Happy New Year!

My first blog post of 2026 will be a recap of 2025 which I did not get a chance to post on New Year's Eve.  

Job:
I started 2025 in search of a new job. My company was having a lot of layoffs and I felt I was stagnant in my role. I had stayed in that job for almost 15 years because it gave me the flexibility of WFH. It allowed me to do IVF, get pregnant, have S and be working from home as she grew up which was priceless. However, with her now being 12 years old I felt I had more leeway in terms of the job I took and if I needed to go into an office.

The job market was brutal, and it was depressing reading about folks looking for jobs for 6-12 months with no bites. Luckily I got two interviews within about 8 weeks of actively looking and landed my current role. It pays well, is very close by with zero travel which I love.  

It has been an adjustment going into an office after over a decade of WFH, but its hybrid and I only go in Tue-Thurs. I have to admit I like it much more than I thought I would.  I like being able to dress nicely, put on make up and interact with coworkers and above all "see and be seen". That was/is the biggest drawback of being remote - out of sight is truly out of mind.

My new job is going well. I am learning ang upskilling myself which is a good thing in today's market. The culture is not the best, but I am employed and it suits me for now.  We did have layoffs a few weeks ago.  I was safe, but it makes one appreciate the fact that one is employed.

Travel:
We had a fantastic travel year in 2025 with two memorable trips, covering 5 countries!  S is now a World Traveler and another major item is checked off my "To Do with S" list!  

We kicked off the year with a seven (7) day trip to Paris and London to celebrate S's 12th birthday. It was her very first trip abroad and where better that two iconic cities!  She loved everything except the long flights :-) We did all the tourist stuff and took the EuroStar from Paris to London and flew back home from London.

Our next vacation was in summer. Our very first cruise ever, and we did it in style on the Icon of the Seas - the biggest cruise ship in the world.  Its ironic because in 2023 I had a AAA magazine laying about open on a page which had an advertisement for Royal Caribbean's newest ICON cruise ship. S saw it and was blown away and asked if we could go on it. I thought in my head "yeah, never gonna happen".  But my lovely Mom decided to take the family on a cruise for her birthday in July. And since S wanted the Icon, we got to go on it! We visited Mexico, Honduras and the Bahamas.

 It was so amazing that we even forgot we had gone to Europe three months earlier!!

In Fall, my Mom and I went to the beach for 2 days since S had a stay away camp, her very first one and I wanted to be close by. It was a very relaxing 2 days, and it helped me unwind. The previous vacations were great but I never really got to relax. In Europe, I was the one planning everything, and on the 7 day cruise I was running around with S everywhere (she did not want to do the kids club). I think I may have only got 2 hours to myself that entire week!

S:
S is doing well. She finished 6th grade with honors award and started 7th grade. She has some friends in her classes so is enjoying middle school. Not too much drama so far, and I am hoping it stays that way.

This was also the year when S got a cellphone, so that was a big milestone. It only has voice and text since I have locked down Internet - no YouTube, TikTok, FB, Insta, Reddit  AND no Google either. At 12 years old she does not need any of it. In fact I shall be like the Australians - no social media access until she is 16 years old. I know she does not like it, but it is what it is.

2025 was also the year when S outgrew me in height. I expected she would by year end, but she did so by summer.  She is now almost 5Ft 9inches and towers over me (5ft 6 in) which she loves to point out at every opportunity she gets  :-)

Lastly, she did her first Stay Away Camp this year at a 4-H center. She loved the independence and I felt comfortable having her manage her nut allergy on her own.

Me:
I have been putting on menopausal weight and it keeps piling on. I don't even recognize my body anymore or know how to dress it. I was always slim and I miss my svelte self. I looked great until 2/3 years ago when I started menopause and everything changed.  I understand its hormonal and metabolic and all women go though it, so I am not weighing myself anymore but focusing more on being active, trying to eat more protein and do some weight training. My office has a walking path around it which I use in the summer, and we have an indoor gym which I try to use when in the office.

House:
After all the renovation we did in 2024, this past year 2025 was very quiet on the home front. We got new chairs for the front porch in summer, and a new washer/dryer in December which was exciting since the ones I had were almost 20 years old. I had purchased from the previous owner when I bought the house 17 years ago. They still worked, but were getting rusted and looked dismal. This year I want to put in wood cabinets in the laundry room and get rid of the metal brackets/railings.

Cat:
We have had some cat drama with our 5-year old cat getting into fights with the neighbors cat. It resulted in two expensive vet visits. One for a scratch near her eye in summer, and recently a Vet Urgent Care visit for a bite on her tummy. The other cat seems unscathed. The problem is the other cat keeps coming into our yard and has the audacity to come on our back deck, that is when my cat loses it and they get in a fight. I know the owner and we try to tell each other when the cat is let out so we can keep an eye out. Luckily with me going to the office, my cat is indoors Tue-Thurs. Hopefully 2026 will be less cat drama.