Last year’s was lovely, if bittersweet. It was our first New Year’s as a married couple, but also my first New Year’s without my dad, who had passed away a little over a month earlier. I took my husband for the first time up to the mountain: When my dad was a boy, his father had bought some land up on the mountain…

“Turning crumbs into an imaginary banquet”...

I remember, at the end of third grade, the school principal came around to our classroom with one of the fourth-grade teachers—we’ll call her Dr. Brown. They explained, “Now some of you may be in Dr. Brown’s class next year. She’s not like your doctor that you go to for checkups or when you’re sick, so you don’t have…

I am not a bad baker—in past years at my large family Thanksgiving gatherings, I’ve “won Thanksgiving”* with ginger macarons, or cream puffs with pumpkin custard filling and maple topping. This year I was doing a food exchange (no social gatherings!) with my husband’s family. We were doing the dessert, and we decided…

I’m so sorry. Yeah, my dad had a lot of sad-looking meals in the hospital before the end, especially since he needed everything either very soft or pureed. He passed away about a week before Thanksgiving (last year), which didn’t make for a great Thanksgiving, either. But at least a bunch of fun relatives showed up to…

Congrats on getting all set up in Panama. That sounds awesome.

You’re getting hysterical. Put foul smells by your nose and sweet smells by your genitals, so your womb will wander back to its natural place and you’ll feel much better.

Yeah, because of a number of factors we decided it didn’t seem like the right opportunity or time to go to NZ, but we were sad at the missed possibilities once the decision was final. My husband was a little more sad (he’s a surfer, so Raglan was especially a dream for him), and now I think he’s dreaming of getting a…

Thanks! Yeah, I’m super lucky. Granted, I haven’t seen that view in a while because I’ve been working remotely from my little condo in the city, but it’s good to remind myself that I’ll see it when things are better and we can all go back out again.

Thanks. It was really, really hard. The stability is comforting—with a steady job, it may finally be time for me to look into buying a home, which is also exciting.

He loves napping on my shoulder, and it’s extra cute when he tucks himself in/through my hair for added stability <3

I was relieved and excited to make the decision, but I think my husband was a little bit sadder than I was, even though he also agreed with all our reasoning and decided HI makes sense for now. Seeing him a little sad made me a little sadder, but I think that’s expected any time you have to choose between two things…

Hahahaha, aw, those little lovebirds! That’s great.

Congrats! What a cute, sweet pupper!

Congrats! So adorable!!!

Awww, I feel that one who loves the heat vent. My childhood home had floor vents, and I would just sit on the one in the living room. Like, all the time. I’d do my homework sitting on the floor there, haha.

Those look gorgeous!

Sounds like a scary accident, glad you’re all OK. Hopefully you get a reasonable payout from the insurance. Beautiful photos!

I’m following up on the dilemma I shared two weeks ago, where I was choosing between two job offers: a two-year position in a small coastal town in New Zealand(!), or a permanent position with full benefits in Honolulu where I live now. Well, this may come as a bit of a letdown for some who were dreaming of an escape…

Happy birthday! Those birthday plans sound pretty great. Especially great because they have that delightful quality of not putting anyone in danger*!