Whatcha been doing?

Me? Getting hit on! Dressing my husband up like a middle manager Michael Bublé! Getting our house photographed!

Oct 08, 2025

Over the summer, I went to a 30-year reunion and the hardest part was how to answer: “So, what have you been doing?”

“Um, well, I got married and then had a couple kids, and then was diagnosed with a bunch of mental health stuff because I was kind of loose cannon, and also started a business while raising the kids. And we traveled a bunch. Oh, and I also got really into Louise Penney.”

I mean, how do you summarize the past thirty years?!?!?!

I finally landed on asking people to tell me about their favorite day since we last saw each other, which opened the door to interesting convos while feeling a bit more manageable.

All of this is to say, I haven’t seen you in a bit, and I know I missed out on a bunch, so what were your fave bits of summer? Let’s get caught up, k?

⭐️ No burying the lede here: British cab drivers think I’m smokin’.

Multiple cabbies hit on me (it’s been so long, I was actually confused at first), one told I looked like a movie star, and one literally gasped when I said I was 50.

Either I looked really good because I was on vacation (no kids! sleeping in! seeing friends who fill me up!) or these men have figured out a system that works with Americans (more compliments = huge tips). I will take the former, thanks.

Okay, a little sneak peek! Love these photos by Chandler Kim!!

⭐️ We finally got our house photographed (omg, I can’t wait to show you all the pics!).

It was three weeks of getting every little thing done that has needed to get done for the past five years. It was highly satisfying and EXHAUSTING. Also, how did we have 7 lightbulbs that needed to be changed?

⭐️ I traveled by myself to London and Ireland with mixed results.

On one hand, it was excellent to be on my own schedule, sleep in, do whatever I wanted.

On the other, I had a couple of glasses of champagne on my own one night and ended up outlining a book where the husband dies and the protagonist realizes all the ways she didn’t appreciate him and I could feel my heart start breaking because wouldn’t this trip have been even more meaningful as a shared family experience and what if they’re off making memories without me and what would I do without My Rock, My Love, My LIFE and I’m soooo alone in this gorgeous hotel room, eating chocolate cake, ALL BY MYSELF and, yes, I agree, I probably shouldn’t be left on my own while drinking.

We all dressed up as my sister’s favorite things - 10 points if you can guess who / what we are!

⭐️ I helped throw an 80th, 50th, 40th, 14th, and 12th birthday party since we last talked.

It was hysterically fun and I have so many easy ideas to share with you and it’s also totally okay if we cool it on significant birthdays for awhile.

⭐️ We had a total blast of a summer, and then I got really burned out on the kids and felt like the last two weeks of summer were never going wrap up.

Then school started up and I lost my mind because HOW IS ONE PERSON SUPPOSED TO KEEP UP WITH ALL OF THIS HOOTENANY, but now we’re back in the swing of things and feeling good again.

⭐️ I finally bought myself a Brick to try and regulate my bad news consumption.

Every night about 5pm, I tap and only leave on texts and calls.

It’s made a huge difference in the way I feel - weirdly, I feel inspired again to get involved, maybe because my brain has some space? I also am more present with the kids, and less grumpy, because I’m not constantly getting fired up about ALL THE THINGS.

⭐️ Fingers crossed, I think I finally am healthy again.

It was a full year of seeing every kind of doctor, trying ridiculous amounts of different medications, and having to drag myself through the day. But, the persistence paid off and turns out, I have respiratory reflux and a bunch of food intolerances.

The diagnosis was a huge relief because it’s fairly easy to manage, but it’s also frustrating that it was pretty much all I did last year, trying to figure it out.

I can’t tell you how grateful I am for my health now, though. I’ve always been annoyingly optimistic and now I’m all, “But, kids, just take a deep breathe and realize we can breathe! Does it really matter if we have more screen time?” (Turns out it really, really does.)

👉 Now, over to you, my friend!

Tell me the best thing you did / read / watched/ visited this summer and so happy to see you again!