The 2025 Survey

I was stunned and dismayed to log in this morning and realize I haven’t posted on this blog all year. ALL YEAR!!! I attempted a Q1 catch-up post in the spring, which never made it out of drafts. But I refuse to break a 20-year streak of year-end wrap-up posts, so here’s the survey, with some new questions I felt were needed.

What did you do in 2025 that you’d never done before? Became a church elder; swam with manatees in the wild; successfully grew vegetables from seed; swam in a Great Lake; went to a drag brunch; went to a Hanukkah latke party; saw a seal in the wild; got a passport for my child; went to an MLB spring training game; did serious physical therapy.

What was your word for the year? Joy. As in “joy is an act of resistance.” This was my vision board:

What new places did you visit? Long Island, NY (Montauk) and Napa, CA. We also went to the St. Pete area, Atlanta, and Evanston north of Chicago. I went to Miami three times (once with Taylor and C), back to the Tampa area with my mom and sister for my sister’s 40th birthday trip, and to Vegas with my longtime friend/co-adventurer Bethany to see the Backstreet Boys at the Vegas Sphere!

What dates from 2025 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? Here’s a high-level recap. I lost my last grandparent and my dad lost both of his brothers. Three of my immediate family members had major surgery and my mom had cancer (stage 1a; she hasn’t needed any additional treatment after having her thyroid removed, thank God). I became an elder of my church as we joined a denomination for the first time and took ownership of our 100-year-old Midtown building. I have retained my job as my company continues to close and sell off business units. We all lived through the longest 11 months in American history (so far). We traveled a lot. I continued to mother, and advocate for, a smart, loving, high-maintenance preschooler with type 1 diabetes and other special needs. I am crawling across the finish line.

What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 46. This year was the 30th anniversary of Clueless, one of my all-time favorite movies, so I had a Clueless party. Everyone dressed up. It was great.

How will you spend Christmas? At home with my parents and in-laws… followed by a big family trip!

Did anyone close to you have a child in 2025? One of Taylor’s good friends and his wife had a daughter!

Did anyone close to you die? My grandfather, Papa Gene, in February. My Uncle Mark and Uncle Mike (technically Uncle Mike passed around New Year’s Eve 2024 – both deaths were sudden). An old friend, Matt.

What 2025 achievements are you most proud of? SURVIVING. Also, I hit 300 rides on Peloton, and am already closing in on 400 since I started doing proper warm-up rides.

What gave you joy? Pilates. Watching my kid have friends. Seeing my friends love my kid. Being with my church community. Crossword puzzle time before bed. Wandering through the beauty section of TJ Maxx. Making little bouquets from our backyard flowers. Chatting with the ladies at PT. My kid’s growing personality. Getting to know our neighbors better. The Culture Study blog and podcast. Making shaken espressos at home.

What do you wish you had done differently? I’m frustrated that I can’t seem to communicate and express my needs better in my home. But overall, I think I’m doing the best I can in most areas of my life, even if it doesn’t look like much.

What was the biggest challenge you faced? Retaining any brain cells while living in a constant state of personal and societal overstimulation.

Did you suffer illness or injury? My lumbar back pain (three herniated discs) got worse this year and spread to my hips, so I started regular PT for that in September. It has helped both with pain and making me stronger overall.

What was your best purchase? The Bounce Curl brush (and root volume clips). Game changer.

Where did most of your money go? Medical costs and travel.

What were your best new discoveries? Hannah Corbin’s stretching and foam rolling classes on Peloton. Morphe setting powder.

What did you get really, really, really excited about? A new Aldi opening in my neighborhood. My first trip alone with Taylor in a year and a half. Taking over our church building. Getting a builder gel system so my fragile nails can grow longer. My 10th anniversary of living in Midtown. The release of The Life of a Showgirl.

What were your favorite foods? I cooked regularly out of the HealthyGirl Kitchen, What to Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking, and Half-Baked Harvest cookbooks. My friend Jenny invented an amazing salad made of mango chili salad mix, edamame, mango, honey roasted peanuts, and roasted chickpeas. Also: Dot’s pretzels.

What song will always remind you of 2025? Aside from my 2025 soundtrack (which I’ll post soon), Anxiety by Doechii.

What concerts did you attend this year? Backstreet Boys at the Sphere!!! Also, the Summer of ’99 tour with Creed and Daughtry (which I was at when Bethany texted to ask if I wanted to go see BSB).

What was your greatest musical discovery? I discovered Ber last week via an Instagram reel and am going through her whole discography.

What were your favorite TV programs? I guess SNL, because it was the only show I watched even semi-regularly.

What were your favorite films? I don’t really get to watch things (see above), but one night when Taylor was on a business trip and C fell asleep relatively early, I finally watched KPop Demon Hunters. It is now part of of my personality.

What was your favorite sports moment? I can’t think of one, which is sad. While I still love my Grizzlies and Tigers, I have had to become slightly less obsessive devoted to make room for other things. Also, I am all for college players getting paid, but the NIL sports landscape is less fun as a fan.

What was the best gift you received? To celebrate my elder installation at church, my sister gave me a licensed Elder Wand. She ordered it the day I first told her I was going to be an elder.

What did you want and get? An additional week of vacation time! C hitting some specific developmental milestones. Taylor being happy in his job.

What did you want and not get? To talk to my husband for more than 30 seconds without being interrupted. Free time in the evenings. To magically lose 10 pounds.

How would you describe your personal style in 2025? Comfort and fun over “flattering.” I learned to feel okay in non-skinny pants – I now happily wear wide-leg pants and even barrel jeans! I placed an embarrassing amount of Old Navy and ThredUp orders and am very into Athleta. I got some leopard print Nikes that I love. I finally got rid of almost all of my pre-2021 clothes – my sister has lost a lot of weight, so I gave it all to her and my nieces. I also bought A LOT of earrings (Oh Clem is my go-to). I had to stock up on basics now that I have three holes in each ear. Hoops are my fave.

What was your Color of the Year? I guess color in general? I do have a lot of phthalo green items and am excited that the internet hive mind has chosen it for 2026.

Who was your favorite celebrity/public figure? Taylor Swift always.

Who was the best new person you met? Lane, the mom of my son’s school bestie. She is a wonderful human being.

What were the best conversations you had? Probably with my siblings. I don’t talk to my brother super often, but if he calls me I know it’s going to be good.

What political issue stirred you the most? I cannot even. I am absolutely exhausted by the daily political onslaught. I do what I can as far as protest and activism (don’t think it’s not happening just because I’m not posting about it). However, my personal most upsetting issue was the RFK Jr. autism registry. Thank God that’s been dropped for now and the best they can come up with is Tylenol.

How have your beliefs changed this year? I don’t think my beliefs have markedly changed. But I have frequently handed out my best advice, which is: people can have strong opinions and the best intentions about things happening in your life, but they do not have to live with the consequences of your decisions. YOU DO. The only person you can count on to have your own back 100% of the time is you.

What would you like to have in 2026 that you lacked this year? A stronger marriage. Time to be a human and even have hobbies.

What behaviors do you want to change in 2026? I’ve actually been thinking about this a lot. I want to be more stable and unruffled, to not be “tossed back and forth by the waves.” 2026 is going to bring a lot of changes, and undoubtedly more chaos, and I don’t want to be thrown by every little thing. I want a steadier baseline. Still figuring out how to go about that.

Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. I’m still surviving and I’m still bad, baby. – Lizzo

About Brenda

Mom to a preschooler with T1D. Paralegal. Swiftie. Xennial. Grizzlies and Tigers. Pilates and Peloton. Books and fanfic. 901 / 305 View all posts by Brenda →