2025 was a year filled with accomplishments, celebrations, creativity, hard work, and, most importantly, an engagement. The older I get, the shorter these years feel. After 24 (almost 25) years on this planet, and amidst a fast-paced, ever-changing society, these last 365 days taught me more about myself than the other 8760 days combined. So, in Gen-Z fashion, what better way to wrap up my year, while at the same time letting you all in on a little slice of my life, than with a “2025 Wrapped”?
Believe it or not, writers go outside every once in a while. My fiancée and I traveled to Yosemite National Park in April, when all its waterfalls were at their full display. If you’ve never seen thousands of gallons of water falling 2,425ft per second, or humans climbing a granite monolith three times the size of the Eiffel Tower and twice the height of the Empire State Building, then I implore you to take a trip to Yosemite. For us, it was a much-needed break from the city and the trials and tribulations of nursing school before my betrothed entered her last semester.
April to August was all work and little play. She was studying for tests, attending simulations and lectures, and racking up an unholy amount of clinical hours. While I focused on finishing Followers of the Divine. I started posting on TikTok during those months and read four books (One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest, The Road, The Art of Fiction, and The Silent Patient) by the time she graduated.
This is where the year flew by. To celebrate her graduation, we went to Hawaii and made memories that’ll last a lifetime. We did a hop-on-hop-off trolley tour of Waikiki, explored Oahu’s north shore, kayaked, ate phenomenal food, and got engaged! It was one of those trips you wish never had to end. And we arrived back home in time for our favorite part of the year: October.
We carved pumpkins, went through haunted houses, attended Golden Knights games, and I launched this website. By the end of October, but before Thanksgiving, I finished reading To Kill a Mockingbird (which I also loved) and The Overstory.
Our first Christmas as an engaged couple was a festive and fun way to wrap up the year. In December, some of my best friends from high school put on a sort of reunion. We caught up on each other’s lives while at a local bar. By the time Christmas came around the corner, I had made it halfway through The Count of Monte Cristo. In 2025, I wanted to hone my focus on the smaller aspects of life and be grateful for every day. Some of my favorite moments from 2025 came from me slowing down and living in the moment. Whether that be sitting in the living room and teaching my fiancée how to play chess, or simply seeing her smile when I come home from work. I could have written a 40,000-word novella just from this year alone, but I want to keep this month’s post short and sweet. I look forward to finding out how much of an impact this year’s decisions will have on me for the rest of my life, and I feel optimistic about the future. For 2026, I aim to build on my progress from 2025, be more organized, and more consistent with posting on my author social media. If all goes well, I hope to release Followers of the Divine this year and begin working on one of the many ideas I have.
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