2k17

When I look back on this year and try to sum it up, the words that come to my mind are: continual change, growth, learning.  It was a hard year.  But it was also a good year.  Why? Because I learned.  And God was faithful.  Without this year, I would definitely not be the person I am today.  And for that, I'm thankful.

So today I want to summarize this year.  We're heading into 2018, great.  I just want to wrap this year up on a good note on the blog, so let's get into it.

So I went back and looked at my 2k16 post from last year.  Wow things change fast xD

My word for 2017 was "BELIEVE".  At the time I wrote that post, it was nice.  But quite honestly that phrase didn't really stick with me throughout this year.  Maybe it was just through the ups and downs of life and all that I kind of forgot it and went with the flow.

I learned a ton this year.  Found out who I really am.  And I fell in love even more deeply with my passions.  I have no idea how it'll all work out, but I know (to a certain extent) what I want to do with my life.  I have no flipping idea how I'll get there or if it'll play out like I want to in my head (probably not), but I know what I want.

Overall, 2017 was a year of growth.  And I'm still growing.  I have a long, long ways to go yet, but I'm getting there, one day at a time.  And that's all you can do for anything.  Moment by moment.  That's how you live  life.  (why do i feel like this post is so deep lolz)

Okay, let's be honest.  Writing this year wasn't the very best,  I'll say that much.  First and foremost, my novel that I had started working on around NaNo 2016 was what I had wanted to finish this year.  But as things turned out, the hard drive that had been on the computer I was writing it on malfunctioned and quit working.  SO we got a new hard drive and are pretty much still in the process of trying to recover what we can off of the old one.  We have a brand new memory now, so while that is nice to some extent, everything that I had (INCLUDING MY NOVEL) is gone.  *headdesk*

So looking ahead to 2018 writing wise, I want to get back into writing.  I'm part of a writer's group where we send short stories to each other one month and then critique them the next for each other, which is super nice because it really forces me to actually write every month.  Other than that, I'm going to really try to figure out what's going on with the old hard drive and retrieve my novel and HOPEFULLY finish writing it.  But we'll see.  I'm hoping that 2018 is a better writing year than this year was.

+ Skating became a huge, huge part of my life.  I know the rink, the staff, the ice so well now xD Almost like a second home haha!  Speaking of which, I just passed my first USFS skating test this past week! (thank you Jesus)

+ Home renovating became my newest hobby.  Fixer Upper started it :D I binge watched that show so much this summer, and let me just say that Chip and Joanna Gaines inspire me so much.  (Also now I'm deep in painting projects around my home.  Great.)

+ I got a new phone (major plus: it actually works!)

+ This summer taught me many lessons, but most importantly it taught me who I am and what I truly want to do with my life.  I'm chasing that passion with God's help now.  The hustle is real.
+ Solar eclipse happened!! 

+ I found confidence.  In Christ alone.  I learned so much this year, and I learned so much about what's really important in life.  2017 stretched me so much, but it taught me the best lessons.  Lessons that I needed.  I know who I am, and this life's not about me, it's about Christ.

+ I got new glasses because my old ones broke >_<
+ I finished reading the Bible the whole way through.

+ Got into gardening.  Don't get me wrong, I was always a gardener, but this year I got into it so much more.  It's super fun yo :D

+ Got my braces off

+ What happened to this country, man. What happened in pop culture.  If 2017 taught us anything, it should have taught us how much we need God. 

Blogging in 2017 was fairly good.  I kind of talked about it in my last post so there's not really a whole lot more I have to say, but sticking to a schedule really helped me out this year.  If you're considering starting a schedule for your blog, I'd 10/10 recommend it.  True, there were a few nights I was up at Wednesday night trying to finish the post before 12 P.M. and make it somewhat coherent, but most of the time it really helped me stay focused and make blogging more of a habit. 

 I already covered most of the stuff about blogging in my last post, but just to refresh I'm planning on posting 3-4 times a month in 2018.  I'm not going to post on a set date or anything; I just have the total amount of times a post will get up that one month.  SO YEAH.  I'm looking forward to it! The last few months of 2017 haven't been the greatest blogging-wise, so I'm hoping to step it up a little in the new year.  YEET.  Also, the new blog design inspires me a little more to actually blog so that's always a good thing.  

And, just for fun, my most popular posts this year were: (1) "My Top 8 Self-Publishing Tips" | Livy Jarmusch | Regal Hearts Book Tour (2) 24 Blog Post Ideas (For When You Have Nothing to Post) (3) The Behind the Scenes of a DIY-er's Life | Julia Ryan.  WHAT A YEAR.

2016 was a year of crazy change in my life, most of it hard.  2017 was a year of growth--learning to bloom where I'm planted and learning about what's really important in this life.  It was a kind of mundane year, but at the same time not.  But it was a good year overall. :)  

2018? At the moment, I don't know if anything that I "want" is going to happen this upcoming year, but I'm praying.  But 2018 holds some major milestones in my life (which will probably be documented on the blog LOL), and I'm a little nervous about them.  But it's good.  It's life.  It's growing (up).  So I'm just taking it one day at a time.  Making the most out of every day and staying focused on what's important and remembering the best is yet to come.  

xxx

 SO WHAT ABOUT YOU? If you had to describe 2017 in one word what would it be? What were some of your most memorable moments of this year and what are you looking forward to in the new year? 

adiós till next year amigos,

autumn