2021 Year in Review

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I know these yearly recaps are fun… at least I enjoy reading the highlights of others; however, I like to write these for myself. I find it therapeutic to revisit the past 365 days and see where I’ve been and how I’ve grown. Nick and I will be spending this evening (NYE) just the 4 of us over good food, great wine, and a fire. Here’s to you and yours and a wonderful 2022.

Keep scrolling to revisit some of our most memorable moments over the last year.

JANUARY

We rang in the new year in Colorado with some of our best friends! This was the first time we played Ticket to Ride which has since become one of our games.

FEBRUARY

This was a sweet month where where did a lot of LA things we had been meaning to do. We visited Huntington Library, Lake Arrowhead for night skiing, and the Flower Market. It was particularly special, as I informed Nick that I was pregnant on Valentine’s Day.

MARCH

The first of many weird months. My morning sickness kicked in and never really stopped. I stayed on my nausea meds the entire pregnancy and would still feel sick for the bulk of the year. During one particularly bad stunt, I went to the hospital and that’s how I found out I was pregnant with twins!

APRIL

Nick and I recovered from COVID this month. This was scary because I was still in my first trimester of pregnancy, but thankfully we made it out okay. The most fun part of the month was taking a girls trip right outside of Los Angeles. Thankfully my quarantine ended before this and my nausea meds started working. Win-win. The highlight of this month was finding out we were having boy-girl twins!

MAY

My sister got engaged! Her wedding is set for next April.

JUNE

We visited Catalina Island. This had been on our LA bucket list for some time, so we were happy to be able to check it off along with attending our first Dodgers game, as well as visiting the Rosebowl Flea Market. I also had my first baby shower which was really special.

JULY

Nick booked a surprise trip to Hawaii for our babymoon / my 30th / our 5 year wedding anniversary. I am so glad we were able to take this trip even having a high-risk pregnancy, amongst COVID. Our west coast baby shower was this month as well. My parents visited and we got to visit the surrounding lavender fields. We rounded out July by attending Dallas Cowboys Training Camp which is held in Oxnard, not too far from LA.

AUGUST

I turned 30! We experienced Cinespia for the first time, which is one of our favorite LA things ever. They show films in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery and you can bring food and drinks, picnic style. Another Los Angeles treat we experienced for the first is the LA Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl. Speaking of concerts, we attended a Candlelight Concert of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. They have them in most major cities, so something you can check out if you are looking for a cool experience.

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SEPTEMBER

I was large and in charge, thanks to my twin belly, but I still managed to get around. We attended our first NFL game at So-Fi stadium and it just so happened to be the Dallas Cowboys vs the Chargers. My mom and sister came to LA and surprised me, which was really fun as well.

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OCTOBER

Baby month! Our twins arrived earth side mid-October. You can read my birth story here.

NOVEMBER

It was a newborn blur, but was very special. We celebrated Nick’s birthday and took the babies on their first road trip and wine tasting. They experienced Malibu, Santa Barbara, then finally Paso Robles and one of our favorite wineries, Epoch. My family came to LA for Thanksgiving and we all had a yummy time that of course was too short.

DECEMBER

Besides meeting some of their extended family, the best part of this month was the road trip from LA to SF. The trip to Napa was delightful! The babies also went on their first flight from San Francisco to Seattle. We made it out of the Seattle snow storm just in time and rang in the new year in our LA apartment.

That was my year! Here are some of my other favorites things from 2021!

• My Top 7 Favorite Books in 2021

  • The Disappearing Act by Cat Steadman

  • The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave

  • Happiness for Beginners by Katherine Center

  • Open Book by Jessica Simpson

  • Expecting Better by Emily Oster (the other two in this series are great as well)

  • How Not to Hate Your Husband After Kids by Jancee Dunn

  • How to Talk so Little Kids will Listen by Joanna Faber and Julie King

• Favorite First Time Meals from 2021

  I couldn’t eat well for most of 2021, so this is a hard section for me. I loved the food at Sensei in Hawaii. As far as new places to me go, I really enjoyed Uzumaki Sushi in Culver City.
  

• My Favorite Album of 2021:

  I get all my new music from TikTok these days but that doesn’t mean it is my favorite… John Mayer’s latest came out as did all of Taylor Swift’s Taylor’s Version which was really nostalgic for me. Same regarding Adele’s new album.
  

• My Favorite Show of 2021:

  I felt so bad for most of the year that I couldn’t even watch TV; however, we watched all of Star Wars in order along with The Mandolorian which was fun. Manifest wasn’t a new show, but we watched it so fast! Ted Lasso’s latest season was a crowd pleaser as well.

• My Favorite Articles of Clothing in 2021

  • Hatch James Dress

  • Senreve Shearling Slides

  • Lulu Lemon Align Shorts

  • Lulu Lemon Align Leggings

  • Senreve Doctor Bag

  • Mad Hatter Beanie

  • Puffy Sleeve Black Dress

• What I’m most thankful for:

  The most easy answer ever, which is health. Ironically, that is what I was most thankful for last year too. This year my body was able to heal from miscarriage and conceive not one, but two humans with minor issues or complications all while encompassing a pandemic and a high risk pregnancy. I had a lot of anxiety on this which I’ll try to find words to share at another time; however, the best I can say is that I am truly blessed!

Now that we have gone through my favorites, let’s look at some of YOUR favorites for the year!

• Your Favorite Retailers for 2021

  • Everything but Water

  • Net-a-Porter

  • Gigi Pip

  • Asos

  • Target
    
    
    

• Your Favorite Products for 2021

  • Gucci Dionysus Mini Leather Chain Bag (read my review here)

  • Reformation Faro Cardigan

  • Hunza G Swimwear (read my review here)

  • Senreve Coda Belt Bag (as seen here)

  • Summersalt misc swimsuits (read my brand review here)

• Your Favorite Primally Pure Products for 2021 (get 10% off with discount code ELLEMULENOS)

  • Charcoal Deodorant

  • Blue Tansy Deodorant

  • Baby Balm

• Your Most Read Blog Posts Posted in 2021

  • 5 Ways to Keep Your Hair out of your Face besides a Hair Tie

  • Hunza G Swimwear Review

  • Gucci Dionysus Review

  • We are Having Twins

  • Hill House Nap Dress Review
    
    
    
    

• Your Most Watched YouTube Videos in 2021

  • NuDerma Review

  • ManiMe Review

  • 5 Ways to Keep Your Hair out of your Face besides a Hair Tie

  • Hunza G Swim Review

  • Gucci Dionysus Bag Review
    

Thanks so much for coming along this ride with me. Here’s to a bigger and better 2022!

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