☕️ Coffee Catchup: The Life I've Been Talking About for Two Decades Starts Now
+ all of my current favorite things, books, Substacks, and more.
Hello, fabulous!
Our last Coffee Catchup was about our huge move back to the United States and all of our adventures this summer. We had a blast! Somehow Thanksgiving and Christmas came and went in a flash, and now here we are in January, starting another year.
I’ve been working on something really special—a 2026 vision that’s less about hustle and more about actually living the life I want. Next week, I’m sharing my full “dream day” exercise, the vision board workshop that changed everything, all inspired by the 7 values I’m living by this year. It’s going to be good, I promise.
But for now? Let’s catch up on life! ☕
P.S. Sometimes, your email provider likes to play hide and seek with my newsletters by cutting them off. To catch all the juicy bits, read it in the browser or in the app! 🌟
Coffee Moment ☕📸
Life Lately 🌟
2025 was the year everything changed and I mean everything—like the universe said “you wanted excitement? Here’s chaos with a mortgage.” 😭🤣
We moved back to the States, bought our dream house in Florida with the pool and the palm trees and all the HGTV vibes, and finally settled near family we actually like spending time with (which—let's be honest—is its own kind of miracle). And then I sat down on my patio one morning with my delicious Peppermint Mocha Frappuccino, looked around my gorgeous garden, and had the most Xennial existential crisis ever:
This is it. We're not leaving in two years.
There’s no next duty station, no expiration date on this chapter. We’re here. We’re home! OMGGGG WE ARE HOME. And suddenly I had this moment of “oooooh shit, now I actually have to build the life I’ve been talking about for the last two decades!”
For years—literally years—I blamed my job for everything. Not enough time to write. Not enough energy to pursue my passions. Not enough mental bandwidth to figure out what I actually wanted because my brain was too busy thinking about translating Chinese Mandarin and recruiting people and teaching classes and creating SharePoint sites and worrying about “did I remember to email so-and-so back?” Fun… but sooooo mentally exhausting.
And then the job went away, and you know what happened? I'M. STILL. BUSY. Shockingly busy.
The to-do list didn’t vanish—it just rebranded. Now it’s home projects, family obligations, all the invisible labor that comes with actually living somewhere instead of just passing through like a tourist in your own life. Which I’m not necessarily complaining about because I’d rather be doing what I’m doing now, but still…
This taught me the most annoying lesson EVER: there is no magical “later” when everything aligns perfectly and you finally have time to chase your dreams. That’s a huge freaking lie we tell ourselves so we don’t have to start today and risk failing.
The people who say “just start now” aren’t giving motivational cringe—they’re being devastatingly honest. Because if you’re waiting for the perfect time, you’re going to die waiting. And that's bleak, sure, but it’s also very freeing.
So here’s what I’m doing differently in 2026: I’m done treating my goals like hobbies I’ll get to “when life calms down” because life doesn’t calm down. It just changes channels—same noise, different show.
This year, Sandrapop isn’t just a newsletter—it’s my laboratory. My place to figure out how to balance the “have-tos” with the “want-tos” without losing my mind or my joy in the process.
I’m going to mess up. I’m going to overschedule myself like the overachieving eldest daughter that I am, then have to dramatically pull back and recalibrate. I’m going to share the wins and the spectacular face-plants, because tbh if I have to figure this out anyway, we might as well figure it out together and make it entertaining. So, buckle up… I hope you’re ready for a wild 2026 ride!
✨ QUICK SANDRAPOP UPDATE ✨
Big changes coming in 2026: The Popstar Kit launches this month and paid subscribers get entered in monthly raffles.
Check out the changes here.
Snapshots 📸
Here are five ways I’m leaning into my best year.
Some links are affiliate links, which means I might earn a small commission if you buy something I recommend, at no extra cost to you.
👏🏽 Indulging in old school fun. “Going analog” seems to be the theme of 2026 and we’ve definitely caught the bug! It’s been really nice to break out the board games and spend hours together, laughing our heads off. To make it sweeter, I’m officially our family’s Queen of Monopoly, laying the smack down on my boys. #sorrynotsorry
👏🏽 Beach days are back! It’s December in Florida but you can’t even tell. The skies, the weather, the water are all GLORIOUS! We’ve been getting in some much-needed vitamin sea, which we missed out on while living in Germany (truly, one of the only few negatives). Now that we live here, we’re taking advantage of being only 30 minutes from the beach … AND DOLPHINS! My sister took this in the AM… another reason to be a morning person!
👏🏽 Traveling in our own “backyard”. Our first weekend getaway in Florida was to St Augustine for our 22nd anniversary in October and it was fabulous! Speed also went on a solo three-week road trip to Vegas, visiting friends and family along the way. Our next family trip is this week to Puerto Rico - Max was called up to try out for the U20 Puerto Rico Men’s National soccer team! We’re so proud of him! If he gets selected, our next trip will be to Curaçao in February. Please wish him luck and keep your fingers crossed!
👏🏽 Pen & paper therapy. I’ve never been a consistent journaler, but something about 2026 just feels different. I’m already obsessed with paper and pen—planners, letters, notes, all of it—so journaling feels like the natural next step. I’m using The Human Journal to keep track of my monthly goals, and it’s been way more relaxing than I expected. Totally digging it.
👏🏽 Building my art muscle. I've always been jealous of my art friends—how they bring these gorgeous creations to life from imagination to fingertips. This year, I'm trying my hand at watercolor on our covered patio. My friend Jeannie (I miss you!) had me over to paint on canvas and make glass birds earlier this year, so I finally get why artists get lost for hours. My mother-in-law generously got me a watercolor set for Christmas and I've got some booklets to guide me. Maybe I'll share some attempts in future newsletters?
Current Crushes 💘
Part of building my dream life is using products that actually make me feel good—not just aspirational “someday” things, but stuff I use every single day. Affordable, practical, and genuinely worth it. Here are my current favorites.
1// Crosley Retro Portable Speaker 2// Linea Donatella 3-Pc. Pajama Set 3// Versace Bright Crystal 4// Olaplex Hair Products 5// L’Occitane Almond Shower Oil 6// Stuff Every Coffee Lover Should Know 7// Foldable Silicone Mat for Makeup & Hot Tools 8// NYT Puzzlemania
On My Bookshelf 📚
Another thing I’m doing in 2026 is intentionally reading at least one book a week and tracking them in the Bookshelf app. Here’s what’s currently on my nightstand this week:
Y2K Betrayal by Tania Weatherley. Super excited to finish this one! Tania is a Brisbane-based rom-com author and fellow Substacker. This is the sequel to her Y2K Love, which she is kindly letting me preview before it’s released on January 14th. Look out for my review soon! Check out the book on Amazon and/or pre-order for $3.99 here.
Hill House Living by Paula Sutton. This hardcover book is gorgeous but also chock full of tips and advice on how to live more beautifully. Paula says, “I always think the best shopping experiences occur when the three ‘F’s come together: Fate, Finance, Fabulousness”. Um, hellooooo? How can I NOT love this one? If you love pretty + fabulous + practical, this one’s for you.
Tunes on Repeat 🎶
I’ve been obsessed with Spotify’s Women of Pop playlist lately. It has exactly the kind of female energy I want for 2026. You’ve got the OGs—Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Taylor, Shakira—mixed with the younger crew like Sabrina Carpenter, Olivia Rodrigo, Katseye, and Addison Rae. It feels like the torch is being passed and I’m so here for it.
Current faves: “Water” by Tyla, “Running Up That Hill” by Kate Bush (yes, the Stranger Things one), “2002” by Anne-Marie, and “From the Start” by Lauv.
TV Binge Report 🍿
Gratitude Corner 🌺
💛 Our house is a greedy, needy little biatch, but we love her and we’re so happy she’s ours.
💛 I was recently told by two different people how much they respected how close my siblings and I are to each other and to my mom. It made me feel so good, especially because I know not everyone’s so lucky.
💛 It’s not cold or snowing so I don’t have to defrost my car or shovel snow. I mean, not that I did it before because Speed did it, but … I’m grateful for him.
💛 You know those cute little ladders with three steps? I’m so happy they exist or else I wouldn’t be able to reach the top shelves of my kitchen. Or the top of the fridge. Or … anything.
Community Spotlight 🏡
⤞ Substack Faves:
✍️ Leave It to Anna. Anna is an American living in London, so of course she travels to cool places, eats well, and has great pics to show it all off! Her midweek musings are really fun and her Friday Field Trips scratch my travel itch. Check out this one and this one.
✍️ Happy on Purpose by Amelia Wilson. I just love all of it. This is the newsletter I wanted Sandrapop to be a year ago, only Amelia has done it waaaay better! So many good recommendations and insights. If you're a midlifer looking for more you, you’ll want to check it out. Start with her most popular post here.
✍️ Breathing Space by Camille Styles. I've been following Camille for a few years on her blog and Instagram. Now she's on Substack, which is amazing. I Just love her vibe and how accessible she makes intentional living look, and would love to have a business like hers one day. You can check out her vision board series and other essays like this one on her homepage.
⤞ Substack to Watch:
👀 Burnout to Balance by Casey O’Connell. Casey is a freelance writer, yoga and mindfulness teacher, and professional organizer but ALSO a fellow lover of Spain, organized spaces & lattes in cute coffee shops (we can definitely hang). Her “2025 Roundup: 10 Best Things I Did This Year” is where I recommend you start so you can fall in love with her energy too.
I want to make the Community Spotlight section a little more aesthetically pleasing. Any ideas? The more creative, the better. Let me know in the comments!
If you made it this far…
Consider yourself hugged and caffeinated from sunny Florida. Thanks for letting me catch you up on life and what I'm building this year. Next week, I'm sharing the full vision exercise and my 2026 dream day—it's going to be good!
Loving this?
Consider upgrading and unlocking everything—full archives, printables, and The Popstar Kit launching this month. Each kit focuses on one tiny shift with a big payoff: something that brightens your day, your space, or your sense of self. Pretty, practical, totally doable. Join the Popstars here 🎤✨
Before you go…
Tap the heart ♥️ if you’re into it, drop a comment if you’ve got thoughts, and if you’re feeling extra generous, hit that little recycle symbol to Restack. That’s how this post finds fresh eyes and new friends.
💬 LET’S DISCUSS: What do you want more of from Sandrapop in 2026?
"there is no magical later when everything aligns perfectly and you finally have time to chase your dreams." So true. I feel like we mostly live this... when we want to do something, we just do it. But I recently realized how I've been putting a few projects off because I think I don't have enough time. I keep waiting for that magical moment when my calendar is free, which has never happened before, so I don't know why I think it will happen someday. I realized that even 15 minutes a week spent moving something forward is better than waiting for the mythical perfect time. Sometimes doing it now means doing it slowly, but that's much better than never doing it.