Spring 2022, you have arrived. Well, you will arrive in a couple of days, but in my heart, spring is already here. It’s been a weird couple of years to say the least, and it feels like the heavens have opened and a little sun is peeking through in all areas of my life.
The last 365 days have brought a ton of change to my life and to our family. All good, some challenging, and all very much needed.
Here’s what happened in 2021 and what I’m looking forward to in 2022.
2021 Highlights
Family
Our family expanded last year as Jason met his son Josh for the first time after 30 years. It’s an amazing story of hope and it’s been a blessing to our family as we move forward to a new chapter. The full story is on our podcast, you can listen here if you like.
Around the House
Last year we focused on a huge deck project for the majority of the summer and sprucing up our house and property. We are true DIY around here, and when we’re not in the shop or driving our cars, we’re usually at home, working on the nest or enjoying our animals and cooking food and spending time with our family.
I don’t have pictures of the deck yet, when the spring flowers are planted, I’ll post, but for now, enjoy this little snapshot of typical DIY adventures.
Our Business – Denwerks
We also made a big lifestyle change and I came to work for Denwerks full time. I used to be the bookkeeper and office and HR person for many years, so this recent change was big. Huge. Life altering. Fun. Scary.
We didn’t really plan it, but it just happened. If you listen to our podcast, you can hear about it in real time, as it happened.
I quit all those previous (boring) roles to be a full partner and buying and selling right alongside Jason. We’ve always been partners in the business, but this is different, because we now both have ownership of the outcomes.
Not gonna lie, it’s been amazingly difficult, but I have shown I have some skills and talents to offer and it’s been the best change I’ve made. Jason feels that too. We work well together, and there have been some growing pains and I’ve integrated myself into what he was already doing for so long. Also some growing pains for him as he integrates into changes I wanted to make and helping us go to the next level – TOGETHER.
We now both have our own deals, customers, and interests in the business, but we work together. I love every minute of it. Well, almost every minute, old cars and trucks can be finicky.
Here are some photos of the cars and trucks I’ve picked over the last year. I have loved every one of them, and if you want to see what we sell, you can find us on Bring a Trailer – that’s primarily where we sell our vehicles. You can also visit our website and find us on social media too if you like old stuff.
Vacations and Travel
We’ve prioritized vacation and travel in this new life of ours. Last year we went to Maui, Hawaii, Bend, Oregon, Leavenworth, Washington and Monterey, California. All really fun and we are choosing to fit travel into our lives because seeing the world is precious and the kids are almost grown, so we have time to do more of the things we want to do.
Ah, so many photos to choose from, here are a couple from our recent trips:
What’s Next for 2022
There wasn’t a lot of time to focus on much else with all these big changes last year, but now it’s becoming routine and we have been able to look forward to adding in some of the things we love and enjoy – outside of work. Imagine that, we have lives outside of cars, trucks, and motorcycles, who knew?
Running
One of my big passions is running. I put it on the shelf the last couple of years to get myself healthy and rolling with all the changes in our lives. But now it’s time to enjoy it again and I couldn’t be happier.
I signed up for a 10k at the end of May, and I’ve been doing some training. I really missed running. It’s been a balm to my soul for many years and I’m finding how much I missed it.
I’m using a training plan, but very relaxed. If you like running or walking and don’t need pressure, this is my favorite site for training plans. Take a look!
http://www.marathonrookie.com/10k-training.html
And if you like, join us at the Willamette Valley Marathon in May.
I cannot wait! My running shoes are still my best friends after all this time and I am most comfortable in my skin when I’m getting regular activity and exercise.
Travel
More travel awaits this year. We’re going to go to Mexico to visit our oldest daughter and her husband in a few months. She lives in Baja California and it’s been a couple of years since we’ve been down, due to Covid, so I cannot wait to go visit and get some sun, sand, tacos, and love on the kids.
Home Projects
I started doing some woodworking last year and have really enjoyed it – fun little DIY projects that are easier than I suspected.
Currently, I have a dresser that I’m getting ready to paint and I’m looking forward to salvaging it and incorporating it into our home decor. I’m waiting for paint to be shipped, and then the dresser is going to see a new life. It’s a piece that Jason and I bought many years ago, one of our first official sets, and it’s dated and tired and needs some paint to bring it to 2022 decorating standards.
Now, if someone could find me a way to update myself to be 2022 standards that would be great, but I don’t think there is enough paint in the world for that.
Writing
I am still working on writing, and it’s been a challenge to fit it into my life, but I’m planning to continue to develop myself in this area. It’s cathartic for me, creative, and fun, so you can read my other posts if you like reading what I have to say. I’m not exactly sure what it looks like in the future, and I’m not making any long term plans, I just want to enjoy the craft and getting better at it.
I have always had the dream of writing a book, but lately poetry has been capturing my attention. For now, just keeping it as a hobby and we’ll see what happens in the future.
So that’s it for now. A quick update on a breezy spring Saturday. Thanks for reading along, I write for me, but if you like reading it, I welcome you! Onward and upward.
Andersons of West Hills 