No need to say goodbye . . .

2016 has breathed its last, and in doing so has ushered us into a glorious new scene on the stage of life. The year of our Lord two-thousand and seventeen. 

Wow. 2016 is officially over. So, so, SO much happened this year. It's been insanely busy, incredibly full, and undeniably blessed. 
This year, I learned that friends are some of God's greatest blessings. I learned that sometimes it's okay to not have life planned out. And I've realized that with God on our side, the edges of the galaxy are really the only limits we have. 2016 has been an amazing year for me, though it has had it's hard and and difficult times.
So. Lets get right into it, shall we? 

-Blogging-

This year ended up with a huge change from my posting mainly on A Kansas Wind to posting exclusively on this blog. Why? Because I got to the point where two blogs was just a bit too much, and I wanted to focus more seriously on my writing. The result? This ended up becoming my main blog, and I published 107 posts this year. Which seems like a ton to me. xD I also got to 25K page-views, and eighty-three followers, including the Google followers and email subscribers. Which . . . is a bit overwhelming to realize. You guys are amazing. 

The most popular post of the year was Friends, Starbucks, and an Announcement. Possibly because the word "Starbucks" was in there? xD

I also found so many wonderful new blogs to follow. I feel so blessed by being able to meet so many other amazing bloggers this year. The blogging world is the best, people. 

-Writing-

I wrote a rough estimate of around 110,000K words. Which isn't actually too impressive, but I'm happy with it. Added to that writing, I worked through three edits of A Question of Honor, four edits of The Silent Blade, and three edits of Beyond the Horizon. Basically, I edited way too much this year. ;P I was able to finish and win NaNo in November for the second time, which was amazing! 

I also published two books. The Silent Blade released in July, and Beyond the Horizon released in December. 

Writing this year has been crazy, exhausting, and incredibly rewarding. I've been able to grow in so many areas, and I can't wait to continue learning from seasoned authors, getting feedback, and going on wild adventures with my characters. Writing is my life. Words are beautiful. And I can't wait to see where 2017 takes me. Am I nervous? Hmm, yes. But I know God's got this. And no matter how much (or how little) I accomplish, it's okay. 

-Life-

Life was crazy exciting this year. Lots of learning, growing, and seeking God's will.  I turned 18, got my drivers license, took the leap from being a writer to being an author, went from Washington state to Texas in the space of two weeks, and was able to meet four(!!!) internet friends in person. I addition, I was able to vote for the first. time. ever. 

If I had to choose one thing that was the most exciting in 2016, I'd have to say it was the election. *cringes* I know, I know. That's not a popular opinion to hold. But see, I'm the person who studied economics and government since I was old enough to know what they were. I read books about the law and the government for fun, and enjoy everything about it.  That said, being able to take part in the election was the thing I was most looking forward to this year. And it was everything I'd hoped for, with a whole lot more drama I didn't expect. Analyzing, cross referencing, studying backgrounds; it was the best few months of my life. I'll always treasure the political conversations my family had around the table. And the fact that my siblings looked up shoe size, birthday, and height of all the candidates. xD

All in all, I'm proud to be able to say that not only did I survive the 2016 election year, I came through with a smile on my face and the knowledge that God is on the throne. No matter who wins. (Though I must say . . . praise God we didn't get Hillary!)

My family also went through a bit of a difficult time this year when my grandpa, as well as two family friends passed away. If you take away one thing from this post, please, remember this. Life is a gift. Treasure every day that you are given it, because one day, in the blink of an eye, it's gonna be gone. 

-Conclusion-

I have to say no other year has seemed to move quite as swiftly as this year. There were days when it seemed as though life was constantly bringing some sort of change. And I'll be the first to say that I'm not a fan of change. 

But this year, above all else, I learned that God is a rock that we can cling to, because He never changes. No matter what turmoil is going on in the world, or what happens to our lives, He is still the same. His word is still the same. And what He has determined will come to pass. 

Let us not look to the past. It is behind us, and can never be changed. Instead, let's resolute turn toward the horizon, and fix our eyes on Christ. And then no matter what happens, it'll be okay. Because if our eyes are stayed upon the one who lights our path, we can never go astray. 

With this said, I bid 2016 Auf Wiedersehen. God has safely seen us through another year. 

2017--Happy New Year!!!