Putting this blog together is such an incredible reflection and gratitude practice, year after year. I scroll through the beloved faces, accomplishments, new experiences, unbridled joys, and think wow, we should all really take more time to acknowledge and appreciate just how far we have come. Because life can be hard. And it's these moments, these souls, that provide the mortar to build a good life and make it stick.
I've had a powerful integration year of recapturing self-trust, listening to my body, and tapping into my inner wise woman. There were times of inner tumult and crisis, and times of great liberation and joy.
I've had the look-back portion of this post completed for weeks. As is my ritual, I start with a brief reflection on the year, and then presume to declare a theme for the one upcoming. The new year is upon me and as usual, yet to my surprise, I don't know what it will bring.
Sure, vision's important; we can attempt to manifest what we want into the world. But perhaps I'm also growing wiser and realizing that I don't know what's going to happen and that I should be focused on enjoying the present moment.
Intanto vivo, poi vediamo come รจ andata. My dear friend Letizia shared this today and it has helped dislodge me. It means: In the meantime I'll live, and then we'll see how it went. I want to focus my energies on what I most desire - love, joy, and playfulness, and I want to build beauty and meaning beyond myself, in community, relationships, and with my team. I want to protect my peace, to give back, to try new things, to feel untamed. But I can't force it. So with all this in mind, if there is one word I can place on 2025 today, it will be this: UNFOLDING. I'm trusting, I'm present, and in the meantime, I'll live.
In 2024, I...
Witnessed my parents celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary
Took a couple leaps of faith
Celebrated Caroline's birthday with a private chef dinner at their home
Wrote a poem about emerging from winter feelings
Enjoyed the sunshine with friends from near and far, including...
Kasey, Rowan, new baby Mari, Kelsey, and Brittany in Marin
Lizzie, who I met last year in Spain, in Walnut Creek
Preetam, Nicole, and Britt and in Japantown
Completed a deep coaching series with Mathilde that brought me back to myself
Stayed active, going to yoga, dancing, swimming laps, and playing beginner's pickleball
Finally met Dan the Dad (IYKYK)
Tacked on a couple days in Singapore with my colleague, Meara, before a work trip to Manila, enjoying:
Walks through several neighborhoods and a food tour
Singapore Slings at Raffles Hotel
and the Supertree Grove at Gardens by the Bay
Continued on to Manila for a week spent...
Singing karaoke
Meeting our Philippines colleagues in person
Exploring the culture and food
Had my first mud bath in Calistoga during a restorative BFF weekend with Brittany - imagine a sulfuric, goopy weighted blanket (I found it hilarious, unexpected, and comforting - Brittany less so)
Continued my strolls behind the house with the cows
Held my 3rd annual Oscar pool, with two friends taking the top prizes
Joined a virtual women's leadership shala led by my friend and coach, Mathilde - this has been a powerful, vibrant community that has supported and inspired me all year
Played with Emily, and savored many a delicious meal and good conversation at the Kessels' house
Meet Lady, my fiery RAV4 Prime
Crabbed it up in Hollister St. Patrick's Day weekend
Basked in the sunlight in Monterey
Laughed my ass off with Brittany at goat yoga in Half Moon Bay
This was truly the hardest I laughed all year, pure joy
Visited Madison with my team to work on a big project, and while there got to experience the solar eclipse
Enjoyed more in-person meetups with colleagues present and past, like
a Hotel-sponsored dinner with Lindsay
Beer tasting and cheese curds in Madison with Tiann,
who was my Women at Zendesk co-lead four years ago
(our first time meeting in person!)
Lunch and a walk with Ewa, all the way from Poland
(This is Golden Gate Park, not Holland!)
With Josue, Rendi, and Meara at a conference in SF
Put my pinky up for afternoon tea at the Portuguese Hall with my little cousins
Enjoyed my second co-living experience, at SunDesk in Taghazout, Morocco, where I...
Marveled at the brazenness of the monkeys in Ubud's monkey forest
Baptized Gabriele!
Reveled in the baptism celebration with Azzurra, her family, and lots of old friends
Grabbed quality time with mamma when I could - this was the first visit I didn't stay at her house
Went to the sea with Gabriele, where we tortured him with his first limone
Delighted in simple weekday lunches with Letizia at "my apartment" in Paris
Discovered my new favorite cheese, Neufchatel, in Normandy
Biked around Dieppe, stopping at many a gorgeous lookout point
Took moments to rest and cherish the present moment
Bravely and finally went to Morocco, fortified by female friends who found and shared a safe place to do it
Experienced camels on the beach
Enjoyed many a communal meal
Met an awesome crew of people
Went on an impromptu road trip with
three brand-new friends to Taroudant
Rested at Dar Tourkia, our riad oasis in Taroudant
Enjoyed the simplicity of life on the beach
Organized both a beach club party
and a pasta dinner party
In Taroudant, had my first life experience of being denied service because of my identity - a woman trying to eat lunch at a cafe meant exclusively for men in that conservative Moroccan town
Did yoga in a couple new countries, including Morocco and Indonesia
The shala I frequented in Taghazout, Morocco - Amouage
Intuitive Flow, Ubud, Bali
Felt like royalty in crimson velveted box seats at Opรฉra Garnier with Sophie, a former ballet dancer and new friend I met in Morocco, where we watched Giselle
Cherished some of my most special people getting to meet each other
Letizia, Azzurra's brother Gisueppe, and his girlfriend Chloe
Shopped my way through Paris
Begged on the streets of Paris for hours to buy tickets to the Ethel Cain show, was told multiple times how brave I was, made frenemies with the scalpers, and finally got in at face value! The fight and the victory made the show that much sweeter. Vive la rรฉsistance!
Went salsa dancing
Was awed by the national library in Paris
Felt like a local hosting my extended group of friends in Paris
Felt the trademark joy and youthfulness I get traipsing around Europe with Letizia - I think it will always be like this no matter our age
Glowed
Had the honor of meeting a WWII vet, Tony Malin, during my overnight flight delay home from Paris. He was 101 and a half when I thanked him for his service, and was returning from the 80th anniversary of D-Day in Normandy. The first question he asked me was what my husband does for a living, and when I told him I don't have a husband, he said coyly, "Well that's convenient, because I don't have a wife!"
Organized a 50th Anniversary party for my parents, an incredibly special moment where we got to celebrate with friends and family, and be surrounded by our beautiful community to mark this important milestone of love and commitment
Anniversary party highlight reel
Really got to kick back at the impromptu afterparty (mostly held because Kendall wanted to attend an afterparty) where we played pass the trash and had the most fun
Joined my cousin Ashley and her family in Lake Tahoe for a weekend of river rafting, magic, paddling, mini golf, swimming upstream, games, and so much laughter
Had a mini UCSD reunion with Kristen and her kiddos, where we...
strolled and birdwatched
got gussied up for adults night out at
80s Symphony Night at the new Rady Shell venue
made art and friendship bracelets
basked in the sunlight
boogie boarded alongside my gals
(absolute highlight of the trip, and a core memory!)
Solved Wordle in ONE guess THREE times, solidifying my standing as a witch! (Words were STORM, RAISE, and STARE)
The probability each time of getting it in one guess is 1/2309
Not to mention 3x!
Got wild at the zoo with the Kessels
Won one of the best bottles of liquor by hitting it from 20 feet away in a putting game at our annual golf tournament fundraiser
Picnicked at Opera in the Park in SF with the Baldwins
Welcomed avรณ (my grandmother) back from the Azores
Supported my mom through knee surgery
Was my dad's plus one at the wedding of a neighbor boy I used to babysit, Jordan
Chilled at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass with Kasey and her family, and Brittany
Was promoted at Zendesk to Director of Procurement Operations and Transformation, and then promptly...
Took my sabbatical! (Zendesk offers four weeks of paid leave after five years of employment; I tacked on an extra week of PTO and headed to Asia for a month!)
Joined my first group tour, for ten days in Vietnam, starting in Hanoi and ending in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Gawked at the beauty of Ha Long Bay, where we got to say overnight on a private junk boat
Was completely exhilarated on the back of a motorbike tour through Hue (my favorite experience in Vietnam)
Made a wish by releasing a lantern on the river in Hoi An
Deepened my understanding of the Vietnam War, and the atrocities and victims it created on both sides, while feeling unconditionally welcomed by the people there
Went to Ubud, Bali where I hoped to deepen my connection to yoga through meditation and spirituality
Made many new friends from near and far in both Vietnam and Bali
Izzy (Chicago), Fari (London), and Rieke (Germany)
from my Vietnam tour
Experienced a week of peacefulness, meditation, and community at Blooming Lotus yoga retreat
Felt thoroughly wild and absolutely thrilled to sit in a waterfall - a first!
I am woman, hear me roar!
Did a chakra cleansing ritual with one of the retreat teachers
Solidified the sentiment that I don't want to be a full-time vegan (alert: the retreat was all-vegan!)
Learned about Bali's connection to beauty and spirituality, and marveled at how both are woven into their culture and daily life
Felt very moved during the water purification ceremony, which marked the end of the retreat
Was joined by Brittany for the second half of my time in Bali, where we
Enjoyed many beautiful sunsets
Treasured our time at the peaceful Jatiluwih rice terraces
Took a flower petal bath - talk about beauty!
Enjoyed down time in the rain,
including a magnificent lightning storm
Took the most glorious waterfall hike imaginable, in the rain
(during which I completely fell into a pool, fully clothed,
holding an umbrella, and with my new phone in my pocket)
Stayed in the incomparable Moon House
at Bambu Indah Resort
Couldn't help but become Instagram models
with a background such as this
Enjoyed local dishes, my favorite of which was
a breakfast porridge called Bubur Bali
Jumped into multiple private pools
(this one came with toads!)
Woke up every day with nothing but adventure ahead of us
Did yoga every single day I was in Bali, experiencing a range of teachers, studios, and types (vinyasa, yin, hatha, kundalini, krama, and even a cacao ceremony)
Came home in time for the election, voted, and was disheartened at losing another shot at having a woman president...among other things
Spent a meaningful day with extended family, laughing even during a difficult time
Pulled together another beautiful Thanksgiving with my family, where I
Got to meet baby Claire
Read to Aubree by the firepit
Laughed through the dollar game
At the Empire Mine State Historic Park
Reconnected with my Godsister, Chelsea, and her parents, after many years
Finally got to applaud my cousin Kendall in her Nutcracker performance
Toured the inns of Pacific Grove at Christmastime
Braved heavy winds and rains to celebrate Mari's one-year birthday
Deepened my connection with my brother, even from afar
Basked in festive decor at a friends' house on Christmas Eve
Celebrated Christmas with our largest family to-date, and made everyone do a photo shoot
Avรณ with her seven grandchildren
Adding in five great-grandchildren and spouses
All of us, four generations!
The oldest with the youngest, baby Claire
Just the four of us
Enjoyed a mellow birthday lunch at Bear in Napa (unfortunately, no affiliation to Jeremy Allen White)
I was fortunate to take three big international trips this year, and my job played a big part in all of them. The first to Asia for a work trip, the second to Europe around the baptism (but extended thanks to our flexible work program), and finally my sabbatical trip to southeast Asia.
- Singapore
- Manila, Philippines
- Calistoga, CA
- Monterey and Carmel, CA (again, several times!)
- Madison, WI
- Calabria, Italy
- Paris, Roune, Dieppe, and Treport, France
- Taghazout and Taroudant, Morocco
- Lake Tahoe, CA
- San Diego, CA
- Hanoi, Ha Long Bay, Hue, Hoi An, and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam
- Ubud, Uluwatu, and Munduk, Bali, Indonesia
Live Shows
Just the one!
- Ethel Cain, Le Trianon, Paris, France
Spotify Wrapped
I have no idea what "Chill Select" is, but nothing could upstage Beyonce this year.
Books
This year I read 18 thousand pages and 42 books, according to Goodreads. There was a big uptick in escapist, romance novels, yet I also made a point to not shy away from terribly long novels, reading a couple Stephen King and Abrahan Verghese epics. I cringe to see that I read only one non-fiction book all year - not even one memoir. This tracks with escapism, but the transportive qualities of fiction are always what have drawn me to reading anyway. I'll refocus on diversifying in 2025! Book Riot always provides some creative reading challenges to get one out of one's literary comfort zone.
Here are my standouts of the year:
- The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See
- The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese
- North Woods by Daniel Mason
- The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
- The Stand by Stephen King
- Some People Need Killing by Patricia Evangelista - non-fiction
Honorable mention to The Women by Kristen Hannah, which was a vivid accompaniment to my Vietnam trip.
Obsessions
- The breakfast buffet at the Shangri-La, Manila - I've realized that this is likely the number one thing I mention when I talk about my Manila trip, but I can't underscore the magnitude of it. You couldn't dream of trying everything if you stayed there a month. Cuisines from all over the world, a noodle soup bar, a congee bar, a juice bar, new sweet baked goods daily, eggs made to order and delivered to your table, and all while people are calling you ma'am. I was like a kid in a candy shop - this buffet truly elicited a child-like awe from me where I was on a daily voyage of discovery. Most important meal of the day, indeed.
- Apparently light-hearted romance novels! A couple authors I've found reliable to tell warm, gushy stories that still have substance are Emily Henry, Christina Lauren, and Katherine Center. Abby Jimenez and Sophie Cousens are promising, too. These are perfect rebounds after some of the heavier literary fiction books I've read throughout the year.
- My alabaster vase-turned-DIY-lamp from Morocco, which sets a gorgeous glow in my room as I crawl into bed to read every night. It's beauty and warmth.
