I started this blog without a clear plan. Just a feeling — that I needed a place to slow down and put words to what’s quietly unfolding. Maybe it’s about rediscovery, or maybe it’s about noticing the small things that make a life feel whole. Either way, this is where I begin.
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Imposter syndrome is real, and it arrives whenever we’re doing important work.
I experienced a spike of anxiety the other day, right around the moment I finished a job interview. It lasted about a day, and it took me even longer to figure out why it happened in the first place.
It wasn’t from a lack of confidence in my ability to do the work. It was having confidence, and possibly being wrong.
It was imposter syndrome.
And it’s probably true. But I will show up anyway and will do the important work that needs to be done. If the opportunity is given to me.
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This is 15*.
I started this blog, not because it’s my job or because I need anything from anyone else. I started this blog because I can.
And it does surprise me that, even though my last post was a month ago today, I still have readers. Patient readers.
Thank you.
I am grateful for you. For reading this. And for whatever reason, you stick around.
Thank you!
*I started this blog on my 50th birthday. And since then, I have written 15 blog posts. Not quite what I expected, but, then again, I am not certain I was expecting anything.
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Production will be a little different this year.
These are my Spring 2026 Collection candles as they solidify and moments before I pack them back into boxes where they will cure for another two weeks. In the past, I dedicated every non-event weekend to making candles and melts. Sometimes I even found myself pouring on weeknight evenings when I really should have been unwinding and preparing for a good night’s sleep.
My approach was to pour based on what was selling—which made sense at the time—so I’d be restocked for the next event.
Eventually, I started to burn out (pun intended).
Now, I’m taking a page from my “prepare for a huge event” playbook and applying it to an entire season. Instead of reacting to sales week by week, I’m planning in advance what I’ll sell each quarter and determining quantities for each product. Then I order materials specifically for those seasons, open my planner, and schedule the production days I’ll need. That’s it.
The goal is to sell out by the end of each season, make adjustments based on how things went, and then plan for the following year.
In a way, I tested this approach during the last quarter of 2025. It was born out of necessity—I needed to plan ahead of new tariffs and shipping increases. Now I’m applying what I learned to this upcoming year.
So far, I’m finding this much more manageable.
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Year of the Horse.
According to the Chinese Zodiac, the Year of the Fire Horse will be an exceptionally good one for those born under the Rabbit like me. I have included the predictions here for future reference (and to see how things pan out for me in 2026).
For Rabbits in the fiery Year of the Horse (2026), it’s a dynamic period of growth and challenges; expect strong career prospects, potential love breakthroughs, and increased energy, but balance this with caution against impulsiveness, overspending, and health neglect, embracing change for personal development while staying grounded with patience and self-care.
Overall Energy
- Action-Oriented: The Fire Horse year demands action, urging Rabbits to step out of comfort zones for significant growth, but this energy needs mindful channeling to avoid chaos.
- Mixed Luck: You’ll see strong potential in career and love, but hidden obstacles and overcommitment require careful navigation.
Career & Wealth
- Success & Authority: Expect a boost in career success, with leadership opportunities and prosperous investments, especially later in the year.
- Action & Caution: Take charge and experiment, but don’t get carried away by the fast pace; patience is key.
Love & Relationships
- Spontaneity: A great year to express affection, bring spontaneity to romance, and nurture relationships.
- Tolerance: Conflict may arise, so be tolerant and nurturing to loved ones.
Health & Wellbeing
- Vigilance Needed: Pay close attention to your health to avoid accidents or illness, as the high energy can be draining.
Tips for Rabbits in 2026
- Embrace Change: Accept new challenges for personal and professional achievement.
- Balance Action & Calm: Channel the Horse’s fiery energy with the Rabbit’s inherent thoughtfulness.
- Lucky Colors/Numbers: Focus on pink and red, and numbers 3 and 4 for good fortune.
- Avoid Overextension: Be mindful of overspending and overcommitting.
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To play or not to play.
LEGO® has been a part of my life for many years.
Back in the day, we didn’t have elaborate sets that we see today; we made our own space ships from our own designs through trial and error, structures that were to last forever, and backdrops for other off-brand action figures.
It didn’t matter that the colors of the bricks didn’t match or the structures didn’t look like the scenes from the movies we were recreating. Imagination filled those gaps.
Nowadays, play is the luxury. The value of a piece of LEGO® is dependent on the set it comes from. And a higher value is placed on the set that is never opened and just sits on a shelf untouched.
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Happy New Year!
My intention for 2026: Leading with curiosity.
It is easy to provide a solution, even when the situation doesn’t call for one. I have opinions about how something should have happened or how the waiter could have told me about this or the other thing before I ordered it.
But this year, I want to stop and ponder, understand the why, or at the very least, be curious. Ask (the right) questions. And then shut up.
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50.
Celebrating my 50th birthday at Natsunoya in Honolulu (November 15, 2025) I am throwing it back to this past November 15 when Mike threw me the best surprise birthday party ever. It was held at the Natsunoya Tea House with the perfect view of Honolulu in the background.
The room was filled with family and friends all dressed up (I thought they were there for something else!). It was such a moving evening that wouldn’t have happened without Mike.
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Peaches.
Peaches found a resting place atop a stack of Tupperware Modular Mates (November 26, 2025) This is my baby girl. She has been with us for a while now and has always been my little snuggle bug. Lately, she hasn’t been feeling well and I am trying to get her an appointment to see her doctor.
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A new member of the team.
Mike standing next to our new cargo van for the business (November 27, 2025) This past week, I took the leap and bought a used cargo van for our business. Mike and I had been talking about it for months, and I finally pulled the trigger. The timeline was surprisingly quick—we went shopping on Monday and drove it home on Tuesday. I was amazed to discover it has more technology than my RAV4!
Every time I use the van, I’m learning something new about it. My favorite recent discovery? There are locking devices built into the doors to keep them from slamming shut. You don’t know how grateful I am for this feature—after having rental van doors slam against my shoulder multiple times, this feels like a luxury.
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November recap.
November was a pivotal month for me, full of emotional highs and tender moments—all exceptional experiences I will treasure forever.
It started with the surprise announcement that I was stepping down from my position to take on a new opportunity establishing a student-safety program that impacts all pre-kindergarten to 12th grade institutions statewide. Colleagues told me that this was a seismic shift for a lot of people, and honestly, that didn’t register for me until the moment I started in the new position. While there is a small part of me that will miss the work that I have been doing for over six years, I am truly excited for this new journey that I am on, something that is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity and I am sure life-changing for me.
Celebrating my 50th birthday… It’s so hard for me to fathom that I have come this far. I remember thinking that 30 was old. I don’t feel old. I feel like I am just beginning to live. On my birthday, my staff threw me a congratulatory lunch in the office. Most didn’t know it was actually my birthday until someone mentioned it. They had me give a speech, which I couldn’t hold back the emotions as I looked at every face of my team. I remember saying, “Look around. This is the team that we built. And we did amazing things these past six years.” And the rest of that moment was a blur.
I am so fortunate to have Mike in my life; he threw me the most amazing surprise birthday party for me and all of the guests saw how much effort, time, and love went into making that moment so special for me. I felt every ounce of that love. And I love him so much. He makes every moment special for me, even those seemingly mundane moments like breakfast or meeting up for lunch midday that fill me with so much emotion; I wonder if he notices.
And there were all the family dinners: birthday celebrations, friends-giving, and just getting together for laughs. Thanksgiving was held, for the first time, at our home with the family.
And to add suspense to everything else that was already in the mix, I decided to buy a cargo van for the business. We are at that level now. Not a mini van. Not another SUV. An actual cargo van that can haul everything we need for events, big and small. We have come so far in the four years we have been in business, and this milestone reflects the hard work, craftsmanship, and love for our products.
And in the midst of it all, starting up this blog was also a huge step for me. After decades of not writing “for fun,” I decided, to scratch that itch to write, to just start blogging again. And here it is.
Finding Koji 