2025 Year in Review

  1. What did you do in 2025 that you’d never done before? Took an Alaskan cruise!

2. Did you keep your New Years resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I always resolve to try and eat healthier and exercise more. Those have been my "resolutions" for a long time. This time, I really want to spend more time outside and focus more on hobbies.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Not this year! I have a feeling this is the calm before the storm. We know so many young people getting married that babies are bound to be right around the corner. 

4. Did anyone close to you die? No deaths.

5. What countries did you visit? None.

6. What would you like to have in 2026 that you lacked in 2025? More friends! 

7. What from 2025 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? Seeing A with her first and last foster families. We visited with them all after our cruise and it was incredibly bittersweet. 

8. What was your biggest contribution of the year? Settling into life with a young adult, a high school graduate, and a preschooler.

9. What was your biggest failure? I can honestly say I don't feel like we "failed" at anything this year. 

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? We're sick right now. We got sick before Christmas and are sick still. It's definitely going around. Over the summer I hurt my ankle badly. I couldn't put any weight on it and it took several months to fully heal up. 

11. What was the best thing you bought? Ben says Blue Blazer, solar panels, and silver. 

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Gabe really showed up in a lot of ways and put himself out there. Ben has worked hard for us and has expanded his skills in several areas. Luke was the one who really made my heart soar, though. He changed his life around, came back to church, and got his life on track in a big way.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? The way that some people acted after Charlie Kirk was murdered shocked me to my core. I really didn't see that coming. 

14. Where did most of your money go? We were able to drop one therapy, but we're still paying for preschool three times a week and play therapy once a week. Other than that, our solar panel array was the most costly.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? We loved our cruise and the fact that we can now say we've been to Canada, too. Gabe graduating high school was also pretty exciting. He and I took a weekend trip with the other co-op seniors to Chicago which was such a good time. 

My mom is finally retiring at the end of this year and that is some of the best news I can think of. She's been on FMLA and having her around more has been wonderful.

Early in the year Ben and I were a part of my brother's much -anticipated wedding. It was a blessing. 

16. What song will always remind you of 2025? 

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? Happier
ii. thinner or fatter? Thinner by 10 lbs so far!
iii. richer or poorer? Richer


18. What do you wish you’d done more of? I wish it had worked out for us to be a part of a Bible study group at church. 

19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Social media.


20. How will you be spending the Winter? We're taking a two-week vacation in a week. After we get back, I'll do my yearly house clean out. Then I need to start on my 2025 family scrapbook album, finish my first embroidery project, and continue learning water colors.


22. Did you fall in love in 2025? Nope, same loves as always.

23. What was your favorite month of 2025? May when we took our trip.

24. What was your favorite TV program? We're Cobra Kai junkies here. Love that show so much.

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? Nope. Not a hater, such a waste of time.


26. What was the best book you read? I did better at reading this year and there was a book recently that I remember really enjoying...but I cannot remember what it was for the life of me. Very frustrating.

27. What was your greatest musical discovery? 

28. What did you want and get? Our Alaskan cruise. 

29. What was your favorite film of this year? We enjoyed the new Knives Out movie and The Holdovers.

30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 45. 

31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Having friends to share it with. We have been at a new church for a while, but we got busy with fostering and adopting and one thing after another. I fell out of touch with my old friends and miss them. 

32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2025? Nothing amazing, but I definitely put more effort into my appearance this year. 

33. What kept you sane? Supportive friends and family. Our daughter's therapist has been amazing. 

34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? I really, really don't care about celebrities anymore. It's all such a joke. 


35. What political issue stirred you the most? I'm so grateful the vaccine issue is finally being looked at. There needs to be a big reckoning for Big Pharma for many reasons.  

36. Who did you miss? Paul and Amanda for sure. My old mom's group, too. 

37. Who was the best new person you met? I honestly don't think we met anyone new. This is sad since it's two years in a row now, but I know this is temporary. 

38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2025: I have people in my life who will help when I need it an it's okay to accept that help. I also learned that God's timing really is perfect. 

39. Best quote of the year?