New year, new dreams–

January always brings an interesting mix of emotions to the table. It’s the month where we spend countless hours dreaming about what all the year could be, and the infinite options and paths can be both inspiring and overwhelming.

Ever since moving into our new home, we’ve entered a new season of life where community and rediscovering childhood hobbies is just as important to us as travel. We not only want to experience more of our extraordinary world this year, but we also want to make time to deepen friendships and recharge our minds and souls with creative hobbies. That is essentially what we hope our 2025 will look like. It’s going to be dinner parties, game nights, pickle ball tournaments, book clubs, camping trips, festive celebrations, sleepovers, picnic dates, video calls, girl’s gatherings, and international adventures. My friends are all starting to question whether or not I’m really an introvert, and I’m starting to think that this new era just might make me an official extroverted introvert haha.

Reliving our childhoods in adulthood–

Something I recently learned is how wonderful it can be to bring childhood hobbies back into adulthood. There’s something so nostalgic and oddly comforting about partaking in activities that we once did as a kid, and feeling that same satisfaction and joy as an adult can be incredibly healing.

When we had the opportunity to play a duet on an antique organ in West Germany last year, I found myself thinking remarkably hard, trying to pull up any memories I had of songs I once played by ear on a weekly basis. It had been at least a decade since I’d touched a piano when that specific opportunity arose, and I found myself feeling rather disappointed when I only remembered Heart and Soul in that given moment.

Someone (an absolute ANGEL of a person) recently to gift me a brand new keyboard (with weighted keys) and bench from our Amazon wishlist, and I was in absolute shock when it arrived on our doorstep. It’s wild how much came back to me within just ten minutes of me sitting down in front of it. I could suddenly play Canon in D, I Giorni, Feather Theme (from Forrest Gump), and Let It Go, just from memory. I knew those childhood songs were deep in my brain somewhere, and what a joy of an experience it was to dig them out from underneath all the new travel memories on top.

Something else I enjoyed doing as a kid was making cards for family and friends. Every teacher and professor I ever had (throughout elementary school, middle school, high school, AND college) could guarantee a handmade card during the holidays and at the end of each year. My parents and friends collected a whole array of hand-painted cards from me, where I could truly go wild with creativity, and I got SO much joy with the process of making each and every one, that I don’t know why I ever stopped when we started traveling!

It is rare to receive a card that isn’t store-bought these days, and I want to bring handmade cards back to the lives of my family and friends! This Valentine’s season, I whipped out my palette and gouaches and painted several Valentine cards for some girl friends as well as the deck of hearts for a festive garland. I sipped on a warm cup of hibiscus tea with a splash of oat milk, which tastes like Valentine’s in a cup, and let the muscle memory of freehand painting take over.

One other thing I adored doing as a kid was hosting little events for my immediate family members, like spa days, tea parties, or craft workshops. My mom, dad, and sister unenthusiastically attended these HIGHLY budget events– I’m talking little Claire carrying a metal mixing bowl of warm-ish tap water to soak their feet, before painting their nails with ten-year-old, off-brand nail polish that will likely take five hours to fully dry. Their attendance, albeit rather hesitant, made me SO happy, and even though I had to lure them in with free massage and housecleaning coupons, it was heartwarming to do those little activities with loved ones. This is all to say that I look forward to hosting gatherings for every season and holiday this year, and bringing my childhood visions to life again.

I just attended my first Galentine’s of the season, where we made heart-shaped sourdough pizzas, drank Shirley Temples and Alice in Wonderland tea, and ate homemade red velvet cake and cookies. Such a fun and rejuvenating afternoon. It’s a blessing to be able to journey through life with these incredible women and partake in memorable events together. On Saturday, a few ladies and I are attending another Galentine’s brunch and designing bouquets together, so the Valentine’s festivities continue!

This upcoming weekend, we’ll also be attending a Super Bowl Party, and because neither one of us watches or keeps up with sports of any kind, we’ll be there for the epic commercials and halftime show haha.

In efforts of being consistent with monthly date nights, for the first time in a long time, we will actually be going out for Valentine’s Day! I’ve booked us a reservation at a local French restaurant, and we hope to watch the live action Jungle Book after dinner, to get us excited about our next trip abroad.

How we’ve planned our trips for 2025–

For 2025, we are looking at (1) a lot of budget destinations that have the potential to push us out of our comfort zones, (2) a splurge-worthy country to celebrate our five-year wedding anniversary, and (3) a place where we can meet up with friends for a mid-year retreat. We are seeking contrasting environments and cultures and differing continents. Any guesses on where we might go this year?

Our goal is to do a maximum of six big trips this year– five international (one being our next group trip) and one domestic. Of course, sprinkled in between those will surely be a number of local camping trips with our dogs and our friends. All of our trips will be no longer than two weeks long, because we don’t want to leave our dogs for any time longer than that. As usual, Gretel and Geppetto will go and stay with their 阿媽 and 阿公 (grandma and grandpa) for a luxury vacation while we take our work trips.

We feel grateful to still be doing the same job we set out to do right after college. Neither of us ever thought we’d be small business owners or content creators, so we feel endlessly lucky to be living in a time where we can do what we do for a living. As of right now, we still have no plans of changing our career paths or growing our little family, so you can expect to see more travel videos posted every other week on YouTube.

New travel videos on YouTube–

Romanian food tour: We tried 14 different Romanian foods and drinks in Bucharest and shared our first impressions. Here is the link to the video.

Our Romanian castle vlog: We explored two of Romania’s most famous castles near Brașov and tried some local traditional eats. Here is the link to the video. 

So, where are we heading next?

In just two weeks, we’ll be flying across the world to QATAR and INDIA! We decided to make the most of our layover in Qatar by exploring Doha for 48 hours, and after a few days of driving dune buggies around the desert and delighting in as many Qatari dishes as possible, we’ll be heading to Kerala, India. We have a jam-packed adventure planned for Kerala, and it’s going to give us everything we look for in a solid trip– good, traditional food, lots of time out in nature, and many cultural experiences. It’s going to be the trip of a lifetime, and we can’t wait to share those videos with you this upcoming spring.

I hope your 2025 has been off to a good start. I’d love to know if YOU decide to give any childhood hobbies a try this year. Let us rekindle our child-like spirits together through activities that once made us happy. Have a joyous February, my friend.

MOST SINCERELY,

Claire (and Chad)