Sleepy Hollow

October 30, 2023

We finally made it to Sleepy Hollow this fall! This was another stop I wanted to check off my Halloween list and this year I was able to make time for it and on my birthday of all days. We were able to make a nice day trip out of it since it was only about an hour and a half away. For some reason, in the past I thought it was longer because anything ‘upstate’ seems like forever. In reality, this isn’t that much upstate of Manhattan. It was an easy drive up and back, especially if you’re able to avoid rush hours.

It’s a relatively small town so it’s very easy to see everything in a day. We got there around noon so we were able to explore a little bit of the cemetery, see the famous town sign for a quick pic, take a tour of Lyndhurst Mansion and walk the grounds before having dinner at Horsefeathers. The town is well decorated and very festive, being a popular tourist spot. I didn’t get to check out the shops on their main street because we arrived later in the day but because it’s so close, we plan on coming back again next year because it’s just such a beautiful and easily walkable town.

The iconic Sleepy Hollow sign is on the side of the road right next to Sleepy Hollow High School. It was easy to spot, and conveniently marked on Google maps as well. And because we went on a weekday, it was easy to find a quick spot to park, get out and take a quick pic. You don’t want to loiter too long since it is a school zone area. Weekends during October I’ve read can get pretty busy. This comes down to pros and cons of what you want to experience though. Weekends are busier so it may be harder to find a spot to park and have to wait your turn for things, but it’s also when they have more festivals and fun special Halloween events. If you walk a few blocks over from the sign, you’ll find the famous Beekman Ave, where there’s a big clock and the Jack Skellington looking pumpkin display decorated right at the intersection.

Drive a little further down the road and you’ll be at the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery. The Old Dutch Reformed Church is right out front with a couple of parking spots inside the entrance but you can drive alongside the one-way road and park on the right all along the cemetery if you can’t find a spot, as long as you follow all the marked signs and rules. We didn’t get to see inside the church this visit because it was closed albeit coming during visiting hours. Note that the bridge right outside the church is the official “Headless Horseman Bridge” - you literally drive on it to get to the cemetery - but it has since been replaced by a more modern looking construction. If you walk through the cemetery to the Old Style Horseman, you’ll find a more iconic, traditional looking wooden bridge the town installed to fit in with the legend of Sleepy Hollow better, to appease the tourists and makes for a better picture opportunity. It’s very pretty walking through the path to get there during this time, seeing all the beautiful fall colors and the stream that runs through it. I came at just the perfect time as the fall foliage in this area was reaching peak. Driving through the cemetery as we left was also a very pretty ride. I know, it seems weird to describe a cemetery as ‘pretty’ but there’s something hauntingly beautiful about the mausoleums and different tombstones, especially during this time as the colors change with the spooky season. Speaking of spooky season, the hubby noted there were a lot of Hot Topic looking girls also visiting during this time. I imagine the weekends are even more packed with tourists and Halloween fans. They have day and night tours for the cemetery but I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go on a long walking tour at this time but maybe next time, if the weather is comfortable, a night time tour might be nice to try. We actually got very lucky this visit and it was a pretty warm day and a cool evening. It was unusually warm for my birthday weekend this year.

After the cemetery, we headed to the Lyndhurst Mansion for a tour. It was either this or the Armour-Stiner Octagon house but the Octagon house sold out before I remembered to book it, and the Lyndhurst Mansion had a lot of good reviews and gave you access to the grounds after the tour for you to wander to your hearts content. If you’re a history or architectural/home interior design buff, I recommend the Lyndhurst Mansion as one of your stops. It goes through the history of its three owners, from William Paulding, to George Merritt to Jay Gould. They used to have a Halloween tour but our tour guide said people complained and preferred to learn more about the history of the mansion than ghost stories so they only offer the classic tours at this time. (Hopefully next visit, I can book the Octagon House’s Myth and Mysteries tour to fit in better with the spirit of the Halloween season.) The mansion was built and decorated in a gothic style. I found it beautiful to walk through as all its furnishings and decor looked so regal and grand. I’ve never seen any of the shows and movies that it’s been featured in but I can definitely see why they would choose this building for their sets. And the grounds are also equally beautiful and were decorated for Halloween in good fun. Our tour ended right before sunset and we walked out to this beautiful view overlooking the Hudson river. It felt like the perfect ending to the evening for my birthday. We took a moment to take it in before leaving to head back to town for dinner.

We went to Horsefeathers for dinner, which came highly recommended by a few friends, and reviews and blogs I read online. There is definitely a wait because it is a popular spot and the hostesses to seat you do work a little slow (we tried earlier in the day before the tour and again after the tour and both times, it took a bit of a wait before someone came out to greet us and gave us an estimate for our wait time), but once you’re in, the service inside is normal. The inside decor is really festive and cute, with writers on the wall like Mark Twain, Edgar Allen Poe and Washington Irving. The food though, for me, didn’t really live up to the hype. I was in the mood for fish and chips and the fish was a little too crispy and the chips were more like potato wedges than fries, which I would’ve preferred to pair better with the fish. The crabcake was good though. The hubby had ribs and they were fall off the bone good but a little too oversauced. I probably should have gotten a burger instead since that’s what they’re well known for but I wasn’t in the mood for a burger. There were a lot of other things on the menu so maybe I’ll give it another shot if we visit again. I probably should’ve tried a drink but I don’t really drink and I’m in prep mode for the NYC marathon so it wasn’t really a good idea anyway. Two other recommended restaurants I’m looking to try next time are The Bridgeview Tavern and The Hudson Farmer & The Fish. Hopefully they fare a little better. After dinner, we walked around the block a little to kill time and check out some decorations. The shops were all closed by this time but it was a beautiful cool night to just walk since we were waiting for rush hour to die down before heading home. I found Sleepy Hollow very charming and everyone very friendly and informative. Hopefully next Halloween season, I can experience a spookier tour and see more of the town. I missed the Headless Horseman statue but that just means I need to make another trip back, of course!

The Pumpkin Blaze

October 21, 2023

I finally got to visit The Pumpkin Blaze this year!

I’ve been wanting to go for years since I found out about them back in 2018 but it’s a little far and out of the way being a little upstate NY and I’ve never had an excuse or opportunity to visit the area, especially since my fall schedule is usually packed. This year was a combination of stars aligning so I finally got to go. They finally opened up another location on Long Island, I stopped going to conventions, and my bday trip was just a quick getaway trip this year due to marathon training taking priority, which helped give me more free days back in my schedule as well as kept me more local this season to do fall things in state.

So what is The Pumpkin Blaze or The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze? Their website describes it as “a walk-through experience of thousands of hand-carved pumpkins in elaborate displays that light up the night at two historic locations in New York. At Van Cortlandt Manor in Croton-on-Hudson and Old Bethpage Village Restoration in Old Bethpage, larger-than-life installations, along with synchronized lighting, create a magical, family-friendly experience for all ages.”

Accurate to its own description, I found it basically a fun Halloween trail filled with lit up pumpkin carvings as you walk through to view everything. I decided to visit the Long Island location for obvious proximity reasons, since both locations have the famous coveted pumpkin tunnel all the Instagrammers flock to on display, and let’s be real, that’s what we’re all here for. And yes, it absolutely did deliver! One important thing I would note is that you can only walk through the trail once - you can only go forwards, not backwards - but you’re allowed to take your time since the walk-through is self-paced, so I would definitely not rush through it and take as much time as you need to really enjoy the experience. Read everything, take as many pics as you want, linger a little, whatever you need. It can get crowded at times, but I also did find some breaks in the crowd where there was less foot traffic if I just waited a few minutes so I was able to get some shots in. So if you’re trying to get that shot, my advice would be to go on a weekday, book the first time slot, arrive at the venue 30 minutes before your time slot, and BE PATIENT when you get up to the tunnel. We were lucky and showed up before parking opened at 6pm, for the 6:30pm time slot on a Thursday evening, and we were basically the third car in line. We were able to park incredibly close to the entrance so it was a short walk, and walk in and hang around the gift shop and got some photos of the displays at the entrance before it got dark. The following 2 photos were taken just 30 minutes apart at 6 when we got there and 6:30 when they officially opened and let us start walking the trail so you can see how fast it gets dark at dusk this time of year. From there, within the hour, it got completely dark by the time we got to the tunnel.

Once it got even a little dark though, that’s when photos became a challenge especially if you want to be in the photos. So another tidbit to also note, is that the pumpkin tunnel is not at the beginning of the walk, but more towards the middle-end of the trail. And of course you don’t want to rush through the trail to get to it and miss all the great displays on the way, which I absolutely don’t recommend you do - definitely take your time and enjoy the displays at a slow, leisurely pace to get your money’s worth - but by the time you get to the tunnel, at this point in the season, it’s definitely past dusk and the light will be gone. I recommend a small hand held light if you have one, to help light your face up for photos. Just make sure your light isn’t intrusive and blinding to other guests. We used our cell phone light to help light me up in photos and it worked out nicely. I was able to get some nice portraits on my camera, but if you have night sight or live photo on your phone, those settings definitely help get some nice photos too. They just don’t allow tripods and drones as listed on their website’s FAQs, just FYI. Also another good tip, I highly recommend NOT wearing black if you’re trying to get photos in the tunnel of yourself. Lighter colors show up better and help reflect light to light you up.

Despite it being dark though, that’s when the pumpkin displays really shine! I forgot some of the displays were pumpkins at some points in the walkthrough because they were so well done and fit into the background. And there are SO, SO many of them. We got in at 6:30 and left around 7:20pm, so you definitely can spend some time looking at everything. There was great ambiance with the music they have throughout the trail, with a lot of screens on display, giving you tidbits of history of the island and background info of some of the artwork. For our particular venue, we saw shelves of carved pumpkins, each with a unique face, a pumpkin portal tunnel with a lightshow as you entered, a field of skeleton pumpkins, a firetruck, police car and ambulance pumpkins, a giant spider field, the headless horseman story carved out on display as homage to the original Pumpkin Blaze upstate, a haunted house inspired by the Amityville horror house, a sunflower field and corn field of pumpkins, a Long Island Hall of Fame, a giant grandfather clock, the Statue of Liberty, an entire zodiac of pumpkins, a lighthouse, sea creatures made of pumpkins, a dragon, and a circus train full of pumpkins with a moving carousel at the end.

Originally I felt the sticker price of admission for this was a little high, which it is for a pop-up, starting at $29 for adult admission on a weekday, and go all the way up to $54 for weekends. The timeslots are also priced differently; the earlier you want to go, the higher the price. If you don’t want to pay as much, I’d recommend going later in the night if you don’t care about your photos as much and just want to go for the experience. But if you’re there for photos, I’d recommend the first time slot on a weekday. That being said, I do think the price of admission is worth it here if you visit on a slow weekday, as it can get pricy for a family of 4+, I imagine. I appreciate all the work that went into this and making it a really nice experience. I also want to note this is a really great family friendly non-spooky event. There are no scare actors, nothing too crazy, just good fun and beautiful displays to admire. It might be a little scary for some young kids due to how dark some areas can get and some parts with witches and haunted houses, but there are tons of fun parts too that I think all ages would enjoy, like the sea creatures, alien pumpkins and bubbles blowing towards the end. The gift shop at the end is a really nice touch too. It’s cute and has some cute souvenirs like home decor, keychains, magnets, hats, shirts and even little treats. There’s a pumpkin carving area too to watch the masters at work. The ladies we met were really sweet and gave us some great tips for when we carve our pumpkin later this month for Halloween. All in all, I think this was a lot of good fun and I would enjoy attending again.

Full disclosure, this visit was not sponsored. I attended and paid full price admission, this was not an invited press visit so all opinions are my own and honest thoughts. If you’re looking for a fun fall activity, this definitely makes for a fun date night! I went with my husband for an early birthday date and we both really enjoyed it. Usually he’s very skeptic of IG traps but this was a great time and a very cool experience. I definitely recommend this for all my Halloween lovers. If you go, come back here and let me know how your own visit went!

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.