December 2025 Update
We made it back from Thanksgiving just in time to see frost flowers on December 1st. I absolutely love this phenomenon each year. I wasn’t quite sure where I would find them since I moved earlier this year but there were a few on the greenway next to the train tracks. I knew the conditions would be right and it made my day to discover them!
I also started with my beloved Aldi Advent Calendar Puzzles, but they quickly became not-so-beloved. The puzzles this year were cheap and the pieces were too similar. Even though the designs were cute they were shaped instead of a rectangle puzzle. I missed my favorite part – putting together the border with nice, straight-edge pieces. I was quite dissapointed and I hope they choose something better next year. I bought both sets but didn’t even bother opening the 2nd one.
Skylar and I popped back down to Birmingham to celebrate my sister graduating college. Her journey to becoming a teacher was tough. I had an opportunity to interview her and write an article about her experience. The details she shared with me were mind-boggling. Every time I sat down to write out her story, my eyeballs would leak. I’m so immensely proud of her determination and hard work and I’m beyond excited to finally see her do something she’s dreamed about since childhood.
For game night this month, we had bruchetta boards and they were so yummy. The girls lost to the guys in Cranium and, even though we’ve beat them every other time this year, they aren’t letting us forget it anytime soon. The girls also held our last book club of the year. I was trying to hit 20 but finished off 2025 with 19 books.
- Favorite Fiction Books: The Lost Apothecary & Atmosphere
- Favorite Non-Fiction Book: The Bookshop & Awake
- Honorable Mention: Slow Dance
- Least Favorite Book: The 7-½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle
The weather finally turned colder for good so we’ve been playing PB indoors. I even finally played at Pickleball Kingdom. We’ve also been going back to the church in Lebanon. Now that the new In-N-Out is open, we’ve stopped by a couple times and it’s so good!
My birthday fell on a Monday this year, which is pretty boring plus I had to work the entire day, but I did get to eat some yummy brownie cakes that someone made for me.
I honored the Winter Solstice at one of my favorite places, Pearl the 100-year-old farmhouse. We did an activity where we did some reflection, then placed 12 goals in a bag (one for every month of the year). Then Sonia gave us a little twist and said that we are supposed to discard one per day until we are left with one final piece of paper to open on New Year’s Day. THAT will be my focus for the year. I can’t wait to see which one of mine is left!
The week leading up to Christmas was crazy town at work trying to get everything caught up, while also still trying to finish up shopping, and planning out our Christmas Eve dinner. I was working some looooong hours and my brain was mush. But it all came together and we had a very lovely holiday. I also enjoyed a week off between Christmas & New Year’s.
Skylar is home for almost 6 weeks but she spent the last part of December visiting her friend in Philadelphia. She had a great first semester and finished with a 4.0. This means that she qualified for a flight lab and even got her preferred airport. Now we just have to figure out funding before January 16th. Eek!
We rang in the new year with our game night crew, wearing our pajamas – the perfect way to end 2025!
When I think back on this year, it feels so warm and cozy. I’m filled with a lot of pride for those around me and what they accomplished, including myself. This year, life felt manageable and comfortable. I also had a huge amount of support at home and I think that made the biggest difference of all. Teamwork towards common goals goes a long way. I think I live a plain and boring life, but I like it that way. You’d be surprised at how hard I’ve had to work to live simply. I feel like I’ve waited my whole life to get to this charming little spot, and I never want to leave. I have everything I need!
