2020 in a Nutshell
Now that 2020 is officially behind us, it is time to look forward to all the great possibilities that 2021 has to offer. But first, here are some of the new things I tried last year (so weird to say!), some of the things I accomplished last year, and some of the heartbreak I experienced last year. Maybe we will be able to relate?
Some of the brand new experiences I had in 2020 included new restaurants or types of food, activities that I always wanted to try, and participation in events. With that being said, let us start with food. After all, not much is more important than food and discovering different food palettes. After all, for a good chunk of my life, I was a picky eater. But that all changed a few years ago, when I made a commitment to myself to expand my horizons.
PRE-PANDEMIC
Mr. A’s Restaurant. A friend/co-worker of mine at the time recommended this pancake house. Let me just say, Mr. A’s was AMAZING! The atmosphere was family-friendly, the Chicken Noodle Soup was the BEST version I have ever had. And then, there was the Banana Nutella French Toast. The Banana Nutella flavor was SO good but not too overwhelming. It was perfect!
Einstein Bagels. I had some bagels delivered and had the chance to try different flavors of cream cheese. More specifically, I tried the Honey Almond Smear and I love it!! I am obsessed.
True Food Kitchen. True Food is a health-focused restaurant. It focuses on serving healthy, sustainable, and organic food with plenty of vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options. I went with a friend and I got a Marguerita pizza. It was good! The ice cream and brownie I received when I went for my birthday were also tasty!!
Buttermilk. It is a great place for have brunch. I went here on a date. The French Toast was soft and delicious. I cannot wait until I can go back. It all makes sense why it was SO popular!
DURING PANDEMIC
Kyoto Japanese Restaurant. I was third wheeling with friends. I agreed to try sushi because I never knew what to order/try. I had always been intimidated. For our appetizer, we had Edamame seeds. The way they were prepared were SO good! I My friend then ordered us: Lobster rolls, Wasabi rolls, Cali rolls, raw Salmon, raw Tuna, and something with cucumber and fish eggs. My favorite was the raw Salmon and cucumber with fish eggs. However, I am still a newbie and I do not know that much about Sushi. I am, however, excited to keep learning.
North of the Border. A Mexican-American style restaurant. After a recommendation by my father and step-mother, I tried North of the Border with my mother. I had the Enchilada Burrito and it was HUGE! And my huge, I, mean gigantic. It took me a few days to finish the burrito. Inside the Enchilada Burrito there was: beans, rice, cheese, meat, and onions. And then on the top, there was Rojas sauce and more cheese. A great price for a burrito that lasts for days!
Apple Villa Pancake House. Another great brunch location with pancakes!! I came to Apple Villa on a date and now it is one of my ALL-TIME FAVORITES. The first time, I got the Rocky Road Cakes. I have also tried the Mocha Caramel Cappuccino, the Western Omelette, and the Oreo S’mores Cakes. It has all been DELICIOUS! I highly recommend.
Beef Shack. During a tough time, my father and I decided to try Beef Shake. What we discovered was an INCREDIBLE combination of foods. Specifically, the combo of garlic bread and a beef sandwich. The mini Cheesy Beef on Garlic is my go-to! However, if you are not a fan of garlic bread, you can always choose the Beef or the Cheesy Beef. More options include: Chicago dogs, burgers, sandwiches, a salad, or fries. With the Full fries, you get many more fries for only a dollar more.
Rejoice. A vegan and gluten-free restaurant. It is a side bar for a bike shop. I met up with my cousin to catch up. We got to sit in one of those igloo enclosures. It was a pretty cool vibe! Perfect for photo opportunities and the food was good too! I had the Oatmeal, Chocolate-Banana-Walnut. It was really good!
Lyfe Kitchen. Another healthy-focused restaurant. It includes organic, farm fresh, plant protein options without artificial ingredients. A friend of mine took me there for my birthday and what a surprise it was! Life Kitchen was a treat indeed!! I got the Chicken & Black Bean Burrito Bowl along with an Almond Matcha Smoothie. It was yummy in my tummy!
The Village Squire. A Medieval vibe served with Greek food. The appetizer bread and butter that they bring out is SO soft and fresh! Their bread is AMAZING! Other than their bread, their Caesar salad and ice cream sundae are very good too!!
Briana’s Pancake House. I believe I got the Cinnamon French Toast which was good. However, there sausages are UNBELIEVABLE! I cannot wait to go back for more!!
World Market’s Spicy Tortilla Soup. World Market is a great place to be. One of my favorite places to go. I usually go there to buy hot soup. Anyway, one day I decided to try the Spicy Tortilla Soup. And let me just say, it was GREAT combination of flavors, of taste, and of soup. If you have a World Market near you, I recommend trying this soup!
Partake’s Birthday Cake cookies. The Partake cookies come in several different flavors. I usually find them at Target. Besides how yummy these cookies are, they are also gluten-free, vegan, non-GMO and free of the top 14 allergens. They are perfect for everyone!
My friend’s Vietnamese food. Recently, my friend had me over for a celebration of sorts and she wanted me to try some of the Vietnamese food she made. Of course, I was excited to try but a little intimated. So she pointed out some of the things to try and I tried Vietnamese Fried Rice which included shrimp and I think pork (I could be wrong) as well as a Spring Roll. The fried rice was SO GOOD! I cannot wait until I can have more in the future. The Spring Roll was good too just a little dry. I did learn that I was supposed to get some sauce for it but I did not realize that. That means next time I have an opportunity to try Vietnamese food, I will also need to try a Spring Roll with some sauce.
All in all, those are the different restaurants and types of foods that I had the chance to try in 2020. If you have any suggestions about other types of food or places to eat that you want me to try, comment on any of my socials or email me. I am open to trying other foods! Besides food, the other things I have attempted in 2020 include new activities that I have always wanted to try as well as participation in a few events. Here are some of the new ventures and contributions I had:
At the start of the pandemic, I took part in a birthday car parade for a neighbor and for a high school graduation car parade for my niece.
During my time off from work, I tried laying out and tanning to get more of an even tan than previous years.
I tried the following essential oils: Franincense, Serenity, Wild Orange, Balance, and Adaptive. To see if anything could help day-to-day.
I participated in making a change for society.
I went Kayaking in a one person kayak. It was a fun but difficult experience, especially since I have only kayaked once before on a two person kayak in downtown Chicago. So being on my own meant that I had to get myself to and from the destination. Luckily, I was with family. Unfortunately, I am a bit weak so the trip back was something.
My dad had his retirement party this year and it was nice. His co-workers made him feel honored and extremely appreciated. It was a good time! I hope when I retire someday, I will be treated as well as my father was.
I babysat my niece’s mice. They were cute little things.
Ever couple of years, I like to do a Haunted House. Usually the ones I do are not that scary or are made for little kids as I am not really a fan of haunted or scary things. However, I decided to do one this year. The Haunted House I went to did an AMAZING job. Besides from doing a great job, their costumes were fantastic, they were able to transform people into characters, their decorations were top notch, but the way they were able to manage social distancing was also phenomenal.
I had the chance to help put up Halloween decorations with my fellow co-workers and it was a blast! We decked the place out.
I got my nails professionally done for the first time. My first time was around Halloween when I got my nails done for my birthday. And for the second time, I got my nails painted for Christmas. Both were lovely experiences!
I played Among Us. I may not be that good but it is fun to play with friends! It can be addicting.
I figured out my love languages this year to better understand myself as well as the other person in the relationship. My top one is Quality Time and the next one is Words of Affirmation for those of you who know.
Next up on the list, are the things I managed to somehow achieve in 2020. However, it should be noted, that accomplishments can be big or small. There is no such thing as a feat too small. Depending on you and your circumstance, getting out of bed could be an achievement or even running a few errands. So do not compare yourself to what I or anyone else has managed to get done in 2020. Focus only on you. With that being said, here are mine:
When the pandemic first happened back in March, my job closed for a few months. And although everything was up in the air at that time, I considered myself to be one of the blessed ones. I took this time to get back into drawing, more into journaling, and had the opportunity to do a few things that I would not have had the chance to do if I was still working. Such as, complete a Module for Programming Manipulation.
I found a bridesmaid dress. Hopefully now, I will have the opportunity to wear the dress in 2021.
I experienced two Microburst storms within a week of each other and one very powerful Derecho storm within a month. It was a crazy couple of weeks. To put things in perspective, a microburst storm is when localized air currents like a downdraft appear suddenly and powerfully. According to the National Weather Service, “Although microbursts are not as widely recognized as tornadoes, they can cause comparable, and in some cases, worse damage than some tornadoes produce. In fact, wind speeds as high as 150 mph are possible in extreme microburst cases”. Meanwhile, a Derecho storm is a line of intense, widespread, and fast-moving windstorms. Take for example, if you look up Ohio Derecho storm 2020, you will get a better understanding of what I mean. However, the Derecho storm in Ohio was far worse than anything that happened in Illinois. Even though the Derecho storm produced 16 tornadoes that touched down in Illinois.
Due to the second microburst storm, my neighborhood was out of power for a little bit. My block specifically, went without power for 26 hours during the summertime. Maybe I will consider making a post about it in the future.
I went to Gameworks and did one of those dancing games with people around. Now this is an accomplishment for me because I am the type of person who does not like to embarrass myself in public or really draw any kind of attention to myself. So this was a big step for me.
I have been at my current job for a little over a year.
Depending on which article you read, I was one of the 66-69% of Americans who voted.
Tomorrow, January 6th, I have officially started my blog, “Inspire Those Who Inspire Me” back up. Next Wednesday, January 12th, I will have a post explaining how this website/blog came to be so I hope that you will be there to give it a read!
Those are the things I am proud to have reached in 2020. Let me know what are some of the things that you are proud to have accomplished during 2020.
Last but not least, I am going to discuss some of the heartbreak I encountered in this past year. For this section, I hope that you and I cannot relate. However, if in fact you did, just know, you will get through this. If you ever need someone to talk to or to pray for you, do not hesitate to reach out.
Heartbreak I endured:
My mom in the hospital for low white blood cell count (I think)
My job closed down for a few months
My dad was in the hospital after having a stroke
My dad lost his job
My mom was back in the hospital but that time for an allergic reaction to medication
My grandma passed away
Muscle Strain in my lower back
My mom lost her job
My debit card information got hacked
My mental health got the best of me
My mom’s car broke down on the way to picking up my car from the repair shop
Washer broke
From heartbreak, tragedy, or even unfair circumstances, I have learned that these challenges in life only make us stronger later on. Sometimes, we learn lessons from our experiences and other times, we learn about ourselves. One day, there will be a light at the end of the tunnel and you will be surprised at how far you have come. Take it one day at a time.
Meanwhile, some of thing adventures I look forward to into 2021 include:
Cotto Alegna for its pasta
Atlas Chicken Shack for great chicken
The Burger Local for its burgers and Mac & Cheese
Cinnaholic
Allegory
Scheduling time per month for (if possible): 1 lunch date with a friend, 24 hrs without social media, 1 day outdoors, 1 night out with friends, 1 date night (even if just with myself), 1 breakfast meetup with friends, 1 movie night, 1 day serving others, and 1 day completely to myself. Got these ideas from @JaredSawyerJr on Twitter
One of my best friend’s wedding
My oldest niece’s 21st birthday
Celebrating my loved ones
Improving myself
Learning new things
All in all, 2020 was not my best year yet, however, last year also was not my worst year. I look forward to all the new experiences, adventures, and lessons that I will learn in 2021. Again, if you have any suggestions, comments, or questions, feel free to reach out on any of my socials. You can also email me at those.inspire@gmail.com.
And thank you for following along!!
