My last post was right before my Thanksgiving trip to Dallas, during which several loved ones would meet my boyfriend for the first time. Happy to report that everything went smoothly! I was admittedly (and not very subtly) extremely nervous for his first dinner with both my parents at my childhood home (!!!), but our time in Dallas went even better than I could’ve imagined.

We went to the rodeo, had barbecue, walked around Grapevine at night (which was gorgeously decorated for the holidays…they don’t call it the Christmas Capital for nothing!), met up with friends, and had several family dinners. One of my favorite meals was the pre-Thanksgiving dinner we had with my grandparents, after which my grandfather chatted with us about the art in their home. (That was when I learned about cormorant fishing for the first time, which my grandfather explained while describing a piece along their staircase depicting a bird in Vietnam.)

On Thanksgiving Day my boyfriend and I headed to Austin, where we had a few more days together before his flight back to NYC. We spent the time touring the Texas Capitol, hiking, and jamming to Afrobeats at The Sahara Lounge. Being OOO at the same time was great — no one had to worry about keeping an eye on work screens or being too distracted (or distracting!).

After my boyfriend left, I spent my last weekend in the city hosting a friend who flew in from Colorado. Her visit included more barbecue (it definitely wasn’t a very vegetarian time for me…), a leisurely hike, and in a surprising turn of events, back-to-back true-crime movie nights (American Murder: Gabby Petito and The Menendez Brothers on Netflix — I would recommend both and found them informative without being voyeuristic).

By the end of my stint in Austin, I was feeling tired and overly socialized, but also very grateful to have people in my life who’d travel to hang out with me. 🥹 Heading back to Dallas for a couple weeks was a good change, especially once family dynamics settled and my calendar cleared. My last few days there felt especially hygge — I re-read Fruits Basket, finished season 2 of Wednesday with my mom, had long walks with my parents’ dogs, and enjoyed some good ol’ home-cooking (like the chè below!).

After Christmas, I headed to NYC to spend New Year’s with my sister and boyfriend. Oh, how I’d missed being in such a walkable area after months in Texas! I visited stationery shops (eventually splurging on a planner and some mini-notebooks…), did a free trial week of Corepower Yoga, saw several movies (including one with my college roommate!), went to the MoMA, and even squeezed in some ice-skating.

Even though I was working during my second week there, my time in the city felt pretty magical! I think that’s less about New York and more about just being around familiar faces, especially as I prepared to head off to Charleston (where everyone’s a stranger, which is truly the toughest part of digital nomad life). A memory from this trip that I keep mentally replaying is the night my boyfriend and I played pool with my sister and her partner. It was a completely impromptu extension of an already cozy evening of chatting over fresh-baked cookies. As much as I looked forward to my next adventure, evenings like this were what made it genuinely hard to leave — a great problem to have!

Now that it’s my third full day in Charleston, though, I’m enjoying it and settling into a routine! There were a few habits that I’d neglected during the ~extremely busy~ past month — like reading, stretching, and writing on this blog (lol) — which I’m excited to devote more time to during my stay. My next post will be a recap of how I did on my 2025 BINGO, as well as my goals for the new year!

Until then ✌️