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.
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