The Past Couple Of Months Through My Journal | Neeltje’s Thoughts: Journaling

Ever since I started my 2020 journal, I have been constantly looking for inspiration. On Pinterest but also in magazines. The best thing about magazines is that I am able to rip pages out and actually use them to decorate the pages in my journal. The last few months have been strange but I want to document everything in 2020 and keeping this journal has made me realize to be more thankful for the little things. So, here’s an update of what my journal currently looks like after filling it with memories of March, April, May and June.

⊹ Mar/Apr 2020

The end of March and the beginning of April I was still adjusting to all the changes, like me working from home, not being able to see my friends & family. So, these months I didn’t do that much besides going on regular evening walks with my mom and online shopping hehe.

↣ March 12: This was the day the lockdown became a ‘real’ thing. Since the virus played such a big part in the past couple of months (and still has), I did want to make kind of a fun page to introduce this period into my journal. I think it turned out fun and artsy at the same time!

↣ March 27: When working from home started, I was spending so much more time at home and I realized I never painted my walls, like I was planning to. So, while in quarantine I rearranged my room and spent a full day painting my bedroom walls. If you don’t know what I am talking about, check this blog post.

↣ April 7: This evening my mom and I were cycling around town, just to get out of the house for a little. During our bike ride, I was looking around me and my eyes caught this insane moon in the sky. I cycled back a little bit to see it better. When I got home, I grabbed my camera and went outside again to capture this super moon. I am so happy with the photos I took because it doesn’t just look like a circle. You can see dimension and structures.

↣ April 16: Since I hadn’t seen most of my friends for such a long time, Elba and I decided Thursday night every week would be our weekly walk time. Of course we kept our distance so I named it our social distancing walk.

↣ April 22: While I was working from home, Isabella messaged me if I was home. Well, duh! She said I needed to come outside and there she was, with a gift (homemade cookies and a new plant). So sweet and thoughtful!

↣ April 28: How do you celebrate a birthday while in quarantine? Well, we kind of made the best of it. On April 28 it was my mom’s birthday, so I made this sign with ‘Sandra’s quarantine birthday’ and caution tape. Just a fun thing to decorate our house with when she would wake up. Some people actually wished her a happy birthday and left presents by the door. It was a different way to celebrate her birthday but also kind of special.

⊹ May 2020

May went by so fast, oh my. Even though I didn’t do that much, things did start to open up again and some regulations were lifted. So, I was very excited to see my friends again and also leave the house more and more.

↣ May 1: Saving for something and then getting it, gives you such a fulfilling feeling. One of the things I had been saving up for was a new iPhone. I love to do research about the new iPhones and find out which would be the best choice for me. After reading tons of review and watching lots of videos I ended up getting the iPhone 11. When I got it, I was so excited to try the camera and let me tell you… the camera is so good. I love going outside and just taking so many photos with my new iPhone!

↣ May 12: Another gift delivery! This time from Eline. Just like any other day, I was just working from home when the postman came and something big got dropped in our mailbox. I was so curious, I had to have a look. And to my surprise, it was something for me! Immediately I recognized the handwriting. Eline wrote just a sweet letter and got me this notebook, since she knows I love notebooks. Unexpected gifts are the best.

↣ May 14: Since quarantine started, I hadn’t been to Leiden again. So, on a Thursday night (when it was time for our weekly walk) Elba and I decided to cycle to Leiden. It was so weird to be in Leiden again… The streets were empty because all the stores were closed and there weren’t very many people. Such a weird feeling… but also nice to get out of the house for once.

↣ May 18: After the first regulations were lifted, Claudia and I both felt we needed to get out of the house. So, we met up in Leiden and took some photos for her Instagram (@claudiaxh) and an outfit blog post for me. It was so refreshing to see someone else again and enjoy Leiden again!

↣ May 22: At the beginning of the year Eline moved into her new home in The Hague. When she moved, we immediately made plans for me to see it. But then we went into lockdown. So… on this day we finally saw each other again and I got the grande tour of her beautiful home. I got so much interior inspiration from this visit…

↣ May 30: Time during lockdown went by so quick. Before we knew it, it was already the end of May. I had missed my friends so much and we had finally set a date to meet up again. Isabella, Maja and I got a tour of Anouk’s new home and after that, we sat down, ate tons of snacks and watched the SpaceX launch. Such a cool thing to see happen!

⊹ June 2020

And poof, it was June. During this month I started to do much more and I love every second of it. Oh, and I finally had a week off from work (since Christmas), which I mostly used for relaxing and working on my journal.

↣ June 2: A big YAY for my grandma’s birthday! She turned 81, like wow. Before visiting her in the evening, Claudia and I went on a scooter ride to Noordwijk. It literally felt like a perfect summer, holiday day. We had breakfast/lunch/brunch at Witsand, again took some photos and had a lot of fun people watching.

↣ June 8: Gifts from my friends didn’t stop at the one from Eline. Also Lotte dropped of something. You might remember she makes her own jewelry and sells them on her Instagram account (@beadsbylotte). Since she just launched her new bracelets, she also made me one! It’s such a cute one and I’ve been wearing it ever since I got it.

↣ June 11: Another birthday celebration because it was Claudia’s birthday the day before. So, like always, we met up in Leiden, sat down at this little cafe near Van der Werf Park in Leiden and enjoyed some very tasty cake. Mmm…

↣ June 16: On June 15 my week off from work started. Originally I would be have a week off at the beginning of May, but since my trip got canceled, I moved it to this week. On the second day of this week Lotte and I decided we wanted to go to the beach. It definitely wasn’t beach weather at all but it was still nice to sit outside. And because the weather wasn’t that great, it was very quiet, which is always lovely. This time we had lunch at Branding Beach Club and I FINALLY had buratta, which I had been craving for a long, long time.

↣ June 18: Whenever I am free, I always make time for my grandma. We always have a lot of fun. On this day she picked me up, we visited the garden centre (like we do all the time) and had lunch. We talked a lot and she told me so many interesting stories. I love to hear her stories from when she was little and about where she lived with my grandpa. All in all, such a lovely day.

↣ June 23: After my week off, I decided I wanted to work at the office again. They had rearranged everything and since we don’t have a large team, we could easily keep our distance. On the second day back we actually had a social distancing work bbq. Luckily the weather was very nice, so we could all sit outside and enjoy the sunset.

↣ June 25: At the end of my first week back at work, Elba and I went for lunch in Leiden at De Poort. It was so warm this day so we enjoyed the sun, ate our dishes and had a lot to catch up on. Classic Elba, she was late. So, I sat down before she arrived and why not people watch? I love to do this and guess what they are doing, where they are going to and what they are thinking.

In the photo above you can see lots of different stickers… These stickers I just received from Sticker it but just after finishing the last page of June. So, they have to wait a little longer before I use them… But how awesome is having your own stickers? I actually got stickers with custom designs (with cute leaves, stars and other doodles), in different sizes and from various materials, like holographic and biodegradable. I can’t wait to use them on the next pages of my journal because they fit the vibe of my journal so well!

Wow! Looking back I actually have done quiet some things during the past months. If I wouldn’t keep this journal, I wouldn’t even have remembered. The people around me also love to browse through my journal and see what I’ve created from my memories. I can’t wait to share another update and I keep thinking about how I am going to do this in 2021 maybe as well… Do you keep a journal? What’s your favorite memory of the past months?

Love,

Neeltje

This was posted in collaboration with Sticker it