Merry Christmas || My Top Books of 2017

Hello everyone, Merry Christmas!! I hope your day has been amazing! 

I thought I'd go ahead and share my top books of 2017. First I'm going to start off with a couple short storys! All links lead to Goodreads.

   

Short Story's:

(I will not be counting these with my books, but I felt they deserved a spot here.

 1. Andora's Folly by Abigayle Claire

(An amazing retelling of Pandora's box)

2. Last Wish by Valerie Howard 

(This story left me crying)

3. Red Boots by Kate Willis

(A sweet, heartfelt story)

4. A Place Called Lonesome by Jesseca Wheaton

(Had me crying in a good way)

5. Friends and Enemies by Jessica Greyson

(Awesome story collection)

My Favorite books of the year, not necessarily in order.

1. The Girl Who Could See by Kara Swanson

(This was probably one of the best written books I've ever read)

2. Exiles by Jaye L. Knight

(One of my favorites in this series so far)

3. Martin Hospitality by Abigayle Claire

(An amazing debut book with a powerful message)

4. Control Girl by Shannon Popkin

(Now my number one favorite non fiction book)

5. Emmeline  by Sarah Holman

(An amazing retelling of my favorite Jane Austen book)

6. Grace Triumphant by Alicia A. Willis

(A powerful portrayal of grace)

7. Brothers-in-Arms by Jack Lewis Baillot

(An amazing, and realistic view at WWII)

8. Gift from the Storm by Rebekah A. Morris

(An awesome story and mystery)

9. Firmament: Gestern  by J. Grace Pennington

(Thought provoking and action packed)

10. At Every Turn by Anne Mateer

(A beautiful story with a great message)

What are your favorite books you've read this year?

Have you read any of these?

January Hightlights

Hello everyone! Happy February! Ready for my highlights? Here we go: 

I cut my hair. Not much, but it was my first one, so it was scary enough as it was. I'm enjoying my slightly shorter hair.

A statue in Alabama I belive. =) 

I was in Walmart, using my cart as a skateboard like any mature seventeen year old would, when random middle aged dude number one walked up to me. Now as this rarely happens, I was very unsure of what in the world this guy was doing. Then he just held up his hand and said "I just need to give you a high five for using the cart to skate like that. Anyone who can have that much fun in the grocery store deserves to be congratulated. Yes, this was a very fun experience.

The Mississippi. =) 

I had two cat try to adopt me. On two separate walks I just pet a cat, and it followed me. One of them followed me all the way home! I kinda wanted to keep that one, bu reluctantly sent it on its way home. 

The most awesome thing that happened this month was that I got to surprise one of my best friends for her birthday. What made this about twice as awesome as it would have been was that she lives in South Carolina, I live in Texas. My mom and oldest sister drove me three days to get there, and while Sarah was sick none the less. I did manage to keep it a secret the whole way there and the look on her face was priceless. One of us hit the car horn, but I'm not sure who. XD The picture above is of Jessica. Isn't she gorgeous?? Meeting up with her made me wish I could see all my friends again.

Charleston

While I was at Jessica's house, she and her awesome family took us around South Carolina. We got to see Charleston, Cowpens, Gaffney, and lots of little towns I do not remember. Above is the Gaffney water tower which I was told I could not leave town without seeing. ;D

Me and Jessica.

I got to meet Rachelle Rea Cobb!! She is a fantastic author and an awesome person. It was amazing!

While I was in South Carolina my dog disappeared for five days! Thankfully he came back right before we came home!

Cowpens

Around nine thirty at night one time my sister Rebekkah and I just randomly decided to play Twister. No reasoning there, we just felt like it. I got beat four times in a row. I am not very good at the game, but I had a ton of fun getting beaten. ;D

Total: 10

My favorite was At Every Turn by Anne Mateer. It was amazing!!

You Win Fifth out of Ten 

Encourage + Inspire Burning Youth 

Why Snail Mail Is The Best Totally Graced 

Pity Party's Are My Specialty Whimsical Thoughts

Beware Twilight to Dawn 

Drowning Chasing Moonlight

100 Things I'd Rather Be Holding Totally Graced

I Got My Book The Introverted Extrovert 

How was your January? 

When You Fail Resalutions

Rosemary flowers. =)

This little guy was not afraid of me taking his photo. Well, just so long as I did not touch his food. ;D

Isn't this door awesome?!? =D

Alright, I'll be honest, I did horrible on my 2016 resolutions. I won't go through the long painful list of things I didn't accomplish, I'll just tell you there were a lot of them. I had goals for education, writing, physical, relationships, spiritual, and lots of random ones. And I'm telling you, one year ago, I was super excited to set down those resolutions. I was excited to promise that I would do better and that I would accomplish a lot. 

And here I am a year later with a pitiful amount of those done. I had no idea a year that so much would change in just twelve short months. I had no idea how hard this year would be, or how rewarding. Especially during the beginning of this year I went through one of the hardest times of my life so far. I was faced with some issues I had never dealt with before and a lot of things that made me rethink my motivations. Later this year I have gone through some very exciting times. Things are happening I had pretty much given up hope on. 

And you know what, all that stuff pretty much wrecked my resolutions. I failed at almost every single thing on my list, and right now, I'm okay with that. Because what I did this year were things I never would have put on my list. I learned stuff I didn't even know I needed to learn and I felt a depth of connection with God I never have felt before. Thats not something you can just do whenever you like. That was on God's list for me this year. 

So what if I did fail at my resolutions? God had something else for me in mind and I am very glad He led me, even if I did drag my feet. 

Did you fail at your resolutions?
What is the biggest thing you've learned this year?