2021 model year in review

Since its inception in 2017, the first part of every year is dominated by NaMoPaiMo. 2021 was no exception.

This year's event was the biggest so far, with one thousand one hundred seventy three entrants and seven hundred thirty completions.

I was one of the winners. At first I wasn't thrilled with the way my model turned out, but she's grown on me since then. I quite like her now.

2021 was also a year filled with photo shows. I entered eight online competitions...

and won a ton of prizes. This is most of them, I think. 

I also attended two online events: Breyer Boot Camp...

and BreyerFest.

I went all in for BreyerFest. I judged one show, stewarded another and entered a third. I wrote of dozens of blog posts. I stressed over Kylee's STAG sale. I held what was, quite probably, my last big tack sale.

And then... I got hit with the worst case of hobby burn out I have ever experienced. I put the blog on hiatus, got a real job and started thinking about life without model horses.

This state of affairs continued through August. In September, Heather talked me in to attending Ace of Spades Live in Cheyenne, Wyoming. I had a good time and took a lot of photos. I decided they needed to go on my blog, and just like that, hiatus was over.

I added a monthly subscription option to my blog's Ko-fi page, and a number of readers chose to enroll. I can honestly say their support is the reason this blog still exists as a free service today.

Life was humming along pretty well for a month or two. 

Then Stealth died, and everything changed. 

Once again, I found myself with no time for the hobby. I made a weak attempt at Kenzie Williamson's Bridle Tree Barn Raising Challenge, but November and December have been mostly model horse free month.

Now the year is almost over, and it's time to start gearing up for NaMoPaiMo.

This has been a year filled with the highest of highs and the lowest of lows, both in and out of the model horse hobby. I don't think I'd want to do it over, but I also wouldn't change a thing. Here's looking forward to a less dramatic 2022 that is filled with all kinds of ponies!