Good morning, Cyberspace! As you may have noticed, it has been a hot second since we’ve posted to the blog. Life has been curiously busy the past few weeks, which was both expected and unexpected (in very good ways!) I started my brand new job, and I have been absolutely loving it. I knew I would miss being a Children’s Librarian when I left the library last year, but I didn’t realize how much of it had become ingrained in my very bones. The past three weeks have involved me getting introduced to the new families and littles that I will be working with for the foreseeable future, as well as getting situated in a new town and a new space! It has been… honestly, I don’t even have the words for how wonderful it has been. I feel like all my time spent at the previous library has been leading me to this very moment and place. The Lord is so good, guys. I can’t even say how much.

Aside from that, I have been busy busy busy moving back in with my parents! The change has been life-giving, and I am so happy to announce that–as of today!–I am officially up and out of my first apartment. There are still a few logistical things that need worked around, but for the most part it is finished. It’s been such a bear moving all of my stuff, but it’s done! I no longer have to worry about tripping over boxes or mice eating my stuff while I was away… (Never again. Oh my gosh.)

Some people might find it strange that a fully grown adult is excited to move back in with her parents. In my opinion, this is a season to cherish and I’m very grateful for the opportunity to start over.

Speaking of starting over, it is a new year! New year, new thoughts, new chances to succeed. While I’ve loved every single busy second that January has brought, I am ready to settle in and start getting consistent about my habits and goals! Naturally, blogging is one of those things that I want to get consistent on… But we’ll talk about that in a moment!

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JANUARY THOUGHTS, 2026 – STARTING OVER, NEW HABITS, & OLD GOALS

I am so bad at staying consistent with my goals… I know that’s really poor of me to say, but if it’s the truth I feel it should be stated. I AM BAD AT MAINTAINING MY GOALS.

Guess I’ll just shout it from the rooftops.

I love setting goals. I love saying, “Hey! You! Look at this shiny new goal that I have! Isn’t it so beautiful and lovely and cool?!” And then I try to succeed at it for 0.2 days and then promptly forget it ever existed in the first place. But! Does this deter me from trying to set and maintain my goals?

Nope. Not even a little bit.

So today we are talking all about habits, goals, and–most importantly–giving yourself grace when you inevitably fail.

First off, let’s talk about habits…

HABITS

habit one – drink more water

Okay…so this is one that I’ve been working on for a looooong time. Staying hydrated is something that I lowkey struggle with–especially because soda is SO GOOD. But. Soda is not healthy for you. You know what is healthy for you? Water. Plain and simple.

So this year, I am trying my best to make the consistent choice of drinking water instead of soda. This will become more of a struggle when the weather clears up and the Circle K across the street doesn’t entail traversing a tundra in order to get there… (I am a sucker for those 79 cent sodas, my goodness…) but alas. For right now, we are drinking water and sticking to it!

habit two – read through the entire Bible

This is something that my church is actually doing, as well, so the accountability is super good. Although I’ve been raised in the Bible belt, I can’t say that I’ve ever actually read the entire Bible through from start to finish. And that is… a problem. A pretty big one.

So this year, I am tackling the challenge of reading the entire Bible in one year! I just finished Genesis, and I’m starting Exodus today. It’s been a really interesting experience seeing how the promise of Jesus was present even in the beginning!

habit three – write consistently

This one is something that I’ve been trying to build up for a while now, but have hardcore struggled with. Writing consistently would be one of my top priorities since, ya know, I want to be a writer. But for some reason it always gets thrown to the wayside and just doesn’t happen.

So. This year, I am making it a consistent priority. A habit. A mindset. I’ve got to get comfortable with writing in the silence, because that is exactly what it is going to take for me to grow this into a consistent practice.

Naturally, this means working on my book regularly. But I also want to blog more consistently, as well! Which brings us to the goals portion of this post!

GOALS

goal one – publish at least 3 blog posts a month

So…obviously this is not going to happen for January. But that’s okay! Remember that part about giving ourselves grace when we inevitably fail? Yeah. That begins today.

Beginning in February, I want to post at least 3 times on the blog. This will help build a consistent practice, and it’s something that I’ve been meaning to do for a good long while now. I feel like the art of blogging has somewhat died since I first started in 2016 (….10 years ago. Huhn. Just now realizing I’ve been doing this on and off for 10 years now…), but I still love blogging! And it’s my hope that blogs will come back once the craze for short attention span content dies out… (or our brains slowly wither away. Whichever comes first.)

All that to say…the goal is to write 3 posts a month! I would love it if the majority of these were about my writing and publishing milestones, but we shall see what 2026 holds!

goal two – start a podcast!

Oh, I am so excited about this particular one! I’ve already sketched out the first couple episodes, and I have a new microphone on my desk that is begging to be tested… The ideas are percolating, and I have a theory that it will somehow be connected to the blog, as well. Naturally, this is further along in the year–after I figure out the logistical side of things–but it is something that I’ve been wanting to do for years, and I feel like this is finally the right time to do it!

(also comment below and tell me what sort of content you’d like to see on the podcast!)

goal three – live with intention

This one is a little less tangible than the other two, but it’s something that I’ve been praying a lot about. Living with intention–with purpose–has been on my heart for a while now, and I feel like now is the moment to actually start walking in it.

Last year, when everything essentially blew up in my face and I was left staring at the falling pieces, I was forced to take a good long look at where I was at and where I was going–where I wanted to go. Suddenly, everything I thought I knew about my life seemed…not so sure.

It was a difficult time, and I am beyond grateful for the friends and family who helped stitch me back together! But even now I’m left with questions that I don’t have answers to. Big decisions I thought were set in stone are now shifting. But there is one thing I know for certain, and that is God doesn’t change. And if He doesn’t change, then all I can really do is my best to follow Him. Right now, I just need to live with intention every day and trust that He will sort the rest out in His own timing!

I have a feeling that this will be one that I wrestle with for a while, but I’m learning ever so slowly to trust in His plan for my life, not my own. It’s a difficult mental shift, but one that I know will bear way more fruit in the long run!

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TALK TO ME!

How has January treated you, friends? Anything new and exciting happening this year that you’re eager to share? Any goals or habits you are working on? Let’s talk about all of it in the comments below!