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Dear 2025, You've been a good year. If I had to rank all my bad years, you wouldn't even crack the top 10. Let's face it, I've had harder years. I traveled a lot more this year than I ever have. My family and I have traveled across Texas, New Mexico, Colorado and Oklahoma. We even made a brief corner appearance in Utah and Arizona at the Four Corners. We went on road trips and flew to the Sunshine State. I am loving this chapter of our lives where our kiddos are a little more independent and it's easier to breathe instead of my past hovering. That's not to say that we haven't experienced hard times all year either. I've definitely prayed through some tough moments. As I get the house cleaned and ready to welcome the new year, I can't help but reflect on what we accomplished this year. Here is a look back at our 2025. May the Lord continue to bless us with many more happy memories, lessons, and strengthen our resolve during the hardships. January. The year started with us at our annual first of the year hike. This was our 2nd year in a row to hike in the piney woods. A few weeks later, we would have snow! Lows: R had eaten brisket that may have cross contaminated with shellfish. We made it to the emergency room in the icy roads where he was given an epipen and oxygen.
 February highs: baby shower for a friend! We also went to our annual SciTech at one of the high schools in our area. Lows: my niece went to the hospital for a week for her high risk pregnancy. March saw me doing a 5k run in the neighborhood. I did not completely run but I did cross the finish line. It was great to be able to do that with someone who talked through the entire process, so I wasn't focused on the pain and the time. We spent Spring Break camping which was the best decision. I enjoyed the time in nature and camp with my family; we chose one close by a beach and we went sightseeing around the area. My Texas history loving men enjoyed visiting Goliad and being able to walk the grounds that Texas was fought over and founded. A milestone: my daughter (the one who started it all) turned 13!
 April highs: my little guy turned 9 and took his first STAAR test. May ended with me packing up my classroom and shoving my stuff in a storage unit. Our school started construction into the new wing. We embarked on our weeklong road trip. We made it through Texas by visiting as many state parks as we could and closed out May in New Mexico.
The first week of June and we were still on our adventure. We made it to Colorado where my children got to experience the breathtaking joy of being surrounded by mountains. We rode a train up to Durango and walked around. I'm a beach girl as I was born in the Philippines but there is something so magical and ethereal about walking so close to the clouds and seeing a town opening up below. 
From Durango, we went north to Colorado Springs and took in a sunset walk around the Garden of the Gods. And from there, we made the long way home, stopping in Oklahoma to visit old friends. June lows - I ended up having walking pneumonia and was essentially confined to the bed and my home for 2 weeks. My kiddos did manage to do summer camp while I was out - he did a week of golf camp while she enjoyed theatre camp. Another low: this was done as a solo parent. My husband ended up going to UAE for work (oil).  July highs: I did a solo parent fly out to Pensacola where we spent a weekend at the beach. My babies were able to close out their summer vacation learning how to boogieboard and dive headfirst into the ocean. 2 babies were born at the tail end of this month. August: the only highlight that matters. After a month of being in an oil rig, my husband finally made it home. September: we finally met the July babies. October: I was finally able to take my family to the Filipino Street Festival in Sugar Land. I also took them to the Tween Book Festival (also in Sugarland) and my own babies got to see authors whose books they read and listen to them speak about their experiences and the work from where we sat to where they are now. I loved watching my girl's face and the excitement she felt about the possibility that one day, this could be her. November began with a Dia de los Muertos celebration. This year, we decided to start an ofrenda and put up pictures of our loved ones. We also talked about death, what comes after and all the ways we can celebrate and remember the ones who passed. This month also marked my little guy's last elementary school field trip. I managed to get listed as a volunteer teacher to assist. December gave me high hopes to close out the year. Our final elementary school winterfest for the little guy and a joyful and much needed rest in our small town. The passing of a friend's wife was not on my list and I'll think about them as I close out the year. Goodbye 2025So, here's to you, 2025. There was a lot of things packed in a year. I am walking into 2026 hopeful for whatever comes next. I know resolutions are at the forefront of everyone's minds, but I truly just want to be healthy, more productive, and walk in and out with little to no regrets. The past few days I've been thinking about how our tomorrows are never promised and grateful that every day I get to wake up to my family who love me unconditionally. I plan on writing more this year, to continue to write and get my work out there; to ensure that my children know all the ways and words that I love them. I've hiked up some steep paths and know that my body can be pushed to do more. I am the only one stopping myself. Closing out to say, what a year. Thank you. Thank you for reading all the way through.
Here’s to a new year of words, becoming, hope, and the everyday moments that shape us. I’m aiming for 52 posts this year — one for each week — to keep showing up with honesty, heart, and the stories that matter. If this post resonated, you can find more reflections here on the blog and in my books of poetry and prose: 📖 [link to my Books here] What about you? What are you carrying into 2026 with you?
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Hi, there!I drink too much coffee, read too many books, and in between raising miracle babies, I find time to write.
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