2016 was a year we won’t soon forget! Here are some of the highlights and lessons learned.
I started a new job with Key Ministry at the very end of 2015, so this was my first full year working for them. We brought over the writing team from Not Alone and we saw lots of growth on our social media channels, and I enjoyed getting to know our readers better. I also got hired as the editor for The MOB Society and had many enjoyable freelance projects throughout the year. One of my goals for 2016 was to sign with an agent, and I was thrilled to connect with Karen from Credo. We’re planning to get my book proposal to pub boards in early 2017 and praying it connects with a publisher.
We have loved living near Houston and taking in all it has to offer! Lee and I went to the Final Four with some friends who visited from Pennsylvania. It was a blast and we’re thankful to my parents for the tickets! We made lots of trips to the gulf to swim and enjoy the ocean. And of course we loved living close to my parents and sister. We’re pretty sure we’ve found the best taco place around, but we think Lee’s BBQ is better than what we get anywhere else.
James wrapped up a really, really hard second grade year and started an amazing third grade year at a new school closer to our house. I still can’t figure out why 2nd grade was so hard for us, other than my expectations for the class and special ed in general were so high coming from PA to Texas. My goals for the new school year were for him to feel safe and appreciated so he could learn better and they have certainly been met!
David also went to school for the first time (after years of homeschooling). It took him a few weeks to find a good set of friends, but now he loves everything about school (except for the homework, which really isn’t much). David also enjoyed doing plays with a local theater group and playing Upward basketball. He has loved lots of new books, especially the Maze Runner series and the Wingfeather Saga.
Lee graduated with his Doctorate of Ministry from SEBTS and we enjoyed visiting NC for his graduation in December. He worked super hard and we’re proud of him and thankful he now has more free time! He also transitioned to a new job in the fall, working a more flexible schedule that allows him time to focus on ministry goals.
Our church plant had some great events this year for special-needs families, and we’re thankful for those we got to meet. But we didn’t meet all the goals we hoped to meet as a church, so we have some decisions to make as we head into 2017. We would certainly appreciate your prayers as we seek the Lord’s guidance.
Other 2016 highlights:
- All the books I read
- Getting published on Christianity Today’s site for women: My Son’s Autism Changed Everything—Even Our Church
- Writing Abide, which release next week
- Launching a self-publishing course
- Finding this recipe for jambalaya (Lee’s new favorite)
- Successfully using a bullet journal (and still using our shared Google calendar, a paper planner, and my dry erase board for weekly planning)
- More than doubling the number of subscribers here on this site
- Starting a book club so I could get to know new friends better (and read books I wouldn’t have picked on my own!)
- Having people over almost every week of 2016
