Honestly, I don’t even know where to start. It feels like I blinked and somehow we’re deep into 2025! Last time I was really here, it was the Fall of 2022 so I guess instead of pretending I have some elegant way to ease back into this, I’m just gonna do an old-fashioned brain dump. Here’s what’s been happening since I left off, in no particular order:
I did my first solo trip in 2022 and I went to London (ofc). Pushing myself to do a solo trip was really out of my comfort zone but I ended up LOVING every moment of it. I highly encourage you to solo travel at least one time in your life. As a people-pleaser, solo travel is amazing because you don’t have to answer to anyone but yourself. You don’t have to worry about whether or not someone is having a good time, what someone is in the mood to eat, etc. You’re on your own timetable and you don’t have to cater to anyone but yourself. It’s honestly THE BEST! I saw one of my good friends and we went to Cambridge for a day and her and her friends showed me what PUNTING was! So so cool
My parents moved to Los Angeles, California and with that, I’m basically bi-coastal. I’ve done numerous back and forth trips since they’ve moved out there in 2022 and I really do love the California life. It’s so laid back and the weather is always amazing. Although, as much as I like LA, I prefer San Diego much more. Maybe it’s a move I’ll make in the future.
After years of misdiagnosis and struggling, I have finally been diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), and truthfully, this is SO validating, but I am definitely struggling with a lot of grief around it. I am going to dig into this topic in a separate post, but the sheer amount of people that get misdiagnosed for anxiety instead of OCD is staggering. There needs to be more awareness and what to look out for.
I picked up a new (expensive) hobby: building mechanical keyboards. Who knew that there were so many components in a keyboard to make it exactly what you want. The amount that I now know about mechanical keyboards is quite surprising. It’s also the best ASMR and scratches my brain in the best way possible.
I hadn’t been back to Taiwan in 10 years so in the Fall of 2023, Brandy and I went together! It was so much fun showing her around where a lot of my childhood was spent, meeting my entire extended family, and omg, the FOOD. So much good food.
I went to two Era’s Tour concerts and it was magical. I’m so grateful for my friends who snagged tickets and coordinated both stops (Philly and Santa Clara). I miss grainy live feeds every weekend. Those were the best two years. So much happiness and excitement.
After having a really bad experience with birth control pills and the IUD, I went completely off hormonal medication and I felt SO much better. I wasn’t having migraines the week before my period anymore and my body seemed to have regulated my cycle itself. Annnnd, I got my tubes removed! I have known majority of my life I never want children and at age 38, that hadn’t changed. ZERO regrets. Honestly, best surgery, ever haha
Brandy and I went to London in the Fall of 2024 and on a whim, we decided to take the Eurostar over to Paris, France for a day. We spent the entire (very long and tiring) day buying all the skincare, eating French pastries and sandwiches, going to luxury department stores and smelling perfume, and going to gourmet grocery stores to buy French butters. The store vacuum sealed them for us and we popped right back to London the same evening and kept them frozen in our room refrigerator until it was time to go back. It was so simple and the butters were still solid when we got back to the United States! Highly recommend.
My latest hyper-fixation is perfumeries. I have decided that my favorite notes are green tea, musk, and smoke/tobacco, but not all together. BDK Gris Charnel is probably my most favorite sexy scent.
I’ve never been much of a PC gamer and more of a console (PS5 and Nintendo switch) but I recently purchased a Steam Deck and it is THE MOST FUN. It’s basically like a portable PC and you can get so many games in the Steam database, just like you would be able to on a PC or console. I’ve played an ungodly amount of hours and I can proudly say I now know what the hype over Stardew Valley is about. I’m on my second play-through of Hogwarts Legacy. I did the first play-through on PS5 and was in Ravenclaw, but this time, I’m in Slytherin. I also found this game called Lemon Cake where you own a bakery and bake all the pastries and sell them and have a cafe storefront to serve customers. It’s a little chaotic because you do EVERYTHING (wait tables, clean, garden, etc) but once you progress in the game, you get a helper.
I am still very invested in reading and recently picked up a 2nd Kindle, an Oasis, because I just love the page-turn buttons and the larger screen. It’s also so light. I’m so mad that Amazon discontinued it. I got mine from Amazon Resale and it’s brand new, even though it says it’s in “very good” condition. I’ll have to do a separate post on everything I’ve been reading. I still use my Paperwhite for bedtime because I got a gooseneck holder and a wireless page turner so I can be hands-free and under the covers all cozy!
After the 2024 election, I completely dumped social media from my home screen. I moved Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok onto the 2nd page of my phone so I wouldn’t be in the habit of clicking on them. It’s honestly so doom and gloom and I have not been in the best state of mind since inauguration day. I know many people have noticed my absence on Instagram, and it’s intentional. I just can’t keep doom scrolling and hearing what awful thing the administration is doing next. Although, Reddit doesn’t help much either. TLDR; being a federal government employee is not for the weak right now.
A couple years ago, I received a custom standing desk top for my office. I wanted a custom size and Aaron commissioned one of his woodworking buddies to make me one for my birthday. It turned out absolutely beautiful and I bought standing desk legs from Monoprice and it was so easy to put everything together. My cozy office is finally achieved! I’ll do a post on it, eventually. I do still have my walking pad and use it daily for my 30 minute walks!
In early January, renovations to my primary bathroom and secondary bathroom were finished. Renovations are not for the weak. I was naive about how much noise it would be, but I am SO glad I did them. The transformation makes the spaces so much more modern, airy, and open. I can’t believe how many shortcuts builders take when building homes or like, not thinking about layouts.
I am sure there is a bunch more that spans the past 2.5 years I’m missing, but being that this is a brain dump and these are the top things that come to mind, it’s a pretty significant list!
Feel free to leave a comment and/or let me know your thoughts! Let’s talk! I value your time and read every single message.
xx
-Julie
I've loved your update! 1. A solo trip is on my bucket list for sure- I love time alone and know that traveling alone will be a must-do. I'm glad to hear you recommend it, too. 2. I have been thinking about the tubal surgery as a fellow child-free woman- it's great to hear about other options for us. 3. I'm still bummed I missed you at the Santa Clara Era's show- but next time! :)
I’ve never done a solo trip except a night at Disney. It sounds amazing!