I am currently on my way to The Friends Experience to kick off the new year. If you know me at all, you know it’s one of my favourite television shows so the excitement is through the roof.

So until next time, here’s a recap on the last year.

January

• Became a Professional Scrum Master — Ethan was so bitty then

February

• Galentine’s Day

• Texas Snow
• First Covid Shot
• Started Rosetta Stone for Mandarin — haven’t quite finished it but making little progresses when I do have time

March

• Emmy’s 4th Birthday

• Met Connor for the First Time
• Fully Vaccinated
• Mum got Lasik!
• Asus Zenbook Duo Laptop
• Started talking to Frankenstein but no posts on him until next month.

April

• Dyed Easter Eggs with Emmy & Ethan
• First Date with Frankenstein

• Disney On Ice: Mickey’s Search Party with Emmy, Mallory & JJ
• New Samsung S21 Phone

May

• Dewberry Farms with Emmy, JJ & Connor
• Kemah Boardwalk with Frankenstein

• Birthday/Mother’s Day Crawfish Boil
• Birthday Dinner with Mallory & Beth

• Dyed My Hair Purple (Red)
• Birthday Celebration with Frankenstein

• Stayed a Week in San Antonio & Met Chole for the First Time
• First Colombian restaurant with Sebastian

June

• First Cooked Meal with Frankenstein
• Friends Reunion Watch Party
• Dad’s Birthday

• Waco Family Trip

• Rachel & Simon Wedding

July

• Jury Duty
• Frankenstein Adopts an Abandoned Kitty
• Tie Dye Shirts

• Met Artemis

• Mandeville, Louisiana to Visit Michelle
• Volunteering at the Mayor’s Back to School Fest

August

• Galveston, Texas with Frankenstein
• Houston Restaurant Week: Jonathan’s Rub

• Frankenstein Meets Mallory & John at Andretti & Soju 101

• Astros Game with Frankenstein
• Houston Restaurant Week: Harold’s
• Houston Restaurant Week: Federal American Grill
• Yearly Checkup for Work

• First Present from Frankenstein (handmade! with flowers)
• Catch up with Priscilla
• Volunteered at Peanut Butter Production Plant

September

• June’s Birthday Dinner at Ember & Greens
• Frankenstein’s First Korean BBQ & Axe Throwing
• Jenny’s Bridal Shower

October

• Team Building at Top Golf
• Dewberry Farms with Ethan, JJ, Jacob & Connor
• Jacob’s Birthday Party

• Carved Pumpkins with Frankenstein

• Jenny’s Bachelorette in San Francisco

• WWE Monday Night Raw with Mallory
• PPDM Expo
• Sissy’s Birthday Celebration

November

• Mallory’s Birthday Celebration
• Touch up Hair
• Wine Bar & Sarah’s Dance
• Work’s Christmas Party

• Texas Renaissance Festival with Amy

• Cirque du Soleil Alegria with Mallory & Beth
• Last NOV Team Building at Taste of Texas

• Jenny & Le Wedding
• Mum, Brudda & SIL Birthday Celebration

• I Love You Rocky

December

• Frankenstein Meets Sissy & BIL: The Nutcracker
• Potted Potter

• Linda & Ricardo Wedding – Fredericksburg, Texas
• Amy in Boerne, Texas
• First Covid Test

• Christmas Eve/Day at Moody Gardens with Frankenstein

• The Infinite Experience with Frankenstein
• Ethan’s 2nd Birthday

WOW. How is it possible that it’s already 2021! AND the 10th year of having a personal blog?!

Blowing my mind. I never thought I’d continue blogging after college. It almost died, to be honest. But something keeps me writing my boring life.

My favourite part is always writing the yearly recap. (As usual, posts are linked with the highlights of the year.) So many memories flood as I scroll through and read old posts/pictures. So many thoughts of what could have been if I took a different path. But life takes you where you need to go and maybe one day, when the time is right, those friendships/relationships could always cross again if it’s meant to be.

January

• I “rang” in the new year with these fine folks. It’s been a tradition for a while but this is the first year we were not all together.

• Holding Ethan for the first time. In previous posts, I tried giving him the nickname Finn but stopped.

• Made my first wall decal – for Ethan nonetheless. I think it came out better than I expected.

• Threw some axes for work. I actually got a bullseye once when we were practicing but I didn’t get a picture to prove it. Sigh.
• Sold my PS4 since the memories were too hard to bare.

• Happy hour with my old work crew. RIP Gilbert. It’s crazy how a year can change.
• Delices de Maurice with Sebastian. One of the cutest French places.

• Took Mallory and her whole family to see the Lion Dances. Their first time! JJ had the best fun watching them eat the money out of his hands.

• Emmy & JJ Playdate.

February

• Ethan’s 1 Month celebration
• Tasty Point & first boba ice cream with Rose
• Hot Pot & board games at Amelia’s with co-workers and significant others
• Introduced Beth & Scott to Yummy Crawfish and Seafood. They’ve asked me to take them again.
• Happy Hour with Delisha
• Did a Galentine’s Day on Valentine’s Day with Mallory & Beth

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• San Diego Trip with Amy
  • Highlights from each day:
    • Day 1: Facials and arts and crafts
    • Day 2: Introducing Amy to reflexology massages and sunset photoshoot
    • Day 3: Making pasta from scratch
    • Day 4: First lounge experience
    • Day 5: Delayed flights ending up in Dallas for a night to see Ethan

March

• Emmy’s first ukulele. It’s actually a black one now.

• Emmy’s 3rd Birthday. The ukulele got returned for a black one since Amazon messed up the order. Sigh.

• Meeting Maggie, Ashy’s new beagle pup
• First week of quarantine (working from home).
• Homemade honey & lemon face masks

April

• Got my first ukulele. Mostly because Brudda wanted me to teach Emmy.
• Completed a diamond painting.

• Made Sopa de Fideo for the first time!

• Alliana did a tarot reading for me.

May

• Homemade Crunchwraps.
• Tie Dye with Mallory & Beth.

• Birthday Celebration with one of the best shirts ever gifted to me.

• Bitmoji & Facebook Avatar look-a-likes.
• Phone call with Caitlin.
• Crawfish boil at Gordon’s & Patsy’s.
• Made mojitos for the first time.

• Dad’s 70th Birthday Surprise Zoom Celebration

June

• Best blueberry streusel coffee cake.

• Zoom Baby Chole Shower for Thuy & Vu.
• Texas Sno with Mallory & JJ.

• Made my first car decal for Mallory.

• Made biscuits with Emmy.

July

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• Making slime, crepes, and fireworks with Emmy.
• BIL’s Birthday.

• Jenny’s bridesmaid box.

• Emmy’s manicure.
• Emmy & JJ Video Chat.

August

• Painting with Emmy & June.
• The Oaks with Mallory & MacKenzie for Beth’s baby shower planning.
• Ended my first Big Brother Big Sister match with Evelyn but re-matched with Cristina.

• Our first forest walk.
• La Baguette for June’s Birthday.
• Urban American Kitchen with Mum for Houston Restaurant Week.

September

• First self dip manicure.

• Purging and donating bags of clothes and items.
• Mercedes & Sebastian Virtual Baby Shower.
• First queen mattress purchase.

• Terry Hershey Park with Rizzo, Jared & Charlie.
• First Zoom for Big Brother Big Sister with Cristina.

• Tall Plants for my first plant.
• Learning how to play the keyboard.

October

• Rizzo’s 7th Birthday.
• Galveston beach trip.
• Jacob’s 1st Birthday at Dewberry Farms.
• Voted!

• 1st Camping Trip in Dinosaur Valley State Park.

November

• Sissy’s Birthday.
• Addressing and mailing Beth’s baby shower invites I created.
• Jinya with Sebastian.
• Winner of Halloween Trivia.

• Emmy & JJ Playdate.
• Rosanna & Duy Wedding.
• Early Thanksgiving, Brudda, SIL, and Mum Birthday celebration.

• Emmy & JJ playdate at Mary Jo Peckham Park.

• Santa’s Wonderland with Emmy.
• Gingerbread houses with Emmy.
• Volunteer bags to the elderly.
• Mum’s Birthday.

December

• Friends Advent Calendar.

• Reunion with Erin, John and Christopher at Heights Bier Garten.
• Spotify Unwrapped. Taylor Swift is still my number 1, especially her The 1 song.

• Beth’s & Scott’s Baby Shower.
• Won 2 Bingo rounds.
• Bachelorette & gift wrapping at Beth’s with Mallory.
• First Plum Paper planner for 2021.

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• Rizzo’s and parent’s 1st Camping at Stephen F. Austin State Park.
• Baked Amish Friendship Bread that’s more like a pound cake texture.

• Baked dinner rolls from scratch with Emmy.

• Celebrated Christmas a little differently but still memorable.
• Rudolph’s Light Show in Hockley, Texas.

• Sibling Tattoo Prank that went way better than we thought.
• Door Dash, Your Year in Flavour.

• Eataly Dallas experience with Tammy, Jenny, Le, & Emmy.

• Ethan’s 1st Birthday and New Year’s Eve Party.

Happy New Year, lovelies!

As I put this post together, I went through a lot of memories. I read through a lot of sad posts, especially the music. I can’t promise the sad songs will stop though.

It’s crazy how fast this year has passed. I guess when you’re busy traveling the world and meeting up with people, things go by a lot quicker. Also having a job that you enjoy helps.

As always, a recap of the last year with links to the posts in reference. If anything, a quick scroll of old pictures to jog that noggin.

January

• Rang in the new year with these fine folks
• Said goodbye to my second company of eight months
• Started two weeks early at my new job at my old company – officially an employee and not a contractor!
• Kieran & I’s Farewell Happy Hour

• Girl’s Night with Patricia and Thuy

• Chef Jakob and his sous vide
• Recorded and posted a video of my playing and singing for the world
• Met Apruva’s fiance

February

• Invested in the Nintendo Switch using my sign-on bonus
• Rodeo with Priscilla to see Luke Bryan

March

• Emmy’s 2nd Birthday

• Rodeo with John, Mallory & Trey to see Old Dominion

• Rodeo with Julie & Sissy to see Tim McGraw

• Rodeo with Leah & Mallory to see Kane Brown

• Rodeo with John, Erin & Juhi to see the carnival part
• Meeting up with Scruffy & seeing Luna
• Daniel & Jade’s Crawfish Boil

April

• Apurva + Ramnath Wedding in Pennsylvania/New Jersey – Day 1, 2, 3

• Pennsylvania to visit Liliana – Day 4, 5
• Started mentoring high schoolers – assisting them to get into college
• Made my first vinyl tee!
• Friendship with London began – still puzzles me

• Mallory & John’s 2nd Baby Reveal
• Girl’s Game Night at Tea + Victory

May

• Crawfish Boil & Priscilla’s Family’s
• 1st team event – Team Bowling

• Marble Falls with Patricia – Day 1, 2, 3
• Rizzo to the vet for his back
• Guisseppi choosing me as the most impactful person when I was supervising him
• The first real session with a chiropractor

June

• Tim & Tara’s Farewell Dinner
• Astros Game with my old team away day
• Meals on Wheels Volunteering with Sissy
• Salesforce Basecamp Conference

• Erin’s Last Team Happy Hour
• Emmy & Auntie’s Day – Day 1, 2

• Emmy & JJ’s first playdate

• San Antonio Reunion with Liliana & Daniel – Day 1, 2

July

• Erin’s last hurrah with Christopher & Juhi
• 1st Houston Cousin’s Day
• Escape room with family

• Brudda & SIL’s gender reveal – Baby Finn!
• Homemade Ice Cream & Sorbets with Ed – also the day I got a Fort Bend Library Card
• Reunion with Pardeis
• Winner of a three-week Salesforce competition!
• Eric’s Surprise Goodbye Party
• Roles & Responsibility changes at work
• Pennsylvania/Ohio with Liliana & Daniel – Day 1

August

• Pennsylvania/Ohio with Liliana & Daniel – Day 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

• Krypto went to Doggie Heaven
• Winner of the Pinot Noir Wine Tasting
• Houston Restaurant Week – Mezza Grille with Tan
• Houston Restaurant Week – Phat Eatery with Mum & June
• Houston Restaurant Week – Cafe Benedicte with Mum
• IPad Mini 5
• Bowling with my Secondary Team
• Houston Restaurant Week – Grazia Italian Kitchen with Mallory
• Houston Restaurant Week – The Union Kitchen with Juhi, Amelia, Chase – also when Taylor Swift’s Lover arrived!
• Houston Restaurant Week – Alamo Drafthouse Cinema with June

• Rosanna Reunion with Jenny, Tammy, Sammi

September

• Holding Jack for the first time

• Claire’s 2nd Birthday
• Mentoring 3rd Graders
• Dynamo Game with Sissy, BIL, Timothy

• Reunion with Nancy & Broadway Musicals
• June’s 1st Astros Game
• Garmin Vivoactive 3 Music
• Trader’s Village with Ed

October

• Midland Work Trip
• Rizzo 6th Birthday

• Cousin’s Trip to Arizona – Day 1, 2, 3, 4
• Astros Game – American League Division Series Winners
• Lasik Surgery at Joffe Medicenter
• Baby Finn’s Surprise Baby Shower
• Rizzo & Luna Reunion and seeing Scruffy

• Jenny + Kemp’s Wedding in Montgomery

• Holding Jacob for the first time

• Reunion with Sebastian
• Astros at 8th Wonder – World Series
• Astros at King’s Court – World Series

November

• Mother Daughters Trip to Denver – Day 1, 2
• Popeye’s Chicken Sandwich

• Emmy & JJ’s 1st Date

• Letters to Santa – Emmy & JJ
• Last day of high school mentoring

• Emmy & JJ Playdate of the year
• Putting up drywall for the first time – 1, 2

December

• Teaching JJ how to use chopsticks – still needs work
• Rizzo’s 6th Anniversary of coming home
• 1st Big Brother Big Sister Meeting

• Farewell to High School Mentees at Olive Garden
• Escape Room with my Secondary Team

• Patricia’s White Elephant Party
• New Rockie’s Reunion Lunch
• Work Christmas Party at Eddie V’s
• Reunion with Jared
• Salim’s 1st Hot Pot Experience
• Reunion with Noah & Joel

• New Year’s Eve with Mallory, John, JJ, Jacob, and Trey

• Welcomed Finn into the World

Happy New Year, lovelies!

I am still surprised that I blogged EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. in 2018! There were times I didn’t think I’d make it, especially when I felt out of sorts when I take pictures in weird environments or blog at my usual times and people yell or poke fun at me for it. I pushed past it all and look at me now! I am happy that I did it because while I was typing up this post I sincerely had the best time looking back, good and bad. So, without further ado, enjoy.

January

• Rang in the new year starting my 365 days of pictures/posts and even taught Scruffy how to play Mahjong

• Lake Charles with Scruffy (Day 1, 2, 3, 4)
• Ordered my first ever Personal Planner and loved it so much I ordered another one (with a different layout) for 2019!

• Luna turned 2 years old and I made her pupcakes! – quite sad I won’t get to see her grow older though.
• Getting to see the Rockets win!

February

• Rice Krispie Valentine’s Present

• Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken – it was a hit!

• Getting Scrabble in Scrabble!
• Nadeen’s Baby Shower

March

• Celebrated Emmy’s 1st Birthday

• Tried out Home Chef – everything was delicious
• 2nd Anniversary with Scruffy

April

• 2nd Anniversary Trip to San Antonio with Scruffy (Day 1, 2, 3)

• First time JJ held my hand and didn’t let go when he realized it wasn’t Mallory

• Wilson and Mei Mei Visit (Day 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8) and he even cooked for us!
• Officially Hired at a new job

May

• First day at my new job
• Jdeda’s Funeral – the only grandpa I ever really knew in my life, R.I.P.
• Deadpool 2
• Waco, Texas

• Meeting Claire

June

• Galveston Weekend for Scruffy’s Birthday (Day 1, 2, 3)

• Asked to be Maid of Honour for Liliana … in a few years

• IPad and Apple Pencil
• Saleh & Lacey’s Engagement Party
• EID Mubarak!

• First time at Chuck E. Cheese
• Jamie’s Birthday Celebration

July

• Astros Game with a World Series Championship Ring

• Car accident

• Girl’s Trip with Liliana – Brenham (Day 1, 2)

• Finally got to try Jollibee – and I’m in love

August

• Wine Tasting Night
• Houston Restaurant Week – McCormick & Schmick’s
• Houston Restaurant Week – Kitchen 713
• Finding out I have Psoriasis vs Eczema
• Listening to Audiobooks nonstop
• Houston Restaurant Week – Tobiuo Sushi & Bar

September

• Finally catching a Snorlax and never really play now

• First Real Hangout with Co-Workers

October

• Floor seats to the Rockets game

• Taylor Swift’s Reputation Stadium Tour
• Officially Single

• I voted for the first time

November

• Juhi Goes to London
• Grandma’s 90th Birthday

• Free Google Home Mini

• Photoshoot with Mallory

December

• White Elephant Party in San Antonio

• Bouldering

• Seeing Michelle, Claire, Matthew, and Michelle’s Parents

• Celebrating New Year’s Eve with Mallory, John, Trey, and JJ

January

• Rang in the new year with Michelle and Matthew

• Hong Kong/Japan for Vincent and Rachel’s Wedding [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9]

February

• Our First Valentine’s Day

• Thuy and Vu’s Wedding

March

• Emmy is born – I’m an Aunt!

• 10 Year High School Reunion
• My first Persian New Year
• Rockets vs Pelicans Game

• One Year Anniversary with Scruffy

April

• Emmy’s One Month
• Julia and Rich’s Wedding in Cancun – Didn’t get to go but!!!!

May

• A lot of pool days and a lot of crawfish!
• Ahmed, Noora, Cami, Hannah, and Allie Graduate

June

• Michelle’s Baby Shower
• Astros vs Rangers Game
• Joe Nichol’s at Mo’s Place
• South Padre for BIL’s Birthday

August

• South Padre for BIL’s Birthday Continued
• Sarah’s Bridal Shower
• Tony and Ann’s Baby Shower
• Hurricane Harvey

September

• Pipilotti Rist: Pixel Forest and Worry Will Vanish Exhibit
• Hurricane Harvey Continued

• Colson is born!

• Illinois and Wisconsin for Sarah and Jacky’s Wedding
• First time being a wedding coordinator for the whole entire wedding and getting paid!
• Peyton’s Baby Shower
• Sarah and Jacky’s Chinese Wedding

November

• JJ’s First Birthday (^old pic but such a cute one!)
• Taylor Swift’s Reputation comes out!

December

• Patricia’s Friendsgiving and White Elephant

• Peyton’s 2nd Baby Shower
• Last day of work
• Rami’s 30th Birthday Surprise Party at Karbach
• Mum Gets Hand Surgery
• Peyton is born!

There wasn’t as much stuff that stuck out for recapping of the last year. Days seem to blur together. I am hoping there are more things to commemorate this new year and that I have more motivation to blog.