Mayhem | Stephanie's July 2025

I say this everytime but I can’t believe a month has passed as I write these monthly blogs, especially July. July is a bittersweet month - entering the middle mark of the year to now the later half of the year and summer. My month, another one filled with so much daily life and events and a flow of emotions - let’s get into the recap. — Stephanie 

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Lifestyle, Lessons, Lows

I started off the month with a bang, I feel very thankful every year during this time, the company I work at gives us a summer shutdown week. This year I spent it doing a mix of things - from catching up with friends and family, catching up on some much needed sleep and rest, reactivating classpass and trying a variety of classes (rumble for the last time before the studio closes :’( ), cooking (sushi and soup heh), celebrating a girlies night out, and ending off with a last minute weekend getaway to Reno and Tahoe with family. 

Leading up to the weekend getaway was a lot of uncertainty but I am glad I didn’t let this weekend slip by and booked the trip last minute anyways, as the term ‘getaway’ was quite fitting to describe what my family and I needed. I won’t get too in the details but it was a nice break away from the city that I think we all needed. While some disagreements broke out that was upsetting - overall it was filled with good food (too much food at the buffets), fireworks, spontaneously getting tix to a magic show, shopping, and long walks). Also unexpectedly as I was going to slowly bet $1 at a time for $12 - I accidentally bet $10 at once, and I thought I lost it all as the machine stopped working. But my dad thought it was odd because I should still have $2 left to spend. I was really about to walk away until he told a nearby worker and then the machine started working again and I ended up cashing out $307. I’d like to think this was my reward for booking the trip, but I think it was more of a learning lesson to always speak up instead of walking away. Disagreements and uncertainty aside - I am so glad I was able to have this time and trip with family, it’s not about how far or where we go, but spending quality time with them every July 4th. 

The rest of the month carried on with a myriad of events - honestly basically how I spent my one week off haha, with the added event of that I had to go back to work. My work ethic hasn’t been the best, but this month for the sake of the business, I’ve risen up multiple times to volunteer for projects outside of my own. While I feel bad sometimes for doing the bare minimum, I think back to these moments where when no one else wants to raise their hand to help, I am the one that does - and for that, I feel proud and less guilty about the times I do bare minimum. Perhaps it is due to how large my team has grown, but it is a bit upsetting to see how little people volunteer to help these days. With that being said aside, this month I’ve been quite enjoying going into the office. I had written in my notes, that there was this one typical day - where I came in office, no special event or happy hour, my Director didn’t even show up, yet I felt like I truly had a sense of community, where my day was filled with actual meaningful conversations across my colleagues who showed up and sat around me. That normal day, was just as good, if not better, than our Annual Food Truck Festival that also occurred this month - a day full of festivities.

Family wise, I continued to try to make time for my parents as the reality is that they aren’t just getting old, they are old. Both their physical and mental health hasn’t been the best lately, so I’ve been trying my best to make time where I can. In particular we celebrated my dad’s birthday this month - a big one with my sister where we took him out to a buffet, and then I also had a smaller celebration with him closer to the date where we had to spontaneously go to a random restaurant since the one I originally planned to go with him was closed, but it led to a wholesome day of going to a place next door where I didn’t get to check the reviews prior, and then walking into open houses nearby for fun. Walking into open houses nearby was nostalgic - we hadn’t done this since last year, and this month had me getting all sentimental about how much life has passed, changed, what stayed the same, what was unexpected, and all of the emotions. During this time last year I was heavily looking at open houses every weekend, and it’s actually been exactly 1 year since I stepped foot in this house that I currently own, and very soon to be one year since I purchased it - coming up in September … wow. It’s funny because that same week i stayed over at my parents place and because I was on classpass this month, I got to revisit my 6am class at my old studio, I felt as if I was living my old life again, my old routine, it feels familiar yet I knew in my heart that it was my old life and not my current. It’s wild how time and life works, I felt as if I was a third-person in my story observing back at how my life unraveled the past year.

Romantic relationships wise, I am still seeing the person I’ve been seeing the past months. Our relationship definitely strengthened and made a lot of progress this month, a number of experiences and unexpected situations and contexts had also occurred which makes me feel a lot of progress and a more realistic view of our relationship. Even so, I self reflected and articulated why I am not ready to be official with him yet, and what exactly 3 things I need to see progress in to feel like I am ready to be official. Doing that self reflection was critical as I truly do enjoy spending time with him, but articulating those 3 things helped ground the logical side in me - I am also thankful for the many ways he’s been showing up since, I’ve seen him make effort numerous times this month and has continued to be patient and understanding of where I am at, while he isn’t perfect and is quite different than my usual type -- I see a lot of good in him and I feel very lucky to have someone consistently show up for me in the way he has. Some memorable moments together this month include: unexpected prolonged family time with his family, hawaiian cooking night, creating question card game, north beach pizza crawl, and supreme dumplings. While I am still not ready to be official, I feel a lot closer this month with my self reflection of what I’d need, and then clearly sharing it with the other person - with the way things have been going, I’d like to be hopeful that we will get to be official.

Friendships wise, my month was filled with my monthly catch ups. I will say since my move, but especially this month, it’s been hard to keep up with friendships on a weekly basis and it’s been more of a bi weekly to monthly catch up with each person in my circle. I do cherish each time we get to spend together, whether it’s taking a class together, a long walk, or dinner and drinks. In particular I am especially thankful for the time I got to spend with Tammie and see Lady Gaga live! More on this in the next section - it definitely deserves a section of it’s own!

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My pick of the month: Mayhem | seeing Lady Gaga Live

For those who know me - Lady Gaga has been my favorite artist since I first heard her song Just Dance in 2008! I never thought I’d get to see her live back then, so seeing her at the Mayhem concert was truly living my childhood dreams. It healed something in me I didn’t know I need healing - as dramatic as that sounds. I am also proud to say I basically knew every song that was on the setlist except 2 songs lol darn. From her incredible vocals, to her production of a set, to her art and the way she carries herself - I am truly inspired and this concert will be one I’ll always remember to this detail. It’s been over a week and I am still not over it yet. 

Aside from the music itself, two things in particular holds near and dear to heart when it comes to this concert. In the middle of her concert, she stops and gives a speech - I don’t think this was rehearsed because I started watching recordings of her concerts on other nights and her speeches are always different each night lol. ANYWAY - she takes a break from singing and gives a speech midway - she shares something along the lines of how she wishes everyone in this room is able to experience how it feels to be supported and cheered on from hundreds of strangers. She then shares how - it shouldn’t take getting up on stage to be supported and cheered for, and how the people in your life, your family and friends - to hold those people tight because your support system is the ones that are cheering for you daily, and if you don’t have a support system then her songs will cheer you on. IDK that speech got me all sentimental because it hit home, that we shouldn’t have to accomplish big things to feel deserving of support, and to always be thankful and never take for granted our close family and friends.  The 2nd thing that holds near and dear ( and now reflecting it is quite in line with her speech) - is that I almost didn’t go to this concert because all her tickets were sold out and looking at the resale prices - I paid $250 to be in quite literally the very back row lol, I didn’t feel deserving to go and that perhaps I should save up because $250 is kinda steep to be in the back but I also didn’t feel deserving to spend more on just seeing one artist as I had a lot of other bills to pay for. Even so, Tammie encouraged me to go and that I had to go see Lady Gaga because it’s my childhood dream - so I did, and she joined me. I am super thankful for my friendship with Tammie and that she reminded me that I am deserving to treat myself out, and for her also willing to spend the time and money to experiences these once in a lifetime experiences with me. After this concert though, I can’t wait for the next time Lady Gaga is back in SF because best believe I will be there. 

This month was definitely one for the books - I am so thankful for all the mems and experiences of a lifetime. As I continue to be inspired by Lady Gaga - her music, how she brings her creativity - art - culture into her work and shows up authentically as herself, and how she emphasizes on gratitude towards your loved ones, that’s how I’ll approach my August. Can’t wait for more memories to come next month (and a much needed reunion), I hope everyone had a good month of July and cheers to a good August! 

— Stephanie