Every January, I sit down to write a recap of the year prior. Taking the time to reflect on my year is a task I really enjoy. And boy, what a year it was! If 2024 was a year of healing, 2025 was a year of transition.
It began with some secret decisions happening behind the scenes. After what was an exhausting and extremely tough 2024 with many health challenges, Danny and I made the decision to move a bit closer to family in Kansas City, our sights on one of our favorite cities – Chicago. We took a trip there in October of 2024 under the guise of a weekend getaway but what was actually a visit to explore potential neighborhoods. In January, we contacted a realtor in Chicago (let me know if ya need one!) and starting looking for houses from afar.
In February, we took a short trip to Portland, Oregon to see it again (Danny and I lived there for a few years in our 20s.) We also put in an offer on a house in Chicago sight unseen (it was wild!) When our offer was accepted we celebrated and called our families to share the news. The next week, I took a short trip to Chicago for the home inspection. I loved the house even more in person.
In March, April, and May, we tried to soak up our last few months in Seattle. The kids were pretty nervous about the move and, in all honestly, I felt pretty terrible about uprooting them again. In an act of desperation and guilt, we promised them a puppy when we arrived in Chicago for the summer.
In May, we had to move out of our rental home and into an Airbnb for a month when our lease ended and while the kids wrapped up school in Seattle. It was a weird time for sure. I’m very much a routines type of person, and living out a of suitcase in a different part of town, threw me for loop.
I continued writing my blog, working on new and ongoing brand partnerships all while planning for a new life in Chicago.
The weather warmed up in Seattle, and we went on evening walks around the neighborhood after dinner soaking in the beautiful PNW blooms (it’s unreal what grows here.)
We took several trips to the beach knowing that we would be saying goodbye to the easy access and beautiful views within minutes from our house.
After the kids finished school in June, we said very teary goodbyes to friends in Seattle, packed up our suitcases, and took a six day road trip (with our cat!) across Washington, Idaho, Montana, South Dakota, Iowa, and Wisconsin, before finally landing in Chicago. We saw some sights along the way.
We arrived tired but happy to our new home in Oak Park, IL. Danny’s parents met us there and helped with the kids while we unpacked. We were welcomed by our new neighbors that first week, and we honestly felt like we belonged here almost immediately.
We spent the summer exploring our new neighborhood. We got pool passes, visited the Frank Lloyd Wright home, and tried out the bakeries near our house.
We had family in town and went into the city to see the sights. I can’t get over the beautiful architecture here. I have always loved Chicago and getting to live in a big city is a dream come true for me.
We went to our first Cubs game and ate a few Chicago dogs. Obviously, we are settling in quite nicely here.
In July, I went to Mexico with my sister for a much needed girl’s trip. We relaxed on the beach and read for hours on end. It was lovely.
Later that month, we brought home a new family member. Our little golden retriever puppy who is pretty calm (but very stubborn) and forever eating anything in sight. The runt of the litter is now almost 50 lbs at 7 months!
The kids started school in the fall, and it didn’t take them long to settle in and find a new group of friends – my biggest source of anxiety falling away quickly. We traveled back to Kansas City to visit family in October for our annual Halloween party, in November for Thanksgiving, and in December for Christmas. I feel lucky that we live close enough to drive home often.
And at the same time we were packing, buying a house, driving across the country, welcoming family in Chicago, and visiting home, I was working on growing my business as a content creator. I wasn’t as consistent as I would have liked, but I was able to hit some big milestones. I say this every year, but I can’t believe I get to do this as a job. It has brought me so much joy and happiness building my blog. I can honestly say I love going to work everyday. Some of the most popular posts on the blog this year were:
Copy Her Style: Dakota Johnson
Parisian Fall Outfit Inspiration for 2025
Spring Capsule Guide: Minimal Style
Early Summer Capsule Wardrobe 2025
French Girl Winter Outfits To Copy
Winter Capsule Wardrobe 2025 (new capsule coming this week!)
Nine Items on my Spring Wishlist for 2025
Sézane Clyde Trench Review
Truly, thank you for being here – for finding value in my work and for all your likes, comments, dms, and support throughout the year. I plan to keep doing this as long as blogs exist so you might get sick of me yet! Happy new year!
