Happy New Year!!

First off, I apologize for being a day late with this post... XD
I can't believe it's the year 2016 already! So much has happened in the past year, it seems surreal that it's already gone. I want to thank everyone who has stumbled onto my blog. You guys are amazing! In only a few short months I've had hundreds of viewers from around the globe. It amazes and humbles me to know there are that many people who take time out of their day to read what I have written. With that said, I want to touch on a few highlights of 2015 and also share a few of my new years resolutions.

So in the beginning of 2015, I decided it was time for a few changes. I had been so caught up with school and - school, that I hadn't really done much of anything else. I wanted to start reading for pleasure again. I wanted to start writing again. I wanted to start drawing my fairy drawings again. And I did all of those. Here's the list of books I read in 2015 (not including text books):

The Princess Diaries series by Meg Cabot:
1. The Princess Diaries
Volume 2. Take Two
Volume 3. Third Time Lucky
Volume 4. Mia Goes Fourth
Volume 5. Give Me Five
Volume 6. Sixational
Volume 7. Seventh Heaven
Volume 8. After Eight
Volume 9. To The Nines
Volume 10. Ten Out Of Ten



Kissed By An Angel trilogy by Elizabeth Chandler:
Kissed By An Angel
The Power Of Love
Soulmates

14. Evercrossed by Elizabeth Chandler
15. Everlasting by Elizabeth Chandler
16. Everafter by Elizabeth Chandler
17. The Perks Of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
18. The Shakespeare Stealer by Gary Blackwood
19. Shakespeare's Scribe by Gary Blackwood
20. Shakespeare's Spy by Gary Blackwood
21. Paper Towns by John Green
22. A Tale Of Three Kings by Gene Edwards
23. Me And Earl And The Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews
24. The Heroes Of Olympus by Rick Riordan
25. The Son Of Neptune by Rick Riordan (still reading)

I personally think that that's a great list. Originally I wanted to shoot for 20 books which is still less than the 40-50 books a year I used to read a long time ago, but oh well. These books are all so amazing, I would recommend every single one of them!!

Also, when I began writing my book again, it felt really really good. As I've talked about in earlier blog posts, I hadn't written really at all in the past 2 years or so. I wasn't sure what exactly I was going to write or where the story was going to go, but let me just say I'm very pleased with Beyond The Veil so far.

A lot happened this past year, so I'm going to try to keep this short. I was so excited for the fall to arrive, because during the summer I worked on math courses so that I could be finished with school and graduate with my AA. of course, when the time came, I decided I wouldn't graduate and go for my BA in English. I'd be lying if I said that there weren't times that I didn't question that decision. During the spring, I got in touch with my half-brother that I hadn't spoken to in probably 17 years - well, actually, he got in touch with me. 
I also got a perm. ;) Probably not a big deal, but I was excited about that. Who doesn't want more curls? Yassss... And then come August and I got my hair cut. Not just a short trim, but like, 13 inches taken off. I decided I wanted my hair short, preferably like Camren Bicondova as Selina Kyle in one of my favorite TV shows, Gotham. 
And then September came. My family and I started going to a new church. That's definitely been one of my biggest highlights of 2015. This church has been just what I needed, especially after the year before. The first week I went, it was so welcoming. My sister and I had a very long conversation about the church, saying that when we entered the front doors, it was like we could see/feel God's love for His people. The people seemed so genuinely nice and friendly, the worship was really good. So many opportunities arose for my family. I've gotten the opportunity to play my bass a few times on the Worship Team. I've met some great people, made a few friends.

And then 2016 came. I think my biggest goal this year is to finish writing and publish my book. Who else is excited about that?! While the journey is so enjoyable, the research and the characters and those lines that even impress me, there's nothing quite like that satisfying feeling of holding a finished manuscript in your hands. Am I right? Of course I am, I'm always right. ;)

I of course have another list of books I want to read. I think I'm going to reach for 20 books again this year. If you have any suggestions for me to read, that would be greatly appreciated!! Some of the books I have picked out for myself are: The Dancing Master by Julie Klassen, Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, Idylls Of The King by Alfred Lord Tennyson, Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke, and to finish The Heroes Of Olympus series by Rick Riordan. I don't currently own all of these titles, so for those of you who know me *cough cough*...ok, moving on.

One thing I'm going to try to do this year is write down all of the good things that happen to me this year. My sister is doing it too. We're going to write them on small scraps of paper and fill a jar or a box, and then at the end of the year, we will read them. We see and count all of the little blessings we have in a single year. I thought it was a cute idea. I think it will be special when we read them at the end of the year. We'll see how long I stay committed to actually doing it though.

If you guys have any new years resolutions you want to share, I'd love to hear them! Again, thank you so much for reading, hope you all have a great year this year!! ;)