My yearly recaps have been a great way for me to reflect on my year, think of what worked and what didn’t, and helps me set my goals for the coming year. So here I am, bringing you my 2021 highlights.
JANUARY
My mom and I went to our first international trip since the pandemic. I partnered with Sugar Beach resort which is one of the best resorts in St. Lucia. We were not allowed to go outside of the resort due to COVID restrictions but we were okay just staying at the resort since there were plenty of things to do. It was a fun getaway with my mom.
FEBRUARY
Johnrick and I went to Las Vegas for a quick weekend getaway where we were able to celebrate our dating anniversary and spend Valentine’s Day. It was our second time partnering with the Vegas tourism board and it’s just as fun as the first time. So many beautiful restaurants and we took a day trip to Valley of Fire State Park.
MARCH
Shem and I got together and went to the almond farms in Los Banos. It was so pretty! I think I would love to go back again this year. We also welcomed a new member of our family. We adopted an 8-wk old maltipoo and named him Hoku, which means star in Hawaiian. Unfortunately, he got sick after just a day. We brought him to emergency vet but he did not make it. It was heartbreaking and even Luna was depressed. After a week, we adopted another 12-wk old maltipoo and named him after Hoku. So we sometimes refer to him as Hoku 2.0. He really made us happy and is the perfect playmate for Luna.
APRIL
We went to South Lake Tahoe to celebrate my mom’s 50th birthday. Station House Inn hosted us and the best part, they are dog-friendly so Luna and Hoku were able to celebrate with us.
MAY
I surprised my mom with a staycation at the Ritz-Carlton Halfmoon Bay. I remember her always talking about their weekend brunch and Ritz-Carlton Halfmoon Bay treated us to the best brunch during our stay. You can check out more of it on a previous blog post as well as my Instagram Story Highlight.
It was also my birth month as well as my youngest sisters’. After a fun and low key celebration at home, Johnrick and I flew to Hawaii with my sisters. We got to stay at the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea and we had a blast!
JUNE
Jyo and I flew to Curacao to work with the tourism board. It was my first time traveling with Jyo and we instantly clicked! We went to the most beautiful beaches, ate really good food and went around the city which is really rich in history.
Johnrick and I also flew to SoCal to attend one of my cousin’s wedding in Murrieta and met up with Jules and Trey afterwards. We finally made it to the Harvest House!
JULY
I got to explore Monterey County with my mom in partnership with the Monterey County CVB. We live close to Monterey but we never really got a chance to explore it properly. My favorite part was exploring the cute town of Carmel-by-the-Sea.
AUGUST
We finally got to attend an Indian wedding! I have been wanting to attend one and lucky me, Johnrick has a lot of Indian friends. It was a beautiful celebration and really exceeded all my expectations.
I also got invited by Southeast Alaska Tourism Board, which was a dream come true! I have been wanting to go for as long as I can remember, and when I say manifestation is real, you better believe it! My mom and I flew to Petersburg and had the best time. It was so beautiful and makes me want to explore more parts of Southeast Alaska.
SEPTEMBER
Johnrick and I decided to take our chance and booked flights to Greece for the Labor Day weekend. We spent a total of four days in Paros and Athens and although it was too short, I had so much fun. It’s one of my favorite trips this year.
We also did a staycation with the Ritz-Carlton San Francisco. I love that the property is dog-friendly and we were able to bring Luna and Hoku. And to say that they lived their best lives is an understatement.
OCTOBER
I had the honor to explore the rich culture and beautiful country of Ethiopia in partnership with Ethiopian Airlines. I was so lucky to have traveled with talented and wise group of travelers. I learned so much on this trip and to this day, it’s one of my most meaningful and moving trips ever. So so grateful for new friends, David, Hayet, Jules as well as all of our tour guides, most especially Mahari who was with us most of the time.
We attended another Indian wedding of Johnrick’s close friend. Indian weddings are so fun! I also got reunited with Shelbi on a trip to Mexico. We partnered with the tourism board to explore the incredible island of Isla Mujeres. It’s a gem and I highly encourage everyone to check it out.
NOVEMBER
Jyo and I were back together on another trip. This time we explored New Orleans. It was both our first time and we had a great time! So many good restaurants and the beignets are to die for!
We also started our bathroom renovation and Johnrick and I also celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary. We booked tickets to Maldives to celebrate and enjoyed our time at Four Seasons Kuda Huraa and Coco Bodu Hithi.
DECEMBER
We were going to have a long layover in Austria but because of the increase in COVID cases, the city went on a lockdown. I was bummed since I have been wanting to see the Christmas markets but I am glad we were able to change our layover to Frankfurt and check out the Christmas markets there instead. European Christmas markets are so festive and fun! I would love to go back again next Christmas season.
We also met up with Janica over Korean BBQ. We have been insta friends for a very long time and finally met each other! Then we went to San Diego for a weekend to attend the launch of the new Hyundai IONIQ5. It was the first time I fell in love with a car. Just wow. So lucky I got to drive it as well. Johnrick and I met so many talented creatives there and I felt so inspired after hearing everyone’s stories and what they do.
We spent the rest of the year at home catching up with friends and families. And it was a down time we needed to reset, enjoy our time with the dogs, and enjoy our home. We also had our backyard renovated and I cannot wait to continue furnishing it and enjoy the warmer weather in spring and summer.
It was definitely a better year compared to 2020. Even writing this down made me reflect on how much we actually traveled around in 2021, and doing it safely. Some of my favorite moments were being able to take my mom on work trips, being able to partner with hotels that hosted not just me or Johnrick but our families as well, trips that made me shift my perspective on so many things, being able to do some home renovations, spending time with our dogs, spending time with friends, and all the cooking and baking we did at home.
I hope the world will continue to heal and we will all be able to do the things that make us happy without any restrictions. Some people are not even able to hug their families for a long time now so I definitely feel so grateful to be with my loved ones. Can’t wait to see what 2022 brings us!
xo,
Cherrie