A very Abby year

Not a links post. A LIVING post.

Jan 06, 2026

I will be back to writing about agriculture, animal health, rural communities, etc., later this month. I wanted to do my own sort of round-up of 2025. Enjoy and see you soon!

In the very small circle of humans whom I read, I feel like there’s been a rise in links posts. I’ve thought very hard, and it’s probably the academic bias, but I hope one day to be a link in a links post. Not an aggregator. I’m not cut out for that.

I’m also… just not that interested.

I find, on average, I don’t read much (if any) of the links posted (apologies to all my dear friends).

What I am very interested in is what folks invest their time in. Not just professionally, but personally, too! While I find book recommendations to be fine, I’m equally curious about how people spend their leisure time.

So you can hate it, you can love it, but I’m here to write a deeply personal round-up of things I did in 2025. And what I’m excited for in 2026.

Best bike ride(s):

Cycling has been a huge part of my life for many years now. As a military spouse, I have very few people, places, and things that are constant. Therefore, my husband and I both frequently travel with our bikes. Not only is it great exercise, but regardless of country or city, if you hop on Facebook or other social media sites, you can almost always find a group ride. Instant community!

Unfortunately, my total bike time in 2025 was down in comparison to previous years. I am disappointed in myself as I did not get a bikepacking1 adventure in. I vow to rectify that in 2026. TBD. Areas that have been on my mind are: Big Bend (TX) and NW Arkansas (this 1,000-mile loop has been on my mind for several years now).

I still would like to highlight my three favorite rides (across three disciplines: gravel, mountain bike, road) of the year:

Gravel: Appalachian Journey, Floyd, VA -100ish miles, 11kish ft climbing

2026 me is amused that 2025 me called this pleasant. My legs were very sore for many days.

Appalachian Journey is a “bike race.” Chief bike-maker of Untitled Cycles, Jackie, volunteered to be my partner and ride the route together. It is a duo event, meaning you must ride the route with your partner. I spent my winter in the Midwest and was unprepared for the 20% grades and unrelenting climbs of Appalachia. I spent my ride alternating gasps for the sheer beauty of Appalachia and fighting a charley horse. The ride ends down a section of the Blue Ridge Parkway. There is no more liberating feeling than following your best gal down the parkway, dropping cars through the turns, and trying not to think about the nothingness that exists between yourself and the pavement. Floyd, VA, is also known for birthing great bluegrass, roots, and traditional folk music. Worth the pilgrimage and leg spasms. 10/10. Would recommend.

MTB: Ouachita Challenge, Oden, AR -60ish miles, 6500 ft climbing

Bentonville, AR has gained notoriety as the “Mountain Biking Capital of the World.” Before the Waltons started throwing money at the Bentonville trail system (which I appreciate and recommend if you are a cyclist of any level), there was the Womble and Ouachita Trail. Going through the Ouachita National Forest, these trails are tight, twisty, rocky, and rough. I am not a natural mountain biker. I would rate myself as “competent.” I spent 7 hours hiking, biking, swearing, and exclaiming “oh my god, I’m not dead” after somehow managing to hold onto the bike. This is the most technically advanced event I’ve ever done. The mental fatigue of anticipating each root, rock, and drop was worse than taking PhD qualifying exams. I lay face down in the dirt around mile 50. I am very good at continuing to pedal even at the point of exhaustion. My brain needed a break.

It was the final year of the Ouachita Challenge, but the route can still be found here. Be warned, there is little to no cell service. All communication for the race was done via HAM radio. I am sad to see the race die. This route can be backpacked as well. Recommended for those who want to really “get out there” in the Ouachitas.

We spent a couple extra days hiking and biking around the area. Also featured is me in a nice ground sit post race. I was cracked.

Road: The Champagne Tourist Route, Reims, FR - 75ish miles, 6kish feet of climbing

For our 7th wedding anniversary, Jay and I treated ourselves to a quick trip to France ahead of a conference. I must start by saying, riding a road bike almost anywhere in the world, BESIDES the United States of America, is a real treat. As an avid cyclist, I vehemently agreed with a lot of Brian Potter’s findings (or lack thereof) on pedestrian deaths earlier this year. I have ridden in other countries with similar speed limits and similar-sized vehicles to those in the United States. In my personal experience as a cyclist, European and Asian drivers are so much more aware of my presence on the road, and I’ve never had an experience with someone trying to run me off the road/scream at me/throw things at me/threaten me with a gun (all of which are fairly normal experiences stateside). Could it just be that some of the problem, at least towards cyclists, is that culturally we are just jerks?

Digressions aside, riding the Champagne route from Reims -> Epernay -> Reims was an absolute dream. Riding in and out of Reims, we got to see the sights and scenes of the wheat harvest in July. It reminded me of my years on the Palouse of Northern Idaho and was very comforting. Having the wind at your back while racing alongside wheat waving is just one of those things that driving by in a car cannot fully emulate.

Riding among the vines was fantastic! Vines, vines as far as the eye can see. The region around Reims has been producing wine since the Romans (sometime in the first century). Looking at this living UNESCO World Heritage site made me teary-eyed. The realization that a person is staring at thousands of years of agricultural production and innovation is overwhelming and gives me optimism. I am often struck by the fact that when people talk about agricultural progress, they speak strictly in terms of an increase in productivity. For me, as an agricultural economist, I also appreciate the diversity and choice that this food-abundant world offers. How great it is that I can serve my dinner guests a champagne toast alongside jamon from Spain and buckwheat gluten-free crackers? Choice and variety in food is a joy!

I had many miles to reflect on this and my hurting legs while riding from boulangerie (my husband, who speaks French, sighs as my Oklahoma accent butchers it. bou-LINGERIE. I tried so hard.) to boulangerie. Excellent route. Was much too tired to enjoy a glass of bubbly at the end. I will ride this route again.

We toured the Taittinger caves the day prior. Then we found the vines the next day!

To wrap things up, in 2026, I am doing my first fatbike race2. I acquired a bright green Surly Pugsley for $500 this fall. For Christmas, I received studded bike tires. If you happen to be in the Upper Peninsula in February, please feel free to spectate. I’m sure my soft, southern self will be absolutely frozen.

Best run:

When I was abroad this summer, a viticulturist from the Cotswolds expressed that the ideal visit to the United States would probably involve “west Texas. To look at the vastness and shoot things and other American experiences.” My favorite run this year took place in exactly such a place. The Sandy Sanders Wildlife Management Area is in far western Oklahoma. My husband and I did a 10ish mile loop (there were 50 mile options lol not for me) at the Do Wacka Do Trail Run. No photo I took (and not any on the internet) does the place justice. It is home to the bob white quail, turkey, white tail deer, mule-ys, prairie dogs, and lots of rattlesnakes. Running in the morning, the smell of mesquite wafts through the air. I point out to Jay the prickly pears, ready for some enterprising human to burn all the spines off and turn them into a yummy syrup. Yuccas dot the landscape. The dirt is red. The prairie is primarily untouched here.

I have been told that in these spaces, some people have agoraphobia. I was raised in the high desert. I can think of no greater feeling than moving across the desert, never leaving the center of the blue bowl of sky. I will never love running, but I will always love big sky spaces.

Best book club of the year:

I will overlook the fact that it is the only book club I have joined this year and self-recommend the Hiya Jain book club. Hiya and I intended to go to China in December. We have run into a bit of a snafu concerning visas (but I feel that we WILL persevere). In light of an impending trip, Hiya made an executive decision to convene a China book club. I am not much in the way of book clubs. I think I am still scarred from graduate school article clubs, in which I find discourse devolves into destruction rather than constructive conversation. I’ve found the China book club to be much the opposite. Perhaps it is because, so far, we have not had a China expert join. We are all merely China curious humans.

So far, we’ve read Breakneck, Apple in China, and Under the Nuclear Shadow. I am obsessed with Dan Wang’s book for reasons other than the enthusiastic reviews it received in 2025. I have already written a note about this, but I am intrigued about the prospects of bikepacking in China. Most folks who have toured by bike in China are on some sort of around-the-world journey by bike. Which is fantastic. I’m also assuming they are trying to pedal across the whole country (which ChatGPT tells me would probably be somewhere between 3,500-4,000 miles) before their tourist visa ends3. I suspect this leads to a less-than-ideal route and leaves much of the country unexplored by bike.

Upon reading Dan’s book, I’m not sure it’s safe? The amount of building would seem to lead to not a ton of bike-friendly infrastructure. Perhaps this is why the few brave souls who bikepack seem to stay towards the western frontier (and the views. I’ve seen a few photos. Chef’s kiss.) Regardless, learning more about the possibility of a China bikepacking is definitely on my 2026 goal list.

Wrapping this up, if you have suggestions for articles, books, movies, or other mediums of learning about China and/or want to join our monthly discussion, please feel free to message Hiya.

Best shoe I never saw coming that I now own multiples of:

As an ag economist, please know my default shoe of choice is a boot or a pair of ropers (things that I can walk in cow shit in). At the beginning of 2025, I would not have told you that I would wear leopard platform Crocs with jibbitz to ring in 2026, but here I am.

I know I’m late to the party, but these things are rad. Plenty of room in the toebox, ability to easily clean, and some versions are definitely more elevated. I can do yardwork, wade in the creek, and then switch into a pair to go to town.

I felt even more vindicated when sitting through an Afra Wang presentation, she commented on wealthy women in China wearing them. Post-presentation, I logged on and ordered another pair.

This has caused a bit of an identity crisis for me. Crocs are definitely not trending in Goldsboro, NC. But perhaps this is the first time I purchased an item because it was trending in a more urban environment. Am I… assimilating?

Excuse the dog hair (and say hi to my dog, Mochi). Jibbitz are a MUST.

New favorite jewelry:

In the inverse of the crocs, I stayed true to my western roots with my favorite new piece of jewelry this year. Cowboy pearls. My husband’s late grandmother was partial to pearls. He honored her by designing my engagement ring around a pearl. It turns out, I am exceptionally hard on my hands (see aforementioned hobbies). The pearl engagement ring only gets pulled out for special occasions. Pearls with silver sterling worn around my neck have been a good way to honor both our heritages THAT IS DURABLE. Anna is by far my favorite cowgal silversmith. Would recommend to the partners of women who need jewelry that withstands getting the sh*t beat out of it.

Best thing I ate:

My husband and I discussed this category multiple times in December. Jay (my husband) would call this a “low travel” year. Meaning his passport stamps only covered a few pages. Writing this on January 5 with the news open on my other screen, I fear 2026 will be a “high travel” year.

We mutually agreed to split this into two categories and have consensus. Rare in our marriage.

For the vibes: Au Petit Fer à Cheval in Paris

I feel incredibly basic picking this. It’s well known by the acolytes of the late great Anthony Bourdain and hardly a dining experience off the beaten path. And maybe if I didn’t drink 10 liters of sparkling water this day, it would have never made the list.

During one of my trips to les toilettes, I realized a photo in a newspaper clipping on the wall featured the gentleman serving us. On my next trip to the bathroom, I busted out my Google Translate app. Our server was Xavier Denamur, the proprietor!

What made this so interesting (and what Google Translate told me) is Xavier has taken a fierce interest in local politics, especially food policy. His resume includes pushing for a VAT reduction on small restaurants, greater transparency within the French food system, advocating for labeling laws, running independently for local government, and a food documentary entitled Republic of Bad Food4.

While Xavier and I might not agree on effective food policy, his candor in speaking about his experience in the restaurant business and the struggle to keep authentic food alive in Paris pushed this dining experience to the top of the list. I would drop in again.

Actual best food item: St. Martin’s Croissant in Poznań, Poland.

I popped over to Poland this summer to follow my husband as he participated in Copper Arrow. TLDR; the U.S. Military sends air refuelers to help bolster the protection of European airspace. Jay got to argue with Italian airspace controllers, while I got to try every dumpling-associated food I could get my hands on.

Best food of the year was NOT a pierogi but a croissant. These croissants are SO FAMOUS that they have a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) designation from the European Union.

This is not a croissant like the people of France make. This is a full-blown dessert topped with sugar and nuts and composed of 81 layers of dough. The BBC covers these decadent delights in more depth here. On the whole, I don’t feel an overwhelming need to revisit Poland anytime soon. I would make an exception if Jay traveled there for work again.

In 2026, we have tentative plans to ride a bike in the Massif Central. I am interested in finding the Salers and Aubrac cattle and eating the French version of cheesy potatoes (aligot).

Best live music I saw:

I really wish I were a stadium tour girlie. It’s not even that I dislike pop music. I just have no desire to sit/stand for hours with 70,000 other people. I grew up two-stepping in dance halls and dive bars. I want live music that still feels like a shared experience.

Before Road Trip to Raleigh, I was only vaguely aware of American Aquarium and BJ Barham. He’s one of those guys who sometimes pops up in a place like Tulsa or shows up as a special guest at a Jason Isbell concert. Familiar, but peripheral.

Road Trip to Raleigh is different.

American Aquarium fills the Lincoln Theatre in February—Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. Standing room only. About eight or nine hundred people, max. They play full albums. They play deep cuts. They hang around after the show—shoot pool with fans, host karaoke at a local bar. Every night sells out. It’s Barham’s hometown, and he hosts one hell of a party.

I left sweaty, lungs screamed out, and feeling like I got my money’s worth. Kudos to our friend Brendan Hanger for inspiring me to attend my favorite concert of the year.

Best thing I drank:

Wrapping this year’s living not links with the best thing I drank in 2025. 2025 was the year of wine. I went to a conference on Pinot Noir. Prior to beginning my research, I knew very little about wine. After 15 months of reading, listening, and tasting, I STILL know very little about wine.

At the conference, we had a convivium (which in wine speak means, yet another opportunity to drink wine at the wine conference). Everyone was supposed to bring a bottle of wine to share. My bottle sucked. I’ll admit it. I didn’t even know how to begin identifying an exceptional or interesting bottle of Pinot Noir.

My naivety attracted assistance from several experienced connoisseurs who made it their conference mission to ruin my life forever by introducing my palate to wines out of my price range.

One of these Pinot Noirs was from a winery in New Zealand by the name of Kasuda. Kasuda is the obsessive project of a Japanese ex-pat. Hiroyuki Kasuda makes a small number of premium bottles. There is no social media. The winery is not open to the public. You cannot contact these folks. There are approximately six distributors in the world that are allowed a few of his precious bottles each year. Most are held and resold for a pretty penny. This wine, like everything I’ve ever had from a Japanese master of craft, was astounding.

My 2026 plea is… if you are interested in acquiring a bottle, allegedly we can buy a case of 6 from an importer from California for less than $2k. Want to go half-sies?

Coda:

In short: happy 2026.

I loved starting a writing practice in 2025. Not because it made me better informed or more productive, but because it helped me pay attention to where I was, what I cared about, and how I moved through the world.

This wasn’t a links post. It was a record of a year lived with intention and curiosity.

Here’s to another year of doing things, not just bookmarking them.

Thank you to my husband, Jay, for providing feedback and being a great partner in adventure. Also, a huge thanks to RPI fellow Venkatesh V Ranjan for providing feedback!

This is exactly what it sounds like. Similar to backpacking, you’re just pedaling a bicycle instead of walking.

A fatbike is exactly what it sounds like. The bike has fat tires. Mine are slightly over 4 inches wide.

If you’re on Instagram, I recommend Ian Anderson’s account. He’s been biking around the world. I believe he finally received a Chinese visa and will be crossing over from Mongolia this week. The videos are worth a watch.

I have not sat down to watch it yet but it can be found here.