2k17

31 December 2017

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*
An overhead shot of a cup of coffee next to an open laptop, two pencils and a stack of sticky notes
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.  


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 

17 comments:

  1. The writing group that your in sounds really neat. To have feedback sent back to you. I took a class that was pretty much the in person version of that and it intimidated me a bit. Congratulations on passing your ice skating test. Thats awesome. Glad you to hear you learned so much this year. Happy New year! Wishing you a great year to come. <3

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    1. It is pretty awesome, I'll say that! Oooh yeah I'd be intimidated too if I'd see them irl. It's different when you have a screen between you xD Thanks! THAT was a little intimidating, but I passed :) Yes, Happy New Year to you too, V! You're an awesome person & I hope you have a great 2018.

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  2. Ouch. My computer died last year and I lost most of my pictures from the past two-ish years as well as all my school files. I hope you can get your novel back!

    Happy 2018, Autumn!

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    1. UGH IT IS THE LITERAL WORST. That's so annoying you lost your stuff though :'(

      Happy New Year!

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  3. I totally agree. the year was good, but hard. very hard. but its comforting to know that both of those things can be true at the same time.
    my word of the year was "lament." which was a tough one.

    happy new year :) I hope 2018 is all you hope for and more

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    1. I know right? It's like a paradox of sorts. Two opposite things, yet that's what the year was. I guess that's life though >_<

      ah yeah that does sound tough, girl.

      Thank you so much, Faith :) I hope 2018 is the year you dream of and much more.

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  4. I found it shocking because your post came out and we formatted things the same!!! Is that twinning or not?

    I really hate breaking my glasses-- I had these pink ones I'd use super frequently but I have no idea where they went. Technically, they aren't broken, but since they've been missing in action for over three months, that's just the best way to explain it, I suppose. Also YES to getting braces off because our teeth need to be liberated!!!

    I hope you have an amazing 2018, Autumn!

    xoxo Abigail Lennah | ups & downs

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    1. AH DUDE REALLY I must check your post out asap :) #twinning

      LOL literally me! I always forget where I put my glasses and my phone. Like how can I be so forgetful about those two things? xD Haha, that's a mystery indeed! Hopefully you find them soon dude :) YES RIGHT IT'S LIKE A CAGE ON THE TEETH

      Happy New Year!

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  5. Ah, that's so awful that you lost your novel! I know the feeling of loosing writing, and it totally sucks. : (

    2017 felt like growth for me too. A lot of it. I guess 2018 is going to be more of the same, but growing into places I haven't yet. I'm optimistic about it, yes.

    Probably my most memorable moments of 2017 were:
    - starting a blog + making internet friends
    - writing 40k words in November for my novel
    - many, many more things

    best wishes for your 2018 adventures!
    k.

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    1. Ugh yes it's so annoying. I wanted to see how fast I could finish it, well, it's probably taken longer than anything else I've ever written now xD

      That's a good mindset to go into the new year with :) Optimism is related to success, so that's good.

      YES I love your blog so much, Keira! Keep it up :) AND 40K IS IMPRESSIVE YO. Good job!

      Happy 2018!

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  6. That's so awesome that you found confidence this year! That's something I want to find more and more of in 2018. Being confident in who Christ has made us to be is so fulfilling. I hope you have an awesome new year! I love the new blog design. :)

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    1. Yeah, honestly it really just struck me when I was writing my post. Like, wow, that did happen this year. THANK GOD! Yes right?? it's such a good feeling when like, you know that all you need to care about in life is God. WOW.

      Aw thanks!!

      Happy 2018 :)

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  7. Oh no! I hope you find your novel floating somewhere out in cyberspace or the great unknown. That sounds awful. I'd definitely feel unenthusiastic about writing after something like that. Usch.

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    1. YES it's quite frustrating! It's almost been a year, so even if I found it it would take me awhile to get back into it. >_< UGH

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  8. HI, AUTUMN!

    Oh my gosh, I am so in love with your blog design. Asdfghjkl *heart eye emojis* <3 Congrats on reading the whole Bible! That is something I would love to do at some point. It sounds like you had a great year! Sometimes the mundane things are the best. ;) Also; I'm trying to set a schedule for blogging and I'm hoping it will work... *fingers crossed* I love your idea of doing 3-4 posts a month! I was sort of doing the same thing before but I decided to set a weekly schedule for myself to see how it goes. :)

    AHHH I FEEL SO BAD FOR YOU ABOUT YOUR NOVEL! LIKE OMG, THAT SOUNDS LIKE A WRITER'S NIGHTMARE! *worried face emojis* I hope your writing goals for 2018 work out better. <3 I LOVED THIS POST SO MUCH AND I AM SO EXCITED TO SEE WHAT YOU ARE GOING TO BE POSTING IN 2018! XD

    xx Kenzie

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    1. EEEP HI KENZIE!

      Aahhh thank you so much!! It honestly took me like way more than one year. I think I started in 2015 or something :) AH YES GO YOU! Blogging with a schedule is actually really good. I would've done it this year too, I just wanted something different I guess xD

      IT IS OMG A NIGHTMARE. I'm just hoping I recover it soon! :O

      Thanks so much for commenting and reading!!

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  9. YOU LOST YOUR NOVEL?!?!

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