A Year in Review – 2025

Hi everyone!

2025 was the year everything changed. It was the year Miles was born (June 12th), and once that happened, the rest of the year kind of reorganized itself around him. Looking back, it feels like a mix of big moments and small moments. Moments of chaos and moments of pure bliss. Some of it was a blur, some of it is burned into my brain forever.

Here’s the recap, grouped into seasons like I usually do (or listen to the podcast about it right below).

Rich Marchetti’s Year in Review Podcast

Winter

The year started with some travel and a lot of friend time, which I’m always grateful for.

In January, we did our first quarterly Discord “summit” in NYC. I’ve known these guys for a long time. We mostly talk online, so it’s always really nice to see everyone in person, especially now that people’s lives are changing and they live farther away. We played pool, explored Brooklyn, and got K-Pot.

Later that month, I went to San Diego for a client training. On the way back, I stopped in Utah to visit Vlad and his cousin/aunt and did some winter hiking near some hot springs.

February was a little quieter. Janice and I made Valentine’s Day pizza at home. I picked up a new ultrawide monitor. I also went to Boston with my brother Lee to see Jack White, which ruled.

March was busy in a good way. I took Janice to a nice French restaurant in the city for her birthday. I expanded my iPod and Pokémon card collections. My mom threw my dad an amazing surprise party for his 60th birthday with all of his friends and family. I went to see the Big East tournament at MSG with Joe Grogan. And I went up to Tom’s for a weekend to do an in-person D&D campaign with the dudes I usually play D&D online with every other week. Great food, great time.

Also around this time we started seeing more detailed ultrasound pictures of Miles, and things started feeling very real.

Spring

Spring felt like the runway before the biggest shift of the year.

In April, we did our second Discord “summit” in Boston. We stayed at Dylan’s place this time. We saw a movie and went to this awesome mini-golf place. Later in the month, Janice and I went to Canada to see her family for a week.

May was full of “getting ready” moments. We picked up Miles’ stroller and car seat at a baby store on Long Island, made a day of it, and got breakfast at a diner afterwards.

I also went to my parents’ place solo to watch the dogs for a week while they went on vacation. I saw my brother’s new house, Tom came to visit me and hang and reminisce, and in hindsight it really did feel like my last week of “freedom” before parenthood.

And one of the best parts of May: I picked up Janice’s dream engagement ring (the one she designed herself) in the city, and I got to give it to her over dinner in the city.

June was the final stretch. Miles’ SNOO bassinet came in and we started getting the bedroom ready for his arrival. Janice and I went on our final date before Miles’ arrival — we went to a nice Italian spot in Brooklyn that we had gone to when we first started dating. I also finally finished the LEGO typewriter that Tom and his wife got us, which was probably the toughest set that I’ve put together to date.

And then Miles came on June 12th. After Janice was in labor for a whole day, Miles was finally delivered via C-section. It was a beautiful experience. 6 pounds, 6 ounces.

Summer

Summer was basically a new-parent boot camp, with a few really great moments sprinkled in.

July is my birthday month. Janice and I went to a great omakase restaurant in the city. We had many courses of incredible sushi that reminded us of our Japan trip. The rest of the month was us adjusting as new parents with many sleepless nights. I was off work on paternity leave that month, which made a huge difference.

In August, we spent a lot of time going back and forth to CT. We went to a couple of local fairs in Connecticut, and I got to take Miles on some rides. We also took him for a long walk on the Rockaway Beach pier.

September was more time with Miles, some spectacular dinner dates with Janice, and settling further into our new rhythm. I also got a new iPhone and a new Apple Watch Ultra.

We threw a huge party at my parents’ house for family and friends to meet Miles. We got tons of Italian and Guyanese food catered and rented lawn games, a huge tent, and mini golf. The turnout was amazing.

Fall

Fall was full, but it also felt like we were finally getting our footing.

October was a lot of park trips with Miles, plus a Vermont trip with my mom and dad, Janice, Miles, and Janice’s mom. We went leaf peeping, ate good food, and Miles morphed into a pumpkin. Jon and Lauren stopped by on their way back home from their weekend trip, which was perfect timing.

Also… Janice and I got married on Halloween. We went to the Queens City Hall and got dinner afterwards with our parents. Such a cool day to get married because people were getting married in costume and all the kids were out trick or treating at the shops near where we got dinner.

November was quieter: more time at home with Miles, more trips to CT to see my parents, and Thanksgiving with my family in CT.

December had a little bit of everything. Miles started swimming. I went to Chicago for a hackathon (about a week) and got sick from the trip. Then Miles got sick for the first time, which was harrowing. On the lighter side, I got a Steam Deck for Christmas.

Final Thoughts

When I think about 2025, I don’t think it was defined by one thing. It was defined by the pile-up of everything: the big milestones and the small moments that somehow end up mattering just as much.

There was chaos this year. There was also a lot of pure bliss. The arrival of our son transformed our household in every way — our routines, our priorities, our sense of time, even how we measure a “good day.” Life didn’t get simpler, but it got fuller. The highs were higher, the hard parts were humbling, and the quiet moments started to feel a lot louder (in a good way).

I’m grateful for all of it — the trips, the dinners, the meetups with friends, the family time, the milestones… and especially getting to watch Janice become a mom and getting to become a dad myself.

Thanks for reading. Here’s to 2026.

— Rich

Media Consumed this Year