Winter is officially upon us and the shortest days of the year are still to come. Whether you celebrate Hanukkah, Christmas, Yule, Kwanzaa, or any other holiday, I hope you have (or had) a peaceful, loving, and socially distanced celebration and a happy new year. This year has been difficult and chaotic; we’ve lost so many because of covid-19 and other issues. May the next year bring some stability, justice, and peace.

Here are some of my favorite memories of 2020. While I didn’t get to spend a whole lot of time with the animals I usually care for, there were some really good moments. Rosie and I went on many adventures and she got to experience her first snow (which was this year but feels like a decade ago). She even dressed up as an Arctic Pupperfly for Halloween! Rain passed away but I got some wonderful quality time with her and I’ll always cherish that. While I miss her so so much, she will always be one of my favorite dogs and I’m so grateful for her.

Loki and Etta joined my family as tiny little kittens and have grown into amazing and wonderful troublemakers. My hometown also got a cat cafe, where you can spend time with friends and adoptable cats! Plus, Paws for Beer is still the local dog bar and is an amazing place for any dog owner/lover to hang out.