Finding Our Way Through 2025

A few weeks ago I found myself admitting to a friend that I was really missing writing this blog. "Why don't you start blogging again?" she asked and that question has been popping up daily ever since. 

I haven't blogged regularly since before my kids were born, well over six years ago. And while it is way too overwhelming for me to cover all that ground in a post, what felt more manageable and meaningful to me, was to put together one of my old annual recap posts and to at least capture what I've been up to most recently, for the past year of my life. 

And 2025 was... a doozy. 

Palmy's

The moment we walked up to Palmy's in Pacific Beach, I was smitten. 

I was also surprised: I wasn't sure where we were going to sit. I definitely wasn't expecting to battle a Sunday brunch crowd on a Monday morning. And yet almost every seat in the expansive outside seating area was taken. 

It was easy to see why: the breezy coastal decor, dappled light and beautiful people gave off the very definition of "good vibes." 

But mostly I was surprised I had never heard of what obviously had to be a PB institution before, especially given the steady hum of influencer-type patrons buzzing in and out. 

As it turns out, the thing is... they've only been open less than a month. 

Coronado Brewing Co.

It's hard to know where to start when you come back to a blog you haven't touched in almost two years. It's even harder when your life has completely changed... the last time I posted anything I was pregnant but not yet a mom, renting and not yet a homeowner. Now I'm a mom of two with a home in OB. Wild. 

The hardest, though, is knowing where to even begin when the whole world has changed. 

Rather than take on the daunting task of trying to navigate all of that in my first post back, I decided to start simple: with a little brewery review. Coronado Brewing Co.'s tasting room and kitchen in Bay Park isn't new or trending. But it is kid-friendly and that's what brought us there this past Friday afternoon. 

9 Months

I can't believe it's been nine months with our little dude on board. 

As of today, I'm officially 39 weeks. One week away from his due date. And I have to say... 

I'm not tired of being pregnant. 

Honestly? I have had the best pregnancy, which has genuinely left me stunned every single day. 

For most of my life I feel like I have only heard about fertility challenges, how terrible and difficult pregnancy is and the absolute horror show that is labor and delivery... not to mention how a newborn wreaks havoc on your life, how babies ruin your body and blah blah blahdy BLAH. 

Well.... eff all that. 

To be very clear here... I have deep respect, love and high hopes for those who are trying to conceive or adopt and meet the baby that's waiting for them. I believe the women who struggle through difficult pregnancies and pregnancy loss are to be hugged and taken care of and listened to as they grieve through their pain or loss. I am deeply sympathetic to and wish nothing but healing for anyone who has had a traumatic birth experience or a postpartum mood disorder. And to that end, if hearing about someone's positive experience with conception and pregnancy is triggering to you, I get it. If that's you, heads up: you probably won't want to read the rest of this post. 

But.. there are good stories too! And because I have one, I'm going to tell it. 

Where'd You Go, 2019?

pc: @katieiredalee

To say I've been neglectful of this blog over the past year would be a massive understatement.

Somehow I got down to single digit posts in 2019... only 7 posts all year! And there was so much I wanted to write about! I didn't get to post as much as I wanted about our wedding, my yoga teacher training, about another summer spent with Groundswell or, especially, about being pregnant...

The year just flew by and so far 2020 isn't much different. Take this post for example... usually I get my annual recaps up in the first week of the month. Yet here we are, more than halfway into January. I'll blame it on pregnancy brain while I still can. ;)

This year I want to get back to writing and connecting here more, especially as I start new chapters in my life, becoming both a mother and an entrepreneur this year. I have a (great) feeling this will be a wild start to this next decade and I can't wait for all of it.

But before I kick off all of the exciting adventures ahead, I do want to make sure I jot down a proper recap and farewell to 2019. So here goes...