DEAR NEXT YEAR

December 29, 2025

Dear Next Year —

The year is 2025. We’re on a family vacation in Hawaii and having the most amazing time. It’s our first time here, and we are all so grateful for this chance to be away together. And yes, believe it or not — two teenage girls and one man (aka dad), and we’re all getting along really well. I won’t jinx it.

We know we only have one more BIG family trip next December before Emme leaves for college the following year, so of course we’re already talking about it and planning our next adventure. We love the beach. We love to ski. We love a big city. We love being active. We love to eat. We love to explore and see new places. So we’ve been throwing around ideas and dreaming it all up — and honestly, just talking about it is half the fun.

Tomorrow Emme gets her ACT score back. She’s calm about it (as she usually is), while I, of course, have it marked in my calendar and am pretending not to care. Funny how that works.

When we get back, both girls have midterms, winter sports are in full swing, and we’re planning college visits… so this peaceful moment won’t last long. The next few months are going to be a lot. And then somehow it will be summer… and college apps for Emme. I know it will be stressful. I keep telling myself to take it in stride. I am not wired that way, so one of my New Year’s resolutions is to TRY.

It’s wild to think that this time next year, we could actually know where Emme is going to college. She’ll likely apply ED somewhere, which means there’s a very real chance we’ll already have answers — or at least we can hope so.

I remember when Emme started preschool in NYC and the head of the school said,
“The days are long, the years are short.”
Ain’t that the truth.

Hope everyone is getting a little time off and spending it with family and loved ones.

xoxo
Ali, The College & Dorm Corner