Chapter Fifteen: Written by Karen Aguirre

Name: Karen Aguirre
Age: 26 years old
Ethnicity: Hispanic
Occupation: Secretary

“3...2…1...Happy New Years, may this year be unforgettable!!!” These were the words that started my 2020. I think that everyone was on the lookout of what this year was to bring. I actually had a couple of reasons to why I was looking forward for this 2020. On Christmas Eve of 2019, I got engaged to my best friend. We met in December of 2012 and after eight years we were taking that step. He means the world to me. He has always supported me, cheered me on when I felt like I could not get through the semesters, and helped me realize that two people are better than one. Our wedding was scheduled for November 1st, 2020. It was also my last semester in college, which meant I was about to graduate with an associate degree in Science. I had no words to describe what I felt with these major events coming up.

January. My fiancé and I started looking at venues, searching for vendors, etc. February. We booked a venue and locked in our vendors. By the end of February, we had our engagement party with both sides of the family. Then MARCH of 2020 hit. CORONAVIRUS. PANDEMIC. STATE SHUTDOWN. NO TOILET PAPER. MASSIVE SHOPPING. MASKS. GLOVES. AHHH!! Who would have ever thought that the deadliest virus would appear and paralyze the world! To be honest, at first it sounded scary because no one knew about this virus, where, and how it came to be. We had to be at home for many weeks and be carefully shopping when it was necessary. I thank God because I did not stop working because my job was deemed essential. I was taking care of my mother and providing for the house because at that time I still lived with her. She had to close down her self-owned business for a while. That was hard. The moment she decided to close down impacted me. I had never seen my mother so worried, however I felt like I had to keep my head up for her. As the days and weeks went by, we spent time together and our relationship as mother-daughter grew. Yes, there were some horrible things going on in the world, but not everything was going wrong. Families got to be together, people had time to slow down and think. I also thank God that we did not lose any of our family members. Some of my friends did lose their loved ones. It was tough seeing them go through something like this, but they knew that they could count on my prayers. I am certain that one thing that maintained my family was prayer and obviously taking preventative measures. We did not visit anyone. Not even my fiancé got to come over. This was devastating because we had to be planning the wedding through facetime and not experience it like other couples.

April. May. TIK TOKS, WHIPPED COFFEE, DANCES, DRIVE BY PARTIES, STILL NO LYSOL, and ZOOM. School classes moved online, and I was not a fan of this. I had to take my finals through a computer screen! Also, my “graduation” was supposed to occur. It got postponed until next year with the following class. This was something I waited for my whole life! I was one of the first ones from my entire family to graduate college. It was a dream that I was watching fade away. Yet, my family and friends made it special. As I write this I tear up because they all came in their cars from all different states and honked as they passed by house. This made it extra special.

June. July. The summer nights with friends, going to the beach, going places, celebrating my birthday, all of that was not in the picture. And if we did go someplace, we had to take precautions and masks. Then an unexpected event happened. My car was in accident and no longer working. I was worried at first, because this is how I get places and with this pandemic, my hours were being cut and was not ready to buy a new car. However, I knew that I was not going to be left alone. God blessed me with a new car! I was in tears crying like a baby because He is faithful.

August. September. By this month, I was going crazy because my venue called me that the wedding had to be outside! It was going to be cold and not what I had in mind all of this time of planning. I was devastated. All I had to do was either wait or change the date. I was not planning to change the date. I was not going to let this pandemic get in the way of an amazing step my fiancé and I were going to take. This month was also a month where we lost on our family friends. Rest in peace all those who died from COVID-19 and thanking all the healthcare workers, teachers, mail mans, cleaning and general employees!

October. November. Wedding day finally came! The state finally opened up and called me to tell me that we could do our dream wedding inside! This was such a relief for everyone. It was the best night of my life and our families. We were honoring God and our loved ones. I will never regret or forget this special moment. Through all the countless nights of going to sleep late, the shopping with masks, looking for my dress, and all of the chaos that goes on in planning a wedding, I would not have liked it any other way! One thing that was a bummer, was that I was not able to invite all of my friends and family. They understood which was good.

December. We are now coming to an end to this indescribable, unforgettable, and memorable 2020. It was a year of many downs, but of many ups as well. We have to take life one day at a time. Let’s not rush through things and appreciate the small details a bit more. This is what this year showed me. Let’s celebrate life and the real reason for this season, our Savior. He is the one who guided my family, took care, and provided us with blessings. Let’s celebrate the losses and victories. Don’t get me wrong, my family in this month got infected and I was worried because it hit home a little closer. Nevertheless, we all stood in faith! 2020 you will always be part of my story and now history! 2021, I am ready for you.