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Happy Tuesday friends! I hope that your week is going well! Thank you so much for all of the love and sweet messages about my post from yesterday - and on the reel regarding my year of firsts. If you want to read the story behind this journey you can find it HERE!
I want to say that I could write an entire book on how this was truly life-changing for me. Some days I knew what I had planned to do as a "new thing" as it took pre-planning and other days I woke up excited to figure out something new as I needed something. As you read through this list- I want to point out a couple of things:
1. You will quickly see that I have only shared 195 things out of the 365 days. While I do share some very personal things below- there were other items that either involved other people or would affect other people that I chose not to share. There were also some very personal and sacred moments that I did not believe needed to be shared with the world. I do appreciate your understanding and am confident that these 195 things can inspire you in your journey.
2. You will notice that some things did require some cost, and other things- many things on this list were free. It cost nothing to walk 3 miles backwards instead of forwards or take a free online technology course or strike up a conversation with the 89- year old man that beat me up a huge hill (without being out of breath- haha) but each of them- changed my life or inspired me to see the world differently.
3. One thing I learned quickly was that sometimes the "new things you had planned" will be interrupted by life. That occurred for me through a very painful ghosting situation and was the way the year ended as my mom was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. What I learned though from doing something new everyday was to embrace the things that weren't the choices I would have originally made and grab onto hope in these situations. So for example, my mom joined in and we started saying we would make a point to talk to someone in the Breast Cancer center we didn't know, sit in a different chair, park in a different parking lot, etc. Choosing to find joy and hope in the midst of difficult and crushing life experiences thrown at you- truly is inspiring in itself as it reminds us of choosing life.
This past year I didn't share as much but throughout the coming year I plan to share much more and again, would welcome any suggestions!!
There are some things that I blogged about- and those are highlighted with links - if you click on them below you will be able to read more about them!
Spiritual and Inspirational (35)
2. Made reading the Bible my first thing I did in the morning
3. Stopped saying I would pray for someone and just asked right on the spot if I could pray for them.
4. Met and spent time with Rebecca McLaughlin - holding lots of conversations on Jesus
5. Listened to a new sermon or podcast each day I walked.
6. Visited a School that Changed My life
8. Started an annual tradition of seeing the boys choir in Montreal at Christmastime
9-21 Read one inspirational autobiography each month of the year
22-34. Reached out to heroes that had influenced my life- sent one thank you note a month
35. Took a different road home- which inspired exploring new places in my own hometown
Travel (22)
8. Adventured with mom in Peruges, France
9. Flew overseas by myself
13. Learned the French Train System.
14. Learned the French Bus System
15. Travelled to the Normandy Countryside
18. Visited the Garment District in NYC
19. Traveled to Canada for a hair salon
20. Discovered it was much cheaper to travel out of montreal
21. Walked DC Memorials at Night
Professional Career and Caravan Sonnet (25)
2. Collaborated with Marseille Tourism Board
4. Signed up for a press collaboration with American Cruise Line
5. Became a college adjunct online professor
6. Started the Map Letter Club
7. Caravan Sonnet turned 12 years old
8. Caravan Sonnet reached more than 6 million readers
9. Travelled to South Carolina for a Work Conference
10. Started TikTok- but made year 2 the year to really develop this
11 - 25. Collaborated with new and unique and individual brands.
Personal (17)
1. Received the first F112 Wedding Invitation
3. Saw life bloom in a place that once felt dead
5. Left Lyon a different woman
6. Decided to take a risk and start a conversation
8. Attended a wedding and was the recipient of a beautiful surprise.
9. Developed a relationship and friendship that became very dear to my heart over several months
10. Fell in love
13. Journaled through thousands of vintage book pages
14. Encouraged my mom to write a children's book
17. Rehomed a kitten to a woman who was grieving
TPT (10)
1. Attended my first TPT event
2. Applied to speak at the TPT Forward Conference 2026
4. Scheduled a meeting with a TPT seller who was an expert and it changed the course of everything (thank you Whitney!!)
5. Created a new logo
6. Solidified my brand
7. Started the process of creating a preview for every single listing (all 263)
8. Started attending all TPT webinars available (and watched previous ones)
9. Created new listings
10. Spent hours each day before and after work to work towards specific goals.
Education (15)
2. Received notification (in Viviers, France) of Graduate School Honors
4. Applied for several new graduate programs
5-10. Took Several new graduate courses
11. Continued my Dutch lessons
12. Continued my French lessons
13. Read a college textbook on Dairy Farming in the United States
14. Started up sign language classes again
15. Learned to Play Chess Online
Physical, Health, Cooking (30)
1. Started Physical Therapy
5. Tried jalapeno peppers in an omellte and discovered I loved it
6. Learned to freeze vegetables for the winter.
7. Woke up every morning during the summer to swim in the summer sunrise
8. Was cleared to start walking long distances again after months of healing
9. Spoke with a 89- year old stranger as he beat me up a long hill and was inspired to never stop
10. Started weight lifting
11-25. Tried numerous new recipes for all different meals.
26. Walked 3 miles backwards one morning
27. Tried a day without makeup
28. Spoke with multiple health practitioners about the supplements that I am taking (weeded out some from before and introduced new ones)
29. Learned to say the alphabet backwards
Hobbies and Technology (25)
1. Remembered my love of photography in Viviers, France
2. Started dance again
3. Started creating junk journals for personal use- not just for the Etsy shop
4. Created a Scrapbook of our Rhone River Cruise
6. Learned how to use Edits for Reels on Instagram
7-25. Took 18 different AI, Technology, coding courses online.
Camp (8)
1. Witnessed the tree farm my dad and I planted grow taller than me just like he said it would when I was bedridden.
2. Spent time alone on the shore
3. Cleaned out some of my grandmother's camp (from our move from TN)
4. Set up our tiny back porch - and enjoyed so much time out there
5. Connected with new friends through walking and hiking
6. Learned to use a water pressure machine
7. Prepped the little boat
8. Welcomed numerous visitors and guests
Physical Posessions- Car, House, Camp, Etc. (8)
1. Watched HP turn 100,000 miles
3. Watched our neighbors house burn to the ground on Thanksgiving Day... and experience a miracle of protection over our house and car and belongings.
4. Found a trustworthy repair man that turned out to be an incredible blessing
5. Changed Car Insurance to save money
6. Signed up for a monthly car wash- to help in the winter to save the car from rust due to salt and sand
7. Hired someone to take care of our lawn so I did not have to mow
8. Hired someone to take care of the snow in the driveway so that I did not have to worry about shoveling (turned out to be the BEST decision for the coldest winter in a long time in the north country)
I hope that this has inspired you to start your own lists! Please share with me ideas as I in the midst of year 2 and always looking for ideas!
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