It had been nearly four years since my last blog update, but on August 1st, I shared highlights from 2020. Highlights? In 2020? What was I thinking? Yes, I know - I’m a bit nuts. Even as the COVID-19 pandemic continued into 2021, upending life as we knew it and bringing personal challenges, I’m back with another blog post to share the "highlights" from my 2021.
2021 was a trying year, perhaps even more so than 2020. At the beginning of the year, my dad was diagnosed with bladder cancer, and life as I knew it truly flipped upside down. However, after navigating the uncertainty, I had time to reflect - about three years’ worth of reflection. My almost-always-optimistic mindset reminds me how grateful I am to have been able to be there for my dad on the East Coast, thanks to the pandemic and resulting school closures.
My 2021 began on the West Coast, where I attempted to get in a shape other than round by completing the “75 Hard” challenge. By March, Bentley and I were once again embarking on a cross-country road trip, this time in a hurry to arrive before my dad’s first chemotherapy session. We accomplished that mission - and, more importantly, my dad beat cancer. With that spoiler out of the way, here are some highlights from the year:
I actually started the year in Buffalo, having been there for the holidays. I returned to Los Angeles in early January and settled back into pandemic life. It was boring; I read a lot and began working out more. As I mentioned, I started the “75 Hard” challenge, which involved working out twice a day (at least two 45-minute sessions, one outdoors), drinking a gallon of water daily, taking a progress picture each morning, following a diet, avoiding alcohol, and reading at least ten pages of a self-help book every day.
To break up the monotony and indulge my love for Fairmont Hotels, I booked myself a little staycation at the Fairmont in Santa Monica around Valentine’s Day. I distinctly remember completing one of my workouts in the hotel room, as well as calling my boss to inform her of my dad’s cancer diagnosis.
I stayed in Los Angeles just long enough to get vaccinated, and by mid-March, Bentley and I hit the road. We hardly stopped, driving across the country in about two and a half days, with brief stops near Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona and in what was a new state for me, Oklahoma. It was nearly impossible to continue the fitness challenge, but I proudly made it to day 60 (of 75), reaching a weight I hadn’t seen in a long time - though, of course, it’s a number I haven’t seen since then!
Bentley adjusted well to my dad’s house, and I found solace in hiking - lots of hiking - to cope with everything that was happening.
I continued working remotely (thank goodness) and even gave a presentation to a potentially large audience when I was invited to speak at the school board, albeit virtually.
As I did in 2020, I took online cooking classes and workshops as they became available. My dad had started his first round of chemo, and while I was excited to share my culinary endeavors with him, he politely declined my offerings due to his treatment side effects.
I hiked, and hiked, and hiked some more. I found both refuge and solace in the Western New York Hiking Challenge and will forever be indebted to the challenge created by Outside Chronicles. It may have been subconscious at first - a way to cope with everything life was throwing at me - but I was determined to complete every hike in the challenge that year, and I wanted to be among the first to finish.
Thank goodness for my obsession with taking pictures, because I honestly didn’t remember dyeing Easter eggs with my dad and brother, but alas, we did!
Something I definitely do remember is my episode on “Wander to the Edge,” where I talked about national parks, sports, and adventure with Adam Asher of The Edge of Adventure and Zanne from Where Gals Wander.
More hiking - long ones at that! Not only did I want to complete all the trails in the WNY Hiking Challenge, but I also aimed to tackle the Ultra Hikes, which were upwards of 20 miles!
A great highlight was getting dinner with one of my Yelp Buffalo friends at a fantastic restaurant - just look at this picture!
Spending time with my dad was important to me, but it was hard for me to sit still. So, I read a lot while he rested. Doing activities with him (and my brother) was challenging due to his treatment side effects, but we did manage to shoot some guns - safely, of course!
I never thought I would reach a point where I longed for interactions with humans, but I really did! So getting to hang out with friends as they passed through the most random area of New York State definitely deserves a spot on my highlight list. Thank you, Jen and Scott, for grabbing drinks with me - and Tom, too - which was extra special as he completed his quest to visit all of the counties in New York!
In June, after my dad finished his rounds of chemo but before his surgery to remove his bladder, I snuck south for a road trip to visit some national parks (and new states!). From Silver Creek, New York, I drove through the night to Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. Am I the only person who had Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, on their bucket list!?
I explored the Flight 93 National Memorial (wow, speechless) and Shenandoah National Park, where I met up with my friends Mike and Rachel. Then it was time to visit three states at once at Cumberland Gap, where I got caught in an epic rainstorm. I was determined to make lemonade out of lemons all year - I certainly wasn’t going to let rain stop me from exploring.
Though fog, not rain, inhibited some of my views at Great Smoky Mountains National Park, I might not have seen any bears, but I did add another national park to my collection, and I’ll take that as a win! On my way back to New York, I stopped at America’s “newest” national park - New River Gorge - and basked in all its national park glory. This is a little tongue-in-cheek because really the only thing that changed was the signage.
The last stop on this road trip before returning to my dad’s house was another night indulging my love for Fairmont Hotels. I stayed at the Fairmont in Pittsburgh. Unfortunately, many amenities were unavailable due to the pandemic, but I will always get great joy from giving my filthy, dirty car to the five-star hotel valet guys and explaining my road trip!
Around this time, the school year finally came to an end, and major changes were just around the corner. I constantly go back and forth on whether I want to share the details of the insanity that was about to ensue in my life. The very long story short is that my dad went into the hospital to have his bladder removed (part of the cancer treatment plan), and I more or less got back together with my toxic, no-good ex-boyfriend (definitely NOT part of the cancer treatment plan).
I continued hiking extensively and again found solace and peace in nature. I challenged myself with these hikes but reveled in the accomplishment of every outing.
By mid-July, my dad was getting his strength back, likely due to my drill-sergeant approach, as I forced him outside every night to take a couple of laps around his backyard.
I finished my last hike on July 17th; it was one of the Ultra hikes. The only day I could embark on this 24-mile hike happened to be a day when it was pouring rain. Quite frankly, it was foolish of me to attempt this point-to-point hike due to the rising creeks I needed to cross, but I was determined. It took me about 11 hours, and I was freezing while waiting for my good friend TJ to pick me up and take me back to my car.
Bentley and I needed to be back in Los Angeles by the end of July to start the 2021-2022 school year. I think we were finally going back in person - woo! We set off on another road trip on July 24th, with our first stop being the James A. Garfield National Historic Site in Pennsylvania, where Bentley became a #BarkRanger. I am truly a crazy cat lady - no shame!
We made a quick stop at Minute Man Missile National Historic Site and drove through Badlands National Park before stopping at the largest Smokey Bear carving and then at a hotel in Custer, South Dakota, to ensure my plans for the following day went smoothly - and they did! I explored Wind Cave National Park while Bentley stayed back at the hotel. This little rascal apparently wanted to join in on the adventure because while he was 100% in the hotel room when I got back, I started packing our belongings to head out to the car when he totally went Houdini on me. I panicked and searched everywhere - inside, outside, even in the housekeeping area. When I returned to the hotel room, there Bentley was chilling on the bed as if nothing had happened. He vanished and then reappeared like a magic trick. I love that little guy.
In August, I led an overnight backpacking trip for the Sierra Club to earn my O2 rating (on-trail overnight trips). I took a good-sized group to Round Valley at San Jacinto State Park, and we also hiked to the summit of San Jacinto!
Labor Day weekend was a highlight of epic proportions—certainly memorable and fully lived up to the mantra “It’s Always an Adventure.” I convinced my friend Todd (who I had previously persuaded to climb Kilimanjaro with me) to backpack to Reflection Canyon in Utah. We stayed in the coolest tiny house the night before our big adventure and had a fantastic time. The hike to Reflection Canyon was great; I was in shape, loved the views, and couldn’t believe this bucket list item was finally happening. However, others in the group were not as prepared, and things got dicey. I had my tent set up overlooking Reflection Canyon but had to take it down and hike back to regroup with the rest of the group. We all tried to rest and hiked out first thing the next morning, but people were running short on water. It was nearly a rescue situation, but we all got back to the cars relatively unscathed...definitely one for the memory book.
In mid-September, I flew to Charleston, South Carolina, primarily to explore Congaree National Park. Charleston was stunning, and I really want to spend more time in that area. There was so much delicious food, adventure, and, unfortunately, bugs. I wasn’t going to let that ruin my time, though. I really enjoyed my time in Charleston as well as my adventures around Congaree. I even took a journaling class while at Congaree, which was pretty neat. A highlight of my time in Charleston was grabbing coffee at Bitty & Beau's Coffee. Bitty & Beau’s Coffee is a human rights movement disguised as a coffee shop, where people with intellectual & developmental disabilities are valued in the workplace. It’s a place where diversity isn’t just appreciated, it’s celebrated. Bitty & Beau’s Coffee proudly employs 400+ individuals with disabilities nationwide.
In October, I went to Houston for a weekend getaway filled with great food and pampering. Go Bills!
Later in October, I helped lead a Sierra Club trip to Death Valley National Park and hiked up to Telescope Peak. It was incredible to see the diversity within Death Valley, with one part of the park being so hot while another (at higher elevation) was much cooler, especially in October!
I spent Halloween weekend renewing my Wilderness First Aid certification in Fullerton, California. It was a great time, and I can’t believe it’s already been three years. Time flies - I already need to renew it again!
Reflecting back, I have no idea how I managed all of this and then ran another full marathon on November 7th - the LA Marathon, which had been moved from March to November due to the pandemic. I’m so thankful to my friends and family - both near and far - who supported me throughout the year and especially on race day. You all made a huge difference.
By November 11th, I was back to adventuring as I joined my #ParkChat (and beyond) friend, Tom, on a trip to Channel Islands National Park! We boarded the ferry in Ventura and spent the day hiking around the Scorpion Ranch area of Santa Cruz Island. I love National Parks and National Park friends! Tom also doubles as a fellow sports/football enthusiast, and he has a quest to visit every NFL stadium, so being able to catch a game with him at SoFi Stadium was a treat!
A mere two days later, it was off to climb Mount Baldy as part of The Heroes Project. One of my outdoor inspirations, Peter Gaspar, and I were among the top fundraisers for this inspiring event.
I spent several years on the Social Committee at work, and there were two events/initiatives that were my favorites: the beach bonfire and the Adopt-a-Family initiative. Another year filled with fabulous experiences!
Alright, as we near the end of November 2021, of course we have yet another highlight! I flew to New Orleans to see the Buffalo Bills take on the New Orleans Saints. Seriously, so many highlights - meeting Pinto Ron, hanging out with friends, enjoying delicious meals and good drinks. An experience I will never forget and will always cherish.
In December, I got LASIK! It was something I had wanted to do for a while, and pandemic life definitely helped me finally go for it. I hated wearing my glasses with a mask because they always fogged up. I was out of contacts, and instead of placing another order, I opted for LASIK. Special appreciation to my cousin Andrew, who ensured I got to and from the surgery safely and filmed the procedure - though I never watched the video!
A few more highlights to share: more WNY friends in SoCal, SoCal friends, and good, good eats.
To conclude the year, I returned to Western New York to spend the holidays with my family. Of course, I felt the need to tackle the WNY Winter Hiking Challenge, and even though I managed to get out for a few hikes, I did not complete it in its entirety.
To be honest, I always struggle with my birthday because it’s so close to Christmas. This year, however, it was one for the books… I got donuts and two or three bouquets of flowers, my no-good-toxic-ex-boyfriend moved to Los Angeles and took me out to breakfast, and I had a girls night that evening. I flew out to Buffalo shortly thereafter and my dad even threw a little surprise party for me with some of his firehall friends, whom I came to know during his cancer treatments. So many highs, so many lows, yet everything happens for a reason…
All in all, 2021 was an epic year - one I’ll always remember. Even though we were still in the thick of the pandemic and all that came with it, I was thriving! I read 72 books (over 21,500 pages) and, according to my FitBit data, walked over 2,165 miles (that’s 4,657,064 steps). As they say, “everything happens for a reason…” and I’m certainly a firm believer in that. Coming "soon" - 2022 recap!
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