Next week, I plan to share my goals for the second half of the year.
Today felt like a good time for a part one check-in!
Disney trip, January 2026Most years, I write out my New Year’s resolutions here, but I realized I never actually did that for 2026. The end of 2025 was rough, and I came into this year a little wrung out. I chose Renewal as my theme word, and that still fits and feels relevant.
Writing: Day one of this year, I said I was going to shut this blog down, write one post all year, and force myself to focus only on book writing.
Clearly, that plan went super well! lol ;-)
But honestly, I’m glad it didn’t. After pausing the PhD program on January 12th, I felt like I had the needed space to breathe and think clearly again. After reading Theo of Golden and Big Trust, I finally have a more solidified book plan than I’ve ever had before (another goal for the next half of this year). I believe blogging still matters for my mental health, documenting the memories, and the sense of connection it brings! I think I was just exhausted and tempted to hide when this year began. Thankfully, God is bringing some renewal there.
Growth: Last week, I saw a timely FB post from Dr. Leaf about how trying new things and experiencing new places can be a great catalyst for personal growth. That has definitely been true in my own life, and it’s something I’m pondering and praying about for this next season!
Health: This has been a journey. Last year, I tried a compounded GLP-1 for a couple months, lost 12 pounds, then stopped abruptly while considering pregnancy. The food noise surged back to life and I regained the weight while struggling with intense emotions, soon accompanied by the uterine fibroids news and the hard decision not to move forward with the embryo transfers. It was a long, messy season covered by God's grace!This year, I did more research and decided to try the more expensive but FDA-regulated Zepbound (instead of the potentially-sketchy compounded option). After three months of gradually increasing the dose, I somehow maintained the exact same weight while losing more and more hair. Obviously not the desired or expected outcome. So I’ve gradually tapered off, which made me a little nervous about food noise... but this time I was more careful to go slowly, and it appears I’ve avoided any emotional roller coaster.
Between health and dating goals, I believe God has been using the lack of progress to gently redirect me, leading me to trust Him and move in a different direction without allowing me to give up hope or drown in shame.
I’m in a good routine with my vitamins, and I’ve pushed myself in more intense strength-training workouts at Solid Rock over the past two months. Since the theme of my book is becoming strong over small, I’m trying to set physical goals that align with that mindset. More on that next week.
Here I am on a windy Summer Solstice walk yesterday! It was the longest daylight day of the year, and now the days slowly begin getting shorter until the Winter Solstice on December 21st - I'll miss the extra sunshine, but yay for being on the path to Christmastime!
Dating: The only other goal I remember setting and specifically writing about here was the "Year of Dating." With renewed hope inspired by AFD and Megan, I pushed myself to really try the apps and stay open to friend set-ups. And I’m proud of myself for not giving up. It's challenging to stay in faith and stay open-hearted about a major desire like this while facing repeated let-downs over a six-month stretch.
I’ve only had one man ask me on a real date this year, which I drove all the way to Texas for (and I’m proud of myself for that, too). I have messaged more seriously and/or had phone calls with a few potential candidates along the way, the most recent ending on Sunday. And I can now confidently say that Kyle, Phillip, Dallas, Joey, Ryan, Sam, Joseph, Tom, and Chris were *not* the right fit for me. And I'm counting that as progress and narrowing the field.
The process has been tiring at times, and it has taught me a lot. I’ve gotten better with initiating closure conversations, learned more about spiritual compatibility, and internally clarified my relational expectations and personal deal-breakers. I am not interested in men who love horror movies, have hot tempers, make minimal conversational effort, are technically separated, or those who seem unambitious and disenchanted with life while looking for a woman to fix that for them.
Surprisingly, I’m in a pretty good headspace about it. I don’t feel like I failed because I know I've genuinely tried, and I haven't given up hope. Right now, I believe God may be blocking certain things, protecting me and guiding me toward what is actually aligned with Him and the direction He has for my life!
I'm at a point where I know what I want and deserve. I’m financially secure, deeply loved, and enjoying a pretty full life, and I am so uninterested in settling for less than God’s best relationally. (Still hopeful and praying toward that.) ❤
Family: As I mentioned earlier today, we’ve had regular family dinners that I treasure, including game nights, trivia, slideshows, and basketball fun with the niece and nephews. I’ve loved my walks and talks with Kristin. Mom and I talk multiple times a day, and I’ve grown closer to Triston over the past few months - we’ve had some important conversations during this pivotal season in his life, and I’m grateful for the role God has given me there!
Colorado trip, June 2026Friends: I’ve continued to stay connected with my Tulsa friends, and I've made a few more friends in the OKC area lately, reaching out to some of the women God has put on my heart! Stepping up to lead and host the women’s LifeGroup for the summer has been a really great experience!
Work: I’m still loving the flexibility of my remote-hybrid court reporting job with the OCC, and I’m set to receive one raise next month and another in November! For now, it doesn’t feel wise to take a massive pay cut and step into an emotionally-intense full counseling schedule just to earn my LPC. Unless God redirects that or marriage changes the income need for me, counseling may become my retirement job after 55. And I’m okay with that idea!
Either way, I’ll always be grateful for everything I learned at CCU! It continues to add value to my life and writing, and it equips me to respond with more wisdom and confidence when I have friends and/or family members who need good counsel.
I'll recap specific events at the end of this year. That’s the general update for part one of 2026. Some personal growth, some great reading, some interesting challenges, and some new goals and ideas brewing (more on that next week). I’m believing God for continued renewal as the year moves forward!
Thanks for checking in here!
❤ ❤ ❤
