I thought it fitting to finish the year with a picture of a December sundown at Pleasant Grove, my home of the previous 5 years. In the last month, I’ve proceeded to a new city and brand-new home with somebody unique.
Yep, it’s been another daring year in the life of Justin Tadlock.
I did a whole heck of a lot of things in 2025 I traveled to Portugal and fulfilled incredible people within the WordPress community. I attended my nephew’s wedding. And I began constructing a new life with Ashley. Naturally, that’s hardly scratching the surface.
It would certainly be difficult to wrap up the whole year– I would certainly be resting below for a couple of weeks attempting to write this message. But I’ll try to at least cover some 2025 highlights and see just how well I strike the objectives that I set for myself
Love or Something Like It
At the beginning of 2025, I developed a new objective group for myself named “Love or Something Like It.” I wasn’t rather sure where this roadway was mosting likely to lead, however it’s been one hell of a trip right into the unidentified.
Ashley and I satisfied by means of the on the internet dating application Hinge on December 21, 2024, and I was totally in the swing of the on-line dating globe at the time. I had not rather found my partner at that point, but I was available placing in the moment and initiative.
Yet it had not been till I satisfied her for our first day a couple of weeks in the future January 6 that I started to leave the on-line dating scene behind. After a couple of days, we seemed like we had something genuine that we can build on. And it’s been a speedy since. We’ve had a big year together, taking multiple trolley/train rides, horticulture, viewing programs at the theater, trips, shows, and far more.
We also got a house, obtained involved, and held our initial Christmas with each other. Below includes some pictures of a few of our year. Stay tuned for the next chapter.
Fitness
I lay out to achieve several health and wellness goals for the year. Here’s how I made out:
- ❌ Fat burning: I had an objective of cutting to 185 lbs. I have actually maintained a maintenance weight between 200 and 205 Honestly, I didn’t concentrate greatly on this objective. Rather, I kept trying to live a healthy and balanced way of life.
- ✅ Vitals: My last blood pressure reading was 128/ 74 and my A 1 C was 5 2 My objective was to maintain my numbers in check, and I’ve handled to achieve this. All various other health and wellness pens have actually remained in range also.
- Daily Walks: For a lot of the year, I kept up pretty constant strolling, but I’ve also slacked off in the last few months as I’ve had various other responsibilities.
- Exercise Routine: I have actually made progress however haven’t 100 % stuck with anything at this moment. However I’ve primarily kept up with some form of workout. I just haven’t nailed down a routine for myself.
- Eat Much More Veggies: I do not believe I have actually boosted these numbers on the whole (nor decreased them). However I might’ve made even more of an effort.
- Body Positivity: I would certainly still like to feel better regarding my physical form. I have days when I do and days when I don’t.
I don’t seem like that informs the entire story. I’ve experimented a great deal throughout the years. I’ve reintroduced foods back into my routine diet regimen (like milk). I have actually focused even more greatly on entire foods. And Ashley has absolutely transformed aspects of my way of life right.
I invested a great deal of time outdoors, relocating my body in the yard. I played basketball on a regular basis for a while. And I tried some different bodyweight regimens.
On the whole, I feel like this was a successful year, even if it really did not go 100 % according to the plan that I wrote down on January 1
Checking out
I had an objective of analysis 35 books for the year. I dropped just timid of that number, checking out a total of 33 Again, this is just one of those objectives that I can not specifically state that I fell short (besides, it is difficult to end up the year strong in the middle of a house-buying process).
It was a strong year, and I review a lot of amazing publications. The most crucial point is my quest of checking out every day, and I hit my seventh year right earlier in December.
Innovative Searches
Offline, I completely fell short to really dive into any big creative pursuits. It was simply another down year.
Online, I in fact did develop some rather great things. Below are some new WordPress plugins along with those with significant updates:
I truly took pleasure in just getting back right into the groove of constructing awesome things for the internet, and I’m certainly expecting doing even more of it in 2026
Understanding Spanish
To be straightforward, I expanded a bored with my quest of discovering Spanish. I maintained daily Duolingo lessons up until about a month approximately back. After that, I simply left. Well … I continued Duolingo to maintain my streak alive, yet I switched over to chess lessons– it still counts if I changed topics, right? Right?
Despite a solid year of lessons, I fell short to read a book in Spanish. Let’s see if I get inspired once again in the brand-new year.
Personal Financing
I had several specific individual finance goals. Below’s just how 2025 went:
- ✅ Max Out 401 K and HSA: No problem right here. Simply strong contributing monthly.
- ➖ Bonus Home Mortgage Payments: I made additional primary repayments till completion of August, which is when Ashley and I began seriously reviewing our very own home. I then changed to cost savings setting.
- ❌ Cooking area Remodel: Technically, I saved the money for a kitchen area remodel. Nevertheless, that cash was transferred to our brand-new residence.
- ✅ Dual Regular Monthly Investments: My goal was to double my month-to-month financial investments right into my individual broker agent account. I actually tripled that quantity and only missed a solitary month.
- ❌ Extra 3 Months Emergency Fund: Throughout the year, I really conserved an extra 6 months worth of emergency fund, exceeding my initial objective. Nevertheless, that money was reallocated.
I also had a word-of-mouth objective of striking $ 400 K personal total assets with a created stretch objective of $ 500 K. While I did handle the initial, the second was as well way out of reach considering that I acquired a brand-new home.
I virtually hit all of my economic goals for 2025 A few of those goals merely changed by the end of the year. On the whole, it was a very effective year. And also, I have a little chunk of equity in a new residential or commercial property. 2026 will absolutely hold new obstacles.
Garden and Food Woodland
The garden was a big success. I rekindled my love of yearly vegetable and fruit expanding that I wasn’t quite as motivated to do in previous years. The last part of the season was a two-month dry spell, so the late summer season and very early fall really did not create much. Yet I ate and maintained a bounty like I hadn’t in a long while.
The food woodland advanced. I believe I grown around 2 loads new trees and fruit-producing shrubs in the late winter months. And much of the existing trees generated well, a minimum of those mature sufficient to do so.
But I’ll likely be saying goodbye to my young food woodland as I begin a brand-new journey on a brand-new residential property. I still own the previous place but plan to market it in the coming year.
Truthfully, it is the hardest point to leave. I invested half a decade of my life building it. There’s a Greek adage that I’m reminded of:
A society expands great when old men plant trees whose color they know they will never being in.
I wish that a brand-new owner will grab the job and enjoy the fruits of the dozens of trees on the land. As for me, Ashley and I will start over. It’s an opportunity to technique growing a food forest once more while gaining from my previous errors. And with a companion, I’m specific we can obtain things up and running also much faster than I did on my own at the last area. While I’m sad let the old job go, I’m delighted for what the future holds.
Here are some photos to bookend the year and commemorate a few of what I grew in 2025:
