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A June across the Bay | Stephanie’s June 2026
- 1 day ago
- 7 min read
Hello beautiful people, I can believe we’re at July but I can’t believe we’re already halfway past the new year. June was full in every way possible - both figuratively and physically. Let’s get right into it. — Stephanie
Lifestyle, Lows, Lessons
June has been all sorts of emotions. Professionally, my day job has been all sorts of projects piling up, mostly making miracles happen each week ha but I will admit there has been a lot of unexpected excitement as well. The first week of June I had a team offsite for a week in San Jose - every day was a jam packed agenda from early morning to night time dinners, even as I type this right now long after it happened - I am surprised I was able to be social for so many days for so many hours in a day lol. I love connecting with people, but it is hard when its with people in large group settings 50+ people and small talk. This offsite was different from all of my years on this team as we had a org-wide offsite, and instead of having us plan sessions, leadership had planned all the sessions - all we had to do was show up, learn, and contribute to group brainstorms. Honestly I enjoyed this format better as my dayjob had gotten so busy, it was nice not having to plan and lead a session, and it was nice to simply show up and learn and be curious. I felt like I as in school again. From the many many AI sessions to eating so much every day, to long unexpected deep 1:1s, to stepping away from corporate for a sec to blow glass and make my first glass aritfact - much harder and hotter than it looks! All in all - while I’ve been dying at work lol I am thankful for opportunities like these. As I resume a little less than a week back in SF - work has brought me another opportunity to be back in SJ for yet almost another week lol at the same hotel. I felt like I was living in a simulation here. A last minute pitch and project formed, and I hopped on the opportunity to be part of the founding pit crew for this Agentic initiative where I got to work with our Champions on how we can scale agentic workflows for the future. This opportunity showed me how start-up-y and last minute we can really work LOL but also how much I enjoyed working with our customers. Again, I am bad at small talk in large groups, I also spent long days from even earlier mornings to late dinners this week with customers, but interestingly enough, I felt more at peace here with these customers than at my team offsite. Lots of exciting things for the future in this space.
As thankful as I am for these opportunities and SJ weeks, living off hotels and going across the bay back and fourth, as well as a busy personal life had really taken a toll on me this month. I always felt like I barely had time to breathe lol it always felt like one thing would happen immediately after another (Quite literally). I had a different sleeping schedule all the time and my workout schedule basically disappeared this month to make room for the SJ weeks and my personal life (more on that later). Traveling for work is a privilege forsure, but this month also really showed me how at my current stage in life, I actually prefer less travel for work. (At least not back to back please)
Personal life. Friendships, Relationships, and Family. Quite literally after 1 day of being back from SJ to SF, the next day (sunday) was my long awaited Pitbull concert with Sadie and Pearl, and it was in … Mountain View (basically SJ LOL). Girl can’t catch a breath. Its funny because I still recall 4 years ago post-grad we were jamming out to Pitbull classics in Pearl’s car, and here we are at his concert, who would’ve thought. Even more so, who would’ve thought I’d go there bald, definitely not me lol. It’s funny how things turn out. I honestly didn’t mind being bald even though I usually go for cutesy outfits, and I actually really enjoyed it LOL it was very free-ing and it was nice not having my hair everywhere. I’m honestly surprised at how much idgaf about my looks that day and simply enjoyed all his throwback music, also with lil jon - it truly felt like I lived out my childhood dreams and danced in the 2000s.
With these SJ weeks and family making up most of my June, I’m super thankful to the friends who reached out. Especially as I haven’t had time to breathe or process, I am lucky to have friends who are understanding and check up. For this month, I’d really like to give props to Tiana who reached out and was nothing but understanding, unfortunately I couldn’t make the time to make the trip down - but she still made sure we had a facetime catch up and we were able to pick up where we left off in such a therapeutic way.
Romantic relationships wise, June has been quite testing - from honestly being so full in my work life, the SJ trips, and my family life, I feel as if even though I saw my partner regularly - at the same time it was like we were just co-existing. Many of our usual traditions had taken a pause and the most time we could have was having meals together given the busy landscape. I will give it to my partner that I genuinely appreciated all the rides to and from SJ and to visit family and picking up my friends and I at the Pitbull concert, his support made this crazy busy month more manageable transportation wise. In the few quality time moments we did have, I am grateful. We were able to have a cousins-only outing, and it was nice to be included and see how warm and wholesome support circle he has with his cousins, and how they welcomed me in too. They don’t know this, but this is a first for me - as growing up I didn’t have cousins I was close with. I also am thankful for our albeit short - getaway to Santa Cruz the day after my first SJ work trip. I appreciate him celebrating us at the end of a crazy busy week.
Family wise, this has been a month full. In between my SJ weeks, the week I was back in SF leading up to the day I had to drive back down to SJ for another week there - my grandma had gotten so weak that she had gone to the ER again, and this time around, the doctor had determined there isn’t much we can do except make her final leg of life more comfortable by transitioning her to hospice. Honestly I am thankful for hospice as it gives my family time to process and gradually accept reality. I can’t imagine what it must be like for my mom right now, and honestly it was tough seeing my mom neglect her health this month to spend as much time taking care of my grandma. Translating between the doctor and my family this time around was different as well, as in previous times there was always a solution but this time around the only thing we can do is wait for her end date and make each day we still have with her, comfortable. This month really had me introspective about family, and how much of a fighter my grandma is. Seeing her fight advanced dementia, and even when she can only take a few bites of food a day, only a few sips of water, I am honestly impressed by how long she has withheld to stay with us. What makes this month even harder with family is really see my mom lose it, and also my Dad’s blood pressure rise to such an emergency range. I am trying to stay calm and supportive but wow, when it rains it truly pours here. More than ever, this month really emphasized how important family is to me. To end on a high note, my company offers a generous one week summer shutdown off (half was in June and the later half of the week was in July so I’ll just talk about how I spent the last of June days). For the last days of June I had off, I was able to take my sister to visit my grandma in hospice, and then take our dad out to lunch, just the 3 of us. And for the second day, I decided to be proactive and set up a hangout with my not-so-little cousin on my mom’s side, whom I’ve never hung out with ever in my entire 27 years of life (I attribute both sides of parents never initiating a play day) to take him out for lunch and topgolf. On both occasions with visiting my grandma, lunch with dad, and outing with cousin - I am thankful for my sister for showing up and I also hope my cousin had lots of fun. Growing up even though we werent the closest, with my grandma getting so sick - and so little siblings and cousins on this side of the family, I decided all we have is each other and its never too late to build our relationship. Even if it is 27 years late lol.
I’d say this is also my pick of the month :)
My cousin grew up pretty sheltered, so I am happy I got to take him out and about and experience something new. He got really into the top golf heh. I also got to learn so much about him that I wouldn't have otherwise, and that the older we get, how even more important family is.
Wow truly this month has been so much and continues to be, in all sorts of way. I am eternally thankful to my support system for keeping me going - some days I honestly wanted to do nothing and give up lol, to my family for fighting their battles, to my partner for supporting me both at work and with family, to my friends who are understanding, check in, and is non-judgemental, and also to myself for continuing to push through.
Here’s to July! Chat very soon next month,
– Stephanie
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