“I’m ready for summer, again,” Angela Smith said, definitively.

But not a summer like she had last year or even the year before when she was with large groups of friends almost every weekend.

Last year’s COVID summer changed everything for her and her husband, Randy.

“Now, I just want the few people. I don’t want to be in a big crowd, I don’t want to be where there’s a lot of people. I just want my tribe, that’s it,” Angela said.

Other things have changed, too. Randy Smith is changing jobs after there was an issue at his last job over Randy wearing a hat that supported a political candidate in public.

“I got called into the office, we sat down,” said Randy, as he recounted the story. “We just started talking about what was going on, who gave permission [to be part of FOX8’s Project 2021 series of reports], who didn’t give permission, who it had to go through.”

And, just like that, Randy was out of work.

He’s since found a new job but that could be enough to sour someone on things — but Randy and Angela remain optimistic about life and this country.

“Yeah, I mean you have to go on with what life throws you, no matter whether we’re in a pandemic or no pandemic,” Angela said.

See the latest in this edition of our Project 2021 Reports.