Holy 2020!
Each year, the girls and I write a “Team Resolutions” to share on our blog and I always love looking back at these resolutions to see if we actually kept any. This year, no one was feeling the resolutions post so instead I thought I’d write a recap of the year since it was one like no other.
As I sit here thinking back on this year, the most challenging year of my life (and everyone’s life), I think to myself, my family must and always will come first. That’s not a resolution though, that’s how I live my life. As I think of my resolutions for next year, it’s almost like I think to myself next year needs to be a whole new start for me and my family. A way of rebuilding all that was taken from us emotionally and physically this year. I have already made a daily MUST DO list of things like: Take your vitamins, drink water, put on cuticle oil. Life was so turned upside down this year it’s like I need to start over in 2021.
Luckily, in looking through all of the photos that I took throughout the year I am reminded of all the positive that happened and of course, I find myself filled with a deep amount of gratitude for my health, my family and all the love I feel in my life.
Let’s do a recap shall we and then end off with some light at the end of the tunnel because I do truly believe in my heart, 2021 is going to be a GOOD (or at least better!) YEAR. It has to be!
Back in January when this photo was taken, the year had started off completely normal. Looking back at this “pre-pandemic, before I used to ever say the word pandemic” photo, I find myself feeling the weirdest kind of nostalgia. Almost like I’m upset that I was taken by such surprise for what was ahead…
I remember scrolling through my Instagram feed one morning and stumbling upon Fomo Kids who posted a picture of this installation. I immediately sent it to Natalie and asked her if she wanted to go. We jumped and posed and took a million pics under this gorgeous “2020” creation. Typical day in the life of LMP.
On the last weekend in January we attended our cousin’s bat mitzvah. Adam’s whole family was together and we danced our pants off. It was a blast and one of what I expected to be the first of many celebrations of 2020.
February was still normal. The NYC Sunsets were epic and set the stage for Valentine’s Day. We had several parties to plan and some pretty incredible shoots. We were on track to a successful year with some really cool events booked. Everything was moving along beautifully…
Also in February Gavin received the news that all of his elementary school studies and hard work in testing, applications and interviews paid off. He got into the middle school of his dreams and our friends sent balloons for Gavin and champagne for us to celebrate. We couldn’t have been more proud or excited for our little man and his future.
Our winter events went off without a hitch. One of our dear clients who we adore and always enjoy working with threw her annual Valentine’s Day party. Each year she chooses a theme that represents her past year of travel. This year her theme was China. We were just starting to hear about the Corona Virus and it all felt a bit strange but not strange enough to stop us from bringing this party to life with flying dragons, customized fortune cookies and festive balloons.
We also met a new client who threw her brother and sister-in-law the most gorgeous baby shower that we so loved working on. The flowers, the sweets, the beautiful details and photos taken by Dave Robbins. It was perfect. It was also the last event that we got to work on before the world changed forever…
My kids get a week break in February and every year I use that week off to take them on a ski trip. This year, we went to Lake Tahoe to see our friends from California. It was the BEST trip. We had so much fun, great skiing, amazing weather, perfect hotel and we flew/traveled/lived life without any fear…
Now as we neared the end of February, Adam started acting a little bit weird. He ordered 100 N95 masks and told me to start stocking up on food. I laughed. I asked if he was kidding around. He took it further than that too…We had a trip booked to Israel on March 12th to celebrate my cousin’s wedding. My whole family was going and we had the most amazing itinerary planned for the two weeks that we were going there for. Adam told me - I don’t think we’re going to get to go to Israel. I said no way. Now you’re really acting crazy!
March 6th was Employee Appreciation Day. I wanted to do something special for my girls because they work so hard and are always there for me. I booked us a spa day and sent Shaylan to a spa in Boston since she couldn’t be with us in person. We had massages at the new spa in the Hudson Yards Equinox Hotel followed by cheese and champagne. It was perfect until I got the call where my trip to Israel was officially canceled. I cried big huge tears into my champagne glass. That was all the moment I realized…shit was about to get real.
We had one last LMP Shoot and was one of our faves. A ladybug garden party for Balloon Time Helium Tanks. We had a blast with this shoot and got some quality time together out at the house. While at the house that chilly week of March 3rd, Natalie and I stayed back to organize the basement which had become a complete mess from the previous year of events. We pulled a “Home Edit” on the custom closets that I have down there for all of our party supplies so we could get everything in order for the rest of the year. Turned out to be pretty perfect timing because one week later…that basement turned into Adam’s office and he became the man who dressed up in suits for virtual meetings who we coined “The Boy in the Bunker”.
March 12th, 2020: Was the day we packed our bags and kissed Manhattan Goodbye. The news started to get scary, people were dying and the virus was in NYC like a bat out of hell (pun intended). We made the decision to leave 5 days before our kid’s school closed because the Mayor was having trouble figuring out what to do and we were not going to put our family at risk. I addressed the nation with my thoughts on this situation on my Instagram story here and I look back at this story all the time in awe thinking about now + then.
And so it began…
We went into full isolation. The kids started school online. We spent time at the beach. We rode our bikes. We cooked a ton. We created a bunker in the office for Adam to work in. It all sounds like it was going smoothly right? Well it was. We are so fortunate to have our house on Long Island, food on the table and Adam’s job. But mentally, this scenario became my living hell.
Every day from that point on, I would look at Adam and say…this is going to end soon right? This isn’t really happening is it? He would look back at me and say, I don’t know Seri. We have to just get through it for now. Well the only way I was able to get through it, was with him. He kept me going and having Adam home for months on end was incredibly special and amazing since he otherwise worked very long hours and we never got a lot of time together as a family. This, was a silver lining of covid for our family.
There were a few things that became clear to me after a month of living in quarantine…
My business needed to pivot. Gathering in large groups was not an option and people were stuck at home with their children not to mention all major celebrations were CANCELED! Birthdays, anniversaries, showers and graduations. So I focused on the Little Miss Party in a Box Shop and took our parties and tweaked them to include activities for families to do at home with their children and made them the perfect gift. The response to our Party Boxes was off the charts and I was asked to share my tips for hosting virtual events by several press outlets like the New York Times, CNN and NY Magazine to name just a few.
In shipping all the box orders that I was receiving, I quickly realized how much I value our essential workers such as USPS, UPS and FedEx workers. Not to mention all the medical workers, restaurant owners, Target employees and so many more. The kids and I went on a mad mission to help. We jumped on the rainbow bandwagon, donated meals to healthcare workers and gave flowers with great thanks to everyone in our local post office.
Teachers are gods. When schools shut down and my kids were no longer in the hands of teachers all day long, I realized just how important school is. I mean I always knew, but omg. Jimmy Fallon came sang it best in saying teachers and My Aunti Marissa (who saved my life in helping Luke each and every day from April through June) should be paid a billion dollars.
2020 included milestones and celebrations that were turned into Zoom parties. Gavin graduated the 5th grade with a Little Miss Party in a Box, Instagram live, Zoom with our family and Zoom with his school. These moments included a whole lotta tears and memories that we will never ever forget.
When the weather turned warm on the east coast, hope was in the air. We were able to get out, stretch our legs, run around, sit at the beach and get together with some friends in the backyard.
Every July 4th, we have a huge party in our backyard to celebrate the holiday and Luke’s birthday. This year of course, was the first year we did not host this party. I asked my friend Gina, mom of Luke’s best friend Michael, if we should try to get together so Luke could see his bestie which was all he wanted for his birthday this year. She invited us to spend a weekend at their house in Long Beach Island and we jumped all over it. We spent our entire time (aside from sleeping) outdoors and truthfully? It was the best weekend of the year. We felt alive. We felt pure joy being with our friends. Maybe you’ll judge me for getting together with friends during this pandemic but it was for the sake of our mental health and I have no regrets.
While there, I decided people, family and friends were the key to my family’s survival. So I decided to take the boys to Toronto for a few weeks. The borders were closed but we have dual citizenship so we were allowed to travel there. Upon arrival we would have to go under a strict, two week quarantine so I booked the trip for 5 weeks to accomodate for this time in isolation.
How did this all go you ask? Well, quarantine was not great. The kids wanted to do nothing but play video games, fight with each other and complain. I lost my patience daily and there were a lot of arguments. I had booked a cottage for us to spend the weeks after our quarantine at. We hosted our family and got some pretty amazing quality time with my sister, Mom and cousins. We were nervous getting together but again, needed that time together so badly.
Reuniting with my family made me happy so Adam and I thought maybe we should make the move to Toronto for the fall…
The thought process was this…
Both boys were starting a new school. Gavin had the option to go in person (in tents outside) and Luke was offered a virtual spot for 20-21. We decided to choose virtual for Gavin and move to Toronto so we could have the support of my family and while there, get the kids into some real hockey programs and of course hang out with camp friends.
It all sounded awesome in theory, but after a summer filled with fun and outdoor hangs, I think my judgement was a bit clouded and I also think we were grasping at straws in preparation for what was ahead.
When we got to Toronto, we had another strict two week quarantine. Within this two weeks, while all the schools in Toronto were open and fully operating 5 days a week for all ages, we got the news that Canada was setting up strict new rules and restrictions to keep their numbers down and keep schools open. That meant, barely any hockey, playdates were impossible because parents were too afraid their kids would get sick and miss out on school and nothing was open.
Um…this wasn’t part of my plan.
The kids had virtual school however their schedules were not super filled up with classes. They were left with several hours a day of “independent work” time. Now how do you think an 8 year old handles “independent work” time? That’s right. He does a whole lot of nothing during that time. That means, my time was spent entertaining him. Jumping on the trampoline that we put in the backyard, helping him get his homework done, making him snacks, lunch and more snacks, taking him out to rollerblade…
So when did I have time to work you ask? I didn’t. I couldn’t. I did however spend a lot of my time crying and around October I felt as though I may need to get checked into a mental institute. This is when things got very dark for both me and Gavin who was also struggling with the isolation and sheer boredom.
We got to shake things up a bit and take the kids away for a beautiful fall weekend to one of my favorite ski mountains called Blue Mountain. There was tons to do and restaurants were open there so we were able to get some action safely. Felt good and we all had some fun.
The kids had their school photos taken virtually this year which made me feel like I was all of a sudden in the Twilight Zone and this is when I got on the phone with my friend Gina and said HELPPPPPPP.
Gina had moved her family to Ponte Vedra Beach in August. She had researched the schools and verified that they were the best in Florida. She up and moved so she could put her kids into school and keep them active outside where it’s safer.
After receiving text after text about how amazing Florida was I turned to Adam and said…I think this is our next move. My family was heartbroken to see me so down and wanting to leave but also understood my situation. So we did it. We left Toronto and drove to Florida.
After one last photo shoot with my sis to help promote our newly reinstated party shop opening, we got to Florida and started our next chapter of life here.
It was beyond words the right move for us. What I learned from this year is my children (and myself!) do not fare well in isolation. We don’t need to gather with a large group of people but we do need to move and be active. Here in Florida we are riding bikes, playing golf, having a catch and BBQ’ing on our little back porch.
Well wow. I wasn’t expecting to give such a thorough review on the year but it felt good to write it all out. and believe me when I tell you, this post isn’t even the half of it. So much more happened but mostly too personal to share and not worth boring you with.
This blog post makes me see all the joy that 2020 did bring and makes me remember and focus less on the bad. After reading through it all, I don’t think of resolutions for 2021 I just think of love, health and happiness. That’s all I want for this year and I wish the same for all of you who are listening and going through your own recap of the past year as you do so.