2025

As holiday season comes to an end and we get ready to ring in the new year, Peter and I are grateful for a very successful year. We’ve had so many opportunities for cultivating our relationships—romantic, platonic, and familial. We wanted to take some time to appreciate and reflect on all the individuals who have chosen to be part of our lives.

January — We started off the year with an absolute banger of a trip to the Pacific Northwest to visit some friends. Some of my best friends from medical school are now practicing physicians in the area, many of whom I haven’t seen in so long. It was nice to not only catch up but also envelop Peter in more of my social circle. Some of the trip highlights include home/hand-made pizza, beautiful trails, and it being our first trip as a couple out of California.

February — Peter embarked on his first Japan trip during this month to help babysit for his family. Meanwhile, I took a quick getaway to Northern California to visit one of my favorite couples (who was heavily pregnant at that time)! While Peter was freezing in Japan and scurrying across Tokyo to find me Labubus, I was grinding away at work mostly. His travels garnered useful experience and knowledge for our own trip later in the year.

March — A board game connoisseur, Peter made it his personal goal to get me more involved. It was around this time that we started hosting friends and family for dinner and board games. I had a taste of it back when we first started dating with his siblings, and was happy to indulge more regularly. This month was also a little busier for me as I attended a geriatric psychiatry conference in Phoenix, AZ. The conference was fine, but it was perhaps the sleepiest “city” I’ve ever visited.

April — As spring approached in full force, this month was one of deadlines and stress as we explored the option of moving in together. We went on many apartment tours all over Orange County. And though nothing showed up at first, we eventually found the perfect apartment together. It was rather rapid how quickly we moved in with each other if going by conventional or traditional timelines. Even upon reflection now, however, we still believe it was a thoughtful and intentional decision with very ripe timing.

May — With the weather looking up warmer in May, we shared a blissful weekend trip to the Huntington Gardens with a fellow couple. Springtime there is truly indescribable, and with such great company! This month also marked our first trip to Lodi, CA together to see Peter’s friends and their baby goats. We went wine tasting, enjoyed the breezy weather, and road tripped our way back down to Orange County.

June — With an apartment in mind and an expiration on my previous lease, we were ready to move by June. We hired movers to make the process easy. Now that we were officially cohabitating, we got to working on our “ideal week” schedules. We worked overtime to get everything moved in and unpacked within one weekend. One of the most memorable moments was having our very first meal together in the apartment on the floor atop cardboard boxes. We also accidentally locked ourselves in while trying to change the doorknob, but were rescued by my handy father.

July — As our relationship matured and we approached the 1 year mark, we decided to have our parents meet. We hosted them at our new apartment with catered Vietnamese food. It was a seamless interaction, and we were unnecessarily stressed it seems. For me, it was the yearning for acceptance of our relationship by the people who mattered most to us. For Peter, the stress was over whether they could communicate properly despite them all speaking fluent Vietnamese. Peter’s youngest sister was also in attendance.

August — This was perhaps our most anticipated month of the year as we spent 2 weeks abroad in Japan. It had been years since my last visitation, so I relied heavily on Peter’s most recent excursion. We hold so many cherished memories from this trip. Particularly for myself, it was a special trip with my medical school buddies. Though it was quite a splurge of a trip, we had a blast. Our favorite part of the trip was actually during the Hokkaido leg where we could finally relax, wind down, and spend quality time with our friends.

September — Even though Peter and I gave up climbing earlier in the year, we wanted to upkeep relationships with our climbing friends. We were fortunate enough to have a get-together with them in September and then followed by a second gathering of our parents. This time, Peter’s youngest sister and younger brother were both in attendance. My parents were slowly getting exposed to Peter’s family. It was good to see that our parents have so much in common to talk over. We picked up some banh cuon for this event with plenty of left overs for all to take home.

October — By this time, Peter’s sister and I were getting along quite swimmingly. We planned a trip together to Lodi, CA for yet another round of baby goats. We missed the timing by just a few weeks. However, with friends and family joining us, we were able to explore more of the area. Instead of wine tasting this time, we did a day trip to Sacramento. We were all very impressed by the spread of products at the local farmer’s market. We dropped by city hall for some obligatory sightseeing and to pay homage (on top of our ludicrously high taxes).

November — This was a very packed month between birthday celebrations, flower arranging parties, and a trip to Joshua Tree with my parents. For my birthday, we had poke bowls followed by copious amounts of dessert, the best icebreakers (mashing together multiple friend groups), and several rounds of Mafia to round out the night. One of my lovely and talented colleagues brought a variety of vases for us to arrange flowers on the evening of the World Series (Peter and I officially know what that is now). And finally, Joshua Tree was a great weekend getaway for my parents, despite that particular weekend being too cloudy for stargazing.

December — Finally, December arrives and the first thing Peter and I do is set off for Las Vegas, for both business and pleasure. Upon our return back to California, we had several more events lined up. The weekend before Christmas, my extended family was hosting a holiday party to which Peter was explicitly invited by my parents. This marked a new step in our relationship as my parents were outwardly expressing concern for Peter. Christmas day was spent the same way it was last year—with Peter’s family making delicious spring rolls and boardgames afterward. As a spectacular end to the year, and coincidentally at the time of this article’s release, we are headed to the biggest gathering between both families for dim sum. This time, all of Peter’s siblings will be in attendance, as well as my own brother—fingers crossed for yet another amazing memory!

And with that, the chapter that is 2025 is officially closed. This was by no means a comprehensive summary of all the events this past year. We are deeply thankful for everybody involved in our lives, and those who continue to shape us every single day. Every interaction, small or big, have affected our year for the better. We look forward to commemorating many more experiences in the coming year!