Hello everyone!!!

Can you believe it’s already 2026?

This was a year that feels like it’s been going on forever, and at the same time, it’s impossible to believe that 2025 is already over. I feel like I’ve been run over by a riding lawnmower. Slowly and repeatedly, by a laughing small child who is a very bad lawnmower driver, but somehow he keeps hitting me.

Reveries on 2025

My 2025 word of the year was “Valor.” I once again forgot about my “Word of the Year” (I have no idea why I keep choosing them; it’s a fruitless exercise), but of course I actually needed some “Valor” to get through the year.

Now, I don’t think I was very valorous. If anything, I needed valor and often didn’t have it.

Midway through the year, through no fault of his own, Matthew lost his job unexpectedly. We had no notice and were forced to hit the ground running. This put us at risk of losing our housing as well as being able to afford basic necessities. Thankfully, Matthew was able to find a new job (or rather, return to an old job) within a week, which was a massive blessing.

We dealt with other financial crises, with my near-constant health struggles, with broken down cars, and with other situations. And in hindsight, God brought us through it. But when I think back, I know that God brought us through it in spite of my lack of valor.

Often, when I read these types of posts, where someone talks about how God “brought them through something,” I think, “That’s great, but my faith is so weak.” But honestly, more and more, I’m realizing that I make assumptions about the “behind the scenes” that may not be true. Because God did bring us through the year. But I was not always or even often grateful, trusting, or gracious.

That said, I do know He brought me through it because I came through this year thinking nothing had moved forward, everything was bad, and there was little hope for positive change and instead have discovered that there are things that moved forward, not everything is bad (you know, just most things), and even if I don’t have much hope for positive change, well, I don’t have much of a choice in the matter anyway.

This was also a year when I really got to understand that kind of person I am as a friend, as a sister, as a daughter, and as a wife. Friendship is one of the areas where I’ve always struggled. I consider myself to be a fundamentally awkward and selfish person. However, this year, I have proven to myself that I can walk through fire for my friends, that I can be honest without being cruel, and that I am not a bad friend or a non-empathetic one.

To quote last year’s blog post:

This year also made me aware that I am actually one of those people who takes on emotional burdens for others, which sucks because I thought I was Not Like That. […] I was forced to realize this fact since so many crises have hit various people I care about this year.

Well, naturally, the crises haven’t stopped, because life, but neither have I. Honestly, I don’t know how to say this without sounding prideful, but I’ve had several people affirm that I’m growing in this area, and that I am having a positive impact on some of my close relationships. I don’t want to stop, so I’m hoping to bring that energy into 2026.

I also got a lot more writing done than I thought I did. (Yes, I definitely DO spiral until I start writing my wrapups … why do you ask?)

That said, there were some areas that were just tough. My health, and anything related to it, was one of the primary areas. And, as always, the absolutely crushing grief of infertility is with me.

The truth is, I’ve stopped trying to come up with a neat way to wrap these little updates up. I used to always want to say, “But here’s the God.” But I don’t know God’s plans anymore than the next person. I don’t understand. I don’t like what’s happening. And honestly, sometimes the only thing that is authentically me (which is a pretty important value to me) is to say, “I don’t get it,” shrug, and keep moving forward.

2025 Highlights

I finally got a desk set up for myself at our house.

It snowed a lot.

Another niece was born.

Matthias and I hung out a lot.

My baby brother got married.

I collected so many plants and started getting decent at managing them.

I crocheted.

Publishing our winter anthology, Fingerprints in Frost.

Lots of trips to the beach and other magical locations.

Baby elephant!

I customized my car.

Someone started a fire near our house. Like, a brush fire. Lovely.

We did a little biking.

 

Got sick of taking it easy on the nieces and nephew for Easter.

I worked hard at the Author Conservatory.

Publishing the second novel in The Hilton Legacy, Like the Air After Rain.

I got an espresso machine.

 

Family camping trip.

The Family

Waterfall!

My friend’s … feminine? … car.

Waterfall!

Cave? No.

Terrible hike. Again. Why do we keep doing this?

Friends!!!

Paddleboards.

Waterfall!

Waterfall!!!

Bridge!

So. Many. Coast. Pics.

DRENCHED!

My pre-birthday birthday celebrations with Bailey, tent-camping at the coast

Birthday!!!

Our 4th anniversary <3

Matthias’s Birthday.

The Author Conservatory 2026 Conference.

Trip to the Bend, OR area with Bailey.

Autumnal.

Getting a new kitten, Knightley.

Concert #1.

Thanksgiving.

Hangouts with the boys.

Being included in the Carols of Christmas multi-author series with my novella, A Thrill of Hope.

Concert #2

My new laptop! Complete with so many stickers that I just bought, lol!

Christmas decorations!

My Christmas gift from Matthew.

Christmas Eve!

People who knew me!

My kitten enjoying a cozy day with me.

Seeing Bailey after Christmas for a fun hangout.

The Great Goal Wrapup

Last year, I divided my goals into categories, so I’ll be sharing how I did in each of those categories below!

Creating Great (Fictional) Works

Check!

This year I wrote a Christmas novella, A Thrill of Hope, about two hard-working perfectionists being forced to host a Christmas bazaar. It was just 32,321 words. This is now published!

Then I wrote the first novel in The McAllen Brothers saga, which is a Scottish historical romance that was again just 41,442 words. I can’t wait to share this one with you!

I wrote Lady of Influence for the Ladies of Quality Regency romance MAP, which is a Regency romance at 35,921 words. This is a complicated story about a baron who doesn’t want to be a baron – and the lady who realizes how deep his grouchiness is rooted in his own lack of interest in life.

Then I wrote Tears into Thy Bottle (which was Time of Grief), The Chronicles of Alice & Ivy, book 7, which is about 114,444 words, but I don’t know how much of that I wrote this year. I know I finished it this year! And I did some very major rewrites to get it there. I already had 25k drafted in my end of the year blog post for 2024, so the rest of it was probably added this year (and revised … and edited … and sent to an editor … and now I’m almost ready for proofs!).

I did have The Hilton Legacy: Book 3 drafted at the end of last year, but I think I revisions that changed everything about it. It’s 89k, I think.

Then this November, I wrote 54,551 of Steps into Grace (The Chronicles of Alice & Ivy Book 9), which is maybe half of it. I do have a lot more that needs added, and some I wrote which needs edited, but I’m not counting it yet.

I did do some other writing (I rewrote most of a 30k Regency romance novella, half of a Regency romance novel, the entirety of a different Regency romance novel, and did so much outlining that my head is spinning), but that was the gist of it.

Other than A Thrill of Hope, I also published an anthology (Fingerprints in Frost) with like 8 other authors and Like the Air After Rain (The Hilton Legacy, Book 2).

Marketing Published Novels

Check!

Sub-goals for this included:

• Pursue a cross-promotion opportunity with another author every 1-2 months.

Check!

Sometimes I did this; sometimes I didn’t. I really enjoy my Summer Shelf Sale, occasional giveaways and other collabs on Instagram, etc. I also dove into BookFunnel for a few months and had a blast with that, though I’m not sure how much I’ll do that in 2026. However, I would love to be even more intentional about this.

• Remain consistent in putting out posts to my Instagram that are helpful and interesting to my audience … and be open to finding new ways to do so.

Check!

Instagram was actually fairly consistent this year! I also was delighted to get to work with both Cristiana Moyer and Ava Ryann Wolfe on my Wild Blue Wonder Press Instagram. Now, I’ll be doing it on my lonesome (#budget), but I’ll still hopefully get a few posts up.

• Continue building my email list & finding new ways to send interesting emails to serve my followers.

Check!

I think I improved on this by leaps and bounds this year! (Make sure you’re subscribed to my email list if you’re not already!)

Supporting the Author Community

Kinda …

Sub-goals for this included:

• Read 6 indie books this year that I’m in no way involved in the creation of, review them, and talk about them on social media/blog/email list if I feel comfortable doing so.

Failed.

I did read 8 indie books (mostly in two series), all of which I wasn’t involved in the creation of, but I didn’t get around to reviewing most of them/talking about them on my various platforms.

• Feature an author or book on my newsletter at least once a month and post about at least six books on my blog over the course of the year.

Kinda …

I did feature an author or book on my newsletter about once a month, but my blog? Meh. I did participate in Five Fall Favorites this year, which means I posted about 25 books in the course of a week, but that’s not quite the same. 😉

• Find one little thing every month to do to add to create and foster community.

Kinda …

I wasn’t as intentional about this as I wanted to be, but I did my best! Like I said, the Summer Shelf Sale, BookFunnel, and a few Instagram events did help … but I wish I had done more!

Being an Excellent Employee

Check?

Feels a little prideful to say I did, but given that I got a bump in hours and received a raise in the last month at the Author Conservatory, I’m going to count this as accomplished!

Spiritual Life

• Do a year-long study of 1 & 2 Timothy.

Failed.

I did … not do this. I think I read it multiple times in January and that was literally it. All my grand plans failed.

• Read through the Bible in a year.

Kinda …

I did complete the plan I was trying to do, more or less, but once again, I felt like I skimmed more than I read. I didn’t really take it in, and I still feel like I fundamentally failed.

Physical Health

• Do a 10-day “detox” once a month.

Failed.

Heh.

This was such a good idea, but I totally failed it! I did it the first month and then … nada. I didn’t even attempt from then on. And honestly, this is one area where I just feel like I dropped the ball completely. My eating, sleeping, and exercising habits SUFFERED this year. And my health is definitely letting me know!

• Find a good way to make exercise a part of your week.

Failed.

Though I did go on several hikes, it wasn’t regular, nor did I accomplish most of the ones I wanted to. My exercising has been pretty irregular. I’m lucky if I get in a weekly walk, and that’s really it. Definitely am feeling (and seeing!) this in my body.

Infertility Journey

• Be brave!

… I don’t know how to quantify this one, so I won’t. 😛 I don’t think I was brave, but honestly, just getting through every day and still being here is a type of bravery any more. I made it. I didn’t always want to. But I’m alive! Maybe that’s enough.

2026 Resolutions

Physical

Lose 20 pounds.

I need to lose about 40 to get to my ideal weight, but that may not be realistic. Instead, I’ll start with something simple: stop the rapid gain of weight and lose some!

Get outside every day.

I’ve committed to spending a few minutes outside every day. Some days, I’ll do long walks, bike rides, or exercise. Other times, I’ll just step out into the cold for a few minutes.

Sleep at night.

I want to find a way to make sleep a delight, and even if it’s not that, something I regularly engage at during … you know, regular sleeping hours.

Less evening snacking.

My late-night snacking will be the death of me! Instead, I want to eat enough during the daytime.

Spiritual

Read the Bible.

I’m focusing on intake here … get SOME in. I am doing another Bible-in-a-year challenge, but my real goal is to make sure at least one of my many chapters a day gets a few minutes of thought.

Gratitude.

I want to spend some time every month thinking about what I have been given and how I’ve been blessed.

Regular prayer.

I have an app I’ve been using for the last few months to track my prayers, and it’s really helped me.

Ask for help.

Especially from people who love me. I have gotten out of the habit of talking to people about my struggles, and further, I have gotten out of the habit of the all-important asking for help!

Social

Weekly mentorship.

… ish.

Basically, I want to make sure I’m not neglecting to see people. This can come in a lot of forms. But basically, I want to have edifying and honest conversations with the various people I consider mentors every month.

Loyal friend.

This is my way of leaning into who I am, but I want to do even more! I want to prioritize relationships with the people who I love and I want to be a good, edifying, kind, loving, Christian friend.

Connected wife.

I want to be connected with my husband, even if it means inconvenience or forcing myself to do really lame things (like watching Gettysburg … just shoot me already).

Authentic homemaker.

More and more, as a homebody, I’m realizing how much I value my home. But I don’t always take care of itself (or the homemaker herself … e.g. me!). So I want to do better at this, but in a way that feels authentic to me.

Fertility

Castor oil packs.

I’ve been doing these regularly for the last three weeks, and I’ve loved them.

Supplements/Powders/etc.

I have so many potions I’m taking, but I want to remain consistent with these.

Reflect.

Every month, or even more often, I want to take time to be grounded in my feelings and process what’s going on. If this means journaling or even just taking time to cry (something which in 2025, due to an immense feeling of numbness, happened less and less often), so be it.

Author

Completed projects.

My focus here is on completing projects I’ve started or just completing whatever projects I do start. I have quite a few drafts that need edits (The Hilton Legacy 3, Lady of Influence, The McAllen Brothers). I’m trying not to get caught up entirely in future projects (and I have quite a few!).

Social media.

I was consistent with this in 2025; I want to be consistent in 2026, too!

Email list.

It’s important to me that I don’t let this drop! There have been definitely been months without emails in 2025. As much as possible, I don’t want that to happen in 2026.

Good employee.

Honoring my raise and increased hours at the Conservatory by bringing my full energy to every task.

TTFN!

~Kell~

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