There’s something really comforting about pausing at the end of a year and looking back at what actually made it good. Not the big, flashy stuff. Just the little moments that quietly carried us through. 2025 had its highs, its weird days, and a whole lot of in-between, but it was also full of things that made life feel lighter, warmer, and more fun.
This list is a love note to those moments. The simple joys that turned ordinary days into something special. Nothing fancy. Just good things worth remembering.
Good Distractions:
- 🎥 K-pop Demon Hunters
- 🎥 How to Train Your Dragon
- 🎥 Freakier Friday
- 🎥 One Battle After Another
- 🎥 Sinners
- 📺 The Pitt (HBO Max)
- 📺 Shrinking (Apple)
- 📺 The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call (Netflix)
- 📺 Stranger Things, the final season (Netflix)
- 🎵 Golden (K-Pop Demon Hunters)
- 🎵 How It’s Done (K-Pop Demon Hunters)
- 📖 Margo’s Got Money Troubles (Rufi Thorpe)
- 📖 Project Hail Mary (Andy Weir), reread :)
- 📖 Sunrise on the Reaping (Suzanne Collins)
- 📖 Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery)
- 📖 The Wedding People (Alison Espach)
- 🎮 Almanac (App Store)
- 🎮 Duolingo (App Store)
Good Places:
- Giant’s Causeway – Even cooler in person than in photos
- Leo Burdock – Fish and chips in Dublin
- Shasta Lake - Great weather and good times with family
- Ephesus – A little sad, but the library was absolutely impressive
- Pamukkale – I wish I’d had more time here
- Cappadocia – Being surrounded by mountains and rock formations made me feel deeply at peace
Good Finds:
-
Cetaphil Daily Facial Cleanser - My new in-between-days face wash
-
Baublebar Mini Custom Bead Kit - So cute and fun
-
Baublebar Medium Custom Icon Tote – I’d been eyeing this for a year and finally treated myself
-
Photo Background + Stand – A game changer for product photos
-
Copper Fit Arch Relief – Helped my achy ankles a lot
- Fabletics Cloud Jersey Jogger – So soft and luxe
Good Food:
- Bánh mì – Current obsession, I could eat one every other week
- Oven-baked tacos – Homemade filling, online baking instructions
- Spice bag
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Million-Dollar Spaghetti
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Almond croissants from St. Honore (Portland)
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Jimmy Dean Pork Sausage - Weekend brunch MVP
- Favorite Day Mini Ice Cream Sandwiches – Perfect post-dinner treat
Good Times:
- Watching the Suns play in Portland and going into overtime (even though they lost)
- Boots seeing snow for the first time and trying to eat it mid-fall
- Visiting Ireland and seeing the Cliffs of Moher and Giant’s Causeway
- Trying spice bag in Dublin and fish and chips at Leo Burdock
- Zero credit card debt for eight months and counting
- Feeling inspired to bet on myself after attending my second Creative Works West Conference
- Bestie visiting for my birthday week
- Visiting Mount Rainier, absolutely stunning
- So many peonies from the front yard
- Ollie remembering his Aunties Grace, April, and Jeri
- Boots “fighting” the lawn mower
- My “I Voted” sticker design being chosen for my county
- Getting a second library card from Seattle
- Shasta Lake weekend with my family
- Watching Ollie and Boots swim in the lake
- Boots and Ollie being absolute angels on the houseboat
- A quick Hawaii trip filled with favorite foods and friend time
- Learning to play chess on Duolingo
- Visiting Istanbul and eating döner kebab
- Pamukkale, Cappadocia, and Ephesus all in one trip
- Seeing three of my favorite people in the world who live so far away — twice this year.
- Opening my new Etsy shop, GoodThingsCoDigital
- Reaching 1,000 sales across all three shops! (Thank you, my lovelies!)
That’s my list. Now I want to hear yours. What good things carried you through 2025? Big or small, they all count.
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