Hi there! Yikes…. It’s been a little while since I have been on the blog, but if you’ve been keeping up on Instagram, then you know the past few months have been a bit of a whirlwind. While 2020 was chaotic all by itself, the last few months took quite the toll on Skyler and me. For one, we totally tore up our backyard… *cringe*

Okay, I am being a little dramatic about it, but it is quite the muddy mess right now–especially after the bouts of snow and rain we’ve been having. It’s never easy watching your soon-to-be-husband run a Bobcat through your neat yard (no offense, honey *wink*) What started out as a simple retaining wall project to widen the driveway has turned into a lengthier project due to weather…Isn’t that how home projects always go? Oh, the woes of home ownership *wink* –a BIG thanks to Skyler, my dad, and a good buddy of Skyler’s for tackling the driveway/retaining wall project!!

The end of 2020 was super busy with my buying a new car (one that gets way better gas mileage than the Jeep I had), visiting my grandparents in Mississippi, and celebrating my 25th birthday, Thanksgiving, and Christmas (via video chat–see below for why). Besides doing home improvement projects and other adulting matters, I have also been busy training for a half marathon.

The end of 2020 also brought COVID to Skyler and me…like days before Christmas. Definitely not a “gift” we wanted! Ugh! Thankfully, we didn’t get as sick as many others, but it was still a scary time for us because of the unpredictability of the virus. Even with our mild cases, we felt the effects weeks afterwards, and not to mention, I never thought I would be able to smell again haha But…I digress.

To be honest with you guys, I have missed writing on VIP so freaking much. 2020 was such a weird, dysfunctional, and depressing year for like the entire universe. It was hard to write because I felt my content would be taking away from something more important like COVID-19 updates or Presidential debates. Now that things are finally settling down a bit, I feel like I can finally breathe and truly share fun, happy, real content.

I have lots of posts planned for the coming months–home projects, renovation updates, and outfit posts, as well as new content like running and fitness, inspirational posts, and my favorite local shopping and dinning spots in the Tri-Cities (Tennessee) area. Good Lord willing and the creek don’t rise, Skyler and I also have some fun travel plans later in the year I hope to blog about *fingers crossed*

Thank you SO much for sticking with VIP through thick and thin. You guys are seriously THE BEST. *wink* Here’s to a new year (over a month in 🙃). I cannot wait to share upcoming posts, so stay tuned for Everything You Need to Know About Painting a Brick Backsplash next!