February 2025 Recap

February was filled with longing and melancholy. 

I had a change in my medication that helped, but the feelings from earlier in the month cast a dark shadow on the month. 

At times, existing is exhausting, but I’m grateful to be here. 

50 Before 50

 I replaced my day zero project goals with new 50 before 50 goals when I turned 30. 

This gives me 20 years to complete them. 

Below are my goals, in no particular order:

1. Alaskan Cruise                                  26. Put a lock on Houston's love lock bridge

2. Walk a 5k                                         27. Try a float pod 

3. Visit all 50 states with George           28. Parasailing

4. Read 500 books                                 29. Visit a film festival

5. Build a snowman                               30. Go to a tarot reading

6. Publish a book                                   31. Have $1m saved for retirement

7. Rent a beach house                           32. Try five foods that I hate, but never tried

8. Create a family time capsule             33. Go on a submarine

9.  Spend the night in a castle               34. Nascar Experience

10. Kiva Loan                                        35. See a total solar eclipse

11. Plant a tree                                     36. Acupuncture

12. Vote in an election                          37. Kiss in the rain

13. Ride a hot air balloon                      38. Karaoke

14. Camp at the beach                          39. Write a letter to open when I turn 50

15. Travel Alone (local)                         40. Write a letter to: George, Caro, Geo

16. Travel Alone (abroad)                      41. Zero Gravity Plane

17. See a show on Broadway                 42. See the Northern Lights

18. Zipline                                           43. Be a film extra 

19. Skinny Dipping                               44. Spend the night in a treehouse

20. Visit three new countries                45. Rent a movie theater for a private showing

21. Spend the night on a train               46. Go on a night ghost tour

22. Learn a song on the piano               47. Move to Colorado

23. Get a matching tattoo with Didi      48. Earn a six figure salary

24. Watch a live taping of SNL               49. Murder Mystery on Burgh Island

25. Become debt free                           50. Private 👻

2025 Low Buy Year & Project Pan

Project Pan is a challenge to use up all your products before buying new ones.

Below are my no buy/low buy guidelines and the categories I want to focus on using up, plus some exceptions. 

• Clothing
• Limit clothing purchases to six pieces 
• Monitor cost per wear on existing clothing and aim to get to $5 or less on each item

• Beauty Products
• Replacement items are allowed as long as the item(s) are completely used up
• No trying "new" products

• Hobby Supplies
• Stickers
• Unless it's a sticker that I'm going to put somewhere right away
• Scrapbook paper

• Books
• Unless I'm going to scrapbook with them, limit of three
• Get my physical TBR to less than ten
• Get my digital TBR to less than five
• Borrow books from the library
• Limit Zine Purchases to five at a time
• Cannot repurchase until all five have been read/scrapbooked

I'm hoping to take control of my overspending this year and redirect funds to more fulfilling spending, like traveling. 

xoxo

karina

January 2025 Recap

January started off strong with a family trip to Colorado. Geo was able to experience (and eat) snow for the first time. George and I loved Colorado Springs so much that it’s now our goal to move there.

We had a snow day in Houston, which was unexpected. Princess got to experience snow for the first time. She's the only one I trusted enough to go outside. I think the other cats would have run away.

My phone fell immediately following this picture and cracked my screen. 

We celebrated my mom’s birthday. She requested that we all take the day off and spend it together. 

She wanted each of us to pick a place to go. We started with a safari near Alvin for Geo, Bricks & Minifigs for George, a bookshop for me, and a dollar tree for Caroline. 

We picked up mini bundt cakes and watched Flow. 

xoxo

karina

2025

It’s 2025 and life looks so different than life at 2016 or 2012.

It makes me wonder what younger me would think of where I am now. It’s been interesting to read old posts. There’s so much that I had forgotten and I noticed a level of naivety and optimism that is standard at 21.

I thought I was so grown up and I knew everything, but I was still a child.

This year I turn 35, that half way point between 30 and 40, and the approaching birthday has me reflecting on my past and reevaluating my present.

I’m also in therapy so I’m constantly working hard on realizing things.. trying to get to the root of why I do the things I do and why I feel the things I feel.

I hope to use this space to reflect and share my journey.

I don’t do the day zero project anymore, that’s been replaced by my 50 goals before 50.

I’d like to document my progress with those goals here too.

We will see.

xoxo

karina

Life Update

It's crazy to think that the last time I wrote a post on this blog was in 2012. As we near the end of 2016, 2012 feels like light years away and so much has happened since then. Definitely a lot of travel firsts. A few bullet points: - I got married - I went on my first cruise to three new countries (Mexico, - I got a new cat (Jiji) - I got divorced - I went back to school - Lisa had a son named Alex - I briefly tried online dating and met George - I went to California for the first time - I got financial aid back - Caroline started Kindergarten - I went to Chicago for the first time - I got engaged - I moved in with George and his cat (Anakin) - I got a dog (Rosie) - I saw a Packers game at Lambeau field for the first time - I found minimalism - I went to Universal Studios Florida for the first time - I went to Las Vegas for the first time and took a roadtrip to the Grand Canyon and Four Corners - Caroline started 1st Grade - I started working part time ** I bought a car This brings me to now, which I might go back and talk in detail about some of the things that have happened, but honestly I'm looking forward right now. I'm getting married in less than a month to an amazing man named George and I want to document our life together, my journey to minimalism, and the journey to find myself. Some exciting things coming up: - I'm getting married - I'm going on a honeymoon cruise to -

Engaged!!

Alberto officially proposed tonight :-) we want to get married in November of 2013. I've never been happier!