2021 In Review!
Well, it’s that time of year again!
Time for my 2021 in review 😀
January
Erik, my then boyfriend, taught me how to play hockey and how to skate better. I enjoy hockey, but it’s very cold (which I do not enjoy). Erik also continued learning swing dance for me 🙂 Erik also totaled his car, so we spent the second half of January and the first half of February car searching and carpooling.
February
This month, I took a trip with my family to Florida for vacation! Sushi, the ocean, and the start of my parents’ obsession with “pickleball” lol.
March
This was a strange month. Erik and I had decided we were going to get engaged at this point, and the second half of the month was spent with my family having COVID. It was a very scary time (since my dad had to go to the hospital) through which God taught me so much about letting Him have control over my life.
I also became an Honorary Aunt as Josh and Kimberly’s little boy, CJ, was born in the middle of this month! And Erik and I finally got around to making a ginger bread house and ended up getting the frosting on our faces instead 🤷♀️
April
Easter! And a week later, I got engaged to my dream guy 😀 You can read the engagement story here. Erik took me to the Stillwater high bridge and we were engaged in the rain 🙂 I went dress shopping the next week and loved the first dress I tried on!
Later that month, it was our turn to have COVID. It wasn’t as bad as my dad had, and we were over it in a few weeks.
May
This was moving month for Erik and me. Erik moved to Maplewood, and I moved to Woodbury where we now live now that we’re married.
I took a work trip to New York right in the middle of the month after moving 🙂 And my former roommate, Samantha, and I went on our last girls’ date before she moved to Texas 🙁
Aaron (Erik’s brother) and Tere, also got married on May 22nd! Such a beautiful wedding and day!
At the end of the month, Erik and I took a trip to Utah to see my Maid of Honor, Elizabeth Beeli 🙂 Hiking, In N Out Burger, and ice cream sandwiches for the win!
June
At the beginning of June, I had a work trip in Florida – I went to my first BTC Conference. There were a ton of people there!
This was also a busy month for wedding planning and such for me and Erik, but in the midst of it all, Erik had his 22nd birthday 🙂 I planned a surprise party with ice cream cake, party hats, and buffalo wings 😀
July
This was also a pretty busy month! I had my first bridal shower right before the 4th of July and another one later in the month (so fun!) – and on top of it, Erik and I were also playing co-ed softball all summer 🙂 Super fun to play outfield together!
Erik had “Bachelor Week” and learned what it’s like to not shower for over 72 hours 😛
And I took Erik to his first Saint’s baseball game!
August
Spent a lot of time at the lake in the water and with the kiddos! Lots of the wedding planning was over at that point, so we just hung out with as many friends as we could and waited for the craziness to start again 🙂
One last bridal shower this month as well!
Near the end of August, Samantha (one of my lovely bridesmaids) and Beeli flew in to stay with me before my big day! And Eve and Beeli planned my sleepover bachelorette party (which was the BEST)!
September
We went to the State Fair on the 1st, the 2nd was our wedding rehearsal and groom’s dinner, and then our wedding day on the 3rd <3
It was such a magical day! I tried my very best to take in every single second and slow down, but the whole day still went SO FAST. So much planning and it was over in 24 hours. But it was such an amazing day and we ended up husband and wife at the end – huge success 😀
Right after the wedding, Erik and I flew to Hawaii for our honeymoon and swam with turtles and manta rays, ate ALL KINDS of food, and almost flipped our rental jeep over trying to see the green sand beach 🙂
2 days after our wedding, Erik’s middle brother, Kyle, and our new future sister-in-law, Jules, got engaged! Wedding in the next 2 years 😀
The end of September brought Erik’s annual training for the army, so I spent 17 days away from my new hubby 🙁
October
Erik came home on October 7th! We spent the rest of the month learning how to live together and just enjoying life 🙂 I also started singing in the church band once a month, and Erik started learning guitar!
We also went to our first concerts – Chris Renzema and Lauren Daigle!
November
We went to the Stand To Reason conference, and then our church marriage retreat the weekend after 🙂 We also celebrated Erik’s brothers’ birthdays (Aaron and Kyle), and had our first Thanksgiving together as a married couple 🙂
December
Crazy month to end the year! Lots of family and friend hangouts for Christmas, countless cribbage games, and a second annual visit to Sam’s Christmas Village (Erik took me there last year as a surprise date).
Sadly, Erik’s grandfather passed away at age 94 right before Christmas 🙁 But the hope we have in our Savior made it a great Christmas season regardless (as we celebrate Lenny’s reunion in heaven with Jesus) and a wonderful first Christmas as a married couple <3
Lastly – Erik and I also attended my dad’s performance as Bert the Cop in “It’s a Wonderful Life” through Zephyr Theater 🙂 Great job Terry!
Recap:
This is a year I will never forget. Although it was a year of chaos and uncertainty where the world is concerned, I gained so many new friends, an incredible husband, and unforgettable memories and lessons God has taught me!
Here’s to 2022!
Until next time,
Hope Frances Anderson
Photo by Moritz Knöringer on Unsplash
