A Look Back at 25

Another year around the sun! My 25th year was definitely full of amazing memories and incredible adventures, but right now my birthday is happening during a chaotic and crazy time (#coronavirus). With all of that aside and my birthday approaching in just a couple days, I wanted to take this time to reflect on the past year and reminisce on the memories that I made.

European Adventure

Shortly after my 25th birthday, my parents and I embarked on a European adventure! We visited England, Scotland, and Wales and had the best time. Not only was it nice to revisit London, where I studied abroad, but I had the opportunity to explore new cities with my parents (my personal favorite was Edinburgh).

If you would like to read a more detailed account of our trip abroad, you can check out my blog post here and my video of our travels here.

Weekend in San Francisco

For Memorial Day weekend, Andrew and I drove 17 hours (through the night!) to San Francisco. We both wanted a new adventure and as a San Francisco Giants fan, I was excited to go to a game and visit. We explored all around the city, including tourist landmarks and hidden gems. Definitely made the most of our short time there.

I made a fun video of our weekend trip that you can watch here.

Camping and Hiking

For another year, Andrew and I made it a point to enjoy some camping and hiking. One of my favorite camping weekends was when we went to Mount Rainier, because c’mon, look at that view.

Continuing Education

An exciting development that happened during my 25th year was that I was accepted to UW’s Digital Marketing Certification program! I really wanted to enhance my skills in digital marketing and I have to say, it was a tough program but so worth it. I learned so much and I’m hoping the knowledge that I learned will strengthen how I tackle my job.

Pen Pals

Nine years ago, I was at a leadership conference in DC and met a Brit named Patrick. The two of us have kept in touch over the years and last summer, Patrick came to Seattle! It was one of his many stops on a west coast trip and it was so nice to catch up, especially since the last time we saw each other we were teenagers!

I’m On A Boat

Last summer, I wanted to push myself and try out activities I’ve never done before. One of those things was driving a boat, which I was able to do with friends through Electric Boating Company. A group of friends and I ventured out onto Lake Union, snacks and music on hand, for a fun afternoon on the water!

The Happiest Place on Earth

Of course this was one of my favorite memories of my 25th year! Andrew and I took our first Disneyland vacation together last September and it was completely magical (minus the disastrous flight down to California). I was so happy to share my favorite place with Andrew and make more wonderful memories together.

If you’d like to read or watch more about our Disney trip, feel free to check it out here or watch my daily trip recaps here.

Officially Living Together

Andrew and I made it official last October by adding both of our names to our lease! Quite a milestone for us!

Sunny San Diego

To celebrate our anniversary, Andrew and I took a trip to San Diego and I have to say, it was wonderful to escape the dreary Seattle winter for sunny California. We filled our days with exploration, but also a healthy dose of relaxation time by the pool. I especially enjoyed checking out Balboa Park, visiting the Midway Museum, and reuniting with one of my college roommates for lunch!

Beyond a blog post, I also filmed a video of our Southern California adventures that you can view here.

Tiny House in Portland

One of the more interesting adventures Andrew and I took during my 25th year was to Portland where we stayed in the most adorable tiny house! The house was situated in a small community of individually unique homes not far from downtown. We were able to fill our weekend with plenty of exploring, especially at Powell’s where we spent a good chunk of change on books, so clearly money well spent!

Stay Home, Stay Healthy

I think it’s safe to say that this last month or so has been wild for everybody, so of course I had to include it in this blog post. Coronavirus, or COVID-19, has truly rocked the world and turned everybody’s lives upside down. For me personally, I’ve been lucky enough that I’m able to work from home and have remained healthy during all of this chaos (knock on wood). Governor Jay Inslee has instituted the “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order, so we’ve been doing just that. It is definitely not how I envisioned ending my 25th year and entering into my 26th, but it’s a memorable time and I have no choice but to roll with the punches.

I’m incredibly excited for what my 26th year will bring and I’m hoping it’ll be full of more opportunities and adventures!