Normally, I close a personal year during my birthday in May.
But 2025 was full of bright memories, and I can’t wait 5 more months to share them.
January
I was getting back to the track. Started one important project. Was a speaker for a couple of online events.
My younger daughter turned 6!
Conducted a workshop for the AWS UG 3city. One important takeaway: make sure everyone brings their laptop!
Also, visited marina of the Hel Peninsula. The Baltic sea was cold and windy, but our family enjoyed it nevertheless.
February
Traveled with my sister to Milan and lake Como. Italy is beautiful (and tasty) regardless of season.
Context: I finally got to hug my sister, cause I haven’t seen her for 3 years. And it was our first duet trip.
I feel that our age gap of 13 years has shrunk significantly. She turned 20 this July, and there is a lot of choices my sister has to make. I already see how her responsibility and independence have grown over time. I hope she will successfully figure out the rest.
March
I was a speaker for the AWS Community day in Košice. The city resembled Uzhhorod and Mukachevo (we used to live in Zakarpattia region in 2021-2022). The community day was amazing; I talked about streamlit deployment to AWS.
I brought my family to Slovakia. My husband loves mountains; we did a couple of family-friendly hikes. Children enjoyed the pool / me and my husband enjoyed the SPA in the Grand hotel Permon.
April
Was very busy. I traveled to Milan to present at AWS Community day Italy. Love to see the community there!
Then, it was my eldest daughter birthday, she turned 9.
I also traveled to Istanbul to speak at AWS Community day Turkey. Lastly, it was PyCon & PyData DE in Darmstadt, Germany. I presented 2 regular talks and 1 career short talk.
Going to/from home was exhausting, but I enjoyed the ride.
May
Began with official days off. I went to Katowice to present at AWS Summit Poland - my first ever talk for a Summit!
Then, on May 15, I turned 33! We stayed at Lidzbark Castle, and it was a royal experience!
I also got renewed as a year 4 AWS Community Builder!
This spring, we also discovered that our younger daughter has allergy to dust mites. This caused a big decluttering and house space restructure.
June
Despite being a working month, it brought some fun activities. My husband bought a piano, and we got a tent. We spent one night in a forest camping, which was a bit cold but exciting.
July
Was unusual cold. Despite that, we traveled to Toruń (my favorite city in Poland) to enjoy its medieval vibes.
Back home, we enjoyed nearby forests and lakes. We also fostered a cat for two weeks, which was fun for us humans but not-so-fun for our guinea pigs. We had to lock them in a separate room for protection.
August
We finally started the swimming season! And spend a night in our tent on a Baltic Sea beach. We also did a lot of kayaking and paddle boating.
My husband turned 40!
I started the preparation for the next promotion at work. And I also got assigned several new projects, so it was a jam-packed schedule time for me.
September
I traveled to Gdynia to present on AWS Community day Baltic. It was heart-warming to see old friends; it was amazing to connect to new people.
I did a series of home baking experiments, and my family gladly accepted the outcomes.
Same time, I realised that I was one step away from the burnout. I was running my marathon in a sprint mode, and finally felt that I didn’t have any intent to continue.
I cut off my late working sessions and protected my days off. Mental health is important.
October
Finally, vacation time! We traveled to Gran Canaria (Canary islands). I think it deserves a separate blog post. We explored many parts if the island, enjoyed the ocean and warm weather.
The destination pick is not random: 11 years ago me and my newly husband spent our honeymoon there. So we came back to celebrate the anniversary and show the ocean to kids.
November
I traveled to Malmö, Sweden to present at Øredev. So far, I find this conference as the best speaker experience! The transportation, accommodation, meals, and even coffee were covered. Additionally, exclusive events were organised, for example, Swedish sauna with a dip to the sea (the Øresund strait). Still buzzing!
I went to Paris for a business trip where I had a chance to see in person many of my coworkers. My family came to me, and we spend a couple of fantastic days visiting the city.
December
Back home, finishing work and personal projects. Enjoyed snow and a winter forest.
