Almost 4 years ago, we started this blog for quite a few reasons. Of course, one of them is our shared love for fashion, beauty products, and travel. The other reason was to be a light in this world. We are both very positive people. We are both often told we are “always happy,” “very energetic,” or “really peppy.” This isn’t because we haven’t faced our fair share of hardships. It isn’t because we somehow lucked out and lead lives without problems or disappointments that are full of flowers and rainbows. No. We have the love of Jesus Christ in our hearts and to be honest, we love to share that! Of course, this doesn’t mean that He makes our lives perfect either. It means we know where we are going and we live each day for Him and give Him all the glory. When Jesus is in your heart, you have a joy that is unexplained.
When many choose to complain about the wild year 2020 has been, we choose to be thankful. There are actually so many reasons 2020 has been great so we wrote this blog post to help encourage you to look at the ways you’ve been blessed this year too. ♡
1. The Slow Down
How awful was it when everything shut down? Yes, we felt for the small business owners in our community. We felt for the people who were laid off or couldn’t find work. We had a hard time understanding why. Our hearts ached for our family and friends affected by this. For two weeks, we couldn’t work at all and didn’t know what would happen. Eventually, Ash began teaching online and Erin was able to start scheduling appointments again. But for a while, it was silence. No work. No stores. No coffee runs. No take out. Eery to say the least.
Looking back now, we think we were given this time to slow down and look at our lives. We were reminded that we needed God more than ever in this fallen world. We had time to really talk to our family members and friends. We had time to do that thing we’d been meaning to do for so long. We were reminded of the power of God, as he showed us He could still stop the world in its tracks and get our attention.
2. Local Support
We’ve always loved shopping local, but when businesses began to reopen (those who were lucky enough to recover), we saw our community really come together and support one another by shopping small and shopping local. We saw a greater appreciation for mom and pop stores and local startups in our small town. We also saw this happening in other rural areas.
3. Home Projects
Who doesn’t need more time to clean? COVID created the opportunity to get more done around the house– from organizing your closet to revamping your kitchen!
4. Digital Advancement
As schools and businesses (who were able to) moved to an online setting, many of us were forced to learn a new skill set. We were forced to explore the digital world in ways we’d only dreamed of “doing one day.” Our capabilities were broadened and we are better for it now and more prepared to face future adversity because we learned, overcame, and succeeded.
5. Learned Something New
In addition to all the ways we grew as digital learners, many of us had time to learn something completely new! Erin learned new skills of her trade (cosmetology), allowing her to offer new services when she opened back up for business. Ash learned how to sell and lease a vehicle (and even sold a few)! We also both learned to bake and cook some new things too! Many people have told us they were able to learn new things they’ve always wanted to do but never could find the time!
6. Family Time
Just having that extra time at home allowed us to spend more time with our loved ones and of course, our precious pups. It seems every day is rush, rush, rush and some days, we only speak to our family members in passing or on quick phone calls or short text messages. The extra time gave us time to give back to those who matter most– from real conversations to s’mores & movie nights on the back porch.
7. Expanded Church Outreach
Because many churches were forced to shut down (and fortunately, now can be open again), services were streamed on Facebook, Zoom, and other virtual platforms. This allowed people to watch who may not have been going to church or didn’t feel quite comfortable walking into a sanctuary for the first time. Now, many of the same people still tune in weekly to watch virtually or have begun attending in person. How amazing!!
8. Community Service
Many people used extra time off of work to give back to the community through various community service projects. Erin and her mom worked together and cleaned a one-mile stretch of roadway in their community!
9. Self-Care Became a Priority
Though we would like to focus on our self-care daily, many days prior to the shutdowns we were unable to focus on ourselves. Both of our jobs require us to take care of multiple other people so we rarely got the time to decompress. We both said on numerous occasions how we saw a difference in our skin and even our back/neck muscles relaxing and not feeling as sore and tight. We were able to do all of the steps of our skin care regimes, add a few extra minutes of yoga in there, and truthfully had that time to just be lazy and catch up on sleep!
10. Time to Read
We both love reading and we say all the time how we wished we had time to pick up a book, but with our schedules, it’s hard. We both got a few books in and it did our hearts good.
11. Leggings & Loungewear
If you know, you know. We both have to dress nicely for our jobs– hair and make-up included. It was nice to stay in our jammies all day or be able to put on a sweatshirt and a pair of leggings to clean the house and lounge around. Our skin had a break from the make-up and we had a break from our dress clothes.
We also appreciated it more when we did get to dress up and do our hair even if it was just to take the garbage out. Haha! Kidding– sort of.
12. Drive-by Cheer
We watched our community do drive-by birthdays, graduations, and even window visits to loved ones. We watched videos of people coming up with creative ways to simply give a hug. That just goes to show you, “where there’s a will, there’s a way”.
13. Paying it Forward
People seemed to be more generous during these times. Delivery people were receiving bigger tips, people were paying for the orders behind them, and small businesses were being supported. It was so wonderful to see everyone taking care of each other.
14, We Were Extra Appreciated
When teachers got the call that they were going virtual and hair salons were required to shut down, we were all navigating new waters. We felt the love as people reached out, shared, and supported us through these crazy, unpredictable times. It was nice to be appreciated when often, we don’t see that. Like we said earlier, we are so used to caring for so many people that we tend to carry that weight on our backs. The compliments, the texts, and the support meant more to us than you will ever know
15. Time for New Beginnings
We had time to evaluate what we wanted for our lives and futures. Ashley chased her passion for selling cars and building her businesses; Erin and her husband made the decision to become foster parents and were able to finish the classes they wouldn’t have otherwise been able to do. The extra time gave us the opportunity to chase our passions and we are genuinely happier because of that.
16. Enjoyed Time with our Spouses
We (our husbands included) are so busy that we don’t get much time together – at all. So when we were “forced” to spend time together, we welcomed the change. We played games with one another, worked on projects, took walks, and watched movies. It was nice for us to slow down with our husbands and be together since we never get that opportunity.
17. Social Media Hiatus
Other than the blog, we either hit the “log off” or “delete” button on our personal Facebook page. We took the shut down as a time to take a step away from the negativity and we became better people for it. We still keep away from our social media outlets unless sharing something with our readers and followers. Positive vibes only!
18. We Actually Got to Enjoy the Warm Weather
We are both usually stuck inside buildings the majority of the day and it is extra hard when we are stuck inside when the weather is nice. Salons didn’t open back up here until June and schools were virtual the rest of the year so we were able to enjoy some pool time and warmer weather before the hustle and bustle started again. It seems as though the last time we got to do that we were seniors in high school.
19. Time to Communicate with Friends and Family
There was more time to reach out to friends we haven’t talked to to in a while and chat with family who lives near and far. We had time to make phone calls, send text messages, and have Zoom calls with the people we miss the most when life is at its busiest.
20. This Blog
We honestly love this blog so much. It is our outlet and we are so proud of what it’s grown into. We really had some more time to work on our blog website, our content, partnerships, and affiliate linking capabilities. We are able to look back at 2020 as a time of growth for ourselves and for our blog. ♡
We are so thankful most of all for the readers of this blog and how you’ve kept this dream of ours going. We’re thankful to share our stories, content, positivity, and humor with you every day!
Thank YOU,
Ash & Er
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