Reflections on 2025

Hi again!

Can you believe it’s year 6 of writing these reflections?

As promised from last year, I will attempt to write concisely and to the point. Rest assured, I can still be thorough!

2025 was…

(Shannon) the year of seeing the fruit of our efforts. And taking back travel.

(Jesse) the year of resetting our default.

Somewhere in the busy-ness of the year before, I forgot to set an intention for this year. But if I threw a nutshell back in time, it would have come back to tell me to pursue saying yes to traveling and doing things for the sake of fun. I felt more secure in our finances and more willing to “live a little”, as they say. ;) In turn, this helped me turn down my survival brain and turn up my creative desires, seeking for a journey back to the matters at heart. 

Some highlights:

• 5 year anniversary at Zion National Park

• Fixing up the engine in the Red Truck

• Disneyland with friends. (It’s becoming a little bit of a yearly tradition)

• Kristen’s 30th at the Rose Tea Room and Mayura with friends

• Angie's 30th birthday weekend

• Meeting Forrest's sister, Kylie

• Cathartic tears, small clay houses, and colorful stones during the Friendsidency in Santa Fe, New Mexico with Hillary and Danielle

• The eyes of Chicago, miniatures at the Institute of Art, and getting soaked in sudden downpours with Yuna

• Jazz date night at LACMA and being adopted by two Korean halmonies who shared their snacks and ice cream with us

• Summer BBQ with the Harvey Family

• Exploring San Juan Capistrano

• Hearst Castle day trip with my parents and karaoke on the drive

• Morning walks with Lesli and Forrest

• Lisa Ann and Zach’s wedding

• Jac and Chris’ wedding

• Esperanza Spalding with Murdoc 

• Europe Trip with Jesse

• San Clemente getaway

• Umma teaching me how to make kimchi

• French Mediterranean inspired Thanksgiving

• My childhood friend is pregnant!

  
  

Jesse and I went to Europe this year for our long awaited vacation. It was perfectly short and sweet. To be able to set aside dedicated time to be away from home and fully immersed in seeking and exploring. We embraced the foods, all the art we could get a hold of, the sounds of the streets, the rain pattering around us. We indulged in some shopping and brought home treasures to remember these places by, and memories in the form of drawings. I maybe tried to pack too much into each day, but Jesse was very kind and said he is embracing a version of himself that he calls “Neemie from scratch”, who is flexible and willing to go with the flow (namely my flow). My favorite thing was watching Jesse see these places for the first time. And I think the consensus on our favorite moment was finding Northumberland Place, a street I thought was a made up drawing by some artist whose art we inherited from Jesse’s grandma. It really exists, and looks exactly the same.

Sincerely Harveys has been slower this year, but it has allowed me time to find balance and rest, connection and creation, and pursue my own goals.

I have trouble remembering all the art I create in a year. It amazes me that I painted a mural, participated in the “In Due Season” art show for Tu Bishvat at Upside Down Coffee, led an art retreat in Santa Fe, NM, hosted an After Hours Art Chat, illustrated a children’s book, designed an illustration for another one of Jesse's custom boards by Grote Surfboards and created art plein air all in this year. With this and the illustration work I get to do for Maison Blanche and live art for Yellow&Lace, I feel so immensely grateful that I make art almost every day. 

Jesse had a pretty eventful work year and has been embracing an attitude of “preparations” in work and in life. Before transferring to the Getty Center, he was part of the team at the Getty Villa protecting the grounds from the Pacific Palisades fire in January. He said the drive in, through the smoke and fire, felt apocalyptic. I can’t even imagine. He also re-injured his back this year in a big way, and while the recovery is ongoing, he’s still managed to excel at balancing school, work, and his own wood working projects. He even helped his brother-in-law learn some basics of woodworking before he starts his new job in a similar field, and took apart and fixed his truck engine, which was cool to help and watch.

A big struggle this year was the feeling of being confronted by a wave of change that I was maybe pushing away for as long as possible. Whether that be that we may not be able to stay here forever (as shallow or as deep as you’d like to interpret this) or the morality of choosing to have children, it’s safe to say I had a lot of runaway thoughts that colored my year with spots of darkness. For Jesse, I know that being taken out by his back pain has been especially hard mentally because it has prevented him from doing things he loves to do like surfing and being his active self. I am so grateful for friends and family who get us through the hard times and have encouraged us to step out of survival mode and reframe anxious thoughts into something that is understandable and changeable.

Even after writing this reflection, I feel like this year is incomplete. Perhaps the years are blending or there is unfinished work. But I am so grateful for all we were able to accomplish and celebrate and absorb with our eyes and mouths and hearts this year. Thank you for helping us get here reminding us that all we need a to a little "hope".

Love from the Harveys,

Shannon and Jesse