This year sure went by quickly. Quicker than many other years in the past. I’m sure most of you can agree that there was a lot going on. I was able to jot a few things down about what I was up to – which wasn’t much since we were in lockdown for most of the year anyways.

January: This month was a pretty lazy month. I was excited to start a new year even though I wasn’t feeling very well for awhile.

February: The main event of this month was going to the Waikiki Aquarium with the family for my sisters birthday. We had a great time there – the kids had a blast. My favorite exhibit was the jelly fish so I made sure to get plenty of pictures of them from different angles. They are just so mesmerizing.

March: This is the month we watched protests and riots erupt around the globe. America was in a state of unrest. This definitely got my anxiety on a new level. So happy that I have been routinely visiting my therapist to keep that in check.

April: Due to Covid-19 we were masking up and started only going out into the world for essentials. Luckily we have a beautiful backyard and scenery to enjoy so I was spending more time in nature.

May: Did May even happen? Is was basically a repeat of April.

June: Had fun taking pictures for my sisters Instagram as well as a bunch of nature pictures outside. I also enjoyed checking out the garden she started and picking fruits from our tree.

July: I started blogging more consistently and writing in general. My goal was to post at least one post a week and to write at least 3-5 days a week. I did fairly well for the first time in awhile. I also starting practicing more self-care as that had been put on the back burner for awhile. I also turned 40 so that was an exciting time even though due to the pandemic I wasn’t able to go out and do anything too fantastic. I still was able to enjoy my day.

August: Started walking again to work up to jogging/running for exercise. Really got me feeling overall better. Also started eating a bit healthier. Even though I only gained 3lbs I wanted to lose some weight for my overall health and well being. I continued with my goal of writing and I also tweaked my daily routine to include other self-care items that I had been putting off for far too long.

September: Started September optimistic even though our island was on another Covid-19 lock down. We went through a phase 2 lockdown when our cases of Covid-19 went up. September went by in a flash. I feel like I blinked my eyes and it was over.

Since things were now “different” I also decided to attempt and do other things differently. One thing I planned on doing was quitting coffee. I thought I could do it but after a few days I simply had to have it.

I have gone months without it in the past so I’m not sure why it was so difficult this time around. Maybe because I was always at home and could see and smell other peoples coffee. Replacing it with green tea was the overall goal but convincing myself to drink green tea instead was not working either – and I love green tea lol.

October: I started writing a book. This has been a long time coming and I have always wanted to write a book. I actually started writing one years ago and just never really got into working on it.

This new book that I’m working on is a different genre and I am very passionate about the topics that I am writing about. I am hoping to finish it in the next year or so and have it published in different formats.

If you follow the blog you may also notice that I started posting more frequently as I have been wanting to for what seems like forever. I think I did a good job at writing and scheduling out posts for the month.

Since we were still on lockdown our Halloween was spent inside doing a couple of fun games and eating some yummy food. We all dressed up so that it wasn’t just like any other day.

November: For most of us (in America) the beginning of the month was focused on the presidential election. We were on the edge of the seats wondering and watching what was to happen next. I tried my best to stay off of social media and not watch the news but I couldn’t help myself to want to know what the results were going to be. This election dragged on for what felt like forever. With recounts and all that jazz.

In my personal life not a lot happened. One thing I did learn, however, thanks to social media is that one of my friends passed away from cancer. That was a blow to the chest since I hadn’t talked to her in such a long time. So here is your reminder to call or text that friend or family member that you haven’t connected with in awhile. Tell your people that you love them.

December: The holidays came and went fairly quickly. Instead of enjoying our regular holiday traditions we ended up doing modified celebrations. As long as I got to contact and/or see (via video) my favorite people that is what counts the most.

Reading: I haven’t been reading much lately other than online, however, I do have about 4 or 5 new books that I look forward to diving into very, very soon. Maybe after the holidays so I’ll have an update on that in the next few weeks.

Watching: Since it is the holidays of course I’ve been watching holiday movies with my family. A new movie that we watched was Jingle Jangle on Netflix. Definitely worth a watch in my opinion. It was a nice family movie.

Listening: For me I usually like calmer Christmas music so Michael Buble Christmas station has been my go-to. Lots of oldies and jazzy type music. I’m old skool – I still use Pandora but I’m sure other streaming services probably provide the same type of playlist.

What have you been reading, watching and listening to? Let us know in the comments.

This was a fun box! I really loved everything that I got in this box. Totally worth the price (and more!)

1. BOMSHBEE Sloane Champagne Flutes – Set of 4 (Retail $51); These flutes are GORGEOUS. I would use them as decor if I had the space for them somewhere
2. Lucky Brand Solid Brushed Scarf (Retail $69.50): This scarf is pretty. It is thick and would go perfect in cold weather. I will definitely make sure to use it the next time I’m in cold weather. I also love the color.
3. dr. brandt skincare POREDERMABRASION pore perfecting exfoiliator (Retail $58): I cannot wait to add this to my weekly skincare routine.
4. Voir Haircare Rhythm of the Rain Hair Masque and Scalp Detox (Retail $28): I am super excited to try this. I absolutely love hair masks.
5. espare Cutting Boards – Set of 4 (Retail $19.95): This set is made for different food items – veggies, fruits and more. A fun addition to the kitchen. Love the colors and the images that tell you what each board can be used for.
6. B-Low The Belt Croc Card Case (Retail $35): This is perfect if you just need to carry a few cards with you.
7. Daily Concepts Daily Facial Dry Brush (Retail $20): I’ve always wanted to try dry brushing on my body but I didn’t even think about doing it to my face. I look forward to using it a few times a month.
8. Aesthetica Liquid Eyeliner (Retail $21): Said to stay on for hours, this eyeliner will probably be the first eyeliner I have used in awhile. I like the simple design and the brush tip.

Click here to get $10 off your first Seasonal subscription

Happy Holidays! Even though this holiday season is going to be a bit different than usual I thought it would be fun to recap some of my family holiday traditions.

Gift giving: Our morning usually starts with us handing out gifts to everyone and we often open them from oldest to youngest.

Talent show: Now this tradition started over 20 years ago and continues to be passed on off and on throughout our generations. It isn’t as big as it used to be and mostly consists of the young kids putting on plays or singing karaoke but either way it is one of my favorites.

Brunch: We usually have a fairly big holiday dinner so during the day we would usually have a light brunch with breakfast items just to hold us over until dinner (which was usually served before usual dinner time).

Friends and Family time: Later in the day an early dinner was usually served and often friends and family would stop by for some laughs, conversation and maybe a plate of delicious food. Other than watching the kids open presents this was my favorite part of the holiday tradition. We would get to see so many people that we haven’t seen in awhile and that was always nice.

So those are our main holiday traditions. This year it will be a little different – perhaps some Zoom and phone calls instead of the normal fun times that we have.

What are some of your holiday traditions? Let us know in the comments.

So this post is going to be a bit different than the ones that I usually post. If you are triggered by death please skip over this as I wouldn’t want to cause you any sorrow.

Over the weekend we had much to celebrate. It was a time of thanks and it was also my nieces 13th birthday. Though we didn’t get to celebrate in the normal sense, we were able to give to each other in other ways as well as celebrate my niece.

Unfortunately, the day after my nieces birthday we received an unexpected phone call. One that you know may one day come but comes unexpectedly. We were all shocked to find out that my Stepdad had passed away. Though he was not my blood relative, he did raise me as his own, as he was in my life from the time I was 2 years old.

This news has been difficult to deal with. I feel for my siblings as they lost their Father and I know to well that feeling – a few years ago my biological Father passed away.

It is something that you know will eventually happen but there is never a way to fully prepare for it. For me I am currently going between anger, shock and grief. I also sit at times and think of the happy memories that we as a family created.

What makes this time even more difficult for me personally is that it also brings up memories of when my biological passed away and having to plan his funeral. It have been having a hard time separating the two because I am going through what feels like the same things over again. I know that this shall pass – as it is not something I have been thinking about 24/7 but it does come up and makes me cry even more.

I have been staying up late thinking about my Stepdad – memories that we have, his voice, his mannerism and much more. Even as I sit here writing I am thinking of times in the past and my tears are freely flowing.

I have always had difficulty sleeping off and on throughout my adult life but lately it has been even more. I worry that I will get news of someone else passing away and it swells up inside me causing me to toss and turn.

I have moments in my days in which I just start crying and it is tough to get my mind in a positive space. The grief just overwhelms me and I can’t think straight. I feel lost at times as I feel numb and unable to think straight. These feelings are feelings I wish upon nobody. It is life-altering and not something that you can really just push aside (well in my case) and carry on about your day. For me I have to really just allow myself to feel the grief before I am able to move on.

When you lose someone close to you remember that you are allowed to feel all the feelings that come up. For everyone that may be different so please let others that are grieving to deal with the death in their own way, however, also be as supportive as you can be.