Our Year in Review - 2025

As my wife, Tumpa planned, this was meant to be a year of stability. The first half of the year tested that plan, bringing some difficult moments, but we fought through them with support from each other (and from therapists). Looking back, the year became a story of resilience, family, and making our home a warm place for the people we love.

January

We started the year on a happy note by hosting Billah bhaiya and his family. The house felt lively, and Iris and Audri had endless fun playing together. It set the tone for a year filled with gatherings.

February

February was all about celebrating Tumpa. For her birthday, we also worked on setting up shelves for books and board games, slowly shaping our home the way we imagined. We hosted two parties; one with my ‘09 BUET EEE batchmates and another with Tumpa’s ‘10 BUET CSE batchmates, both full of laughter and “hau-kau”.

March

We turned our attention outdoors with a garden setup, adding artificial turf and an elevated garden bed. Seeing the turf finally finished was satisfying. We enjoyed anniversary lunches and went on our long-awaited Hawaii trip, our first big trip of the year. Eid added more joy and family moments.

April

Abbu and Ammu came to stay with us for five months, making the home feel even fuller. We celebrated Audriyana’s birthday with a Spider-Man-themed party that she absolutely loved. We also joined a “Pohela Boishakh” party in Concord, celebrating the new year with our community.

May

May was filled with small joys; fun moments with Audri and Aydeen, more hosting, and gardening progress. We celebrated Mother’s Day and took a Lake Tahoe trip with Abbu and Ammu, our second trip of the year. Strawberry picking added a sweet touch to the month.

June

We celebrated Eid at home with Abbu and Ammu. I attended the Databricks conference, while our home continued to be busy with gatherings. We hosted Adrita-Dipto and Moshtaque bhai, then Rudra-Faiza and uncle-aunty. We even squeezed in a deshi “Pritom Hasan” concert for some musical fun.

July

We had a 4th of July party with Avalina & family and took a Napa Valley trip with Aydeen & family. Abbu-ammu went to visit Rudra for two weeks. The month slowed down when COVID caught up with us, forcing some rest.

August & September

We did a refreshing day trip to Muir Woods, with Abbu-ammu. Tumpa traveled to Bangladesh, and we attended Hima’s wedding. A chill Cancun trip followed, where we visited the pyramids and enjoyed a change of scenery. We also hosted Hima’s family.

October

We visited Billah bhai’s place in New Mexico and attended the famous balloon festival: truly a visual treat. Back home, we joined Valerie’s birthday and Halloween parties. Audriyana went for her first trick-or-treat, which was a special milestone.

November

With serious help from Audriyana, we furnished our patio, making it more usable and cozy. We attended Aydeen’s farm birthday party and hosted Thanksgiving (with NC State guys), bringing everyone together around good food.

December

December was a grand finale. We celebrated birthdays, attended Avalina’s birthday, and joined both the Uber year-end party and my office Christmas party. We watched Gabby’s Dollhouse musical show and went on an 8-day road trip through Solvang, Santa Barbara, LA, and San Diego, including a visit to Universal Studios. We hosted Lira and Shourov, and ended the year with lots of board games and quality time.

All in all, the year may have started with a goal of stability, but it turned into something richer: a year of connection, travel, celebration, and building a home filled with memories.

(Not sharing all photos here as I have started putting all my photos in one place, Instagram. Here’s just one from the year.)