2025: My Year in Review

Hello!

It is 2026, and we’re now officially over halfway through the 2020s! I can’t believe just how quickly the months flew by, with plenty of personal growth and life-changing moments sprinkled in between. 2025 was another year of getting older (and hopefully, wiser) while also figuring life out in my now-thirties and the direction I want to take in the remaining half of the decade.

As I have done since my 2017 Year in Review (which feels like ages ago), I dedicate a post at the beginning of each year to reflect on the moments– month-to-month– from the previous year. Here is mine on 2025, and you know the drill: let’s get to each month! 🙂

2025: My Year in Review

January

From Trump’s inauguration to massive wildfires throughout LA, the year started off with a BANG. Thankfully, I live *relatively* far from the wildfires, so I wasn’t too affected– however, tens of thousands of residents lost their homes and are still rebuilding today. I also started anti-depressants, and I started to see improvements in my mood after a week or two.

Thai food to bring in the New Year

February

Unfortunately, I sprained my ankle early in the month while indoor climbing, which put me out for two months. While recovering and getting physical therapy, I also celebrated Valentine’s Day with my partner with a lovely meal out at one of our favorite restaurants. Towards the end of the month, I filed my taxes (woohoo) and started booking trips for the spring and summer– I couldn’t wait!

Mushroom pizza for Valentine’s Day

March

March went by fairly quickly, as it was a busy month attending two weddings and celebrating my birthday. I visited Texas for the first time for one of the weddings, and it was a fun (and hot!) time spent in San Antonio. We attended the other wedding locally in LA, and I had a wonderful day off for my birthday, trying Uzbek food for the first time and enjoying my favorite cafés with my partner!

Visiting the Alamo

April

My partner and I attended our third (and final) wedding of the season in Washington, DC, while also doing some sightseeing (I hadn’t returned since 2007), as well as jaunts to Virginia and Maryland (new states for me)! I also got back into climbing after my sprained ankle injury, easing back into it and getting back to my current level fairly quickly. At the end of the month, my partner and I attended the Los Angeles Festival of Books and celebrated our third-year anniversary with good food at one of our favorite restaurants!

Washington Monument in the springtime

May

May was an ungodly-long month, and I was at my wit’s end with work. It was so stressful that I had to take a few half-days off work throughout the month. I had some good moments, though, including celebrating Mother’s Day and having a relaxing Memorial Day off work. Weather was quite warm for spring, and things were gradually heating up with upcoming summer plans…

Hiking on Mother’s Day

June

Summer came early, as a heat wave swept just about every corner of the world. My partner and I took our first international trip to Denmark, where we spent a week and a half exploring Copenhagen and the Faroe Islands, the latter that’d been on my bucket list for so long. It was unbelievably beautiful and a dream come true. In addition…my partner and I got engaged!!! We proposed to each other in Copenhagen, and it made the trip all the more special.

Lake Sørvágsvatn (aka “Floating Lake”) on the Faroe Islands

July

It was a long, but busy month. I spent a lot of time wedding planning with my now-fiancée: we’ve since secured our venue, date, and wedding planner. I went climbing a lot throughout July, and I felt really strong! My partner and I also went out a lot, trying new cafés and smash burger joints, the latter being a new obsession. Work was long and at times hellish, but at least I could look forward to a couple of small trips in the next few months…

Temaki tasting

August

August was the busiest month of the year! My partner and I had a quick jaunt to Seattle at the start of the month (I hadn’t visited since 2017). Then right after we returned, we got two kittens!! This is my first time having cats, and although they’re super energetic and crazy at times, they’re so adorable and lovable. My partner and I also had our engagement party with lots of family, friends, and loved ones, and we really appreciated all the love and support. I ended the month with a short, solo trip to Chicago– it was my first time visiting, and I also hit up Wisconsin (specifically, Milwaukee) with the limited time I had. Visiting the Midwest was a lot of fun!

Cloud Gate (aka “The Bean”)

September

Things slowed down a bit this month: I was mostly just working, and I had a few doctor’s visits to attend to (don’t worry, nothing serious). Weather was still warm, although thankfully it started cooling down towards the end of September. I also unfortunately hurt my shoulder while indoor climbing, and I had to take a couple of weeks off to recover.

Kitties by the television

October

Fall was really settling in, with cooler temperatures and shorter days. I resumed climbing after some time off, and I also spent a short, solo weekend in New Orleans, a city that’d been on my bucket list for a long time. I had a fun time exploring the party and jazz scene in town, while also venturing out to visit the swamps for a half-day (to see alligators)! I also strained my hip flexor climbing and took a week off (I hate getting old!), but otherwise, October was a chill month.

Strolling the French Quarter

November

November was a long month and honestly kind of a gloomy one. Not only was the sun setting earlier by the day, but also work was demanding and taking a toll on me. Although things were blah, I still had some good moments with getting my wedding dress(!), checking out a few other climbing gyms around town, and celebrating not one, but two Thanksgivings with my family and fiancée. I guess there’s a lot to be thankful for!

Thanksgiving dinner

December

The last month of the year was a busy one, as there seemed to be something going on every week. From holiday work parties to family gatherings (including a large Hanukkah party at my fiancée’s mother’s house), I was occupied throughout most of December, but I had fun all the same. A lot of things to do before the year’s end, so that we could ring in the New Year quietly and peacefully at home.

Exploring Chinatown

Thanks for reading, folks! I hope you had a wonderful 2025, and I wish all of you an excellent 2026 year ahead. Take care of yourselves. 🙂

— Rebecca