Twenty twenty. What a fussy little thing you've been. This year has felt like an entire decade smashed into 366 horrific days (you already forgot it was a leap year, right?). Despite the rough days and the monotony of not leaving the house, I managed to stay positive for the majority of this year and wanted to remember the good things that happened over the last 12 months. We'll all remember the bad of 2020, so I'm going to commemorate the good. Let's do this! These are my favorite things that happened in 2020...

New Music

Listening to good music has been a constant source of joy for me this year. On March 15th right at the beginning of my time in quarantine, Donald Glover released a surprise album on his website that was only live for 24 hours. It eventually made its way to a widespread release, but it was so exhilarating listening to this new album for the very first time. I remember the day it came out, I was working on a sewing project (this top actually) and it was so fun jamming out to the songs when I was ironing fabric and sewing all day. My favorite track is definitely Beautiful (also named 19.10). Then on July 24th, Taylor Swift totally shocked us all with a surprise album titled Folklore. This album was really different from her past work and I immediately loved everything about it. The stories she told throughout the songs were fun to research and break down. After weeks and weeks of listening to Folklore, I still have to say that Invisible String is my favorite track. In early December, Taylor totally shocked us AGAIN with another new album- a companion to Folklore titled Evermore. This album is still pretty new and I'm discovering things about it each day, but for now I think my favorite track is either Ivy or Willow.

Somebody Feed Phil

Pasta, pork, chicken, and laaaaaamb! If you know, you know. If you don't know, then let me tell you about this lovely show. Somebody Feed Phil is easily the greatest thing I watched all year long on Netflix. This food travel show is hosted by Phil Rosenthal, the creator of Everybody Loves Raymond. There are four seasons available to watch on Netflix where Phil visits a new city during each episode to try their renowned foods and meet the locals who create these dishes. I wish I could find the words to really express how much I love this show, but if I could describe it with one word, I would choose delightful. Phil seems like such a sweet and caring person. He has a great on-camera personality and really seems to love meeting people all over the world. Every episode leaves me beaming from ear to ear! If you haven't watched it yet, put this at the very top of your watch list. You won't be disappointed. I hope it's safe to travel again soon so we can get closer to another season of Somebody Feed Phil.

Rediscovering The Lord of the Rings

Ah, the misty mountains. I'm one of those people that had never seen The Lord of the Rings trilogy until after the Hobbit films were released in theaters. After seeing the first Hobbit movie during opening week in 2012, I hunkered down for a weekend and watched the entirety of The Lord of the Rings. While I enjoyed the movies at the time, I have to admit I never watched them again...until this year! My husband has both the Hobbit and LOTR extended trilogies on Blu-Ray so we cracked them open in May for a full re-watch. Well, our first re-watch. After going through each trilogy and watching alllllll of the behind the scenes material, we ended up watching them two or three more times. I'm really glad we took the time to watch the movies again because it made me fall in love with them. I even decided to read The Hobbit book for the first time and enjoyed every page. Watching all of the bonus content and seeing how these movies were painstakingly made gave me even more appreciation for everyone who made the stories come to life on screen.

Loungewear

Let's be real- uncomfortable clothes are stupid. I've been working from home for almost three years now and I wear leggings or sweatpants every single day so the current trend of loungewear is not really anything new in my life. However, I am loving all of the new loungewear options now that companies are catering to folks working from home. The sweater I'm wearing below was designed by one of my sweet friends Caitlin who is an incredible artist. She just released her very first apparel piece this year and I was so thrilled that it was a sweatshirt! I also picked up some corded joggers from Aerie that are super cozy and comfortable to wear. Getting dressed up on the rare occasion that I leave the house is exciting, but I am always so happy to put on the biggest, comfiest sweats when I get home.

Hamilton on Disney+

WORK! Hamilton swept the nation five years ago, but until this year I still hadn't seen or heard any of the musical. I was really excited this summer when Disney+ announced that Hamilton would be streaming on their platform starting July 3rd. My husband is a huge history buff, so we watched it together and both really enjoyed it. I still listen to the soundtrack on occasion and it gets me so pumped up! I'm really glad that Disney was able to stream this performance for all of their subscribers because it brings broadway to millions of people who otherwise would never get to see the show.

Elopements and Backyard Weddings

I know 2020 has completely destroyed the plans and dreams of many brides, so this probably isn't a highlight for them, but as someone who had a small wedding back in 2018, I've been enjoying seeing several friends get married in their backyards this year and elope. I really loved having an intimate ceremony (literally just myself, my husband, and our parents were present) and I think it's a great way to get married if you're not focused on having a giant party. Shout out to my friends Sarah and Alex who got married this year! They are both planning to have big weddings when it's safe to gather again, but I'm filled with so much joy to see them get married this year despite all of the new challenges. The cuties below are Sarah and her new husband Patrick. Congrats to all of the 2020 brides!

Those are all of my top highlights from this crazy year. I know we have all experienced highs and lows throughout 2020, but I hope that we can remember the positives that happened in our lives. What are your favorite things from this year?