lately – they are getting hungry back there and we now see them walk down the middle of our street almost daily.

      I am loving the trails more than I would have known!

      Happy new year!

  8. It’s been a hell of a year and I was so happy to see 2020 come to an end. I completely agree with you about the network of bloggers. I’m so incredibly thankful to be a part of that group as it has also helped to keep me sane throughout last year as well.

    I just followed your puppy on IG. I’m always in need of feel good content on my feed! 🙂

    1. Author

      Aww, thanks for the follow for Blue! I was posting daily when we first got her in September and kind of fell off recently, I’ll have to be more consistent here and there!

      A very happy new year to you, my friend. I’m hoping we can meet up IRL some time this year!

  9. You have had one heck of a year. Here’s to a better 2021!

    I follow Blue on IG, but IG chooses not to put her in my feed regularly so I’ve missed a lot of her posts. I hate IG sometimes!

    Happy New Year!

    1. Author

      Haha, I’ve also been slacking on posting for her lately – though I have tons of photos on my phone!

      IG is so weird in how things pop in and out. I’ll never figure it out.

      Happy new year to you, too!

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