2022 in review
My mom used to write Christmas letters to family and friends like a decade ago. So that, but make it millennial.
January
Started the year completely and totally burnt out with clients. Went on a mission to rebuild the peace. We started building a speakeasy in our basement which was a ton of fun. M was determined to do all the flooring himself while he was on break from work. I did all the painting and furniture searching. Dad spends a couple weeks with us where we spend most of the time working and playing Wii Golf and Wii Pool.
February
February brought peace and quiet, some amount of balance. We got hit with weekly winter storms in this month and it felt like nothing was open out of response to Omnicron. February wasn’t the best month of my life so not much to say here.
March
I turned 30 in March. Mom and Dad came out, mom made my favourite - Ghosts in a Graveyard. She finds it funny that her kids remember the mundane things but it’s a reminder that the little stuff matters (to me). I also got featured on my first panel with Xero. Epic. M and I had a cancer scare. We disappeared to Cape Breton for a few days too, which was fun. Date days in a hotel room? Yes, please.
April
In April, I set new boundaries. Hurray for boundaries. We got bikes I think which we used a couple of times until June. Yikes. Gotta get back into that. I started French classes and had a good prof. M and I finished working on our speakeasy and it’s really fun to have a spot to disappear to.
May
In May, I got invited to a massive conference in the states - with Xero. Epic. I ultimately turned it down since traveling to that state could have some significant consequences due to birth control…? We live in a strange world. We booked our trip to Paris for September - we’re stoked. M finishes up his French course and starts real work for the first time since 2019. Wow. Went to the Van Gogh immersion exhibit. I like art, and apparently, I like impressionism? Our solar power got turned on this month too, and we’ve made over $1100 in 2022. Haven’t paid for power since then which is epic. I’m so curious how the winter will go.
June
In June, I wound in the ER with what we would learn was an SVT. That would take over my world and pretty much every stress from that point on. In positive news, this also led to some healthier life choices - no more caffeinated coffee, and limited tea. We finished up work with our financial planner - someone who specializes in entrepreneurs and helps us plan a better future. It’s wild that we’re well on our way to retirement savings and secure in that. We also started our new tradition of Milkshake Sundays - once a month we go find delicious milkshakes at a diner.
July
In July, I went back to Alberta. At this point I was so homesick I could barely do anything. Time home was nice - lots of walks, time with the nephews - met the youngest for the first time!, time with my brother 1-1 - a nice reminder that stuff is important to me. I met with the cardiologist - I have a heart condition and now I’m on meds. Having the best sleeps of my life with my heart chilling the fuck out rather than resting in the mid-80s. Feels nice. My business hit six figures the same day I met the cardiologist.
August
In August, we finalized our plans for France. Nearly had to cancel thanks to the June incident but shout out to M’s work for giving me travel insurance when we got married. M and I start exploring Nova Scotia more - he’d never been to Peggy’s Cove so we went there. We stumble upon Lunenburg which might be our forever home sometime in the future. We also had the global virus.
September
In September, we go to Paris. 10 days in the city. We fall in love with the city and the culture. I understand French better, M convinces Parisians that he’s not anglophone and we have a good laugh about all the influencers with selfie sticks. It’s our first international trip together since our Honeymoon 4 years ago. We have two days at home together, then I’m off to Calgary for another panel with Xero - expenses paid. What a dream. M heads off to a conference in Ottawa and by the time he’s home, it’s October.
October
In October, we pop over to PEI for a break and sightseeing. M’s never been and some of our niblings are there. We have some date nights, date days, and see the family for a bit. We pop over to Green Gables and then back home. We have my meeting with the specialist (even more specialized than a cardiologist) and learn that I’ll have heart surgery in late November. My sis comes for her annual visit. I also made nearly perfect croissants so I’m feeling invincible when it comes to the dark arts of baking. We also got a hot tub so shout out to my muscles and mental health!
November
In November, I get a call on November 9th asking if we can do the procedure on the 15th. Uh, okay. That’s not late November, but sure. Mom drops everything and comes out to be with us - Dad and I talked about him coming too but he had some other things that I felt were just not going to align with the schedule. It works out. Surgery isn’t successful and I have a fuck ton of fentanyl in my system so I just puke a bunch. I can’t move after my surgery, so I spent three days on the couch binge-watching The Crown and too many Christmas rom-coms.
December
In December, we have secret date nights, try archery, and have weekly walks in the mall. Decided I’ll undergo another surgery to deal with the extra wire in my heart. I found other ways of happiness, hid stuff on social media, and focused on my little island of happiness. My family comes for Christmas and while it was absolutely crazy in the house my heart was still full and is there anything better than watching my mom watching almost all her kids laughing and playing games together? Also, my little nephew learned to walk in our house so that was really neat.
