Morning loves! I can hardly believe that it is 2021!! And I don’t know about you, but it seemed like parts of 2020 were standing still, and other parts just flew by.
With that being said, I am going to preface this by saying I am in a really privileged place to say while 2020 had its fair share of bad things, I am trying to think of all of the good things that still happened. I am so grateful to have my job, a roof over my head, family, and health. My heart goes out to everyone that either lost their job, lost a loved one or if your health declined. I feel even guilty writing this blog as this year impacted everyone differently! Anyway, I digress; here are some of my favourite memories from 2020.
Jilly Box Anniversary
I can’t believe that we celebrated the first anniversary of the Jilly Box. Don’t get me wrong, there were manyyy times that I wanted to throw in the towel, but we just hired three full-time Jilly Box employees (and I couldn’t be more excited!!) and it doesn’t look like we are going anywhere anytime soon!
New JHD HQ
After years of Team Jilly working from home, we finally got our own office space! I mean we barely get to use it, but it’s a great place for me to go when I need to get out of the house 🤪.
I Got Re-engaged
Long story short, I threw out my engagement ring at the beginning of the year, and I was heartbroken. Luckily, because we had insurance, I was able to get a replacement. Justin wanted to make this one was just as special, so he re-proposed. If you haven’t watched our re-engagement, you can watch it here.
Pro tip: any of you out there with an engagement ring, get insurance on it!!
Raised Over $300k for Charity
At the beginning of the year when the pandemic hit we quickly changed our focus, our community needed our help more than ever. And with all of YOUR help, we were able to raise over $300k for various charities.
Plus, we launched our first Christmas in June campaign and with the help of some of our all-time favourite brands, together, we were able to raise $233,170 CAD!!!! If you are curious about where those donations went, you can click here.
Finding Humility in 2020
This year was all about finding humility, being humble and learning from our mistakes. We hired coaches and a DEI consultant, Sabrina Meherally to help our team become more inclusive and diverse.
I also shared a blog post with Tanis on a topic of it haunted me for years. I was so relieved when Tanis agreed to share her side of the story, and we were able to share it. If you would like to check out that post, you can find it here.
My Mom’s Health Improved
For the last 30 years, my mom has been struggling with bipolar. In those last 30 years, there have been some good days, but it wasn’t until 2020 that she started feeling better. When the pandemic hit, I was really worried about her mental health. But with her new medications and my dad’s support, she is doing better than ever!!
In 2020, she even contributed a few blog posts surrounding mental health and wellness; you can find them here. I am SO happy to have my energetic and happy mom back in my life. She is eating healthy, exercising and is so engaged with the kids, which, of course, fills my heart with SO much joy!!
Hired New JHD Employees
In 2020, our team practically doubled in size. We hired Jennifer, our Financial Controller, Kristy (who was working with us part-time, but we were able to bring her on full-time), our Finance and Office Manager, Carrie our Graphic Designer and Abbi, our Digital Marketing Assistant. And at the end of 2020, we also hired two new employees, and I can’t wait to introduce you to both of them later this year!!
Annie is Snowboarding
In December, Justin and I took the kids to Big White Ski Resort, and after watching Leo snowboard, Annie wanted to try it out. I couldn’t believe that at just 2 years old, she was up on a snowboard and rocking it!
Travelled to Disneyland and Hawaii
Before the pandemic hit, we were so lucky to head out for a family vacation to Disneyland and Hawaii. I was SO surprised that Justin planned and executed the entire Disneyland trip for my 40th birthday without me finding out. I shared all of my favourite parts of the trip; you can check it out here. It was honestly one of the best parts of the year and one of the best trips of my LIFE!! Justin and I can’t wait to head back to both Disneyland and Hawaii as soon as we can!!
We Opened The Doors to Our Rental Condo
Justin and I purchased a rental condo in the heart of Kelowna. We love to travel and have been so fortunate to visit some incredible places, but there is truly nothing like the Okanagan (I may be biased!!). And in August, we listed it on Airbnb for short term rentals! You can book your stay here or take a tour of our condo here!
Well, there you have it! A list of my top favourite moments from 2020, I am looking forward to what 2021 has in store!
xo
Jilly
Wow! You guys rocked it this year Jillian! I’m high risk and can’t go out anywhere and just worked on my house which is coming along nicely, sometimes it felt like the walls were closing in so we would go for long drives all over Alberta on the weekends and we discovered so many places that we never would have before. My heart goes out to all the people that have to be on the front lines they are so brave and I’m right there in heart!