Episode #282: 2024 Year-End Review
Welcome back! Grace and Alvina kick off their first episode of 2025 by sharing their words of the year and their new year's resolution. They also share what word sums up their 2024. For the Fortune Cookie segment, they share small things that make them happy!
How have you been?
Alvina is in California working and having fun! Her performance reviews are done and she has one more day to try and get to “Inbox Zero”. They have been seeing family and old friends. Alex and Grace have started to go to the gym together Friday mornings. She may over-did it on the pull-up challenge!
Goodbye 2024! A Year in Review
Lowlights: For Grace: Not having school visits anymore, but mostly the state of the world and politics. For Alvina: she’s been paying less attention to the news but more her surrounding world. Big changes at work were a lowlight for Alvina.
Highlights: Grace finished her novel! It’s been a real highlight completing a novel that she’s really proud of. Although she is no longer doing school visits, on the flip side, there was so much more time for family adventures and spending time together. Grace is so proud that with Debbie Michiko Florence, they were able to inaugurate the Asian American Voices Cabin during the 3rd annual Asian American Voices retreat! Alvina’s highlights include going to The Wild Robot Premier, her 50th birthday celebrations, and the party for her 25th anniversary working at Little Brown.
WORDS of THE YEAR: Celebrate (Alvina) Glide (Grace)
RESOLUTIONS: Grace wanted to do their will. It is pretty much done! She also wanted to feel good about her novel-also done! Alvina: to have a great 50th birthday celebration! Yes, she did! Also, Alvina wanted to eat more fiber and she’s been successful! Grace also was going to find Hazel an extracurricular activity but she kind of let that go in order to honor her own desires. She’s doing well in school, why should she try and mess it up? Alvina had decluttering on her list! She’s been pretty successful so far! Grace wants to not be so worried about her appearance and pay more attention to her overall health. Alvina has some work goals and achieved them.
LETTING GO….
Grace wants to let go of comparing herself to others. Stephen and Alvina have both lost weight this year. It’s just been hard to try and find the right balance…not obsessing but wanting to fit into her clothes.
Fortune Cookie Segment: You are what you eat! What are the favorite things consumed this year?
THANK YOU!
Thank you to Hachette Audio, Little Brown Books for Young Readers, and Alex at Pacyworks Studio for producing and editing this podcast. Be sure to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and tell a friend about us. (Use the hashtag #bookfriendsforever.)
You can find Alvina @Planetalvina on Twitter and TikTok and @Alvinaling on Instagram and Threads, @alvinaling on BlueSky
You can find Grace @Pacylin on Instagram and Threads, @authorgracelin on Facebook, @gracelinauthor on TikTok.
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