So, it's my birthday. . .and while I'd love to write a yearly "reflection" over this past year of my life, I don't have the patience to do so. Instead, I thought I'd give you a snapshot into my 21st year by sharing 21 memories with you. (Hopefully brief! Bear with me here.) 1. God's Love I can't start without mentioning the big thing I've learned from this year. After reading Phillip Keller's book and other scriptures, I came away with a new definition of God's love and I was blown away. His love is really unique, and oh-so full of His grace and mercy. Think about it. . . would you go so far as to die for your enemy? It seems impossible to love them, but to die for them. . . thinking of them long before they ever thought of Him. . . it's incredible! 2. My new sister This is definitely a big blessing from the past year. A new little sister, Molly Rose. We adore her! 3. Taylor's bridal shower & wedding My cousin, Taylor, was the first out of all the cousins on my mom's side to get engaged and we were SO incredibly excited for her and Nate. This bridal shower happened about a year ago and it was definitely one of the highlights of my year! Breakfast, sugary donuts, tears, and a whole lot of love surrounded this day. And I can't forget the Sheetz run we had the night before with our cousin Ben and the walking tour we took around the hotel. ;) April 30, 2021 is a date for the books! The WHOLE day was so fun and unmatched in excitement. Nate and Taylor married and it was such a blessing to be able to see their love for God and each other on display throughout the entire day. You couldn't help but walk away with precious memories to carry with you always. 4. Aunt Cindy & Uncle Ernie's 50th Anniversary Party This was a really fun day. The weather was warm and sunny, perfect for this celebration. We got to see a lot of relatives we hadn't seen in a long time, and it was fun catching up and hanging out together. Some of my siblings would argue that the best part of the party was zipping around in Cousin Mark's Corvette. :) 5. Airport Day Every year at our local airport they have an airport day, open to the public with lots of food, vendors, antique cars, open-vehicle tours, and most of all, airplane and helicopter rides! Our cousins from North Carolina were visiting town that weekend, so we took them over to the airport Saturday morning and began a day full of adventures. My cousin Matthew rode on an airplane, while my brother Luke took a ride in a helicopter. So cool! What is most memorable is the fun we had afterwards when a group of us went to McDonald's and Chick-fil-A for a really late afternoon lunch! There was a lot of laughter and teasing over the walkie-talkies in our cars. 6. Swearing In My dad was sworn in as a re-elected councilman for Wyoming Borough. He is also the council president and it was fun celebrating this night with pizza and dinner before the meeting and the swearing in of new and old members. :) 7. Gabbie and Aiden's wedding This was the year for attending weddings! It was a blessing to be able to celebrate Gabbie and Aiden's love at this beautiful venue. The weather was perfect and the whole day was full of memories, touching gestures, and speeches celebrating this wonderful couple. :) 8. The Montrose Christian Writer's Conference I've attended this writer's conference for the last three years and have gained so much information and made many friends. It's a close-knit community of writers here, and I enjoy coming back and seeing old and new friends. :) This was also my first year staying on the campus so that was a fun experience! 9. Visiting World's End The week after the writers' conference a few of my siblings and one of our cousins headed to World's End Park to visit Aunt Cindy, Uncle Ernie, and their gang camping out! It was warm, perfect for a walk down by the river and sitting around the campfire, doing some more catching up and snacking on treats. As you can see, my sister enjoyed seeing Cousin Mark's Corvette again. ;) 10. Family vacation to Myrtle Beach, SC The ocean, as always, was wild and beautiful. It's always so peaceful walking down the beach and we did that quite a few times during this trip. Sitting on the ocean-front balcony was picturesque and offered a lot of story inspiration just staring out over the Atlantic Ocean as far as my eyes could see. :) 11. Fun with my younger sisters Summer was full of icy treats, evenings on the front porch just to watch the sunset, and lots of giggles with these girls. Aren't they the cutest? ;) 12. God's Creation I spend a lot of time sitting on the front porch last summer, beholding the sunset or any other display of God's handiwork that unfolded. :) I don't know why I didn't realize it before, but I learned then that no sunset looks the same. Each one has its own unique beauty and no two are alike. Seeing the sunset always reminds me of Psalm 113:3. 13. Stories I got to write As much as I would have loved to write more, I did manage to complete a couple short stories and one, full-length novel, temporarily titled, "Where Life and Memories Bloom." It was a memorable story, where multiple times I felt as if I'd just spilled my heart out onto the page, through the characters and the struggles they were going through. It's always fun to finally see the ideas in your head, often sitting in your heart for a long time, come to fruition through your fingertips. :) But all the glory goes to God for giving me the words and calling me to this writing journey. 14. Taylor and Nate's announcement During one of the Dymond's trips to town, they got a video call from Taylor and Nate and they told us the happy news: they were going to have a baby! I can still remember that late afternoon, and how my heart started racing when Uncle James said who was on the phone. I knew immediately what this was going to be! Fast forward to last month, and the update: they're having a baby GIRL! We can hardly wait to meet her in a few more months. :) 15. Attending the Dymond's New Years Eve Party This is an annual event that happens every year and it was fun to be able to attend with some of my siblings. We got up super early to drive the five hours out to their house, then we spent the afternoon relaxing before the big party. It was complete with fellowship, lots of different games, corn hole, ping pong tournaments, group devotions (that was a highlight of my night) and getting to know new friends. I had a really fun time getting to know Esther Hartman, my cousin Ben's girlfriend. We're both writers so that was definitely a subject we enjoyed talking about, as well as impactful books and big memories from the past year. It was surely one of the most memorable ways to start of 2022! 16. Some of the great reads See that book over on the far left? THAT was a very impactful read for me this year, bringing to my attention the struggles of soldiers in the Great War, the sacrifices some of them made, and the significance of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. I cried, I laughed, and my heart ached with the characters and how very real their situations appeared to be. If you haven't read anything by Amanda Dykes, go do it now! She was one of the new-to-me authors from last year, as well as Kimberly Duffy and Sarah Sundin. :) 17. Clark Summit University's Lady Defenders basketball game
This was a more recent highlight of my 21st year, watching two of my former team-mates from the River of Life Christian Academy basketball team, represent their college team in the Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) Championship. As you can see, they WON! The whole place was screaming and on their feet every time they made a basket. It was their first time going to the NCAA in a long time. :) 18. Laura's recital and choir concert My sister, Laura, attends Clark Summit University and is majoring in music education. This past fall and winter she had a junior recital, playing her violin. She did a great job, and the pieces were beautiful! Closer to Christmas, she participated in a choir concert and the sound! It was like a taste of heaven here on earth. They are planning on having another choir concert later in the Spring and I'm really looking forward to seeing her perform again! 19. Working at Bath & Body Works This was the longest job I stayed with, when they kept me on after the holidays. I learned many lessons there, customer service being one of them, and the ladies I worked with were fun and they kept things entertaining, even on the busiest shopping days of the season. :) The employee perks and discounts, were a plus, too. ;) 20. Impactful songs I discovered some new favorites recently: "Wild and Precious Life" by JJ Heller, "You Already Know" by JJ Heller, "Yes, He Can" by CAIN, "Walking Free" by Micah Tyler, and "Sound of the Saints" by Audio Adrenaline. 21. Writing encouragement There were many instances where I was feeling discouraged about my writing or the impact it could have on others and then the Lord would send people, with words of encouragement about a blog post or touching messages about my short stories that boosted my confidence and lifted my heart in praise to Him. He really does know what we need and sends it at the perfect time--in His time, friends. So grateful to the Lord for blessing me with these and countless other memories from my twenty-first year. Can't wait to see what 22 holds! And if you made it this far, thank you. Thank you so much for taking the time to read not only this post but all my other blog posts. It means so much to me!
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AuthorHi! I'm Carolyn, a writer seeking to glorify God with my words. Archives
February 2024
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