rambling about my favorite 2023 experiences

I’m going to be rambling about some of my favorite 2023 experiences (as the title suggested). If you needed proof that I am an outrageously sentimental person, this is it. Don’t judge me. 😇

I’m posting this right before my one-week Christmas hiatus, so blame that if I don’t get to your comment right away.

Without further ado, let the rambling commence!

going to a free outdoor concert featuring Micah Tyler

When he sang “I See Grace,” I decided then and there that it was the best moment of my entire summer. It was so beautiful. Night had fallen (in terms of the vibes, night is THE best time for concerts ✨), and my siblings and some friends and I were so close to the stage, and I was just singing my heart out 😭 SO MAGICAL.

My favorites were “I See Grace”, “Even Then,” and “Praise the Lord.”

We left before it ended, though. *sobs because I missed being there for Walking Free*

But at least I have those absolutely AMAZING memories. So now when I think about it, it’s just a high.

Also I didn’t realize how incredible of a singer Micah Tyler is!!! His vocals are just *chef’s kiss*

reading Karen Witemyer’s Inn for a Surprise

Honestly, this one is far less easily explainable. 🤣 So, Inn for a Surprise is a historical romance novella about a romance-loving spinster and a stodgy businessman. It’s so delightfully witty and tender and clever and adorable. The reason this ranks as a favorite 2023 spring memory is because I read it on a sunny Sunday afternoon, and when I finished it, I was just filled with this sparkling, magical optimism that I’d been lacking the entire season. Something about the heroine, Phoebe Woodward, resonated so strongly with me, and it inspired me to self-reflect and journal about deep things.

I felt so unreasonably excited to be alive. And lemme tell you, that is the absolute best feeling. When you’re just ready to sing and dance in the sunshine because SUNSHINE EXISTS. AND BEAUTIFUL STORIES EXIST. AND BUTTERFLIES EXIST. AND BALLGOWNS EXIST.

being a part of Tell Me You Love Me‘s release

This might sound weird, but the overall aesthetic of Tell Me You Love Me (and my story in it, To Be Loved) gives me such a distinct, nostalgic, happy feeling. It makes me think of the color pink, wildflowers, fresh air, more pink, soft piano music…and I just love it.

So that whole crazy rush of release is such a lovely memory for me! 🙂 And seeing how so many dear friends (and even strangers!) supported me was SO encouraging.

(As a random note, I wrote much of To Be Loved along to this immersive writing session video, and to this day I CANNOT turn it on without immediately being transported into the world of To Be Loved. 🤣 I need to use it when I write the sequel.)

“going about town” by myself hahaha

Being homeschooled and living in the country (and not yet driving), I didn’t get any chances to hang out around town, much less by myself. (Which, for us, is about 15 minutes away.) Going into any building (maybe except for a library, haha) by myself was a very daunting thought.

And I mean it still kinda is, but… 🤣

But since getting a job at the coffee shop downtown, I’ve had plenty of chances to just walk around town by myself. 😜 (Mainly going to the library and the thrift shop, granted, but still. It counts. XD) 😅 It’s made me finally feel capable of doing things adults do. I DO have “it” in me, even if “it” is buried under layers of hermit-like preferences. 😉 I can talk to strangers. I can answer the phone as horrifying as it is. I can cross the street and go to thrift shops by myself.

Plus it’s so fun to walk down the sidewalk by yourself.

Yes, I know that’s childish of me.

That does increase a likelihood of excruciatingly awkward moments. Like tripping over the curb and forgetting how to answer when someone asks “how are you” and blanking out on simple math equations. But by this point, I’ve had so many awkward moments that I just cringe, whisper “that was awkward,” think about it for a little too long, and then…I just move on. I STILL LIVE.

*realizes this has turned into an exposition about the psychology of awkward experiences*

Well, I did warn you that this would be rambly, didn’t I?

getting a job at the coffee shop

May as well talk some more about this while I’m on the subject. I’ve gotten to meet new people (and even made a few friends) and had wildly stressful situations and practiced having conversations. I’ve had to be in public even when I don’t feel like it. And even though I still get nervous on the drive there (for whatever reason) and I hate getting up at 5:30 am (or, more exactly, 5:33 am 😏), it’s something I can’t help but look forward to. 😆

when SKIN came out

It’s no secret that Cimorelli is my favorite band, and when they finally released their song SKIN, I was elated. I’ve listened to it so much that it made it to my #1 top song of 2023 on Spotify. 😊

singing live WITH A MICROPHONE for the first time

This has been a dream of mine for ages, and it was so fun for this to finally come true! My younger brother and I sang his song “You Are My God” at two talent shows this year! Both times, it didn’t turn out exactly as I’d hoped and I realized that I come across far different than I imagine. But you gotta start somewhere, right?

going to a family retreat in Missouri

The memories there made were absolutely priceless. I love family vacations for that reason – you can’t help but make the best memories! The funniest memories, really.

Sweating in the sunshine, playing an impromptu game of volleyball with siblings, hiking through a forest and getting lost, reading Autumn Skies by Denise Hunter by the car window during the long drive there, serving food, glugging water like it’s the last liquid substance on earth, fighting over the best bunk bed, belting out “Eye of the Tiger” in the car, staying up too late, dipping our toes in cold river water and trying not to slip…

Yeah. It was a great time. 😇

going to a Christian homeschoolers camp in Wisconsin

I really loved this so much. Some memorable moments from this…

• standing on a tiny box WAY too high up from the ground and jumping off (or, in other words, going ziplining 🤣)
• serving food with my sisters and the other volunteers, and silently laughing at the guy next to me who kept talking about protein
• sitting under the stars and talking with a most beloved sister XD
• holding hands in a game and being deliciously scared as we ventured deep into the forest
• thinking that the goal in rock climbing was to go the fastest you could, not just the highest 🤦‍♀️
• going kayaking and dipping my hands in the cool water
• the live, interactable performance of Pilgrim’s Progress and seeing truths I already knew shown in a different way that hit harder (like following commandments and being a good person without actually surrendering your heart to the Lord is literally like walking in circles, a distant end in sight but never in reach.)
• walking, walking, walking, walking, walking, walking, walking, walking…and wishing I had rollerblades or a bike
• eating hot dogs outside while smoke drifted in the air and warded off a swarm of gnats
• being sad to leave

GOING TO A FOR KING AND COUNTRY CONCERT

THIS.

This was magical.

At the very end of November, we went to the kickoff of their Little Drummer Boy Christmas tour. Need I say more? It’s FOR KING AND COUNTRY.

They were incredible. Of course. It was a Greatest Showman-worthy performance. My favorite parts where when Luke opened it by singing In the Bleak Midwinter (the drama, guys. I was genuinely spellbound.), when Joel launched into a speech that led up to them singing Priceless (aughhhhh IT HIT HARD), and when they sang their epic version of “O Come O Come Emmanuel.”

“Little Drummer Boy” would have been my favorite if I’d heard it, but because of the little kids, we left before the finale to go home before the crowds could slow things down. I was heartbroken. 😭😭😭😭

What can I say? It was so worth it.

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What are some highlights of your year? What new things did you try? Did you go to any concerts or embark on any adventures? Would you rather vacation in the mountains or by the beach? Ramble about it in the comments! 😉