2025 wrap - a bit late!
I’m not going to lie—2025 was a tough year. And from talking with others, I’m definitely not alone in feeling that. But I’m not going to dwell on it. Writing this at the start of February, I can already say that 2026 is looking like a much better year!
All the shows
Like most years, there were a few shows on the cards. Now that we’re in Adelaide, this often involves an interstate trip. This year we got to see:
Sister Act in Melbourne. It was good, but we missed seeing Casey Donovan, and with the original music it just didn’t have the same charm as the Whoopi Goldberg movie.
Hadestown in Sydney. Absolutely loved it—one of the best shows I’ve seen.
Hedwig and the Angry Inch in Adelaide. This was a small production as part of the festival. Seann Miley Moore played the lead and, much like their role in Miss Saigon, completely blew it out of the park.
Footloose in Adelaide. This was an amateur production, and “amateur” barely covers it. While we enjoyed the show, it felt like everyone got a role—a bit like a participation award. They’re doing a professional tour this year, and we already have tickets.
Pretty Woman in Brisbane. This coincided with Laracon, so we booked tickets. It was a great production, and unlike Sister Act, it had all the charm of the movie.
Singapore
In March we went to Singapore for a little holiday. It was time to use some of our frequent flyer points, so we splurged and flew business class—really, is there any other way to fly?
This trip was a little different in that we didn’t plan every detail. We had a list of things we wanted to see, but mostly took each day as it came. That worked out well, especially when we had a bit of rain, and it made the whole experience feel more relaxed.
We’ve been to Singapore a few times before—this was actually my fourth visit—so we knew our way around. As usual, we spent a lot of time walking, which is our favourite way to explore.
The two big highlights were:
The Zoo – It’s enormous. We spent around 12 hours wandering through the different “parks,” which made the day feel varied and manageable, even though it was exhausting. We even got caught in a torrential downpour and had to wait it out for an hour, which somehow added to the adventure.
Food markets – Fooooood! The hawker stalls here are incredible: so much choice, generally very affordable, and each market has its own character. Newton Market was the standout, made famous by Crazy Rich Asians. We visited twice, maybe three times—it was that good.
This trip reminded me why travel is so special. Sometimes it’s not about ticking boxes, but about wandering, discovering, and savouring the little moments that make a place memorable.
Some new wheels
At the end of January we decided it was time for a new car. We’d been thinking about an EV now that we’re not doing the regular interstate trips we used to.
Kia had just released the EV5, and it ticked all the boxes for us—big but not too big, all the bells and whistles we like, and reasonably priced.
When we went for a test drive, the dealer only had the media car, so it was a short drive—but enough to hook us. We were interested in the GT line, which comes with a sunroof, so we needed to try one out. We’ve often ruled out cars with sunroofs before because they eat into headroom, and at 6’2”, we need all the headroom we can get.
Eventually, we got to drive a GT model and ordered it on the spot. Then began six months of waiting—but oh, was it worth it. We both agree it’s the best car we’ve ever owned.
As for range anxiety? We say, “what range anxiety?” You get over that very quickly.
A wedding
In May we headed over to Geelong for a wedding. It had been a while since I’d been to one, and I guess as you get older, they start to feel rarer—and somehow more meaningful.
This wedding was particularly special. It was the wedding of Emma, the daughter of my oldest friend Donna. I’ve known Emma since she was one, and now she’s 34—a reminder of how quickly time moves.
The day itself was perfect. Not too small, not too big, with about 100 people. Emma and Kim, living in Geelong, chose a local winery for the celebration, which turned out to be an ideal setting. The ceremony took place by the old stone winery building, and the reception in the event space. The food was wonderful, and, being at a winery, the wine didn’t disappoint.
It was a day full of laughter, connection, and memories. Moments like these make you appreciate how important it is to celebrate the people who have been part of your life for so long.
Laracon
November rolled around and it was time for LaraconAU, once again held in Brisbane. This year we decided to give back to the community a bit more by volunteering where we could. Marty was a speaker mentor and handled all of the speaker interviews over the two days, while I was a general dogsbody. I helped set up the venue, packed the goodie bags, and did check-in on the opening day, aka door bitch. It was all super fun.
The conference itself was amazing and, like last year, had a great mix of tech and non-tech talks, which is perfect for someone like me.
On the first night, while Marty was off at the speaker dinner, I caught up with Kirsten for dinner. This year was extra special because Deb was also able to come along. I hadn’t seen Deb in so many years, so it was really great to catch up. I love the photo of the three of us.
When I posted the photo on Instagram, I captioned it:
“Three 51-year-olds reminiscing about that time when we were young, dancing in the mosh pit at a Fuel concert.”
Good times!
The end of the year
Christmas this year was spent with my family, and we flew up to the Central Coast for a few days. It was actually the first Christmas I’d seen Aunty Johanna and Uncle Brian in a long time, which made it extra special.
We’re a small family, so there were only ten of us, but it was a really good day. We spent the time preparing food, chatting, eating and just enjoying being together. As the family gets older, it feels even more important and special to make the effort to spend that time together.
When New Year’s Eve came around, we did what we usually do and kept things quiet. We had a BBQ dinner at home, just the two of us, then wandered two doors down and spent the rest of the night with Terry and Kathy. We stayed up until about 1am eating, drinking and chatting. It was surprisingly cold, so cold that we eventually had to move inside.
From around the end of November, I started to feel like 2026 was going to be a better year. From a business point of view, there have been some great opportunities in the pipeline. One of those was approved today, and we should hear about another soon. We’re feeling hopeful.
