2020 for Juliana Grace!

 I have been writing these posts for years now, and I can truly say this one is the hardest to write. 2020 has been a hard year for so many. I know so many people had it worse than I did and I am thankful that through this year I have been healthy and safe. 

This year I lost a job I loved, gained weight, and missed out on exciting plans I had scheduled. I refuse however to focus on the negative, and am instead excited to recap the joy this strange year has brought me. I do hope each of you know though that you aren't alone and I am always available to talk. DM me on Instagram, comment on this blog post, or email me (jgraceblog@gmail.com) with any way I can pray for you or support you.

Now... let's get into my 2020!

Favorite Memories:

On January 1st, 2020 my family got to watch our Alabama Crimson Tide kick some butt here in Orlando in their bowl game! It was so fun to see them here in Orlando and it was beautiful weather! I love starting each year with sports.

My parents and I went to one of the first UCF Basketball games of the year and had a great time together! I love these sweet parents of mine.

I got to go to Night To Shine again this year with my BFF! Tim Tebow always throws a prom for those with special needs around Valentines Day and it's held in locations all around the globe. I always leave this event feeling like I couldn't possibly be happier. The best memories!!

Meredith and I got to see the Broadway show Aladdin and it was amazing! I love Disney Broadway shows! Oh how I miss going to see shows with my sister.

Before quarantine happened, I went to several basketball games with friends and enjoyed some beach and lake days too! I love living in Florida. These photos were from February. 

My birthday was at the beginning of April so it was right in the midst of the stay at home order. I had a wild 21st celebration playing card games with family at home. I had elaborate plans for a week of celebrations, but honestly this was really fun. I loved having the undivided attention of all of my family and just laughing and playing games together. I would be happy spending every birthday this way. 

I have always been a homebody, but something about being forced to stay home was hard. I did pick up some fun hobbies though. I rode my bike more, baked some good treats, painted Lilly Pulitzer prints, and held a drive through parade for a friend. Quarantine was anxiety inducing not knowing the extent of the virus and how it spreads, but I am thankful to have been able to stay home and quite enjoyed it too.

Meredith and I got a crazy good deal on Seaworld and Aquatica passes during the summer and were so excited to go in the Fall. We have felt very safe every time we have gone. They have done excellent enforcing mask policies and social distancing. We just love the rides, shows, and animals so much! This was definitely a perk of 2020!

My Fall 2020 semester was spent in my senior student teaching internship! I got placed with the sweetest supervising teacher and I am SO excited to be heading back to the same school for this coming Spring semester. I learned a lot and am so excited to be a Special Education teacher!

I am so thankful to have met some new friends who love God and each other so well! 

Went to a few UCF Football games! It wasn't the same with a lot less people in the stadium, but it was  good to be back cheering on my Knights!

I love this selfie my family took at a drive in Christmas concert we went to for King & Country! They were amazing but we couldn't help laughing at the fact that we were parked right behind a utility pole and electricity box unable to see anything. We tried to get out to see it and in true 2020 fashion, it started raining. LOL. We did have a wonderful, lowkey Christmas though and it was full of quality time together, good food, and lots of laughs. 

Favorite Outfits:

I got this dress during the Lilly Pulitzer sale in August and I honestly don't think I have ever felt that a dress was so ME! It has self tying straps, smocking, a bright print, and POCKETS! 

This Lilly dress I scored for a ridiculously good price. If you haven't seen my blog post on How to Get Lilly Pulitzer for Less, head to that blog post here. It is filled with good tips!

I LOVE this striped dress! I got the pink one for Christmas too ha! You can find the dress here.

This custom dress that my friend Tasha made for me is my FAVORITE piece of clothing ever!!!! It really helps me channel my inner Ms. Frizzle!

This pink and green look is also a favorite of the year! 

Favorite Movies:

This movie came out in late 2019 but I was late to the party and boy is this movie beautiful! This movie was just the most beautiful representation of the classic story we all know. I loved this movie!! You can watch the trailer here.

This movie is definitely the one that has stuck with me the most this year. I went and saw this in theaters at the beginning of this year and still mention it all the time. This movie is based on the true story of a black lawyer who moves to Alabama to defend prisoners on death row. One of the most eye opening movies I've ever seen. You can watch the trailer here.

This movie on Disney Plus is also based on a true story and it is phenomenal! You can watch the trailer here. 

Kissing Booth 1 & 2 are both such cute movies! They are just fun chick-flick romantic comedy movies and they're perfect for a girls night in. Watch the first trailer here and the second movie trailer here.

Favorite TV Shows:

The Right Stuff on Disney Plus was definitely my favorite TV Show of 2020. I just love all things space, and the casting was so spot on in this series! You can watch the trailer for the show here.

Both of these shows on Netflix are so sweet and cute! I loved watching them both!

I can't believe I never watched Boy Meets World before! This entire series is on Disney Plus and I flew through it. It is such a wholesome family show and it is a hoot. 

This show is a recent discovery but wow is it good. It is kind of similar to This Is Us. It is emotional and heavy at times but overall just a quality show. I love it! 

My Favorite Books:

I wrote an entire blog post on my favorite books of 2020 (and believe me it's good)! You can read that blog post here. 

If you want to watch my 1 Second a Day Video I made throughout this year, click below:

Well there you have my 2020 recap friends. It hasn't been an easy year but I am once again blown away by God's blessings and the grace He has shown me this year. I hope to grow even closer to Him this coming year. 

Leave your favorite memories, movies, TV shows, and books down below for me please! I can't wait to read about them. I will be doing a blog post on my New Years Resolutions here in a few days, so we'll chat soon!

xoxo