Year in Review: 2025
Pictured above: This year’s sad and very belated Christmas card. The cats were NOT having it this year.
Hello Family and Friends!
Put simply, this year sucked. The year began and ended with the deaths of two constants in my life, and lots of other challenges and tragedies sprinkled throughout.
In January, our eldest cat Juliet passed away at nearly 15 years old from renal failure. Juliet was in my life for almost exactly half of my life. She was the very first cat I fostered back in 2011. Though the rescue wanted to return her to the colony after all her kittens were weaned, my mother decided to give her a pampered life since she was such a good momma to her babies. Juliet was extremely shy around humans and rarely allowed us close, but she deeply loved her fellow cats and shared a particularly special bond with Romeo, who passed away several years ago.
Pictured above: Juliet throughout the years
In March, my soul cat Huey passed away at only 10 years old from cancer. Huey was the absolute love and light of my life. I found him during my first year of law school in Houston, the same day I found out that my bunnies in NJ passed away. I thought he was an angel sent by God, especially because he was the exact same colors as my bunnies.
Pictured above: Huey throughout the years
In July, my father got spine surgery, which was very scary. In retrospect, the surgery was the easy part. The recovery has proven to be much harder and longer than anybody anticipated. My father’s strength and spirit continue to amaze us as he works through this very long road of recovery. And he certainly couldn’t accomplish as much as he has without the help of my mother.
In August, Juliet’s son, Max, was rushed to the ER. We found out that he was in heart failure, but thankfully, I was able to catch the signs early. Max is now on a rigorous medication regimen, which he takes like a champ, even though popping pills is not his favorite thing to do.
In December, my mother’s college friend, Eva, passed away unexpectedly. Like Juliet, Eva was a constant figure throughout my life, though I very rarely saw her in person. I am lucky that I live close by to Eva’s apartment, so I am able to assist my mother with helping Eva’s husband tie up loose ends.
Due to these many hardships, I pressed pause on launching Miao Market (though some things still happened…read on!), and even stepped back briefly from my full-time job to care for my own health. The pause was necessary, and I’m happy to say I’m feeling much better now—rested, renewed, and ready to embrace the new year.
Despite the heaviness, there were still bright moments.
In February, our dear friends Mark and Jess were married in Hawaii. I had the honor and joy of creating custom soap and candle favors for their wedding. Collaborating with them to craft a tropical fragrance was an honor, and it meant so much to contribute something personal to their special day.
Pictured above: Mark and Jess’ wedding and other Hawaii shenanigans
In November, I also started selling some of my Miao Market candles at a local coffee shop called Elm Roastery in Elmhurst. It is so scary to put myself out there, but ultimately I am so glad I did. I’m now looking forward to continuing creating and maybe even signing up for some markets in 2026!
Pictured above: MIAO market at Elm Roastery!
If you haven’t noticed, this year’s Christmas card is plagued with cats. For years, I’ve said that I wanted a kitten to play with, and 2025 certainly delivered—nine kittens to be exact, plus a handful of adult cats.
First came Latte, a designer Snowshoe cat who came off the streets of Corona. I’m convinced a nearby breeder released him after deciding his markings were imperfect. Whatever the case, I’m grateful our paths crossed because Latte is now my beloved nephew, having been adopted by Robert.
Pictured above: Latte
Then came Louie, who is a mostly white lovebug with a gray toupee and two different colored eyes. Initially, I wanted to keep Louie, but he is much happier as an only cat. Lucky for me, he will remain in the family because he bonded with my cousin Parker.
Pictured above: Louie
Next came Jelly, who brought great grief and chaos to my household (read: cat pandemic 2025). I should’ve known he was trouble when my cousin Emily found him screaming and clinging to a backyard fence at midnight. My youngest cousin Ana ended up adopting Jelly because she enjoys chaos.
Pictured above: Jelly
After Jelly, came Cleo, who unbeknownst to us, was pregnant at the time. One cat quickly became four: Cleo gave birth in my apartment to Cosmo (tuxedo), Charlie (grey and white triangle) and Casper (grey and white abstract). Together they are now known as the Cleo Gang.
Pictured above: the Cleo Gang
A couple of weeks later came the Jubilee Gang. They were born in the backyard, disappeared for about a week, then reappeared—after which Emily delivered them to me on a paper plate. They’re still unnam,ed, though I’m leaning toward J names since Jelly was also Jubilee’s baby.
Pictured above: the Jubilee Gang
My mother even got in on the catsanity. She and Nicole caught three kittens in their backyard. Since my mother was busy attending to my father, I ended up fostering them for the time being. We went through so many different names, but ultimately the twins were named Marley and Maisy and the black one was named Smidge. Together, they are known as the Lancaster kittens.
Pictured above: the Lancaster Kittens
The Cleo and Jubilee Gangs as well as the Lancaster kittens are up for adoption. So if you know anybody in the market for a cat, feel free to contact me!
And now: a very short paragraph written by Alex to sum up his year:
This year was very busy for me. I think I have still explored more of NYC than Boston this year between coming back on free weekends and, sadly, sometimes rushing back for the cats. But I also spent time in Montreal and Denver this year for conferences and got two of his papers published. I somehow managed to win an award for my research for a conference in San Diego next year as well. It has been a very hectic year, and I am very excited to come back to Stephanie in NYC next July.
Anyway, that’s all folks! Until next year!
