Each year I try to sit down and write a reflection about the last year of life. Like many of us, 2020 was a big year. In April of 2020 Montana entered it’s quarantine. We thought it would only last a short time but here we are in 2021. In the midst of a shut down I was working in my office with my fulfillment team member working at rapid speed to help continue growth for my old company. I took a day off for my birthday, baked a cake, went on a run and my Mom, Dad, Drew and I enjoyed a socially distanced cake on our front lawn.
Last year tested my mental strength, physical strength and ability to push through. I feel extremely lucky to have spent most of COVID time in Bozeman Montana. The ability to go outside, quickly take a hike or go on a run without being close to people was a god sent. Between work, and life stress, 2020 was a hard year. I think it is very important to talk about because as much as we “push through” recognizing the times of sadness, loss and stress are hard.
Although, year 26 put me through the ringer with life, there were some incredible outcomes from last year. I officially started my business as a registered LLC (that was HUGE for me!). In my business Dot Digital Media LLC., I offer food photography, branding, social media and other digital marketing services. Front Paige is a section of my business and I feel so fortunate to now be in a place to be working full time for myself. If it wasn’t for 2020, I don’t know if I would have the urge to go full time on my own business! For the past 4 years I have been growing my digital marketing agency (Dot Digital Media LLC.) as a freelancing business and maintained full-time jobs. With the pandemic moving all efforts of business online, DDM took off! The things you see everyday on social are a small glimpse into my everyday life of a small business owner! The navigation has been an incredibly rewarding learning process!
When I was 24, I made a goal to buy a house before I turned 30. To me this was a huge goal to achieve. In 2019, we put an offer on a home in Bozeman and didn’t get accepted, I didn’t realize how much I wanted one until the sale fell through. Through all the crazy that was 2020, Drew and I made a conscious decision for our careers and that direction turned us back into Active Duty Army life. Read more about that here, but long story short, we were able to purchase our first home. Through all the crazy that was my 26th year of life, I love to look back on the posts from the years pasts and see the growth in myself each year.
As I sit here and write this, I can’t help but tear up. It could be because it is currently 4am, but the real reason is the ebbs and flows of life are hard to navigate. In every moment I do my best to make the best decision with the information I have at the time, but with so much change I find it hard to sit back and reflect. In a way, I haven’t wanted to look back at 2020 and year 26, but have had a lot on my mind in the last few months of our transition to a new area. With each move and transition of life it is very normal to feel a sense of excitement and also a sense of loss. I miss so many things about last year that sometimes cloud my judgement about the lows. I would say that I miss being close to family and my friends the most! I miss my family stopping by my office and our old neighborhood. My oh my was our old neighborhood a dream! But, with that being said, I have that much better of a jumping off point for year 27.
With every year, I am excited for the newness, the transitions and just learning more about myself. Bring it on!
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