A Look Back on 2020
At the beginning of this year, we had no idea that the whole world was about to be shut down and shaken up—so we made a lot of plans and goals and things for the year to come, which of course didn’t happen when or at least the way we expected them to! But we learned so much and made the best of we could out of it all. So although this year kind of feels like one that we don’t want to spend much time looking back on—Haha! But as weird and challenging this year has been for everyone, it feels important to share the good and happy things about this year. So here we are! Every year we do a little round up, so if you want to see all of the fun things we did last year, click on A Look Back on 2019.
January
We celebrated one whole year of Harbor + Pine! And now we’re coming up on two years!! So crazy! We are so thankful for you all being here the last (almost) two years. <3 We also launched our @harborandpinehomegoods Instagram, where we share daily about our new arrivals, restocks, sales, etc. So if you aren’t following along there—you’re missing out!! ALSO, I (Kendra) left my corporate career to work full time on Harbor + Pine and Grace + Gather!! (Which was still a big secret at the time!)
On the blog, we kicked the new year off with: How We Save $10,000 in 3 months, Are You Living with a Positive Mindset?, and Healthier Food Swaps.
February
We had two huge announcements that have truly kept our entire year crazy, busy, and amazing all at the same time! We announced that we were opening our downtown Houghton storefront, Grace + Gather! And that Jason and I were in the process of becoming licensed foster parents!
March
The littles officially moved in with Jason and I! And also, just in time for our renovations to finish at Grace + Gather, for us to open—the world shut down. We weren’t able open for 10 more weeks, but we made the most of it and spent most of those weeks working in our office there! You can read all about the renovation process with before & after photos here—Part one, two, and three!
April
Bryana and a couple of her photog besties started their Street View Project, capturing photos of so many families from 6ft away during this crazy situation of life that we’re all in! Such a cool idea! And they were able to raise some money for three different local businesses! She came over to snap a few picture of our little family then, which is so cool to look back on and see how the kids have grown and how far we’ve come. Not going to lie friends, we were in an extremely difficult and dark place with the kids at this point, really struggling to just make it through the day without extreme meltdowns and tantrums—from all of us. It was so hard. I wrote this post about Our Journey to Foster Care, wanting to be as open and honest as possible.
We also shared about My Go-To Healthy Breakfasts! (UPDATED) and some Small Town Date Night Ideas (Quarantine Edition!).
May
Grace + Gather was finally and officially able to open! We didn’t get to celebrate with the Grand Opening that we dreamt of, but we were just thankful to open our doors and see and serve all of our amazing customers and community! The support we all felt on our opening weekend (and honestly since then) has left us emotional and grateful. It’s been a dream come true for all of us at G+G!
Jason and I started on our Backyard Patio Project (on a budget!), we also shared Leave A Legacy By Documenting Your Life -- In Photos and Our Favorite Devotionals, Bible Studies, and Faith-Based Books.
June
Truthfully after Grace + Gather opened, the summer was a whirlwind! Filled with working on and in the shop, chatting with and meeting so many lovely people visiting G+G, spending the evenings enjoying the beautiful weather we had, and trying to make the most of this weird situation and year this is.
Here are a few honorable mention June blog posts: DIY Wooden Shelf Brackets, Our Favorite Amazon Home Finds, Chocolate Caramel Blondies (vegan + gluten-free), and a Summer Bucket List.
July
We celebrated Bryana’s birthday this on the 8th of this month with a fun girls evening in the Keweenaw! We sat on the beach, ate at the Fitz, and then had a fire with snacks by the Portage Canal! We officially completed our Backyard Patio Reveal and spent so many warm summer evenings back there enjoying it!! Bryana blogged about her Favorite Way to Cook Asparagus, her Updated Night Time Routine, and I shared 5 Simple Ways to Keep Your Home Pretty and Functional!
August
Some of our favorite blog posts of the year: Bryana’s Bathroom Remodel Reveal is so beautiful! You’ll definitely want to check it out, if you haven’t yet! We shared an awesome little itinerary for A Weekend in the Copper Country for your next trip here! Jason and I replaced our front door, which changed the whole vibe of our entry and I shared all about Making the Most of a Small Entryway! To end the month, Bryana blogged all about Starting Your Own Side Hustle? Tips on How to Overcome Your Fears and Just Go For It!
September
After the craziness of the summer months, we borrowed some of our family’s Side by Sides and surprised our guys with a day trip up to Copper Harbor! A fun way to enjoy the day and the great outdoors, and thank them for all of the hard work they do at the shop for us!! It was such a blast and we now of course have to make it an annual thing!
I finally blogged about our Kitchen Remodel (on a budget!) and Bryana shared how they built the gorgeous DIY Leaning Bathroom Shelf!
October
We welcomed warm fall weather with open arms this season and tried to check off all the to-do’s on our Autumn Bucket List!! On instagram stories we both shared “A Day in Our Life” and have them saved in our highlights!! If you want to see a peek into what our day-to-day lives look like lately, head to our Insta! On the blog I shared some Healthy + Hearty Fall Recipes and a few Tips for Decorating When You're Renting! Bryana blogged about her Simple Living Room Refresh! The before and after is SO good, y’all!
November
Bring on the holiday season! We spent a majority of November prepping for Ladies Night, Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and then of course, Christmas! It was BUSY, but so much fun. I answered your most asked foster care questions, talked about 7 Things to Talk About Before Getting Married, and finally shared our Small Master Bedroom Refresh. Bryana shared some really pretty Winter & Christmas Prints for Your Home!
December
We celebrated with our annual Ugly Sweater Christmas party and it was filled with festive games, good food, and great friends. We reminisced on our Ugly Sweaters of Christmas past on Instagram, and also shared some fun reels on how we made the cutest little Wood + Wool Ball Christmas Ornaments and a Christmas charcuterie board! Bryana shared her amazing Simple Salted Caramels Recipe and I gave a few tips on How I Keep My Small Home Clutter-Free!
I can hardly believe December is almost over, it always flies by so fast! But we are looking forward to next year, with hopeful hearts and praying that 2021 is a better year for all of us. Praying for good health, quality time with the ones you love, and to live in world where we can see the smile of another in a restaurant, store, or in a doctor’s office. We’ve all learned and grown through this season, but it has been tough, there is no doubt about it. Let’s move forward with faith for what God has planned for us next year.