Goals for 2022 and 2023

January 1, 2023

GOALS FOR 2022

Work on finishing the house. Finish the bedroom, the spare room, get a real dining room table set.
- Well, we’re still working on this, but we did make more changes to the house since adopting Banh Mi this year. He’s also helping us be better at maintaining the house so that he can roam around. Maybe this is practice for if we ever have to baby-proof the house by learning to bunny proof the house.
Complete the Dopey challenge/my first full marathon.
- I still can’t believe I did this and that my first full marathon was along with a Dopey. I have no idea what I was thinking taking on this feat but I am so glad it’s over with and I can finally say that I did it. What’s worse, my friend Harrison talked me into the Brooklyn Half as part of his bigger scheme getting me to qualify for the NYC Marathon for 2023. This wasn’t an original goal when I started the year and somehow here we are. I have now successfully finished all my qualifiers. I honestly thought I’d never do it, but then again a few years ago, I also thought I’d never do a Dopey. I know some people are saying, “Why not? You got this after a Dopey,” but honestly, a full marathon on it’s own is still absolutely challenging and daunting to think about.
Workout goals: Reach a full split. Unassisted pull-up.
- I don’t want to talk about this.
LEARN MY DAMN CAMERA ALREADY.
- I don’t want to talk about this either.
Regular closet clean-outs.
- I said I’d try to do this 2x a year and I did! I listed and sold a lot of items too on my Poshmark/Depop, and donated a lot too. I would love to make this more regularly but making the time to do this is challenging when you’re a super procrastinator like me, as well as having a million things to always (want to) do.
Work on being more sustainable.
- I’ve been trying to cut down on my shopping. I don’t go to the mall as often and when I did this year, I often came back empty handed because there was just not a lot that piqued my interest. And when I did buy new items, I tried to make sure it was something I could style and wear with several different outfits, something I’d get a lot of wears out of. I’ve been trying to re-wear and restyle outfits for shoots as well.
Cut my hair.
- I haven’t cut off all the processed ends but I did get my haircut at the beginning and the end of this year to cut off all the dead ends and reshape my layers. It’s helped to make my hair feel so much healthier and fuller, cut down on breakage, and accelerate healthy hair growth. Hopefully I can get rid of all the processed ends in 2-3 years time as well as getting it to grow again beyond what seems like it’s current terminal length.
Work on my CEs.
- If I’m being honest, I did like 2. But next year I really have to do them, no excuses because it’s renewal year.
Get rid of backlog and post in real time again.
- I’m all caught up! I’m wondering if I want to continue posting in 3s again for the aesthetics or go back to posting whatever again. I also hate writing captions. Sometimes I just want to post pics and leave it be. Why does everything have to have value to be important or get views. Why can’t I just see my friends’ cute lives.
Go on a vacation with just hubby again.
- We went on a cruise this May and it was one of my favorite most intimate vacations. And I’m not talking about the $3x! We just were able to connect on a deeper level with no internet or other people in the way when left with just each other’s company. I would really love to do this again but I think it’ll be a little challenging with our financial status in trying to be more conservative and save next year after this December crushing us so hard.

GOALS FOR 2023

Connect more with my husband with more one on one time.
- I really enjoyed our cruise vacation where it was just us. Honestly, I don’t know if we’ll be able to take a vacation together at all next year with our financial situation so I want to find more/different opportunities for us to be together and disconnect, whether it be quick nearby road trips, date nights, etc.
House train Banh Mi so he can free roam better.
- Who had us becoming pet parents in 2022 on their bingo card? Cause I definitely didn’t. But I fell in love with this little mush and I’m hoping we can definitely better train him to responsibly roam around the house on his own because I really hate cooping him up in the hutch when I have to be gone all day. I can’t imagine being confined in a small space myself for too long with not much to do so I would like for him to be able to entertain himself around the house without making too much trouble.
Finish my CEs for this renewal period.
- I just need to sit down, sign up for all the classes and remember to do it. I have til August and I know I can speed through them when push comes to shove.
Learn to drive stick.
- I need to get rid of my car and get something that handles better in the snow. I hate feeling like I’m going to die in the winter when a bad storm hits and my car spins out. But I don’t want to buy a new car or even look at cars honestly. So the closest resolution would be for me to learn to drive stick so I can drive the hubby’s STI and he can buy whatever new car he wants. I’m terrified of learning to drive stick though. I’m worried I won’t pick it up and will suck at it but I guess we’ll never know until we try.
Complete a world major by running the NYC 2023 marathon.
- I actually never had this on my bingo card either but through having bad friends, here we are. Everyone keeps saying I already ran an marathon once, so what’s so hard about doing it again? Everything. A marathon is just hard in general. I wanted it to be a one and done accomplishment because I found it so hard. But here we are. I’m really nervous about running this distance again so fingers crossed I can get through it.
Take a cooking class or some type of fun class with the hubs.
- I’ve always wanted to do this. Just have no idea where I can sign up for them. I want to learn to make pasta or something fun and make a cute date night out of it.
Play video games more regularly with the hubs.
- This is more for hubs than it is for me. But I do want to make more effort since he does a lot for me and puts up with all the photos I want to take and all the dumb places I want to venture off to. I really do suck at video games but for some reason he still enjoys it when I play with him so I want to try and make some time for him more often doing things he enjoys.
Declutter my closet, my house, my photo albums/storage.
- It would just be really nice to really finish my house best we can by getting rid of all the clutter. And then hopefully we can build from there. So this is basically a baby step/stepping stone to finishing the house.
Work on my mental health and practice more gratitude.
- I want to work on my anxiety and also stop overthinking and creating paranoid scenarios in my head thinking my friends hate me and get out of my imposter syndrome. I need to work on reflecting more on what I do have, instead of what I don’t have. I also want my weight to stop controlling how I feel about myself on a day to day basis, especially when I look back in retrospect, I realize I looked fine when I thought I wasn’t. I need to stop letting these demons win.
Sign up for swimming lessons.
- One day when I head back to the tropics for a beautiful warm vacation, I would love to be able to just float in the water and relax. I would like to get in the water and not feel like I’m drowning. I have a fear or taking swimming lessons though because I don’t want to show up to a class full of kids and here my adult ass is, with my floaties on my arms, lol. But sooner or later, I would really love to be able to swim.

Year in review

I don’t know what’s wrong with me. The other day I was feeling down thinking I had wasted my entire year doing absolutely nothing. And then when I actually reflected, I realized I was just an idiot. I did A LOT. So much I forgot about it all. I was jumping from one thing to the next, it ended being a blur.

Running

I started off the year crazy stupid ambitious. I remember a year ago around this time, I was so stressed and anxious about Dopey. A big storm was about to pass through and I left work early to get a day head start on driving down to Florida. And it was a really good thing we did because had we left even half a day later, we would have been stuck in a huge traffic mess. The major highway leading down to Virginia was a standstill for over a day, if I remember. People were stuck in their cars overnight due to all the accidents from the snow. It was crazy. We had drove right through it before it got impassable. I was so relieved. And then the entire week at Disney felt like chaos. As much fun as I had in the parks during the day, it was a lot of stress getting enough sleep, waking up and getting to the races on time and completing them all. It was quite a journey. So much happened. But in the end, I successfully completed it. I still can’t believe it to this day I did it. It still feels unreal. I want to say it’s probably one of my craziest and proudest achievements of my life. Those 6 months of training was a roller coaster and I’m glad I got through it. I’m proud of how far I’ve come because completing this challenge was proof to me that if I worked hard, dedicated the time and energy to it, I can honestly do anything if I set my mind to it. Cause a few years ago, I would’ve told you you were crazy if I was ever going to be able to run a full marathon, let alone a Dopey 48.6 miles.

And then batshit crazy me ran all the way back to Disney in February to do the Princess Challenge AGAIN. I completed my 2nd in person Princess challenge and 3rd Princess weekend (first year I only did the half, not the challenge). I had one of the best experiences on this trip too having developed more friendships within the running community over the years and it was so nice finally getting to meet everyone in person!

I was also hoping to do a faster time than my previous half marathon PR on this trip but fell short. Looking back, all my runs since Dopey have been a little off and I'm realizing now it's because I was pushing my body to do so many long runs and so many races without properly recovering and resting. And then I took this summer off and realized I had to build myself back up again to where I last left off with my speed, stamina and endurance. I need to find a happy medium of maintenance training so I can avoid going too hard and risking injury, and not resting too long in between that it feels so strenuous starting up again. I need to work on that for 2023, to avoid the burnout, because I definitely pushed myself more than I had intended. In January, I only had WDW Dopey, Princess Half weekend and the DC Cherry Blossom 10 miler for my race season. Then it expanded to the Brooklyn Half, which then snowballed into the 9 + 1 qualifier for the NYC 2023 Marathon. Now that I’m sitting here thinking about it, I realized I ran 17 races this year! Holy hell. I only intended for 8, which I felt was overwhelming enough so it’s crazy how I went way over that. No wonder I felt burnt out. All those early mornings traveling to the city to get them done was tough. All in all, this was a very busy race season for me and I learned a lot about myself and what my body can endure. I learned a lot about running too and the work that goes into training for a full and how different it is from a half. I learned about how important hydration, fueling, stretching, proper training, sleep, nutrition and recovery are all key to a successful race experience. The most important too is your mental health. This is important to help get you through the hardest parts of training because those walls are real.

Fitness Journey

I should be more proud of myself for my non-scale victories and stop allowing myself to be disappointed by the number on a scale. Although! The number on the scale, when broken down, shows my fat percentage to be on a low end, and my protein/muscle composition to be high so I should be proud of the work I’ve been putting in. The weight gain, while discouraging at times, is actually very healthy and something other people strive really hard for so I should practice gratitude for what my body is able to achieve.

My non-scale victories I want to commend, is how hard I’ve worked over the years to maintain my active lifestyle. Because that’s truly what it is now, a big part of my daily routine so much that I don’t feel good unless I get some movement in. And I’m proud of how much I’ve done in trying different things to cross-train to switch things up and keep it interesting and fun. I go to the gym, lift weights, run, walk with my husband, practice Blogilates, hell I even did another round of Insanity this summer! I try to get in my steps everyday. I tell myself to be active for at least 30 minutes when I’m strapped for time but for the most part I try to work out for an average of 1-2 hours a day. I’m really proud of myself for making this a healthy habit.

I also was given the opportunity to work with Popflex and Crowned Athletics on several projects this year which I’m definitely very proud of to be considered for. I always get imposter syndrome about it, but I really appreciate when a brand genuinely reaches out because I align with their brand. This was a big milestone for me.

travel

I was fortunate enough to be able to travel and go on several vacations this year. I went to Disney World twice and participated in 2 race weekends, Disneyland, Bermuda and DC. Sometimes I get sad about not being able to afford Europe and Asia travels to explore new destinations but I’ve still been very fortunate.

This is also probably why I’m depressed about my financial situation. Had I not been so reckless with all these trips trying to chase a molecule of serotonin, this December might not have hurt as much with all the financial curveballs thrown at me this month. We just had to replace our washer and dryer since ours broke and it would cost more to fix than replace. And then I was due for my car inspection but interestingly enough, my check engine light went off and a month later, here I am, $4k in the hole to fix the issue. On top of our heating bill, regular bills and of course, the added costs and stress of Christmas. It’s been a little rough and overwhelming because it was a lot of financial hits all at once, especially in December. Although I shouldn’t complain. As financially stressful as it’s been, I am still very fortunate. I have my health, my family, and my absolutely amazing husband by my side helping me navigate all these issues. I sat there at Christmas reflecting and realized I need to practice more gratitude. I have not one but several places to go to for the holidays because I am fortunate enough to have healthy family connections. And at each gathering I attended, we were blessed with such an abundance of good food to eat at each.

We aren’t rich or anything, but we are happy, healthy, and honestly want for nothing. I am showered with love by friends, family and my amazing husband. I can’t stress this enough because I really need to get it through my head when my demons come to play and make me think otherwise.

Photoshoots

I got to continue building my portfolio and work with a lot of new people who have become very good friends of mine in a short amount of time! I cut down on pop-ups this year, opting instead to work more on my portrait micro posing skills, as well as re-do old shoots with my current hair. I also got to finally complete a video/shoot project I’ve been wanting to do for a long time but we couldn’t find a good location till this summer and it was definitely worth the wait because when it all finally came together, it turned out absolutely epic. Sometimes you don’t need a busy pop-up with a million things going on in the background all the time. You just need good lighting, a simple outfit, your best angles and poses and you can make anything work. I love everything I got to create this year and everyone I had the opportunity to work with, both old and new friends.

Banh Mi

Halfway through the year, somehow we became pet parents adopting a baby bunny after the hubby fell in love with them at a petting zoo. We’ve always talked about a pet but could never agree on anything nor have the time for one but somehow this worked out. Now it’s been 5 months since we had this little stinker and as mischievous as he’s been, just like a little child, we still are absolutely head over heels in love with him at the end of the day. It’s so funny how he has his own little personality and is temperamental sometimes but also lovable. Is this what having a child is like? No matter how much of a shithead he is, at the end of the day when I look over at his cute face I can’t help but want to kiss his stupid face. I’m glad bunnies have a life expectancy of 8-10 years but oh are we in for the biggest heartbreak when it happens. And to think, it’s only been 5 months with this baby boy.

Reflection

Did I peak in 2018? I mean, how much more can I do in 2019 to step up my game in everything? But you don’t know if you don’t go. I’m ready to jump into 2019 and see what great things lay ahead. Cheers to 2018 and it’s great gifts, and here’s to what the new year will bring us!

You know, I wrote this in 2018 at the first year of my blog and it’s funny because even sitting now, I’m like what can I possibly do in 2023 that will surpass 2022 because 2022 was a pretty big year, especially when it came to ambitious running goals. But life has a funny way of still surprising us as time goes on. At the beginning of 2022, Dopey was the farthest I dreamed. I definitely did not see me running 17 races this year and qualifying for the NYC marathon. I never had any ambitions of completing that but here we are. I’m actually nervous for what’s to come in 2023 because I feel like some of it is uncharted waters. I don’t have any other crazy goals of mountains to climb, but I am looking for a bit more stability. Before December threw me for a financial curveball, I was actually really proud because I had cleared myself of all my credit card debt and ready to tackle on my student loans debt when they were supposed to resume in the new year. And then all the shit hit the fan and I’m back at square one as I pay off these financial messes. Luckily the student loan pause has been further extended to the summer, so fingers crossed I can clean this mess again before then and hopefully stay that way. I want to be able to start saving again and plan for the future. This is probably why I’m walking into 2023 with a bit of caution. Usually I’m ready to jump in headfirst but this year feels more like uncertainty for me. I have no idea what this year holds and honestly it makes me nervous. I know it holds growth and growth always forces us outside our comfort zone, which explains why I’ve been feeling very uncomfortable in my life lately. I know it’s necessary for the bigger picture but is it wrong to want to stay in your comfort zone a little longer? Le sigh. 2023, please be good to me.

Oogie Boogie Bash

October 24, 2022

After experiencing Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween parties in both Disneyland and Disney World, as well as Boo Bash last year in Disney World, this year I finally got to experience Disney California Adventure’s Oogie Boogie Bash!

Where do I start? I finally got to wear and premiere my Oogie Boogie costume I’ve been holding back all summer and finally cross this costume off my bucket list after wanting to do it for years but never finding a costume I was satisfied with to suit my style. I hope you love it as much as I did bringing to life. I shot it earlier this summer and have been impatiently holding back the photos so I’m very excited to finally be able to share them.

Let’s start with the main event of the Halloween party, the treat trails and characters.

In past Disney Halloween parties, the candy stops were one line per cart giving out candy. At OBB, the candy stops were called treat trails and rightly so. They had multiple carts throughout one line, each one giving out different candy or treats (apple slices, carrots, grapes, chips, etc) and in the middle or end of each trail were almost always a character to see. I got to see Sid from Toy Story, Madam Mim from The Sword in the Stone, Oogie Boogie, Agatha from WandaVision, Mother Gothel from Tangled, Cruella, Maleficent and last but not least, the star of the show, Ernesto de la Cruz, whom I visited twice because he was just so good and swoon-worthy. Honestly I could have stayed there and watched him all night. He was the most impressive because of how well they did his mask to make him look straight from the movie and I love how personal and interactive he was with the audience beyond just singing and standard phrases. The only characters I missed was Dr. Facilier (because time ran out and he was in the parade at the end of the night so there was a slim chance we could have caught him post parade before they closed off lines), Minnie, Daisy and Clarabelle as the Sanderson sisters and Kingdom Hearts Mickey (I skipped this because the lines were known to be notoriously long and I’m not a crazy fan of Hocus Pocus or the Kingdom Hearts video game to begin with so I’d rather not steal a spot in line from someone who actually wanted to see them), and the unofficial characters Hercules and Ping who sometimes make appearances at the parties. There were also other characters around as photo stops only and not part of treat trails so I didn’t really want to stop because their lines are much longer because people want to take their time with photos. The treat trails move much faster as they want to keep people moving through. And despite moving fast, the character interactions were still top notch and uniquely personal. I really appreciated that they gave out more than just candy as well. The fresh fruit is a nice touch. You could also easily fill your bag within visiting just 2 treat trails. At a certain point, I had to start refusing candy because my bags were getting too full, and yes I said bags, lol. I had a few bags and even put them on my friend’s stroller and we were still overflowing with candy. I’m not even sure why I trick or treated since I don’t really eat candy. My husband thoroughly enjoyed it as he was eating candy out of his bag all night and we were still overflowing no matter how much he ate.

When it comes to the rides, all the wait times were much shorter during the party than during normal operating hours, since the party is limited to party ticketholders only, and most people wanted to focus on Halloween exclusive events. We took advantage and rode some rides but I tried to not make this a focus as I wanted to do the party exclusive stuff. We did a balance of everything and I feel like this worked out well since I did get to see pretty much all the characters I wanted and still had ample time to visit Villains Grove. What is Villains Grove? It’s a unique walkthrough with no characters but rather focuses on lighting, music and projections to immerse you into that eerie atmosphere of Disney’s darker side. It was very well done and beautifully haunting to walk through as if you’re in the dark part of a villains solo act. The candles were my favorite part as they set the mood beautifully.

We were also able to get a decent spot to watch the parade come through thanks to some very sweet cast members that helped us as we kept going back and forth trying to find a good spot and meet up with friends. I was excited to finally see the Mayor in his cute little car. I wish they did a meet and greet for him because I would love a picture with my favorite Nightmare Before Christmas character. I enjoyed all the villains spotlighted in this parade, especially Hades and Dr. Facilier. They deserve more showtime and love in the Disney parks. My husband found Frollo inappropriate and a little too rapey to be joining the crew, which when I think about it, he’s right. The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a much darker movie than people realize. It would’ve been really nice to see Esmerelda dancing around instead. I loved Ursula, Lady Tremaine and the stepsisters joining in the parade. I do wish there were more characters and a few more floats though. I feel like I can never get enough. I wish it was a little longer.

I enjoy that Disney Halloween is “not so scary” since I love Halloween but there’s only so much my heart can take when it comes to jump scares and in your face spooky walk stuff. Don’t get me wrong, I did enjoy Halloween Horror Nights at Universal when I used to attend, but my throat and energy at the end of the night was always crazy from all the screaming since I’m a person that scares easily from all the jump scare stuff. I enjoy the good, clean fun at Disney Halloween events. I don’t know if that makes me boring or lame especially since I don’t even have kids to blame it on, but hey, it’s my cup of tea and I really enjoy it. I love dressing up and seeing all the costumes and unique characters that come out during the event. I would definitely say Oogie Boogie Bash is one of the exclusive holiday events worth your time and money. Tickets sold out for these parties the day it went on sale and rightly so. I also feel like in comparison to Disney, Universal is becoming ridiculously overpriced for what you get. Even their front of the line passes aren’t worth it anymore. I’m glad to have experienced HHN when it was less crowded and the lines were more organized and moved better, but I don’t think I’ll be going back anytime soon. Actually Universal in general has soured for me in recent visits due to their lines and crowds. I can barely get a good photo of anything when I’m there anymore. Disney reigns supreme for now.

We spent an evening at Oogie Boogie Bash, and then one park day at DCA to experience the park itself separate from the Halloween stuff, and then one day at Disneyland. I wish I could say I got a lot done but my hubby started feeling under the weather halfway through the trip so we had to retire early on the park days. Luckily, we have done a lot of the rides already in the past and we got to ride the Haunted Mansion Nightmare before Christmas overlay which was my main focus. I got to see the Halloween fireworks too, but unfortunately with Disneyland being a smaller park and lately the parks are more crowded than usual, so there wasn’t much room in the parks to get a good spot. We weren’t able to see the projections on the castle well to pair with the fireworks. I feel like next time, I should spend the extra money and get reserved seating to see it front and center for the fireworks and the Fantasmic show. You live and learn. It just means at one point I have to come back, right? Although I honestly don’t know when I’ll be back. California is quite the trek and it’s hard for the hubby to deal with a long plane ride so we may not be back in Cali again for a few years when the parks get yet another big update. It was also our first vacation away from our baby boy Banh Mi, and I really did miss him during the week. It’s annoying becoming a pet parent, lol. The anxieties you feel worried about something back at home. We might stick to Disney World for the next few trips since I don’t mind the road trip down to Florida and back. The funny thing is I did enjoy how close Disneyland and DCA are to each other, and even in the individual parks themselves, I appreciated how close everything was to each other so we didn’t have to walk too far to get to another ride. And at the same time, it made me appreciate Disney World for how spacious it is and how much more room we have when looking for a good spot for fireworks. We were there a little over an hour early and it still wasn’t enough. At Disney World, I can get up close front row still within the hour, and there’s much less obstruction. The fireworks are also bigger and there’s more going on in the sky so it looks much more impressive. Although because Disneyland is smaller, their fireworks feels more intimate since they’re so up-close to us. I could go on. There’s pros and cons to each. In the end, I appreciate that getting my photos done at Disney World is much easier than Disneyland.

I do have to say that Disneyland’s characters will always reign supreme to Disney World. They just have an edge having more unique characters, but also more unique and fun experiences. All the characters we met during our breakfasts were more interactive and fun. We had breakfast at Storyteller’s, Goofy’s Kitchen and the Plaza Inn. The food is nothing spectacular; just your standard overpriced Disney breakfast buffet but you know you’re not there for the food. You’re there for the experience and the characters I would definitely say, do not disappoint. I also appreciate that they include your photos at the dining experiences complimentary to your photo pass. Although at the same time, again, I don’t really ever recommend their photo pass. They’re ok, but it’s hit or miss. Most of the time, I feel the photos you can take on your own phone or camera are better. It’s hit or miss if you get a good photo pass photographer who gives you the goods and makes sure you don’t have harsh shadows and the photos are framed nicely. But this is why I always prefer my own photographers when taking photos in the park. I highly recommend it because your photos will come out much better.

In the end, I have to say I did miss Disneyland after 3 years of being away from it. It has a different charm, unique to its origin park. And at the same time, this trip also highlighted to me all the things I need to appreciate about Disney World that I’ve been spoiled with, in the past trips I’ve made since covid times. Disneyland annoyingly feels like a much busier and crowded park because of how much smaller it is. But that also is another consequence of covid times. Had the pandemic not occured, I feel like the crowdedness of the park would’ve been less. Disney has only grown in popularity and attendance because of it, unfortunately. I wish I could say I look forward to when the crowds will die down and I can enjoy the parks again like in the past, but I don’t think that’s happening anytime soon. Until then, I just have to learn to plan my visits more strategically, especially during the holiday events, which is when I always want to visit because birthday season and unique park decorations. Honestly I should find other places to visit but alas the chokehold this mouse has on me for the time being, lol.

So after all is said and done, would I still recommend it? Absolutely. 😅 Don’t @ me.

10 Year Engagement Anniversary

August 16, 2022

This August 16 marks 10 years since our engagement. I remember this because two very big things happened that day for me.

We were at the beach when my then-boyfriend, now-hubby proposed. We were building sand castles and I was going back and forth getting water for the sand when he told me to come around and sit near him. Me, being the bitch that I am, got annoyed and almost started a fight because hello?! Do you not see I’m doing work here?! Then I walked around and saw this boy had placed a ring box inside one of the sand castles. I was annoyed because I was annoyed, lol. How are you supposed to save face and be happy now when the boy was trying to do something adorable.

And because we were on the beach, we had no service. It wasn’t until we left that I could call all my friends and family and tell them the news and post it on the interwebs. When I finally got service, one of my notifications was from a college friend informing me that my NYS pharmacy license had finally went through on the state website. And then within minutes, like clockwork, the red devil CVS called me and assigned me my first shift. It was crazy. I felt torn. On one hand, I was like finally after all the studying and time spent locked away from the world, this was finally done. But on the other hand, I was absolutely terrified because it meant this was it, I really had to grow up and this was the next step in adulting into a real career. It felt surreal. I was engaged and a fully licensed health care professional in the same day.

10 years later, I honestly still have no idea what I’m doing sometimes. I still feel like I have imposter syndrome in my field. Sometimes I feel like I have no idea what I’m doing and other times I feel like I’m way more competent than a lot of my colleagues and I wonder how these people were allowed in this field considering we’re handling people’s very lives. It’s not something to play with and there’s no room for error. But here we are. Sometimes it’s crazy to see how far I’ve come. Especially escaping retail and breaking into hospital since I was really apprehensive for the longest time to make the transition, thinking I could never pick it up. I don’t know why, I just felt really intimidated by learning hospital drugs. Now I realize my fears were unfounded, as everything was fairly easy to pick up and learn. But at the same time, to this day, I’m always still learning since this is a field that relies on continuing education to keep up to date and medicine and guidelines are always changing. The one good thing I learned after all these years is despite my parents forcing me to give up my dreams of fashion and go into something medical, I actually do enjoy it and I am good at it. So that’s something. Part of me worried about being stuck in a job I hated but I also learned that it’s also your work environment and the dynamics of your work team that can make or break whether or not you like your job. I’ve been fortunate in this aspect that I have a good rapport with my coworkers.

And also 10 years later, so much has changed in my relationship since marriage and beyond, and yet so much has stayed the same. We took it back to where it began and spent it at the beach, around the same time the moment happened. Except this time, we have a new addition. While my mother is probably pissed that I still refuse to pop out a child, we have recently fell in love with Banh Mi and we love taking him to one of my favorite summer spots to relax. It was a very lowkey chill day and it helps to remind me that I don’t always need to be doing a million things on my itinerary or be productive all the time. Sometimes it’s nice to just take it slow, enjoy things and take in the moment. And that’s a big part of my relationship over the past 22 years altogether. No matter what we’re doing together, whether it be a full packed itinerary day at Disney, on vacation in Japan or Paris, or a staycation chill at home day, the bigger picture is to just enjoy each other’s company. It’s nothing if it isn’t just with the person you love. It makes all the difference.

Speaking of vacations, our next adventure is also finally officially booked for the fall! I’m excited to be heading back to the West Coast again. There’s something about Cali that’s always calling my name. I always say, I think I was meant to be a California girl. I’m in the stages of finalizing my itinerary and planning outfits. I’m also really stoked to share my Halloween costume finally! I received it back in May and I’ve been dying keeping it secret this whole time. I’m also trying to work on cute couple outfits for Disney but I have too many ideas and I need to narrow it down and get stuff soon. I’m also excited to finally see the Disneyland castle again after my last time in 2019 with it being covered up. I can’t wait to see everything in all it’s glory and experience the Oogie Boogie Bash for the first time. I can’t wait to be there in 60 days. Summer feels like it’s going by so quick and before you know it, it’ll be here!