Jack got his driver’s permit in January and has been doing great! The first few weeks were a little wobbly, but now he has a good feel for driving around our neighborhood. We’re slowly adding in driving on the freeway and working on endurance and focus. Ben is a great teacher! He seemed to really enjoy being a driving instructor. The pictures are of his first time behind the wheel, and the first time I rode with him.

I wanted a no-stress easy birthday this year. My regular massage therapist had to reschedule, but Ben whipped up a full spa treatment at home that soothed my muscles and made me laugh at his commitment to the bit. We had lunch out at a local chinese restaurant. For dinner I ordered a generous amount of meats from my favorite barbecue joint. The kids were big fans of this dinner, I might make it a tradition. I made lemon squares for dessert and they didn’t turn out good. I don’t know what I did wrong! The base was squidgy and the curd was too tart and not flavorful. Ah well, most of my other bakes turn out great and I’ve been a baking a lot this year.

Once again Ben found a feed of the Japanese New Year’s program Kōhaku Uta Gassen. It has musical performances from K-pop and J-pop groups as well as kooky cultural traditions and shout-outs from different regions of the country. Sam got to hang out with us while Jack went to a sleepover.

The next day was a simple celebration at home for Ben’s 45th birthday. I tried to make Miyeok-guk, the traditional Korean birthday seaweed soup. It was not great. Not sure if I messed it up or it’s more of an acquired taste. Ben has really gotten into cooking over the past couple years and his skills with Asian flavors and techniques surpasses mine. I don’t have a picture, but I think I made his usual Italian Cream cake for dessert. It was a pleasant, relaxed day at home together.

My assigned winter holiday shift was Thanksgiving this year. I decided to celebrate at home the day prior, so we had a traditional full dinner on Wednesday!

It totally warmed my heart at work to received this video and picture of the Christmas tree being set up.

Here’s some daily life pics from Nov-Dec 2025. Somehow they got mixed up in order, so never mind that! I’m trying to catch up on a lot of journalling and I can’t be bothered!

The far kitchen cabinet had been a little crooked for a long time, but in November if suddenly sagged farther. I guess I overloaded the cabinet for what a drywall anchor can handle, because it started ripping off the wall. Ben and I disassembled a few cabinets. I decided to repair it by cutting down the cabinet so it will fit entirely on the support bracket. I learned about drywall patching and did my own paint matching to cover the tears. I took the Ikea cabinet apart and built it up again as a single cabinet and a shelving unit using the old parts. Had to trim the soffit and do other annoying tweaks too. It turned out pretty good in the end, but what a headache!

Last fall Jack performed in the pit orchestra for “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.” It was unusual for the director to choose a fall musical instead of a play. This production was especially fun for him because the pit got to be on stage. They created a very small orchestra and he got to wear costume and make-up. He said it was great fun to get to watch the show at the same time – a lot less than boring than the dark black pit.

I got Jack’s permission to share some photos he took during the show’s run. His POV is fun.

Sam dressed up like a weathered pirate. Ben dressed up as a Ninja jajamaru-kun. Jack dressed up like a vampire. I dressed in my bones hoodie as a generic, comfortable, ghoul. With bat earrings.

I made pumpkin pancakes for breakfast and ate leftover autumnal foods I cooked earlier this week (fall veggie chicken-kale bowls, and leek soup with homemade bread) (Doing physical work is the best for my ongoing vertigo. Lots of cooking and laundry this week).

Sam attended the fall social and also wore his costume to school. After school we carved pumpkins (really down the wire this year!) Jack changed into his costume after coming home from rehearsal around 6:30. I had a fun time helping him accessorize (he stole most of the clothing pieces from me in the first place!). I stayed home to hand out candy. We had about 30 visitors. Ben helped Sam meet up with his friend. The weather wasn’t too cold, and the leaves were still crunching underfoot. Sam came back late with their spoils to eat and watch The Nightmare Before Christmas and Jack got back from his party to join in. I went to bed first! This morning my Saturday Zumba group had a delayed costume class (the teacher was out of town last weekend too). I put together all my spooky-adjacent athletic clothes to make a ghoulish costume. It was an easy, fun Halloween!

Sam’s second concert of the year was the Area Festival. It’s mostly promotion to keep kids in the music program. They gather all grades 5 – 12 and have them perform together to show the growth they can achieve. This year his school gathered at Ralston Valley High School.