A Year to Remember: 2022 in Review//Goals for 2023

Hello, friends! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas season with loved ones. It’s almost 2023 already, and I can’t believe how fast this year has gone by. So many things happened, good, sad, and life-changing. Looking back over the past twelve months, I can see how I’ve changed and grown. Even though 2022 wasn’t quite how I expected, I’m so grateful for the things I learned, experiences I had, and people I met. God is so good ❤

Life Highlights

January

• I got to do a Zoom call with my friend from Australia! We had such fun talking about reading, family, and even the weather. I was so sad when we had to be done. She’s so fun to talk to.
• I turned in a science paper, the first one I ever wrote. The International Space Station was my topic, and I enjoyed the research.
• My sister and I started planning and saving to go to a for King and Country concert in April. They’re our favorite band, and we were thrilled to have the chance to see them in person for the second time.

February

• I went to an open house for the VOTECH near me. I didn’t want to go at first, but I’m so glad I did. The CNA program interested me, and I talked to my parents about applying next year.
• I realized how important friends are, for talking to and being supported.
• I was able to go see Esther at Sight and Sound with some women from my church. The performance was breathtaking. The costumes, the sets, the animals. . . Sight and Sound shows are my favorite. They make the story come alive.

March

• I drew a picture of Belle from Beauty and the Beast, and I was so happy with how it turned out! I don’t usually like art, but this project was enjoyable. I sent it to a friend, who loves the movie.
• I started writing to two new friends, and started getting more creative with my letters to pen pals. Instead of just sending the letter in a plain white envelope, I began decorating them and even making my own envelopes.
• I did some babysitting for my sister. Spending time with my nieces and nephews is always a joy, and I love it. They are so energetic, and have such fun ideas.

April

• I started running every other day, training for the triathlons later in the summer. While I didn’t always want to go running, especially when it was so hot later on, I can see how running consistently built up strength, concentration, and endurance.
• I took the plunge and set a Camp NaNoWriMo goal of 15K. I had hopes of getting closer to finishing the novel I’d been working on for seven months. Despite some setbacks, I made it!
• My beautiful niece was born, the same day we went to the for King and Country concert! She was (and is!) a sweet, happy baby, and brings so much joy to our family.

May

• I successfully completed my first year of high school. It was quite the school year; I learned so much.
• My family began planting our garden, and I enjoyed being outside again after the long winter. Putting new little plants in the ground to start growing is my favorite time of spring.
• I started taking piano lessons with a new teacher. She went to the Cleveland Institute of Music, and is an amazing musician. I look forward to lessons every week and learning something new!

June

• I turned sixteen! I had a lovely day with my parents, sister and grandparents. I went shopping at Target too, something I always enjoy.
• My family and I went to Florida to visit my grandparents for a week. We hadn’t seen them for two and a half years, so it was so good to see them again.
• I went to City Challenge in Columbus, Ohio with my church’s youth group. The week was amazing, and I learned so much and did things out of my comfort zone. The chapel sessions were one of my favorite parts of the week.

July

• I got my learner’s permit! the test wasn’t as difficult as I thought it might be, and I passed the first time. My dad and I went to an empty parking lot for several days to practice, before going out on the road.
• My grandfather got sick, and my family drove to Florida again to be with him and my grandmother.
• I led the preschool class at VBS! A family friend asked me to plan and organize everything for it. It was a lot of work getting it all arranged, but I enjoyed the experience and would totally do it again next year.

August

• My sisters and I competed in a triathlon for the third year in a row! It’s always such fun to do events together. We came in second place with a time of 2:31:07.
• I participated in a Youtheatre workshop for the last time. The show was called You’re Not Alone. I had a wonderful time learning about acting while being with friends I only get to see at Youtheatre.
• I went to Knoebels twice, both times with my family! Each time was so fun. I got to ride all my favorite rides, and some new ones too! I didn’t get to do the haunted house with my brother like I hoped (the line was long and the little ones were tired) but hopefully next time.

September

• My maternal grandparents came for a visit, and we had a lovely time together. We went outside, played a hilarious game of Apples to Apples, and shared a meal together.
• My paternal grandmother moved in with us. My parents worked hard at getting her room finished and looking nice for her. We’re so glad she could live with us!
• I started tenth grade! I enjoyed all of my classes, especially Literature and Composition. I started reading The Odyssey for an assignment and found it to be an interesting story.

October

• For my sister’s and my birthday, our parents took us indoor skydiving at iFly Baltimore. I love flying, and anything related, so the opportunity was exciting! Being up so high, literally floating on air was breathtaking. I’d totally do it again.
• When my nieces and nephews came over, my sister and I picked pumpkins with them. We also did a quick photoshoot with each of them holding their pumpkins. Even the baby sat sweetly with hers.
• I decided to read the Bible through in a year, finishing John and Acts. It’ll be my first time doing this, and I am looking forward to reading books of the Bible I haven’t before and learning more about God as I read.

November

• I participated in NaNoWriMo for the second year in a row. Unfortunately, I didn’t reach my goal of 50K, but I did write 83.47% of that! (Anyone know what number that would be?) I wasn’t able to finish my draft like I hoped, but I plan to finish in the next week or two.
• I applied for a job, and went in for an interview! It was my first interview, and it went well. I got the job! I’m now a cashier at a grocery store chain.
• My family had a great Thanksgiving together. Friends from church came over too for games and dessert. While playing Taboo, there was lots of laughter and chatter around the table.

December

• For my Christmas gift, my parents sent me to winter camp from December 28-31. This year was my third year attending, and as always, camp is a blast. I met people I knew from last year, played new games, and had the best eclairs ever!
• I bought Scrivener! My grandmother gave me money for Christmas, and I wanted to get Scrivener to use for all my upcoming writing projects. After some trial and error during checkout, I started going through the tutorial. So far, it’s definitely been a bit of a learning curve, but I am so excited to implement it for my next novel!
• I spent lots of time with family during Christmas. We played games, laughed, and had some great conversations.

Writing Highlights

• Finished a novella with a friend ~ One year, two drafts, and countless brainstorming calls later, Pearl and I finished our novella, Love Times Two. Writing with her was a wonderful experience, and I learned so much about teamwork, writing, chapters, and character development. I’m so excited for the next step ~ editing!
• Started my email list ~ This was a goal I wrote down for myself in January 2022, and in May, I launched my monthly email list. In it, I share writing progress, writing prompts, a short story, and more! Getting it out each month can be challenging, but I enjoy the work and thought it takes to get it out on time.
• Started my second novel ~ Tentatively called Across Oceans, the story is about friendship, talents, and being there for each other. I am almost finished; just need to write two more chapters! The final before-edits word count should be about 55K.

Goals for 2023

2022 was great. Learned a lot, had many amazing experiences, and met some fabulous people. I’m hoping that 2023 will be a year of even more growth and learning. I could have more goals, and there are more things I’ll be working on, but five each for writing and life is enough to start with, I think.

Life

• Memorize the book of Romans ~ Romans is my favorite book of the Bible because of all it contains. Every time I read it, I find something new I didn’t notice before. Memorizing the whole book will be a challenge, but such a worthwhile one.
• Practice Spanish once a week ~ I started learning Spanish a while ago, but when life got busy, I let it go. This year I’d like to improve and be able to hold a (short) conversation.
• Improve my cursive ~ Cursive was hard for me in school. Mine isn’t too bad, but it can definitely be better. I’d like to be more intentional about writing in cursive and getting better at it. It looks so elegant!
• Go running three days a week; two miles ~ Most of the time, I like running. I feel great, I get to be outside, and I get to know the people in my neighborhood. I didn’t do so great with running after the triathlon, so I need to make time for it.
• Go through my entire room, decluttering ~ Looking for something the other day, I realized how much stuff I’ve kept over the years. Not all of it is important. In 2023, I need to go through every drawer, box, and closet, getting rid of what I’m done with and better storing what I keep.

Writing

• Reach 100 email list subscribers ~ Currently, I’m at 18. I haven’t put a lot of work into growing it, and I’d like to do better at that this year. I have plans for a better lead magnet and new email content that I’m excited about! If you’d like to be a part of my email family, you can sign up here. I’d love to have you!
• Complete two major projects ~ So far, I’ve worked on two novels. The first was set aside, and the second is almost done! I learned so much in the process of writing both, and in 2023, I hope to improve even more in my writing skills. I’m hoping for two novels, plus a novelette, but we’ll see what God has planned.
• Launch my social media platform ~ Instagram is my first choice, and I’ve got some ideas as to what to share. Platform is my weak spot, so I’m looking for an experienced platform mentor who can help me with social media.
• Find balance in writing and the rest of life ~ Honestly, this is hard for me. I want to spend all my free time writing, and that’s not always good. This year, I want to be intentional about making time for other, special things too.
• Plan out // write a good article each month ~ In November, I started posting writing articles here on my blog. For 2023, I need to have a plan so I’m able to post on time each month.

What were the highlights of your 2022? Do you have any goals for 2023? What is something you hope to do this year?

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