I know, I know--August isn't exactly over yet. But two things: 1) I need a break after NaBloPoMo is over, and 2) this is the last month of "leftovers" before we hit repeat months! My first "leftovers" post was September 2014. So what happens after that? I don't know--I'll keep doing "leftovers" posts probably, but will now have to change the headlines to add years.

Anyways. Onto August! Here's what I'll say about August: August was exhausting. Because of these blogs--and I'll get to more of that in my "goodbye" post tomorrow. (Not that I didn't enjoy blogging every day...but, damn.)

This summer has felt very travel-heavy, which I think is actually pretty accurate. I posted a lot of photos from August on my social networks, so I don't have tons of leftovers--and there are tons of photos that others took of me (at AAJA, for instance) that I haven't seen yet, so I didn't even take that many photos on my own. Also, I've already posted photos for yesterday's post filled with #AnnaAndElsa love...so...yeah. I'm just rambling now. So here we go:

It felt like I spent a lot of time on planes and trains in July. Most of my memory of the month comes from the start of it because that trip to California was too lovely to forget. Honestly, most of the photos on my phone this month were from that trip, and I already posted those on this blog.

Life felt like it sort of slowed down a lot halfway through the month. More on that later as I blog my way through August, but for now, enjoy the photos...

I'm a terrible over-planner. I get anxious when I don't have things planned out, but of course life is a lesson in learning to let go of needing everything to always go "according to plan." For my trip around Southern California, I packed very light and figured out what city I would be in on each day, and then let things happen from there.

And it was daunting and stressful, and I always felt like I was letting someone down. I've never been the kind of person to hang out with just one group of friends. I've always floated, which has been both great and not-so-great--great because I love the diversity of the people in my life, and not-so-great because I've never felt like a permanent "fixture" of anyone's life.

But I digress. I began my trip in Los Angeles at a hotel, spent a couple days on a couch in Santa Barbara, came back to LA and spent time in Torrance, then more time in hotels and apartments in Long Beach to end the week. I got to see so many people, and I'm sad I didn't take pictures with every single one of them (Geneva, Christina, Jun, etc.) because I was just too happy to be around people who gave me so many reasons to smile--from friends to family to friends who are family.

I tried to make this just a "leftovers" post, and, for the most part, it is. You can see more of my adventures on Instagram (or on Facebook/Snapchat, if we're friends), but here are photos that didn't make it onto social media (plus a few that did) taken by yours truly and a handful of friends.

(For more June leftovers, see my previous post.)

To be honest, June rushed by in a bit of blur because I was just anticipating my Southern California trip at the end of the month (separate post on that here).

The year is half over, and it's weird because 2015 has not been the kindest so far. I've got a lot more to write soon on mid-year resolutions and all that, but I'll save that for a different post when I've had more time to reflect.

It's been a little more difficult to choose "leftover" photos because I've been using Snapchat more (if you're on it, add me @traciglee!), but there's a good number of photos that never made it onto Facebook or Instagram, so here we go...

I didn't even realize April was over until I was encoding videos yesterday at work and realized April 31st wasn't an actual thing.

Happy May! One of the best things about April was that the weather was clearly changing and we had our first truly "nice" days of the year. I love when the seasons change because it feels like an opportunity for renewal. I'm really trying to make an effort to commit to things in 2015, and the first thing I'm committing to this year? Rebuilding my life.

Anyways, onto the blog post! April, photo wise, was a bit of a "sharing month," so I don't have too many leftovers to include in this entry...

Yellow roses brighten any room!

Whoa! It's April already. This is surprising for two reasons: 1) It felt like March was lasting, quite frankly, forever; and 2) I started about a half dozen posts that I meant to finish in March, and well...you can guess what happened (spoiler alert: nothing).

So here we are...April. Spring, perhaps? It's definitely warming up in New York and the on/off rain definitely indicates we're in that "April showers" phase. After three years of happy travels with my bubble umbrella (which I bought in California at the end of 2011 in between DC and New York), I had to ditch it in the trash at the 145th St. Nicholas subway station because it finally was too busted to be functional. It was oddly heartbreaking to watch the dome of the umbrella collapse, and it really served no purpose so of course the trash can was the proper place for it to go. I just wish I could've given it a more ceremonial farewell than chucking it into the same type of trash bin that I threw up in on my first visit to New York ever after a night of sushi and sake and no sleep.

Not only did I buy a new bubble umbrella (it's lighter and opens with the click of a button!), March was the month I turned another year older. Every year on my birthday, I get reflective about life. As I spent more time alone, I realized I needed to reprioritize. As the season changes, it feels like the right time to step back and sort things out.

And now before this turns into a whole other post (!), it's time to get to the point: photos from March that never made it to Facebook or Instagram or whatever social network I'm lurking on at the moment!

I knew February was a short month, but who knew it'd go by so quickly?

One month down, 11 to go!

I don't have a diagnosis yet for 2015, but it's been a mixture of highs and lows. My new philosophy when things hit "low" is to treat it like water off a duck's back. The way I see it, it's so easy to complain, complain, complain...I'm trying to approach all of the frustrations and anxieties with a better attitude and approach. It boggles my mind when people complain non-stop, but don't do anything about the thing that's causing them so much anger. I've been that person before--and can still be that person, in many ways--but I'd like to be different now, if I can help it.

Anyways, that's all another blog for another time... here are some January photos that never made it onto social media (with the exception of the picstitch on the right! Those are photos from my trip to Orange County near the end of the month, where I was one of the keynote speakers at the Asian Pacific American Awareness Conference at UC Irvine...more on that below...)

Happy 2015! December flew by in a blur. Every year, the period between Thanksgiving and Christmas seems to go by quickly, and then before I know it...it's the new year. I barely remember the finer details of the month, except that it was better than December of 2013, but I do remember feeling overwhelmed and busy for most of it.

But not too overwhelmed and busy for some snapshots (for those of you who follow me on Instagram or Facebook, you know that).

If you're new to this "leftovers" series, it's basically a dumping ground for just some of the photos I took during the month that didn't make it to my social media profiles.

So here we go...!

It's December!

I didn't do an October leftovers post because I did a lengthy post on The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, but I found a few photos across October and November that sum up the end of the season.

There were brunches and work highlights that didn't make its way into my viewfinder, and you'll find some of the prettier moments (first holiday Starbucks cup, fall in Central Park) on my Instagram, but life isn't always about the pretty moments, right?

How did it get to be October already?

I started doing this thing at the start of last month called "1 Second Everyday." It's an app that requires a one-second video every day, and then at the end of a month (or whatever duration of time you choose) you can string them all together into a short film.

Here's what my September looked like:


It ends, unceremoniously, with my wisdom teeth coming out and my diet transforming into one of apple sauce and other mushy foods. But September over all was fairly nice. There was food, friends, fun, and more.

And then I noticed, as I was scrolling through my phone the other day post-surgery, that there are quite a few photos that never made it to Instagram or Facebook, though I'm sure I had the intention of putting them somewhere someday.

So taking a cue from my lovely friend Carly, here are some snaps from my life in September...