Happy last day of 2021! I’ve had so many ideas for individual blog posts swirling around in my head for the last few months and they just haven’t made it out of my head and onto the internet. We’ve had a jam-packed Q4! (Is it obvious yet that I’m married to an accounting manager based on my use of Q4?) So, in order to start 2022 with a clean slate, I wanted to take a moment to do a quick photo dump to catch everyone up on what’s been happening around here!
For starters…Gary and I had the motto “2020 no rules” last year for obvious reasons. Then, it carried into 2021, because once you lose the rules, there’s no going back! Therefore, even though this is technically a Q4 wrap-up, I’m going to start with September…because no rules š
September
So by now, you probably heard the news that we bought a house! Even though we closed on our house in July, we didn’t get to move in until September. Holy cow…moving is hard work! We forgot to take a cute (read: not sweaty) photo with our U-Haul before the process started, but we wanted to capture the memory at the end of the day before we returned the truck.
Moving into a new home meant saying goodbye to our little one bedroom apartment that we shared for the last 5 years. Disclaimer: when we finally finished cleaning and had to turn in our keys, I cried like a baby. We had to come back later in the day to get one last photo at Unit 205! Have I mentioned lately how much Gary puts up with from me? š
Oh, I should mention that in the middle of our move, I was in the midst of interviewing for a promotion! Nothing screams “hire me” quite like having to explain to your supervisor that you may not have internet set up in time for your Zoom interview. More to come on the job situation in October, but for now here’s a photo of me attempting to look professional and put together in the midst of moving chaos.
The rest of September was full of us settling in to our new home. I will never get over this couch, this space, or this company. And, can you believe that this is our neighborhood pool? It seriously feels like a resort!
October
October was a busy month for us!! After working at home full time for 19 months, I had to go back into the office in early October…in a new role! As of October 1st, I was promoted to be the new Student Services Manager, and I’m truly proud of myself for this accomplishment. As you all may know by now, I’m not one to suck up to people, and even though “playing the game” can help you climb the ladder faster, it’s never been one of my strong suits (ha…that’s actually quite the understatement). I am who I am, and those who work with me know that what they see is what they get. I’m the one who asks the hard questions, who calls out the BS, but also someone who doesn’t settle for mediocrity and who isn’t okay with coasting through with how things have always been done. It felt validating beyond measure to be recognized for my hard work and contributions with this promotion even though I don’t always drink the Kool-Aid. It is certainly a lot more work and responsibility, but I’m up for the challenge!
Anyway…take a look at my PINK office that I returned to! Fun fact: I had just moved spaces in our office, and painting had just wrapped up when we were sent home in March of 2020. I didn’t get to spend a full day in this new space until a year and a half later!
We also took a quick trip up the Central Coast in October! I highlighted the first part of our journey in Our Trip to the Avila Valley Barn, but I haven’t blogged about the second part yet. I’ll hopefully get around to that in the new year, because it’s something you should visit if you’re able to do so. Here’s a little spoiler of what we saw…stay tuned for more!
This isn’t super noteworthy, but it was documented in my camera roll so I figured I’d include it. We got a Hello Fresh box (only for the second time ever)! We had a great time trying some new recipes, and I’ve definitely adapted some to be Peiffer Palate originals. Stay tuned for those coming in 2022 š
We bought a giant TV in October! It has always been Gary’s dream to buy a house, get a huge couch, and then get a huge TV to watch on said couch in said house. Since the first two boxes were checked in September, the clock was ticking on number three. We scoped out some sales and didn’t wait long to pull the trigger on the purchase. Then the wall-mounting fun began (she says with sarcasm). Who knew it would be such a process? Luckily, our house and TV are still standing, so we must have done something right!
PS – Ask me sometime how we got the TV home from Target š
We also took some time off to have a staycation in October! Best. Idea. Ever. This is another thing that I hope to blog in more detail in 2022, but in the meantime, take a look at some of our highlights. We saw a sunrise, explored new places in SB, rode bikes, carved a pumpkin, had a spa day AND even went to an alpaca farm. It was a total blast, and I can definitely see us taking a couple days each year to play tourist in our own town.
November
Not as much happened in the month of November based on my camera roll! Fun fact: Gary grilled his first steaks ever for us and we were so impressed.
Then, we went to the fanciest dinner ever at a really nice steakhouse. As it turns out, those steaks that were on sale at the grocery store didn’t hold a candle to our steaks at this dinner! We had a gorgeous view, the service was incredible, and by the time we were done with all of our courses we could barely walk out to the car!
We also had fun decorating our new house for the holidays this year! I used to be team “No holiday decorations until after Thanksgiving” but I’ve changed my mind entirely. For starters, Chanukah started in November this year. Aside from that, it’s always so dark so early without daylight savings time, and it’s a lot of work to set everything up. I think we should get to enjoy it all as long as possible! I didn’t do a holiday home tour this year, but here’s a glimpse at some of our holiday decorations.
We celebrated Thanksgiving with my family this year (in person…yay booster shots!) The only photos I have from the whole weekend are Gary and I debuting our matching Chanukah pajamas, and the turkey gingerbread cookies we decorated with my mom. Can you tell which one is mine?
December
Alright, I don’t know what happened during the month of December because my camera roll is shockingly empty for that period of time! There was a whole lot of being cozy on the couch while watching Christmas movies, and I’m not mad about it š
Most notably, Gary and I travelled up north to visit his family for Christmas and we got to see snow! I was bundled up in a huge jacket and boots, and even though you can’t see it, I feel it’s important to mention that Gary was wearing shorts…that crazy husband of mine!
Well, that wraps up Q4 and 2021 as a whole for the Peiffer Palate! There were definitely highs and lows throughout 2021 (could this stupid pandemic just go away already??), but as a whole we feel lucky to have our health, our house, and each other.
We hope that you all have a happy, healthy, and prosperous 2022! And please, for the love, get vaccinated and boosted if you are eligible!
xoxo
Jennifer