I had a birthday last week, and it was the best one I’ve ever had! 

We explored a cute town in North Carolina, got waaaay too much candy at a candy store, ate at a local restaurant, and went to Hobby Lobby. Then I spent at least two hours in the evening listening to Hebrew music in my airpods and bullet journaling! 

In 2024, I was on a blogging hiatus when my birthday came around, but the year before that I did a post reviewing what my year had looked like. That’s what I’m doing today! 

Milestones With Writing

Even though I was much more laid back with my writing last year, I still hit several milestones! 

In October, I hosted a virtual writing workshop for women. I loaded packages with autumn-themed goodies and sent one to each person who signed up. There was a time of teaching via zoom, one-on-one brainstorming, story prompts, writing sessions, and lots of time to get to know each other. 

One of the things I offered in that writing workshop was my ebook, *Writing Free: When God’s Love Changes Everything About How & Why We Write. Well, after the workshop, I published this ebook on Amazon! Because I believe in this message, it’s really important to me that anybody who wants to read it, can. If you’d like a copy but can’t put money into it, contact me and I’ll share it with you for free. (:

In May, I started blogging again! After more than a year off, I felt peace about starting up again and went with it! Some of my favorite posts since I restarted would have to be… 

• The Solution for Fear — Perfect Love (my absolute favorite) 
• My Headcovering Testimony | How + Why I Cover My Head
• The Biggest Q+A I’ve Ever Done

I also published my first physical book! 

Rodney the Rooster is a middle-grade novelette retelling my Dad’s bedtime stories. It’s a clean, wholesome story about an insecure chick named Rodney. He is thrust into a farm where hawks frequently attack their flock. All the while, he’s trying to survive the brutal three-year-old named Henry, stay on good terms with the lead rooster, and learn what it means to make friends, discover courage, and find where he belongs. *You can click here to find Rodney the Rooster on Amazon. You can also read a sample of the book for free and feel out whether or not this is your type of story. 

I didn’t promote this book when I published it since I wasn’t in a season where I could do that. At the time, I just wanted to make it available for my family and friends. Now I’m so excited that y’all have access to it as well! 

On the topic of fiction, I also started a novel this summer. The concept had been in the back of my mind for years, but I never felt like it was the right time to start writing it. In June, however, I revisited the idea and started drafting! It’s currently at a little over 12,000 words, and I’m very optimistic with how this story is unfolding. (If you’d like updates along the way as I’m writing this novel, join my email community to get the inside scoop!) 

Milestones In Life

A few of the big things that happened when I was sixteen…

I got my learners permit! I’ve started driving but still have a lot of practicing to do before I go for my license. I’m determined to make this process one that’s enjoyable and laid back, so I’m not going to rush it. (:

Another thing I did when I was sixteen, was graduate! I LOVED being homeschooled since we were able to be so flexible. Because I totally front-loaded ninth and tenth grade, I was able to finish up pretty early. Even though I’m graduated, I’m doing a mini “school year” for myself since I love learning and I love having the structure! It’s nice that I get to decide what I learn and how much I commit to it—so if some days don’t permit me to get anything done, that’s fine! I never had to do any of it in the first place.

I started bullet journaling! Okay, so that might not sound like a huge deal, but actually it was! Other than writing & reading, I’ve never found a hobby that I love as much as I do bullet journaling. I never thought I was good at art, so drawing/painting/designing on paper wasn’t something I really tried to do. When I finally tried, however, I discovered that it was 1000x better than I’d expected. I bullet journal ALL the time now.

Something I can’t emphasize enough is that you don’t need to be a super talented artist and you don’t need fancy supplies & lots of money to bullet journal. Your spreads can be simple and easy and cost you nothing. Also, pencils and rulers will be your best friend if you give them a shot. That way, you can get a straight line with no problem, and erase whatever goes askew. 😂 If you’d be interested in a post where I share easy ways to start bullet journaling, let me know in the comments! I’m waiting for an excuse to make that post 🤪

Our family bought a new skoolie! Because we travel full time, we needed a skoolie that worked for our family, and the one we had wasn’t meeting all of our needs. We sold it and bought a new one that is just perfect for us! We’re still in the process of moving in, but once things settle, I’m planning to do a tour of our bus for my blog. (:

Milestones With God 

It’s so hard to explain everything that the Lord has done in me and how I’ve grown. Some things are simply too personal to share, but there are so many other things that I’m super excited to tell!

I’ve greatly grown in confidence & boldness this last year of my life. It really picked up in June, when I was at a crusade and started pouring my heart out before God. I told Him that I wanted to be bold and never hold back when He was asking me to do something, and I didn’t want to miss the opportunities He was putting in my path. This whole year, but especially these last few months, I’ve found myself doing things I never would have done before. Seeking out people I’d never met and initiating conversations with them, telling strangers about God, and going out on limbs when I felt the Lord leading me to do something. 

Another thing that God has really helped me with this last year is learning to hear His voice. Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” I was really encouraged at a Bible study to be intentional to make time to be still and quiet so that if the Holy Spirit wanted to speak to me, I was listening! Many times, the other voices in my life make it hard to be restful and quiet. Whether that’s my phone, day to day life, or my own preoccupied thoughts, it’s so easy to get busy and never slow down. Yet God is helping me slow down and see how important it is to spend intimate time with Him. 

Closely connected to intimate time with the Father, is coming to know and believe the love that He has for us. I had a couple of very powerful experiences with the love of God this last year, and I can officially say that they wrecked me and changed me. There aren’t enough words to convey the depth of His love and how I experienced it, but I urge you, seek God and ask Him to show you His love for you. Too many people only know God’s judgment, not His love. I can promise you, knowing God’s love for you will change your life. It changed mine. That is one of the biggest things I’m passionate about and it was so big in my life this year! 

Another thing this year is that I’ve gotten a lot of clarity on what I feel God is calling me to in my life. While I don’t want to share all of the details here, I believe God’s call on my life involves being a missionary in other countries and ministering to Muslims. As I’ve sought Him in depth on this, He’s reassured me of His power and I can’t wait to see what doors He opens. 

I could go on and on, but this list would get incredibly long. Suffice to say, I’ve grown by leaps and bounds. While the year “16” was very challenging for me, I got much closer to my Father in it and am grateful for how far I’ve come. This next year can only be good, because God can only be good and I am following Him completely! 💖

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*Because I am part of the Amazon Affiliates Program, when I refer to an Amazon product and someone makes a purchase using my link, I get a small commission! The links with a * by it, are those specific links.