2025 Year In Review- To Love and To Be Loved

Hi friendsssssss 👋🏽

I’m starting this piece on December 27, 2025, with hopes of finishing it by the 31st 🤞🏽. I really hope you’ve had a wonderful year. I signed out last year wishing you so much love, and I truly hope you experienced that.

Earlier this year, I lost one of the champions of this very blog segment, my 5th subscriber. He loved reading my year-in-review posts and teasing me about the things he knew more details about. For the love we shared, it wouldn’t feel right not to acknowledge that loss 🤍.

A Year Full of Love (and Movement) 💕✈️

On a lighter note, 2025 was filled with love. Love beyond my expectations and dreams.

If you see me on Instagram, then you already know I didn’t stay home much this year 😅. And yes, I’m in Nigeria again, staying for two months. I love my country, Canada, but I can absolutely do without winter for a few more years ☀️.

We’ll get into the places I visited, hobbies I picked up, chapters I’m closing or pausing, and other highlights worth noting 😌✨.

Africa Called, and I Answered 🌍

I kicked off the year in Nigeria, and it was so good that I’m doing it again to start 2026.

First new country of the year was Ghana. To be honest, I was a little ashamed of how little of Africa I had explored, so being back home felt like the perfect opportunity to change that.

From Ghana, I headed to Morocco. By February, I was on a work-and-girls trip to Kenya and Tanzania. I went from having visited one African country to four new ones by February, and I’m now on my way to African country number six, which I’m especially excited about ✨.

Euro Summer, As Per Usual 🇪🇺✨

Summer meant another Euro summer. I spent July through September in Europe and got to celebrate my birthday in Manchester, my favourite English town 🥰.

I visited new cities across England and spent part of August exploring Portugal, starting in Faro, heading to Lagos, and wrapping it up in Lisbon. By September, I took a train ride to Paisley, Scotland, and then made my way back home to Canada.

Coastlines, Ferries, and New Dreams 🌊🏡

At the start of June, I revisited Halifax and Charlottetown, then headed to British Columbia for the first time.

Victoria is the city I think I need to live in, but that time difference is a real struggle 😭. I took a ferry to Vancouver Island, had a Nanaimo bar and cheesecake in Nanaimo, and even looked at some real estate. I can’t wait to visit again soon.

2026: Less Travel, More Intention 🧘🏽‍♀️

Now for 2026, we’re doing less travel. Let me level-set so you get me.

Will I be going on trips next year? Yes, because some of those trips are already paid for 😂. I’ll travel for work and family as needed, but no trips just because.

I’m also starting the year with a clean travel expense account, so I need to build that back up in 2026 to travel purely for vibes in 2027 ✨. Let me know if this should be an accountability group exercise lol.

God Did 🤍🙏🏽

I’ve been looking back at my “God did” moments, which is how I journal my answered prayers. From January to December, God was faithful at every step.

My tribe and I celebrated pregnancies, safe deliveries, weddings, engagements, graduations, promotions, citizenships, appointments, visas, healing, and so much more. I’m deeply grateful to have been part of so many journeys, and to have them be part of mine 🥰

New Things, New Hobbies 🛠️🍓

Beyond travel, I worked the Federal Elections this year, and I’m really glad my first experience as a voter included seeing what goes on behind the scenes. The voting, the tallying, the counting, all of it.

I also finally opened my Cricut machine and started creating ✂️✨. That’s something I’d love to grow into a side project in the new year.

I picked juicing back up and found it surprisingly creative, making whatever fruit and vegetable combinations I felt like. I also think I cooked the least I ever have this year, between all the travelling and recovering from travel, but something tells me that changes in 2026 😂.

I learned how to golf this year and even went on a mini golf retreat. I’m not fully convinced yet about how “fun” it is, but I’ll keep giving it a fair shot next year ⛳️.

I now drive in Nigeria. To be clear, I drive around Lekki, and when I’m in Port Harcourt, I go as far as Michaels Garden for brunch. Baby steps, please 🚗😅.

I also took Pilates classes in Faro, Portugal that were led entirely in Portuguese. Who knew I could pick up basic Portuguese sentences on the go? Not me 🇵🇹✨.

And so much more...

Closing the Chapter on 2025 📖✨

This year flew by. I had so many firsts and milestones that I’ll hold dearly.

I don’t have a word for 2026 yet. It hasn’t come, but I’m patient and trust that it will. Maybe the word is patience 😂 we’ll see.

2025 was emotional. I celebrated, mourned, rejoiced, grieved, danced, laughed harder than I ever have, cried a few times, exercised, loved, and felt deeply loved. I rewatched The Office (US) and Friends just because.

I’m really excited for 2026 and hope to write more throughout the year as milestones unfold.

Until Next Year 🥂✨

I hope your year ends on a good note, even if parts of it were rocky. I pray 2026 is your best year yet, filled with laughter and joy.

I look forward to writing another year-in-review at the end of next year and to you reading it. I pray that God keeps us and that you are celebrated in 2026.

Have a wonderful New Year 🥂