Mellie Dee ♥

Over two months into my new role and I am in love with it. I’m currently the only person doing what I do at the company (my manager is supposedly starting next Tuesday), and somehow that’s made it more fun, not less. My VP already asked why I’m always laughing on Teams calls. Truth is, when you love what you do, it shows! But also maybe I should rein it in.

Our office is always food packed. There’s always Taco Tuesday, and on the other days, there are leftovers from meetings or trainings. The amount of food I’ve taken home has helped save money on my end as well.

I got to attend volunteering events and even an Astros game during work hours as a company. The things they do to build togetherness makes working here so fun.

Seeing income hit my bank account, having healthcare coverage again, and being able to treat myself and the people I love without fear attached, has been such a relief.

Rizzo, Artemis, Hubble

Also, felt like it was time for an updated picture of all the babies. All their different fur and eye colors. Enjoy.

We took Artemis and Hubble to the vet the other day and and their cries were HILARIOUS. These indoor babies were not okay. Then it was straight quiet at the vet and car ride home.

Also, Franco likes to say that Rizzo’s a chonk … but we found out, she’s only ONE pound less than Rizzo. That’s all I’m going to say though.

Jennifer’s 34th, Canyon Lake

On August 21st, we celebrated Jennifer’s 34th birthday out at Canyon Lake, and the location is GORGEOUS. It was brutally hot, but the water was ice cold, so it evened out perfectly, especially once we got out there tubing. Bonus: the deer out there have zero fear of humans and will walk right up and eat out of your hand. 10/10 spot, would go back in a heartbeat.

2026-2027 Mentorship Program Kickoff Mixer

On August 27th, Jennifer and I officially kicked off this year’s Mentorship Program for our nonprofit, and it was a full-blown hit. Packed room, people standing because we ran out of seats. The food was so dang good I’d honestly show up again just for that.

Reunions All Day

On August 28th, Chelsea and I finally caught up after a few years apart. Wild how fast time moves. From 11 to 2, we got boba, browsed skincare, and made a stop at HMart. Three hours that flew by because we were having too much fun to notice the clock.

Later that evening, my old mentorship group got together to catch up on where everyone’s at in life. One of the ladies put together such a beautiful spread, and somehow the conversation ranged from legal trusts to golden milk. The kind of night where you leave having learned random, useful things and feeling grateful for the people who show up for you.

June’s Birthday

On August 29th, we celebrated June’s birthday and absolutely stuffed our faces at Garosu Korean BBQ & Sushi, an AYCE. No regrets. Maybe a little. I’m not really an AYCE type of person but it’s my favourite one so far.

Homemade Seafood Boil

Per usual, I was craving seafood boil on September 6th, and we’ve talked about doing one for the longest time. Yes, crawfish season is over, but we opted in snow crabs and Dungeness crabs. It was a big hit. The flavouring was on point, and the butter I made was perfect. All on the fly, with great reviews. Dad, who hates to compliment even said it was the best thing ever.

Early in the morning I met up with Mallory and we had breakfast. It’s been a LONG time since I’ve seen her. We use to see each other every single week. I made a joke that me moving here made it harder for us to see each other so I should probably move somewhere else. ha

Car Accident

I ended up in a car accident 2 minutes from my work’s garage on September 16th. No one got hurt, luckily, but the guy thought it was a two turn lane and kept going even with the honking. You can see a piece of my car in the middle of the intersection. Yay. Now it’s trying to figure out who’s liable even though he admitted to it. Ugh, I should have gotten a recording.

It’s been an eventful two months. See y’all again in a few, probably.

A year and two months ago, I got let go from my role.

The universe knew exactly what it was doing. It wanted me to slow down, start a company, and actually live for a while.

I bought a house right before I found out I was getting laid off, and through this entire year, I kept paying my bills, kept my house, and still found ways to enjoy life. Honestly, I was down for retirement if I’d had enough saved up for it. But that’s something I’ll always be proud of.

On Tuesday, June 26th, I woke up to news that felt almost too good to be true.

Two companies reached out by email to say they wanted to make me an offer.

Then, as if the universe needed to make its point extra clear, I got a phone call about a third opportunity, a project role.

For the first time ever, I negotiated. I asked, they declined, but during the weekend they came back on their own, without me having to push. I got half of what I asked for tacked onto my salary, and I signed my offer, all within a single weekend.

But honestly, the best part wasn’t the offer. It was hearing from the HR rep that he’d never seen every single interviewer pick the same candidate before. Six interviews. Seven people, from managers, to directors, to VPs, all landing on the same answer: me.

But also… the expectation. Eeek. Here’s to delivering.

Last week I finished the paperwork, and tomorrow, I officially step back into the workforce. I even got a haircut yesterday to start this new chapter.

Lessons I already had in me, but this year made me actually live them.

• Rest isn’t giving up, and my worth was never tied to a job title
• I’m more financially disciplined and resilient than I gave myself credit for
• How to negotiate for myself, and know what I actually want in a role
• Starting my own company gave me a different kind of confidence
• The people who show up for you in hard times are the ones worth keeping close
• Investing in someone else’s future is one of the most grounding things you can do for your own

I sat down at a coffee shop today to write this, and I forgot how therapeutic writing actually is. I think this needs to become a habit again, because when you don’t take time to look back, it’s easy to forget just how far you’ve come, and how much good has actually happened.

Now… off to get a massage before the big day tomorrow.

After being away from this space for so long, I don’t even know where to find like-minded bloggers anymore. The ones I once followed have, like me, quietly drifted off the face of the web. So where do we go now to find our people again — to share life the way we used to?

I miss reading about someone’s life in detail. The slow updates. The in-between thoughts. Not just a 10-second window on social media that disappears before it even settles.

Anyway, a short recap.

We kept it low-key this year. We both worked on our own hobby projects, having conversations with one another from our respective offices, which honestly is one of my favorite ways to spend time together.

We exchanged gifts. He got me one of those surprise books wrapped up with only a short description on the outside plus a small rosebush plant. I love a good mystery read, so that felt very on brand. The balloons came from a Galentine’s Day event I hosted but was fitting.

I got him a smoked whiskey set so he can make his own smoky dranks at home.

For dinner, he made flattened chicken breasts with mushroom sauce, homemade mashed potatoes, and roasted broccoli.

So. Dang. Good.

Simple. Cozy. Exactly what I needed.

I know people say Lunar New Year and that’s totally fine. Back home we just say New Year, but here we’ve always said Chinese New Year. No offense anywhere tbh. Say what you want!

Everyone came over to my house for a quick family meal. Sissy and BIL arrived a little early so we could squeeze in a round of Organ Attack and another game that I absolutely cannot remember the name of right now.

It was so good seeing Everly. She’s in her “move a lot” stage and is SO much fun. She copies everything you say. Every. Thing.

There’s something about loud family dinners that feels grounding.

I was able to take home some Chinese styled flowers for the house and as you can see in the last picture, the cats decided gnawing on the strings and setting the balloons free was a fun activity.

I want a guy that looks at me like Ethan looks at Emmy in that first picture.

Brudda and SIL came down with Emmy and Ethan mostly to pick up Everly and my parents, but also to have dinner with some uncles and aunts.

There were technically no plans for the kids to come over to my place but with Emmy and Ethan’s pouting faces and constant complaints to their parents, I somehow ended up with them not one night, but both nights.

The driving back and forth was a little wild, but it was worth it for even the smallest memories.

We made Shrinky Dinks. Played games like Gassy Gus, Pizza, and French Fries, which made me realize, as I’m typing this, a concerning amount of my kid games are food-related. Took them to eat Chick-fil-A.

After dropping Ethan off for his eye appointment with his parents, I took Emmy to Five Below where she picked out a few things for herself and Ethan. Then we stopped by the new Barnes & Noble, where she found Artemis but in stuffed animal form.

Emmy and I also took Everly for a walk. That’s basically what Everly knows me as now. The lady that walks her.

After dinner with everyone, I took Emmy and Ethan home and surprised them with cute bath bombs. Later that night, Emmy tried learning punch needling. She couldn’t quite get it, and honestly I feel her. Punch needling isn’t as cool as I thought it would be. Or maybe I just haven’t learned it well enough yet.

And just like that, the kids left. Back to the quiet abyss of working on my hobbies and continually job searching.

My mentee from Big Brothers Big Sisters can never make the monthly after-school meetups, so I try to visit her during one of her lunch hours instead. It’s almost an hour away, so it takes some planning. This time, I brought her Raising Cane’s. We talked about scholarships, college life, and Roth IRAs. Gotta start them out right.

Maybe this is what blogging looks like now. Less polished. More patchwork. Just little windows into ordinary days.