Category: Year Review

2021 was pretty much a lot like 2020. The pandemic is still going on and many things are still closed. However, last year I was finally able to do some in person races, starting in San Diego, where I was able to do a 10k and spend the weekend there. Here are the things I did in 2021.

Quit my job

This was probably the biggest thing I did in 2021. I’ve quit other jobs before, but this was my first time quitting my job without having another job lined up. I quit to focus on Athena Rose. I am hoping this year i can bring in more sales. I plan to spend more time making video content for social media.

Turned 30 Years Old

I turned 30 years old last year and I had wanted to throw myself a big birthday party, but couldn’t thanks to the global pandemic. Instead, I just stayed at home with my family as usual.

Selena’s first time at Disneyland

I originally planned to wait to take my daughter to Disneyland because I figured she was too young to have any fun. I was so wrong. I am very glad we got to go before she turned 3 years old. We had so much fun, even with the long lines. She loved all the rides in Fantasyland and the Dole Whip. I might even make this an annual thing.

Started Selena’s Sweets

I have always loved baking and selling my baked goods is something that I’ve wanted to do for the longest time. Last year I officially started Selena’s Sweets and even had two pop ups. I’m hoping to do more events this year, including birthday parties.

Opened my Shopify shop

After seeing so many people have success with their Shopify shop, I decided to make the leap and open my own website as well. I’ve had my shop open for 1 year now and it’s been great having so much control over my website. I am very happy to have left Etsy, which just didn’t work very well for me.

Big Bear with family

My family and I go to Big Bear almost every year for the weekend during summer. It’s always so much fun. I love being in the outdoors with Selena, going on walks, and going to the lake. I really hope we get to go again this year.

Universal studios with family and Selena

I went multiple times to Universal Studios Hollywood last year. I got the annual pass and it has been so worth it so far. I first went for their Taste of Universal event and got to try some really tasty food. I have gone with Selena many times, by myself a few times, and once with my family. The best thing about having the pass is not having to worry about not being able to go on certain rides because we can always go back the next time. I plan on getting Selena an annual pass as well because she loves it. We usually go for like 3 or 4 hours.

Knott’s Berry Farm with Selena and family

Knott’s Berry Farm is another place we go to very often. I have been a season pass holder since 2014 or 2015. My favorite time of the year to visit is Knott’s Merry Farm, when everything is decorated for Christmas and they have delicious seasonal treats. I bought a season pass for 2 of my sisters so we got to go a few times. I think in October or November, I actually went to Knott’s Berry Farm 4 or 5 times! I didn’t even get bored, believe it or not. Of course I’ll be getting Selena a pass for this as well.

Ran 1 Marathon, 3 Half Marathons, 2 10k, and 4 5k races

After not running in person races for a year and a half , I was finally able to run races again last year. I ran a total of 10 in person races. I didn’t do such a good job in my longer races, the half marathons and marathon because of my lack of training. I was just not motivated to do much last year. I am hoping to train more this year and stay motivated.

I don’t want to jinx anything for 2022, it would be nice to travel but with the way everything is going, I won’t be planning things as much as i tried the past two years.

2020 was supposed to be the year that my daughter started travelling together and the year that I quit my job to work on my business full time. Neither of those things happened. In March businesses started to shut down. My hours got cut drastically at work as a result of covid 19.

LA Marathon 2020

This was my first marathon since having Selena. I was planning on training so that I could run in under 5 hours, but I got lazy and unmotivated. The only long run i did in my training was a 13 mile run I did at the Surf City Half Marathon In February. While, I may have been very slow, my official time was 5 hours and 45 minutes, at least I finished. I am proud of myself for that fact, but I do think my next marathon will be much better.

Taste of Halloween and Taste of Merry Farm

Two things I was able to do this year was attend both of these events. These were events held at Knott’s Berry Farm. The rides were not in service, but we were able to get tasting cards and try many foods that Knott’s is famous for, as well as seasonal, festive food. It was so enjoyable, the food was great. The atmosphere was great and they really took many safety precautions to make sure their guests were safe. I hope that in 2021, Knott’s Berry Farm can host more events like this.

Athena Rose

I started my business in September 2019. However, my daughter was 9 months old at the time and I was working 2 jobs, so i didn’t really put much effort into it. I started putting more effort into it this year and it paid off. In June 2020, I added things to my Etsy shop. In July 202,0, I opened my own online store. In August 2020, I set goals for September-December and I am happy to report that I surpassed my goals. I did my first pop up of the year in October and then did three more in December. These were successful and I met so many vendors and great people. I can’t wait to continue doing these pop up events in 2021. I really hope to grow my business and be able to leave my current job.

Selena Taylor

My daughter turned 1 years old this year, back in January. In just one year, she has grown so much. She has learned how to walk, run, talk so much, eat lots of veggies, and play with her books. She is a funny, silly baby who has a bit of a temper. She can be a big troublemaker and can throw a tantrum when she doesn’t get her way. She is also a bit of a picky eater. Despite all of this, Selena is a such a great baby and I can’t wait to watch her grow up and learn as she turns 2 years old next month.

Big Bear

Another fun thing we did this year was go to Big Bear in August 2020. I went with my family. We were in a cabin in Big Bear for about 5 days. The whole time we were there, we had to social distance and wear masks. Some things we got to do were bike ride and spend time in the lake, We also went on nature walks and went down water slides. I had a lot of fun and I know Selena did too.

Last year in my 20s

Next month I will turn 30 years old. Of course, I am freaking out about this. In January 2020, I had planned to throw myself a big party to celebrate turning 30 years old. Of course that will no longer happen since here in California we were given stay at home orders and told not to gather with people outside of our household. I will still throw a small bday party, but only for my family.

World Events

Here are some things that happened this year around the world. The major thing that took place in 2020 was the covid 19 pandemic, which affected people all over the world. Millions of people tested positive and many people died. Here in the United States, millions of people were left without a job as businesses all over had to shut down. When this first started affecting us in March, many of us thought things would be back to normal by summer. We are almost in 2021 and things have gotten even worse. Things that have changed in the world because everyone had to wear masks. We also started social distancing, using zoom to talk to people, schools are now virtual instead of in person, many people are now working from home, movie theaters are closed, to name a few. Of course things are different depending on what part of the world you live in, but here in California, most things are closed.

The government did give unemployed people extra money to help them through this time and student loan payments have been stopped. However, people are still struggling and who knows when things will get back to normal. This month, people started getting the covid 19 vaccine.

Other things that happened were protests and riots all over the US protesting police brutality against black men. It seems as if every week or sometimes even every few days, another unarmed black man has been killed by a police officer. Many people pointed the blame at the victims, but the overwhelming majority of the time, the men killed by the police were unarmed. Here in California, we had curfews because of these protests and riots. It’s sad that despite the protests, nothing has changed. I received a book back in 2017 that talked about police brutality against black men. Sadly, it has gotten even worse over the last 3 years.

Celebrities and Well Known People Who Passed Away in 2020

Kobe Bryant

Chadwick Boseman

Alex Trebek

Ruth Bader Ginsberg

Regis Philbin

Jerry Stiller

Luke Harper

There are many more who passed away this year, but these are the ones that I knew.

2019 was a big year for me. The biggest and most exciting thing that happened was the birth of my daughter, Selena Taylor. I never knew how hard motherhood was. She has grown and changed so much just in one year. I can’t believe she will be 1 year old at the end of next week.

Some other things that happened in 2019 were: I got a new job, I quit my job at the YMCA, broke up with my boyfriend, started a new business (Athena Rose), ran two half marathons, two 10k races, and four 5k races.

The only bad thing about 2019 was that I didn’t get to travel much since Selena was small. I hope in 2020 I get to travel more.