Showing posts with label New Years. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New Years. Show all posts
happy new year friends! I know that for many (like myself) 2024 seemed like a unique year that was extremely brutal and difficult in some ways with some very dark valleys and in other ways held miracles in abundance that have left me speechless with gratitude... A few dear things have been shared in this space, but the personal and private moments behind the scenes abound with tender treasures learned only in this unique year and in many ways I purposefully took time away from consistent social media, withdrew in a lot of ways and spent these last months marveling in my deep need for God's grace to meet me every single day and every moment.
I read a quote last year and it said, "Please never forget how brave it is to continue to show up in a story that looks so different than what you thought it'd be".
Maybe you limped towards the new year with deeply personal prayer requests and longings still awaiting the provisions that only the Lord can answer and provide. Maybe you are in a season of joyful answered prayers and maybe you are in the time between. Both seasons are worth celebrating, holding onto expectant hope in, and thanking the Lord for and both, I am convinced in different ways, are tender.
A few verses that are treasures to me as we start this new year... I hope they encourage you in whatever tender season you are in...
By awesome deeds you answer us with righteousness, O God of our salvation, the hope of all the ends of the earth and the farthest seasons, the one who by his strength established the mountains... who stills the roaring seas, the roaring of their waves, the tumult of the peoples, so that those who dwell at the ends of the earth are in awe of your signs. You make the going out of the morning and evening to shout for joy....you crown the year with your goodness and your paths drip with Abundance // Psalm 65
He grants peace to your borders and satisfies you with the finest of wheat // Psalm 147
The lowly will possess the land and live in abundant prosperity // Psalm 37
I am excited to share with y'all some very exciting things in the upcoming year, but as I look back on a most tender year, I am most grateful for the promise that mercy meets us each and every morning, not just when the calendar date changes on a new year. Mercy and hope and grace to embark into new seasons and new years with expectant hope.
One of the most beautiful gifts is the beautiful friendships and community here that God has placed in my life. Thank you for your love, for your support, and most of all, thank you for faithfully and consistently praying for myself and my cherished ones - so many of you consistently reach out and ask privately for how you can pray for me and I am always humbled. I look forward to growing in grace with you this upcoming year.
Happy New Years friends.
May our God bless you abundantly as we embark on a new season and say hello to 2025.
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.jpg "gentle new years thoughts for this year")
gentle thoughts on starting 2024 for those who are in what @robinjonesgunn spoke over me in the spring, "a gathering season"...
I know that for many, like myself, 2023 seemed like a unique year that was extremely brutal and difficult in some ways with some very dark valleys and in other ways held miracles in abundance that have left me speechless with gratitude... A few dear things have been shared in this space, but the personal and private moments behind the scenes abound with tender treasures learned only in this unique year and in many ways I purposefully took time away from consistent social media, withdrew in a lot of ways and spent these last months to fully step into some of those things... Most of all, I found that I was gently reminded of my deep need for God's grace to meet me every single day and every moment.
I read a quote recently and it said, "Please never forget how brave it is to continue to show up in a story that looks so different than what you thought it'd be" and this has truly stuck with me. Maybe you limped towards the new year with deeply personal prayer requests and longings still awaiting the provisions that only the Lord can answer and provide. Maybe you are in a season of joyful answered prayers and maybe you are in between. Both seasons are worth celebrating, holding onto expectant hope in, and thanking the Lord for and both, I am convinced in different ways, are "gathering seasons"...
A few verses that are treasures to me as we start this new year... I hope they encourage you in whatever gathering season you are in...
By awesome deeds you answer us with righteousness, O God of our salvation, the hope of all the ends of the earth and the farthest seasons, the one who by his strength established the mountains... who stills the roaring seas, the roaring of their waves, the tumult of the peoples, so that those who dwell at the ends of the earth are in awe of your signs. You make the going out of the morning and evening to shout for joy....you crown the year with your goodness and your paths drip with Abundance // Psalm 65
He grants peace to your borders and satisfies you with the finest of wheat // Psalm 147
The lowly will possess the land and live in abundant prosperity // Psalm 37
I am ready to begin a new year and start fresh. Not to set a bunch of resolutions that are impossible to keep, because in many ways I don't have the strength to create a "new life" that will ensure that 2024 will be better than the difficult and hard moments of 2023. But as I look back on a most tender year, I am most grateful for the promise that mercy meets us each and every morning, not just when the calendar date changes on a new year. Mercy and hope and grace to embark into new seasons with expectant hope.
One of the most beautiful gifts is the beautiful friendships and community here that God has placed in my life. Thank you for your love, for your support, and most of all, thank you for faithfully and consistently praying for myself and my cherished ones. I look forward to growing in grace with you this upcoming year.
Happy New Years friends.
May our God bless you abundantly as we close out 2023, and as we embark on a new season and year in 2024.
Some Gentle New Years Thoughts... Click HERE to watch and read my gentle thoughts, gratitude for this beautiful community, and hopes and prayers for the kindest and most peaceful 2023.
Happy New Year Friends!
Therefore, come what may, hold fast to love.
// F.W. Robertson //
Goodbye 2020, Hello 2021... Looking ahead to new this new year and ways to deeply love well each person in my life. Happy New Year friends, I hope that your new year is filled with abundant blessings, joy, peace, and love.
Goodbye 2020, Hello 2021... Looking ahead to new this new year and ways to deeply love well each person in my life. Happy New Year friends, I hope that your new year is filled with abundant blessings, joy, peace, and love.
Happy New Year friends! Today I wanted to take a moment to step back and look at some of the best of Caravan Sonnet travel in 2019 and am excited to remember these precious moments of travel. I am so blessed by my job as a travel writer and I am incredibly blessed by this amazing community that has been with Caravan Sonnet since 2013! As I look forward to some exciting new adventures with travel and collaborations in 2020 I can't wait to grow even more with you in this new year and new decade. Thank you for being such an amazing community!
January 2019
January brought so many sweet memories with it with lots of travel within a 5 hour space. To me these beautiful local adventures are treasures and I can't wait to share more in 2020 about the beautiful area that I live and hope to encourage people to visit more! It is truly so lovely and I am so incredibly blessed to live in this lovely section of the world.
January also brought the start of a new company off of Caravan Sonnet, December Lane which is a boutique collection of watercolor travel prints. You can find the shop HERE and read more about this beautiful adventure HERE. There are so many new prints that I am working on for 2020 and I can't wait to share them with you!
One thing that I hear a lot from people is that they just don't have "time or money" to travel like I do. I definitely understand and as this past year brought the beautiful opportunity (and health!!) to return to a full-time job, I have had to shift things around and plan out my travel a bit more than I used to. BUT... sometimes travel doesn't have to be "far away"... you can find adventure in so many different places... even if it is just spending time on the weekends exploring nearby...
Whether it is taking a walk in the snow in dresses in the mountains...
Or walking along the road by your house... beauty truly is everywhere and January sweetly reminded me of that!
Another thing that was new in January was the introduction of my YouTube Channel which you can find HERE! I am still exploring ways to use this and am excited to share more in the weeks ahead!
February 2019
I spent a couple of days out in San Fransico, California for my medical appointments and decided to take a couple of extra hours to drive around the city. As I was exploring during Valentine's Day week, I saw these adorable houses and decided that this is what Valentine's Day looks like in houses. *smiles*
This little adventure reminded me gently of what I was learning in January also- to explore surroundings you may feel you already know well. For me that was exploring a section of San Francisco that I didn't know well because despite spending months out there over the last 5 years, I have so much still to discover. Life is like that isn't it? Seeing the beauty all around us and grabbing those moments when we look for them.
The first big blog trip that I took in 2019 was a collaboration with the Golden Arrow Lakeside Resort in Lake Placid, New York. I spent a beautiful (and chilly) couple of days over in Lake Placid and it was simply lovely. I enjoyed the stay so much that my mom and I went back for a night in the summertime. *smiles* You can read more about my stay HERE and watch a video about the property and my stay HERE.
April - May 2019
Starting in April 2019 I joined in with the #ADK50falls challenge which highlighted some of the best and most unique waterfalls in the Adirondack Mountains. This was a really fun challenge and while I didn't finish it because of taking a step back from blogging due to the loss of my precious daddy, I am looking forward to continuing it and finishing it this coming spring and summer. You can read more about the Waterfalls that I have documented HERE.
In early May I also announced an exciting new project that I was doing entitled #10000in7days which was to help raise money for Make a Wish in Alaska since that is where I was traveling to. While we didn't raise the full amount of money, we did raise 3% of the final goal and it has encouraged me to definitely incorporate an aspect of giving back each year on the blog. THANK YOU to each of you who gave and donated - you truly have helped make a difference in the lives of those children!
August 2019
August 2019 brought two major blog trips and collaborations back to back and they both were incredible for a variety of reasons.
Alaskan Road Trip 2019
The first was a trip back to Alaska for a second Alaskan Road Trip that was a HUGE collaboration project with so many amazing brands and experiences. I had fallen in love with Alaska in the summer of 2018, but the trip this year was one of those perfect trips all around with the beauty, the adventure, and the two amazing women in the picture above. Sue, Emily and I had the most INCREDIBLE time and it was hands down one of my favorite trips I have ever taken. You can read all about our adventures HERE.
Holland America Cruise
24 hours later after returning from Alaska, my mom and I headed out onto a precious once-in-a-lifetime cruise with Holland America. It was my first time cruising with them and it is a precious trip that I will never forget. I started blogging about our experience and will be finishing the rest of the cruise details in January, and you can find all of the posts HERE. It was truly amazing and we can't wait to sail again with them very soon.
November 2019
We finished out November with a special trip to the Balnea Spa in Bromont, Canada. It was our first time traveling to Bromont and we quickly fell in love with this area of Canada and are already planning a trip back. If you haven't been there I definitely recommend it and you can read more about our experience HERE.
December 2019
In December we headed back to Canada for our now annual participation in the beautiful CBC Sing-In which we have loved in Montreal. If you haven't had a chance to be part of it or join in then I can't recommend it enough. It truly is lovely.
Thank you to each of you that have partnered with Caravan Sonnet Blog this year, to the future collaborations and brands that are coming, and most of all to each of you in this sweet community that I am blessed to consider friends and loved ones. I hope that the start of this new year and new decade is just the beginning of a beautiful season. I can't wait to adventure more with you in this coming year and decade! Happy New Year!
Today I am so excited to start off the first post of 2019 sharing my word for the year!
This is the sixth year that I have joined in on the "pick a word for the year train". Every year in the summer and fall as I start to pray about the upcoming year and ask the Lord for a word and for some scripture verses for the year I am always amazed at how the Lord leads.
Something I started doing a number of years ago is after I pick a word for the year, I then pick an "over arching verse" for the year that I work on memorizing, along with 12 other additional verses (1 for each month) that all deal with the theme from my word of the year.
I use the word for the year in other ways in my personal life, but incorporating scripture in this unique way has been a beautiful blessing and something I plan to continue throughout my life. As the coming year unfolds I am continuously amazed at how uniquely this word and these verses will come into play in encouraging me, reminding me of God's unique grace and love, and the way that I see His plan unfold in specific ways for a variety of different seasons and situations.
As a new year begins we never know what will be coming in front of us. We don't know the unique and difficult challenges we may face along with the beautiful highs and blessings that are yet to be seen. And yet as I think and pray about a word for the year I am constantly surprised at the way that I see God in His tender mercy reflects the promise and hope of the word that I have chosen throughout each day- especially as I purpose to look for it.
My words for the last five years have been:
Espoir 2018
Rachat (2017)
Anew (2016)
Mettle (2015)
Valor (2014)
Over the past few months as I have prayed about 2018, the Lord kept bringing to mind the themes of hope and expectancy without fear. This theme has been something that I have been challenged to examine in various ways as I continue to heal and step out of "sick world" and slowly step back into "regular life". But it doesn't just stop at my health. I have been challenged to really examine different ways that I view hope and expectancy in my life... especially in deep ways that are intensely personal.
Sometimes after a long battle with health or another traumatic experience... I think we can grow more timid than we ever believed we would especially in relation to hope and expectancy. I remember lying in bed years ago, unable to move and thinking that I would be the most fearless person alive if I ever started to heal. And I have started to heal... and am healing... but I find myself timid with lots of different areas. In the last few months I have been really challenging myself about this and praying about what this looks like specifically in my life.
Along with this, I have been really pausing to consider the power of "words". As an author I know the power that words can hold and I want to always speak life into situations... not death...and in doing so started to consider the words that are being spoken into my life. Back in August, I confronted this in new ways as it became abundantly clear that a friendship that I had... needed some clear and defined boundaries as this person was constantly speaking fear and the "worst case scenario" into my life- usually several times a day. Y'all know my heart and it wanted to be a support for this person, but I started to realize that the help that they needed went beyond the role of a friend and needed professional counseling... something that I am not equipped or trained to do.
I don't typically share something like that on the blog, but felt a nudge to do so today for a couple of reasons... first I hear from women all the time who are struggling with unhealthy friendships and my heart hurts for you. It is a tough road to navigate.
Second, I also share that very personal story to say...as I have walked the road of forgiveness in that situation it has really made me consider the words that we allow into our lives and the words that we speak into others as well. I want my words to reflect life, hope, and grace and encouragement ... and not fear or discouragement. So many times we are so careless with our words and this upcoming year I want to make sure I am reflecting hope and grace to each person I encounter. (As a side note- as I said above- if you are in a similar situation as I was above... my heart goes out to you. It can truly be a tricky road to walk and my prayers are with you for wisdom in the situation. I truly encourage you to seek wise counsel for yourself in that situation too.)
I look forward to walking this road with you this year and examining this more... as I consider present and future moments. In the last few months I truly felt the Lord impressing upon my heart these themes for this coming year. So as I continued to pray I felt the Lord bring these two words together into one perfect word:
Sine Timore
Sine Timore is a latin phrase that means:
"without fear"
Granted, it is not a word that is "common" or used everyday but the definitions sum up exactly what I pray for for this coming year - living in hope and expectancy without fear.
As I mentioned above I pick a key theme verse for the year and this year there were two that really stood out to me:
"Bold power and glorious majesty are wrapped around her as she laughs with JOY over the latter days."
-Proverbs 31:25-
"In the morning I lay my requests before you and watch expectantly."
-Psalm 3:5-
A lot of time as a young sick gal I find myself facing the truth that I struggle with this concept due to the season of illness. To be honest I have come to realize that after this season I often expect the worst instead of the best in big and small things. Instead of believing for joy and hope I often question, doubt, and wonder behind the scenes. I was hit with this fully when I was examining a situation in my personal life. One of my best friends recently said to me, "but Rebecca, what if the best case scenario happens"? and as the situation has played out it has been consistently a story of the best case scenario happening. I was humbled by this and as this new year approached I knew that I wanted to live fully expectant with hope in all areas of my life.
As I mentioned above I pick a key theme verse for the year and this year there were two that really stood out to me:
"Bold power and glorious majesty are wrapped around her as she laughs with JOY over the latter days."
-Proverbs 31:25-
"In the morning I lay my requests before you and watch expectantly."
-Psalm 3:5-
A lot of time as a young sick gal I find myself facing the truth that I struggle with this concept due to the season of illness. To be honest I have come to realize that after this season I often expect the worst instead of the best in big and small things. Instead of believing for joy and hope I often question, doubt, and wonder behind the scenes. I was hit with this fully when I was examining a situation in my personal life. One of my best friends recently said to me, "but Rebecca, what if the best case scenario happens"? and as the situation has played out it has been consistently a story of the best case scenario happening. I was humbled by this and as this new year approached I knew that I wanted to live fully expectant with hope in all areas of my life.
So that is my "word" for the year friends! Did y'all pick a "word" for this year? I would love to hear about it and what the significance is to you!!
"we will laugh more, love more... we just won't be so afraid..."
"we will laugh more, love more... we just won't be so afraid..."
"Everyday you preach to yourself a gospel of your loneliness, inability, and lack of resources or you faithfully preach to yourself the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ."
-Paul David Tripp-
2018 is a year that seems impossible to put simply into a few words.
Like many of you it held some incredible highs (even starting off the first day of the new year in a castle on our European river cruise !!), amazing places in the world that I fell in love with (hello Switzerland & Alaska!!), time with family, special relationships & precious text/skype messages, lots of laughter, starting to see HUGE healing steps in my health journey, an official "Cancer Free" 5 year celebration, learning to ski, starting to run, adventures with friends, a special Disney trip, seeing dreams starting to come to pass...& a hundred million other little details that happened behind the scenes...
but 2018, among the joy, has held tears & brokenness (especially since the accident). These last few months have been incredibly painful, difficult (in intensely private & personal ways) & finishing up the last treatment round of 2018 these past few days have seemed to be more about "surviving" than "thriving"...and I know many of you have also experienced that feeling this year in various ways...
So as we approach this new year, my prayers are simple for us friends...not for a bunch of resolutions to make things "better" to be met, but for tender grace to meet us all each day, for resolutions on believing in hope in the waiting, for plans that change our hearts to love lavishly those around us, for blessings & miracles to come from the seemingly impossible, for peace in letting go & living in forgiveness, for longings fulfilled & prayers answered & most of all for hope as we watch expectantly at what God will do...
May God bless you abundantly as we embark on a new season & year friends! Cheering you on in this upcoming year...
"I launch my bark on the unknown waters of this year with Thee, O Father, as my harbor, Thee, O Son of my helm, Thee, O Holy Spirit, filling my sails."
but 2018, among the joy, has held tears & brokenness (especially since the accident). These last few months have been incredibly painful, difficult (in intensely private & personal ways) & finishing up the last treatment round of 2018 these past few days have seemed to be more about "surviving" than "thriving"...and I know many of you have also experienced that feeling this year in various ways...
So as we approach this new year, my prayers are simple for us friends...not for a bunch of resolutions to make things "better" to be met, but for tender grace to meet us all each day, for resolutions on believing in hope in the waiting, for plans that change our hearts to love lavishly those around us, for blessings & miracles to come from the seemingly impossible, for peace in letting go & living in forgiveness, for longings fulfilled & prayers answered & most of all for hope as we watch expectantly at what God will do...
May God bless you abundantly as we embark on a new season & year friends! Cheering you on in this upcoming year...
"I launch my bark on the unknown waters of this year with Thee, O Father, as my harbor, Thee, O Son of my helm, Thee, O Holy Spirit, filling my sails."
//The Valley of Vision//
This is the fifth year that I have joined in on the "pick a word for the year train". Every year in the summer and fall as I start to pray about the upcoming year and ask the Lord for a word and for some scripture verses for the year I am always amazed at how the Lord leads. As the coming year unfolds I am continuously amazed at how uniquely this word will come into play in encouraging me, reminding me of God's unique grace and love, and the way that I see His plan unfold in specific ways for a variety of different seasons and situations.
As a new year begins we never know what will be coming in front of us. We don't know the unique and difficult challenges we may face along with the beautiful highs and blessings that are yet to be seen. And yet as I think and pray about a word for the year I am constantly surprised at the way that I see God in His tender mercy reflect the promise and hope of the word that I have chosen.
My words for the last four years have been:
Rachat (2017)
Anew (2016)
Mettle (2015)
Valor (2014)
Over the past few months as I have prayed about 2018, the Lord kept bringing to mind the themes of hope and expectancy. These are two words that I have been specifically praying as I continue to heal in this health journey and have been challenged to examine the ways that I consider present and future moments. In the last few months I truly felt the Lord impressing upon my hear these two themes for this coming year. So as I continued to pray I felt the Lord bring these two words together into one perfect word:
Espoir is a french word that means:
(1) expectancy
(2) hope
(1) expectancy
(2) hope
Granted, it is not a word that is "common" or used everyday but the definitions sum up exactly what I pray for for this coming year. You may be wondering why I chose the french word for this year and I can't wait to share more with you in the coming weeks a few of my goals for this upcoming year and will explain the unique reason I have chosen the french word.
This word is perfect for many areas of my life, but as this battle for my health continues to be very difficult and demanding and I want to meet this challenge with the expectancy and hope of what is coming and the full belief that the Lord is at work. I want to persevere and yet live fully in this season. As I lean on the Lord's strength to conquer the "unknowns" of what lies ahead with my health, healing, relationships, my professional life, my shop, my writing, and some personal circumstances I can rest fully in the knowledge that His strength is going to give me the joy to face these demanding and difficult situations and bring about a victory that I could never imagine.
As I pick and consider a word for each year I also work to memorize 12 key scripture verses throughout the year (one for each month) that relate to my word for the year. I also pick a verse that is a key verse for the whole year. This key verse this year is from
"In the morning I lay my requests before you and watch expectantly."
-Psalm 3:5-
A lot of time as a young sick gal I find myself facing the truth that I struggle with this concept due to the season of illness. To be honest I have come to realize that after this season I often expect the worst instead of the best in big and small things. Instead of believing for joy and hope I often question, doubt, and wonder behind the scenes. I was hit with this fully when I was examining a situation in my personal life. A dear and trusted friend said to me, "but Rebecca, what if the best case scenario happens"? several months ago and as the situation has played out it has been consistently a story of the best case scenario happening. I was humbled by this and as this new year approached I knew that I wanted to live fully expectant with hope in all areas of my life.
This word is perfect for many areas of my life, but as this battle for my health continues to be very difficult and demanding and I want to meet this challenge with the expectancy and hope of what is coming and the full belief that the Lord is at work. I want to persevere and yet live fully in this season. As I lean on the Lord's strength to conquer the "unknowns" of what lies ahead with my health, healing, relationships, my professional life, my shop, my writing, and some personal circumstances I can rest fully in the knowledge that His strength is going to give me the joy to face these demanding and difficult situations and bring about a victory that I could never imagine.
As I pick and consider a word for each year I also work to memorize 12 key scripture verses throughout the year (one for each month) that relate to my word for the year. I also pick a verse that is a key verse for the whole year. This key verse this year is from
"In the morning I lay my requests before you and watch expectantly."
-Psalm 3:5-
A lot of time as a young sick gal I find myself facing the truth that I struggle with this concept due to the season of illness. To be honest I have come to realize that after this season I often expect the worst instead of the best in big and small things. Instead of believing for joy and hope I often question, doubt, and wonder behind the scenes. I was hit with this fully when I was examining a situation in my personal life. A dear and trusted friend said to me, "but Rebecca, what if the best case scenario happens"? several months ago and as the situation has played out it has been consistently a story of the best case scenario happening. I was humbled by this and as this new year approached I knew that I wanted to live fully expectant with hope in all areas of my life.
The Lord brought about so much redemption and restoration this past year. He truly brought Rachat into the deep crevices of my life. I can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for this year!
So that is my "word" for the year friends! Did y'all pick a "word" for this year? I would love to hear about it and what the significance is to you!!
"Everyday you preach to yourself a gospel of your loneliness, inability, and lack of resources or you faithfully preach to yourself the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ."
-Paul David Tripp-
For 2016 the word that I picked for the year was "anew". As I shared last year, unlike in previous years the word was not as clear cut and didn't come immediately to me when I picked it. Instead I felt that there could have been 50 different words that would have been good words. But the Lord kept bringing me back to Jeremiah 31:2-5 again and again I knew that this little word, although uncommon was the perfect word for the year.
And it has been. Anew is defined as: (1) Once more; again (2) In a new and different way, form, or manner (3) In a new or different way, typically more positive way and (4) Once more, again. My prayer for the year had been the following:
"Granted, it is not a word that is "common" or used everyday, but the definitions sum up exactly what I pray for this coming year. This battle for my health continues to be very difficult and demanding and I want to meet this challenge with the hope of what is coming. I want to perservere and yet live fully in this season. As I lean on the Lord's strength to conquer the "unknowns" of what lies ahead with my health, healing, relationships, my professional life, my shop, my writing, and some personal circumstancs I can can rest fully in the knowledge that His strength is going to give me the joy to face these demanding and difficult situations. Finally, I want to be a good soldier for the Lord in this difficult situation and have the quality of temperament to face the pain of illness, the strength to believe in the impossible, and the lovely peace comes from trusting a Sovereign God fully without fear."
So as I prayerfully say goodbye to 2016 and commit to the Lord the difficult, the painful, the confusing, and the unknown, I also look back with gratitude at all that God has done. I am truly overwhelmed by His goodness and His love. Here are just a few of the amazing things that the Lord did this year and some of the most read blog posts from this year:
Personal:
Grateful, Humbling, Emotional, and Exciting News: In February I was overcome with emotion that I had been released from Cancer check ups every month to couple of months to every YEAR. It was beautiful news that we cried over and rejoiced over.
Beautiful Joy: In the midst of some very difficult pain and illness the Lord gave a few beautiful hours to enjoy at my favorite spot on earth with my sister and my mom that was a beautiful gift.
The Fourth Spring: In this post I struggled to adequately express the grief of dealing with approaching the fourth spring of my world being turned upside down, while at the same time trying to adequately describe how grateful I am for the support and love that I have received. (I also posted my first video on the blog!)
Path of Hope Book Release: This book was such a joy and delight to write as I was gently reminded of the precious truth of hope that is found throughout the Psalms. When it released in April it was beautiful.
Speaking in Phoenix, Arizona: Having the opportunity and being well enough to travel alone to Phoenix and speak on two subjects that are dear to my heart was an absolute blessing and unique adventure for the year.
An Engagement Party in the Woods: It was so much fun to gather with dear friends and family in our woods for an engagement party this year.
A Look Back Before Tomorrow: On the eve of my book release I shared more about the precious community whom the book was dedicated to and a special video of special pictures that hold incredible personal meaning to me.
December Caravan Book Release: And then three years after signing the contract, the book that I poured my heart into was released.
A beautiful Nebraska Wedding: After many years of having to say "no" to special and one-of-a-kind events I was blessed with the strength to be able to travel to a dear friends wedding in Nebraska. It was absolutely lovely to be there for the wedding, see dear friends, and see a new part of the country. I always thought of myself as a mountain and lake gal, but after being in Nebraska, I quickly fell in love with the mid-west.
Magic Kingdom with Friends: Probably one of my favorite memories from 2016 was the day spent at the Magic Kingdom with my dear friends Ali and Kori. It was a day that I will never forget and treasure always!
The 11th Anniversary: In October I celebrated the 11th anniversary of being healed from Endometriosis. Perhaps more than any other year, this anniversary beautifully spoke hope into some very dark and difficult and painful days.
A Season of Adventure: A Season of Adventure and getting to meet my dear friend Katie (from Always, Katie) in person was a treasure to my heart that I will always remember.
Travel:
A Drive to the Von Trapp Family Lodge (Stowe, Vermont): Traveling to see this beautiful place that I hadn't seen since I was a child was a delight.
Mother Cabrini Shrine (Peru, New York): Visiting this beautiful memorial was inspiring to me. As I researched and learned about Mother Cabrini I was so inspired by her famous quote: "I will go anywhere and do anything in order to communicate the love of Jesus to those who do not know Him or have forgotten Him." For me this has deeply impacted me, especially in this season of life and has become my prayer. May the Lord use me however He chooses.
Wildflower Loop Trail, Desert Botanical Gardens (Phoenix, Arizona): While I was Speaking in Phoenix, Arizona, I had the opportunity to visit the Desert Botanical Gardens which was a beautiful reminder to me that even in the desert times in our lives beauty can grow.
Muir Woods, (California): This was one of my favorite places that I visited this year and the "Cathedral Grove" section was absolutely breath-taking. This is a place that I hope to return to again in the future.
Emerald Bay (Lake Tahoe, California): This was another one of my most favorite places to visit this year. It was absolutely breath-taking and I was in absolute awe of the beauty.
Disney Cruise with My Sister: This was a beautiful and amazing trip and one that I will treasure forever! You can read all about the entire cruise HERE.
Atlantis Aquaventure Excursion (Bahamas): Emily and I had dreamed of doing this since we were kids and it did not disappoint. This was one of the most fun highlights of the entire Disney Cruise!
Castaway Cay (Bahamas): This island was absolutely stunning and breath-taking. It is definitely everything that you think of when you think of a "Caribbean Paradise".
Royal Caribbean Cruise with My Parents: This precious cruise is filled with lovely memories that I will treasure for a lifetime. You can read all about the entire cruise HERE.
Coco Cay (Bahamas): It was so delightful to be back at Coco Cay and absolutely stunning.
Lyme Disease:
Climbing Another Mountain: One of the most painful, difficult, and traumatic parts of 2016 was when "Nic the PICC" developed a serious and life-threatening blood clot. This situation changed the course of my treatment and was the backdrop for a very difficult and painful season this past year.
#courtneytheportney: In June my mom and I flew out to California for a couple of weeks where I spent test dosing new medications and having #courtneytheportney placed. It was definitely a frightening time, but the Lord was so good in that there was no complications with the surgery and I was so grateful for all of the prayers.
Treatment Round #3 started off with several bumps in the road and eventually had to be changed and morphed into looking like something different. It was definitely one of the most difficult times in this entire journey and was a season where I struggled with absolute frustration.
10 Tips for Enjoying Disneyworld With a Chronic Illness: The theme parks can be fun but also entirely overwhelming for those who are struggling with a chronic illness. This post shared 10 tips on how to enjoy your time at Disneyworld if you have a Chronic Illness.
A New Season and Stage in the Lyme Journey: After many years a new season and stage arrived in the Lyme journey for which we rejoiced over!
Fourth Times the Charm: I started treatment round #4 including starting a med that I have tried unsuccessfully to use three times this past year. We continue to pray for blessings and favor on this treatment round.
10 Affordable and Helpful Lyme Disease Supplements for the Gut: This post shared 10 Affordable and Helpful Lyme Disease Supplements that I have used.
Singleness and Relationships:
Feeling Unbeautiful: This fragile and sensitive topic really resonated with not only my readers who are singles but all women.
The Power of Words in Relationships: This post really resonated with many of my precious readers in this community and reminded me of the power that our words have in another's life.
Hope for the Future in the Single Journey: One of the real aspects of singleness is the heartbreaking reality of seeing days pass without our dreams fulfilled in this journey. It can be tempting to doubt God and His promises as each day passes without seeing our deepest longing fulfilled. It can be hard to hold onto hope, but the Lord is faithful.
Blogging and Writing:
Blogging Advice- Three years Later: It is hard to believe that in January Caravan Sonnet turned 3! I have been sharing on this blog for three years. This post gave tips and advice on things I have learned in this growing and stretching journey.
12 Ways to Support Your Friends Book Release: With the upcoming book release of my book, December Caravan, I shared 12 ways to support a friend who is having a book release.
Guest Post at Mundane Faithfulness: I was so honored to share my heart with the community at Mundane Faithfulness several times this past year. Blythe, is a woman whose friendship this past year is one of the biggest blessings that has come from 2016, is truly amazing.
From Hope Valley Book: I was so excited to announce my upcoming book release in 2017 entitled, "From Hope Valley".
Etsy Shop:
Florence Altered City Journal and Small Journal Combo: This new combination for the shop was one of the most popular: a combo of a city journal (or state or country journal) with a small journal.
Altered Planner 2016: Another new addition to the shop this past year was the opportunity for ordering an Custom Altered Planner.
As I look back on all of these precious memories from this year, I am most grateful for the beautiful friendships and community that God has placed in my life. Thank you for your love, for your support, and most of all thank you for faithfully and consistently modeling God's faithfulness in my life. I look forward to growing in grace with you in this upcoming year.
Happy New Years Eve friends. May our God bless you abundantly as we embark on a new season and year.
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