2019, you were so unbelievably wonderful. How blessed I am to be able to look back at a life that has increasingly sweetened & deepened in meaning & memory. God is so good to me, and my family & friends are the best in this world. Finally finished polishing this post up so, here’s to ’19, another year over…
~~Oops, this is kinda late. Hey, it’s still January right?? In a couple days, I’m also going to be sharing some MORE things I love about 2019… you can think of the two posts that will follow as a series of sorts haha. Bear with me :’)~~
January to May–the end of a chapter
I started my last semester at community college. Since my GE was already completed, all I had to do was take classes to have enough transfer units. It was a very easy schedule!
I wrote my first ever book review!!! Symbolic Logic was kind of mindnumbing, but I did end up with an A. I read an entire book in one day–hadn’t since high school; my reading mojo was back 😉
Pretty flowers, visits with family, & Auburn basketball making it to the Final Four of March Madness…ahhh.
A trip to Great America right before finals week was so refreshing, & the rain drizzled down all day. Pizza-My-Heart, gondolas, pink drinks, and the best playlist for the drive–darling.
June & July–Summer!
It’s going to become fairly evident that I adore Summer with all my heart, & it was the pinnacle of my year, as always.
June was a month of early rises, gym time with Dad, celebrating birthdays & graduations, loads of pool time, pulling out the sea-inspired, patriotic decor, spending time w/family, & VBS. (Halfway through our lookback to ’19, another year over…wild.)
San Diego
Our getaway to San Diego was thrillingly lovely. Evening walks downtown, a day at La Jolla, shopping at Seaport Village, etc, etc.
Our return from San Diego saw us right into the 4th of July–my favourite holiday, tied w/Christmas 😉 I wrote about this beautiful nation I live in; you can read that here!
Pismo (the love of my life)
Pismo followed the 4th very quickly. I got to spend 8 beautiful days in my happy place. While we made sure to hit our usual places up & keep 10-year old traditions, we did new things!
Oh, how I adore the sea. Two delightful, blithe, and exhilarating days were spent at the seaside.
We rambled on the dunes, ate taffy, took a fantastic 3-mile hike, ate breakfast together, sipped on tea, read all the books (of course, I was delving into The Chronicles of Narnia, as I always do this time of year), & generally enjoyed the absolute life out of life :’)
There is always so much I could say about what is the most wonderful time of year for me, and I have countless reminders of just how rapturous this past summer was. God is too good to me <3
August to October–a new chapter
WE GOT TO GO BACK TO PISMO BRIEFLY:’) Another day by the waves, a run beside the ocean, hours spent swimming in the tide: perfection. A couple of days were in SF for BASEBALLLL!!
Right around this time I went self-hosted, bought my own domain, & changed the blog name from “Twinkle Thoughts” to “Brine & Books”!!
Back to the old grind…
The very end of Summer brought me my Associate’s Degree in the mail, & school began again. I started my junior year as a transfer to State, a nice upgrade :’)
Luckily, I got two classes that I enjoyed very much; they are what kept me sane for the other two that I detested :’) Creative Writing was such a joy, and I feel like I learned so much! With school came football games & the slow creep of Autumn to our doorsteps.
November & December–20 & Christmas!
Dreamy Autumn evenings were spent: with friends at the pumpkin patch, baking all things pumpkin, or walking over crunchy leaves. Never have I consumed so many tasty tea & coffee drinks…
SWITCHFOOT!! I got to see Switchfoot for my 20th birthday, and it was the BEST GIFT EVER–tied with books, of course 😉 That middle photo on the left wasn’t me at the concert; it was me when AUBURN WON THE IRON BOWL (however, it was very fitting for how I felt @ the concert :’))!!! Thanksgiving came & brought the best food as well as more happy memories.
It was a magical month. I went to Candy Cane Lane, had fun at the fancy Christmas party, bought so many presents, watched Christmas films, and felt the joy of the season. Advent was celebrated each week, & I enjoyed reflecting on Christ & His arrival to earth.
’19, another year over… I’m looking forward to an even better year: if I can look back at 2020 and say that I grew more as a Christian & a person–that I advanced more than I did in 2019–it will be better, regardless of my circumstances. Happy (late) New Year!!