Life Lately: November 2025

November feels like it just started yesterday, and here we are at the end of it! This has been a difficult month with the holidays being here, and my dad is no longer with us. So, I spent a lot of time doing things that bring me joy, like spending time outside, reading, and gardening. It helps with my anxiety to be outside, especially on days when I feel like my grief will overwhelm me. Despite the grief, though, November was full of special moments. Here is what we got up to this month.

Movie & Dinner with a friend

To kick the month off, we met up with a friend and went out to see One Battle After Another, featuring Leonardo DiCaprio. Not what I was expecting, but I did enjoy it! After the movie, we went out to a restaurant and taproom called Trenchers. They have a delicious steak frites, and we also love the crispy Brussels sprouts! It was a fun night catching up, and then before going home, Jake and I headed to a local dive bar to play pool and sing karaoke!

Mushroom Foraging afternoon

My dad used to take my husband, Jake, out mushroom picking. On a Monday afternoon, Jake suggested we go out to my dad’s spot to see if we could find some ourselves! It was a beautiful day, and we spent most of the afternoon walking around the woods. We got a glut of mushrooms, and it felt so nice to be out in nature. It was peaceful, and I could tell why my dad liked spending so much time out there.

Open Mic at Tacoma Comedy Club

Jake and I attended an open mic night at Tacoma Comedy Club. We had some drinks and food and watched a bunch of local comedians perform. We always have fun when we go out to the Tacoma Comedy Club!

Fundraiser at the Muckleshoot Casino

My cousin Lydia’s mom, Mary, invited Jake and I to a fundraiser dinner and auction for a charity she is involved with called Battlefield Addiction. It was held at the Muckleshoot Casino & Resort in Auburn. We bid on some silent auction items and had a lovely dinner. The presentation was moving and it was all in all a wonderful and inspiring evening.

Wine Tasting at our friend’s house

Our friend Rose makes her own homemade wine, and she invited us over for a tasting day. She set up a whole charcuterie spread, and we got to taste some of the delicious wine combinations she was bottling! It was such a lovely day catching up, and we really enjoyed her wines!

Dinner at our neighbor’s house

We’ve really been enjoying getting to know our neighbors and always jump at the chance to get together! We headed over for a Saturday night dinner and a catch-up with them and another couple. It was a fun evening talking and laughing, and dinner was delicious too!

Thanksgiving

We had a small group this year for Thanksgiving. We had my mom, my brother, my brother’s boyfriend, my Aunt, and my cousin and her daughter. I wasn’t really up for a large group this year. My grief has been feeling a lot heavier since the end of October. It has always ebbed and flowed but once November began, it just stayed like a grey cloud over me.

In an attempt to keep him as part of our festivities, I made his favorite huckleberry pie using his well-loved Betty Crocker cookbook. I added a little decoration to the top crust that said “Dad” and it felt so special. We picked the huckleberries back in August when we went up to his huckleberry spot to spread his ashes. The holidays will never be the same again but keeping his memory alive with special pies and stories helps.

In the Garden…

I’ve done lots of garden clean up this month. Finally got all my tomato cages down and put away and cleaned out the rest of the late Summer Cosmos and Zinnias. I harvested the rest of the carrots for our Thanksgiving dinner to clean out the bed. Then I was able to cover both of my raised garden beds with leaf mulch for the Winter.

I bought several different varieties of Spring bulbs, so I got to work on getting them into the ground. I also planted my first-ever garlic, and I am so excited for Spring to see what comes up!