2017 Year in Review

January.

started my second quarter of college and met one of my now closest friend (Demetria) in my Pacific Northwest History and Advanced Composition class.
was working on my poetry blog Chasing Moonlight (go check it out-I just posted something new).
really just did a whole lot of schoolwork, listened to a plethora of musicals, read a ton of good books, and dealt with being sick for a week or two.

blog posts:
Hey There January
Life Happenings
Favorite Period Drama Soundtracks
Job 1-2

February.

ate SO many hot fudge pop tarts after my yoga class. exercise made me hungry and they were always just right outside, sitting in the vending machine, waiting for my $1.
realized that blogging was hard and that working + being a college student made focusing on my passions very difficult.
spent a lot of time at the college laughing with my best friend Chloe, eating french fries, and talking in class (sorry professors).

blog posts:
Hey There February
On Vulnerability
I'm a Bad Blogger

March.

housesat in the middle of nowhere with two adorable pups to keep me company but also like no food and no coffee maker and no warm fire. i may or may not have slept with a bat next to my bed.
died because of finals but also killed them so really whose the real winner here?
went to Portland for spring break with my beautiful mama. we ate way too much food, did way too much shopping, and listened to way too many oldies. 10/10.
and visited Multonomah Falls which was super pretty but really cold.
also had to deal with super weird weather in Washington because one day it was like 60 degrees and sunny and then suddenly it would snow and i just couldn't handle it.

blog posts:
Hey There March
Job 3-5
Top Five Winter Reads

April.

started my third quarter of college and took some super awesome classes, including intro to fiction and journalism.
fell super behind on blogging and didn't post my travel diary till a little bit after I had returned from spring break.
redesigned my blog with the help from Julia and Sarah (bless you girls). i'd been wanting to do it for so long and I'm still super happy with it <3
celebrated Easter with my beautiful family and remembered the sacrifice of Christ and His amazing amazing grace.
got my senior pictures taken by the lovely lovely Elissa and she did such a good job guys!

blog posts:
Hey There April
Travel Diary: Portland

May.

went to homeschool "prom" and swing danced with a ton of my close friends and ate pasta and kind of killed my feet (heels are not my friends).
got accepted into my dream university but later learned that dreams change and life happens.
i got hired at my first official job at Red Robin and have since then ate many fries, learned that not everyone is always very nice (customer service ppl raise your hand), and met some pretty cool coworkers.
also murphy turned 1!! so that's pretty exciting.

blog posts:
Hey There May
Travel Diary: Multonomah Falls
The Ultimate Family Night

June.

my brother zachary got married to my beautiful sister in law, Nicole. but then they moved to montana and left us all behind, but still. they're so cute!
i graduated high school and also finished my first year of college, both with a lot of sweat and tears. i had my graduation party and got to celebrate with my family and friends.
the little bro turned 16 and got his license (which is so crazy!)
i went on lots of adventures with my family and friends including exploring seattle, hiking to a hidden lake, and hopping on rocks along the water.

blog posts:
Hey There June
Life Right Now
On Change

July.

4th of july meant sleeping under the stars, fireworks, roasting marshmallows, bike riding, and backyard baseball.
i started summer classes which was honestly the worst decision but oh well, you live and you learn.
created my summer bucket list which basically included lots of adventures and eating food with friends.
went on my first camping trip of the summer with my friend Demetria. we camped in the north cascades and explored Winthrop and died of heat.
bought my hammock and basically used it all the time. best purchase of the summer maybe?

blog posts:
Hey There July
My Summer Bucket List
Hiking Fragrance Lake
Camping in the Cascades

August.

the berries came out and murphy and i spent a lot of time eating them and getting sunburnt.
my dear friend sasha came and visited me and we drank lots of coffee and explored mountains and made plans for the future and ate lots of ice cream.
lots of homework happened as i fought to finish my summer classes without failing too many of them.
explored seattle part II. but this time it was with Chloe and we bought flowers and ate fish n chips and went on the ferris wheel and also struggled to find parking (because that's seattle for ya)

blog posts:
Exploring the North Cascades
Feeling Stuck

September.

said goodbye to chloe as she left for YWAM and the adventure of a lifetime <3
went on my first ever family-free road trip and even though i love my family, it was just an entirely different kind of awesome adventure.
first we stopped in portland and did way too much shopping. we also spent some time eating lots of food and dancing around flower beds.
then we went to in n out and OH MY WORD so so yummy
afterwards we arrived in yosemite which was honestly the prettiest place ever. the hike killed me but also it was so worth it.
then we hugged super big trees in the redwood forests.
and finally we drove up the oregon coast, ran around in the sand, visited lighthouses, and attempted to find campsites that were still open (it was a struggle).
i started my 2nd year of college and wow did it kick my butt.
i also got a job as the assistant editor of the college newspaper AND a writing consultant at my college's writing center, so all in all some pretty cool opportunities.

blog posts:
Walking the Streets of Seattle
Your Light Matters

October.

my mom and step dad left for a road trip and that meant parties at my house (aka chilling with the lil bro and eating lots of french fries)
sasha came to visit me again and i brought her to my favorite place ever, the north cascades. We did lots of gazing at mountains, shivering, and picture taking.
i dressed up like a cat at work and tons of little kids laughed at me.
pumpkin patch time!! totally carved my pumpkin with a christmas tree because i couldn't wait.


blog posts:
The Summer of 2017
When Life Gets Too Busy

November.

went on my first college retreat and had such an amazing time meeting new friends, worshipping Jesus, and having a 2010 dance party.
got an a on my psych presentation and i'm still so so happy!
my momma turned 50 and she's still just as beautiful and silly as ever ;)
all three of my brothers and i reunited and it felt soooo good. even though it was just a few days long and under sad circumstances, it was still such a special time.
my car got a little excited for christmas and wasn't afraid to flaunt it.

blog posts:
Why Christmas Starts on Nov. 1st

December.

fall quarter ended which meant lots of homework but then sweet relief.
i turned 19 and was able to have a whole bunch of my super close friends celebrate with me by going to bookstores and eating burgers.
my family and i went to leavenworth which is this super adorable town that celebrates Christmas like non other and has super yummy taffy.
christmas was magical because it meant lot's of family time and laughter with friends and i just love it.
also i was gifted all the illustrated harry potter books which are just so darn beautiful i could cry.
and i ended my year with family and friends and headed into the new year so happy and SO blessed (and also, again, in the north cascades).

blog posts:
Instagram Doesn't Show Everything

How was the year of 2017 for you? Give me a recap and let me know what you're grateful for this year. Having you all as readers and continuously supporting me has meant SO much and I cannot wait to continue on with the year of 2018!

Love you all lots,

Elizabeth