My 2025 Birthday

We Made It to California!

I’m currently sipping on a cold brew in my parents’ room, typing on their desktop, and listening to the sound of Ishu playing piano downstairs — all after a night of completely uninterrupted sleep.

Pretty great stuff.

It’s a little foggy this morning, but the backyard is ready for the kiddos. We’ve got a water table, a splash pad (thank you, Costco!), and all the things that are hard to squeeze into a two-bedroom apartment in the city. (Don’t get me wrong — we love our Chicago splash pads and all the walkable places we get to explore. But it’s nice to have a change of pace every once in a while).

Yesterday was my birthday! It didn’t quite feel like it, given that we spent half the day traveling here. But I did get to celebrate the night before with some of my favorite mamas at Trivoli Tavern.

Mariana and I share a birthday, and a few weeks ago, during a beach day, Jenn and Melissa floated the idea of a dinner — right after Mariana returned from Florida and just before I left for California. I was a little hesitant, knowing we’d be flying out the next day and, knowing me, I’d probably still have loads of packing to do.

But we did the thing.

And I’m so glad we did.

I feel incredibly fortunate to have these women in my life over the past couple of years. The food was amazing, the company even better, and the goddess cards we pulled? Spot on.

It was the perfect way to say goodbye to Chicago for the next six weeks.

And now we’re here!

We even got to see the Hodels briefly before they jetted off to Hawaii today. A quick overlap — just enough time for hugs and a cake cutting. We were all running on empty, anyway. We’ll get some quality time in next weekend when they’re back.

And that’s that.

Ishu has his first karate and swim lessons today, and I’m diving into the new Ali Hazelwood book. That’s what the day looks like over here.

Have a good one!