I’ve been thinking about this post all year —how to reflect on such a different and heavy year. While it hasn’t been the best year, I am fortunate to have minimal disruptions—the extent of working from and staying at home, canceled travel, and social distancing. I’m grateful to be healthy, employed, and have moments of new types of joys throughout the year. 

That being said, there have been some tough moments and deep emotions around daily devastating news. From the Covid pandemic, politics, racial injustice, and climate change, it was disheartening… even for me, a natural optimist. I became more aware and saddened by how broken and deeply divide America is, seen through politics, social movements, and the pandemic. But also in these times of discomfort, I see hope, healing, and a desire to change. This awareness and empathy is an outcome of my 2020.

This year has been a test to adapt, change, and grow in unplanned ways. I’ve learned to find joy through local outdoor adventures, road and train travel instead of air, new cooking attempts, my self-managed financial portfolio, and a fully completed home. 2020 has also taught me to value social connection and not to take little things for granted like indoor dining, being in a crowd, and social-friendly banter.

2020 Goals

[X] 100% finish the house: landscaping & deck
[X] Share more @simpledesignlife content
[X] Do financial planning
[X] Clean up digital files/photos/emails
[ ] Get back into shape – Gross, I’m in the worst shape ever
[X] Snowboard in new states (California & Montana)
[ ] Camp at Zion and hike the Narrows/Angel’s Landing*
[ ] Camp or visit Yosemite w/ Chi*
[ ] Hike and Camp at Goldmyer’s Hot Springs – Cancelled due to Covid
[ ] Hike and/or camp at Enchantments – Didn’t win permits
[ ] Travel new, far & different (Chile/Patagonia + South Africa)*
[ ] Alaskan cruise with family*
[ ] Plan a 2021 Asia/Europe snowboarding trip or Mardi Gras, New Orleans*
*Yeah… All my initial air travel plans were squashed but replaced with road and train weekend getaways

2020 Highlights

Whistler Engagement

In Jan, Chi and I were part of Hong-li (my sister-in-law) and Perry’s engagement in Whistler! It was fun to snowboard with them and our friend, Reagan. It was nice to see family before the pandemic started. 

Big Sky, Montana

In Feb, we visited Big Sky, Montana and we fell in love with the largest ski resort in the US. We had a bluebird day with breathtaking views and a powder day with first tracks.  

Tahoe & Mammoth, California

Just before the pandemic, we escaped to Mammoth and Squaw Valley Resort for snowboarding in Feb/March. Our quick stop at Sand Harbor State Park showed me how was impressive and beautiful Lake Tahoe was. Before we left, we also ate at a buffet in Reno… little did we know, this could be the last self-serve all you can eat forever (or a long while). 

Finishing our home & @simpledesignlife

With the lockdown, we finally finished our landscape and deck… I designed the landscape and learned so much about plants, while Chi built the deck I designed. This closed out our 3-year remodeling project. I also grew our Instagram account to 800 followers! 

Personal Finance Journey

Driven by the pandemic and two inspiring friends, I went above and beyond in my goal to “Do financial planning”. At the beginning of 2020, I was financially illiterate and started shopping for a financial planner. After a couple of sales-like interactions to purchase whole life insurance and to hand over a portion of our assets for management, I reassessed this decision. Instead, I started to learn more about personal finance via short YouTube videos and then graduating to books and blogs. Eventually, I consolidated and rebalanced our accounts, and am confident enough to take control of our personal finances. Our new goal is to be financially independent and retire early (F.I.R.E. movement) asap! 

Yellowstone & Teton National Park

With global travel to a halt, we looked at a road trip to escape from our 9 to 5. We headed on a week-long camping trip to Yellowstone & Teton National Park. It was a much-needed time away from work and everything else going in the world. 

Local Weekend Trips & Adventures

Working from home all the time, I needed to get out of the house (responsibly and as safe as possible) for my mental health. The Pacific Northwest is the perfect place to do that. We took many local camping or cabin trips. It was something for us to look forward to, get fresh air, and keep active. I loved staying in the cabin in the cascades, visiting Orcas Island, crabbing for the first time at Cama Beach, admiring the sunset at Cape Disappointment, seeing the lavender fields in Sequim, ATVing in Sandlake Dunes, and biking around Stehekin. 

Chuckanut Bay

For our 2nd anniversary, Chi planned a surprise autumn getaway to Chuckanut Bay and Fairhaven. It was perfect as I was crashing from the summer highs and staying home. It was a romantic trip with outdoor fall colors. 

Whitefish, Montana

My travel (“get-out-of-the-house”) itch needed to be scratched in Winter… So we decided to take the overnight train in a private room to Whitefish, Montana to kick off this snowboarding season and celebrate Christmas. 

Other Memorable Moments

• Chinese New Year with friends at our place (prior to Covid)
• Archery date on Valentines 
• Eating at Meet Korean BBQ with a large group of friends (prior to Covid) —a rare cherished experience in 2020 
• Bike riding and quiet strolls around our neighborhood
• The excitement from shopping and picking plants for our landscape – Learned a lot about gardening and landscaping
• BBQs and hangouts on our new deck
• Seeing bears for the first time during a hike
• Finally tried a voodoo donut and it was better than expected
• Thanksgiving in Leavenworth with a few quarantined/tested friends
• Video gaming with others (Diablo, Mahjong, Among us, Little Big Planet)
• Countless virtual calls and meetings with family/friends
• Too many TV shows and Movies —fan girl-ed and binged “Once Upon a Time”, “Umbrella Academy” and “Schitt’s Creek”

2021 Goals

[ ] Stay active + get back into shape. – 3x a week
[ ] Read more books – Aiming for 4+ 
[ ] Travel if safe to do so – Toronto? Hawaii? Anywhere?
[ ] Hit a financial milestone – Save $ amount
[ ] Keep growing @simpledesignlife Instagram
[ ] New growth + learning something new…

Now that I’m reflecting back on the entire year, it was overall a pretty good year. I feel accomplished and thankful to have so many great moments —and some shared with friends and family through different means. I am hopeful for a better 2021 for everyone but I am also content and satisfied with my 2020.