January Recap
January has been quite the whirlwind! As I mentioned in my Hello 2024 post, I really do love the feeling of a new year. But I also tried this year to go a little more gently into the new year, seeing that it is still winter, and not rush to do everything I want to all at once.
Speaking of winter, we were out of school for a whole week because of snow. Add into that a couple days we got off for high winds and the weekends, and we got an extra 10 day winter break. Although winter and cold are certainly not my favorite, the homebody in me really enjoyed the extra days “stuck” at home.
With all the extra time I had on my hands, I finally started by sourdough journey! My mom gave me a dried starter for Christmas, and on our snow days, I brought it to life. I have made two batches of bread now, and both have turned out surprisingly good! Here’s to trying new things and being a beginner!
Reading
What You Wish For by Katherine Center - This was my second read by Katherine Center, and I absolutely love her writing! Her books are such a perfect blend of a captivating story and a heartfelt romance. What You Wish For is about a librarian and a school principal, and there is a big emphasis on joy and dancing, which I really loved!
Sweetbriar Cottage by Denise Hunter - I have read so many of Denise Hunter’s books, and this one did not disappoint! In this book, Noah and Josie, who thought they were divorced, find out the paperwork was never filed correctly. As they try to right this wrong, they end up snowed in Noah’s cabin in the mountains. I loved how sweet and fast-paced this romance was!
If you want to hear more about these books and other books I am reading, go check out my YouTube channel!
Substack newsletters - I made a separate folder in my email inbox and set it up to where it automatically funnels all my newsletters into one place. This has made it so easy to read them! Here are a couple of my favorites from the past month:
Watching
Timeless - This show is on Hulu, but I believe you can watch it on Disney Plus right now as well since they are merging! It is a science fiction show about a team who uses a time machine to chase bad guys back through time and keep them from changing history. There’s history and action and friendship and time travel and romance. What’s not to love?!
YouTube
Cambria Joy - Lately, I have been really interested in nutrition and learning about how we can best support our bodies with food. Cambria is so sweet and teaches about these things in such a fun way!
All Things Lilly Ann - I recently found Lilly Ann through Instagram, and I love all her videos about running a small business! I think it is so inspiring to see other people your age building something of their own.
Listening
In the Hands of Christ My King by Austin Stone Worship - We sang this song at church last week, and I have been listening to it ever since!
How to Discover Your Own Taste by The Ezra Klein Show - This podcast episode was shared by a friend on Instagram, and I found it very thought-provoking. They talk about the influence of algorithms and AI and social media on people’s taste. Give it a listen, and then email me your thoughts - I’d love to chat!
Doing
Not ending my day at 3:30 pm - As a teacher, it is very common for me to get home and decide the day is over. When in reality, lots of people still have at least an hour of their workday left, not to mention their commute. The past couple of weeks I have been trying to be better about not living my afternoons and evenings so passively.
Saying yes more / fighting fear - One of my “outs” for this year was saying no because I am scared, and I feel like that is something I have really worked on already this month. Saying no is a valid answer, but if the sole reason is because I am scared, I am pushing myself to do it anyways.
Dreaming about possibilities - I use the Day One journal app (which I love), and I had this journal prompt last week: Where do I hope to be a year from now? As I started to write about it, I got really excited. Don’t get me wrong - I am happy with where I am, but there are so many things I have been working towards and praying for that I believe may come to fruition over the next year. What about you - where do you hope to be a year from now?
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Thank you all so much for reading! You can read past editions of Currently here. I will talk with you all next Monday!
Take care,
Caroline