25 things I learned + loved this past year
I turned twenty-five this year! And if you’ve been around here for awhile, you know that means I’ve made a list of the top things that made my year, from recipes to music to books. Here’s a little sneak peek into the things that shaped me. The things I loved. The things I learned. I’m praying that this list will encourage you, inspire you, and maybe even challenge you to get out and try something new or a little bit out of your comfort zone!
Fiery Chicken Ramen with Creamy Garlic Broth
Making food for people is a love language. Making ramen for people is on another level. I've had a ramen obsession for years, going so far as to serve it as the main dish at our wedding, so you can imagine my delight when this recipe popped up on my Facebook feed.
(I don't love that I've been profiled, but this recipe was worth it). Featuring a creamy broth that is out of this world, loads of fresh garlic that can only be measured from the heart, and tender spinach, this recipe is revolutionary. The original recipe doesn't call for spinach, but it really elevates the ramen experience. That, and a friend to share the meal with!
2. Room For Good Things To Run Wild—How Ordinary People Become Every Day Saints by Josh Nadeau
This book was my beach read on our trip to Australia, and part of me wishes that I hadn’t picked this particular title because it made me ugly cry several times. The other part of me is gearing up to start a book club with this very book because it’s that good. READ IT. It’s full of beautiful art, quotes, and wisdom that is hard won. Nadeau writes in a storytelling style reminiscent of C.S. Lewis and this book has won a spot on my Most Recommended Books Of All Time list!
3. Naked Sundays Sunscreen
I remember one day asking my younger sister, Maria, what was something she was embarrassed to have people know she likes. Her answer was skincare.
The word instantly summons a host of influencer types with hours long skincare routines and expensive products. But the kind of skincare I’ve grown to really enjoy through the influence of my sisters is simple—exfoliating, moisturizing, and sunscreening!
I purchased this sunscreen right before we went to Australia, mainly because it rated high on the Yuka app (an app that tells you how “clean” and healthy beauty products are), but it is by far the best sunscreen I’ve ever used.
I only applied it in the mornings and one application was enough to last the entire day in the blazing Australian sun. It’s waterproof up to a point, it comes in the CUTEST packaging, and it works incredibly well!
4. Keeping My Phone In the Kitchen Overnight
Too many mornings checking my phone first thing when I woke up necessitated this habit shift. At the end of last summer, I started charging my phone in our kitchen overnight and using a dollar store alarm clock. And WOW. It helps.
I’ve been on a bit of a mission to reduce my phone dependency, and this is one of the easiest baby steps I’ve found! Instead of my phone being the first thing I touch in the morning, it’s now one of the last things I gather before I leave the house. It also keeps me from endlessly scrolling in bed because I have to be out and about in order to access my phone.
5. Brunches, Especially Ones Featuring Sourdough Bagels
I think brunch is my favourite meal. I love slow mornings prepping food and sharing it in the glow of the morning sun. Add in some freshly baked carbs and you have the recipe for a good day! These sourdough bagels are probably my fave sourdough product and Lars is becoming a professional bagel maker. They are best served warm, slathered with Boursin and spicy red pepper jelly.
6. All Glory Be to Christ by The Door Church + Maggie Stone
At my brother’s baptism last year—an answered prayer seven years in the making!—one of the worship songs played was this one by The Door Church. I listened to it on repeat all summer and it’s still in my regular rotation. Full of beautiful truths and set to a familiar beloved tune, this worship song is one of my faves.
7. Psalm 116:7-9
Return to your rest, my soul,
for the Lord has been good to you.
For you, Lord, have delivered me from death,
my eyes from tears,
my feet from stumbling,
that I may walk before the Lord
in the land of the living.
I found a photo of this verse, so my screensaver reminds me every day to return to my rest. I don’t know about you, but in my life that is so furnished with distractions and chaos, I need to see the truth in unexpected places that remind me to turn my eyes upon Jesus.
8. Perle di Sole Lemon + Orange Candies (but especially the lemon ones)
On Wednesdays, I work a late shift until 8pm. Because we start later in the day, my work partner, Lindsay, and I bring each other little treats for a little bright spot midweek. One of the weeks, Lindsay brought me a couple of these little lemon delights and I was immediately hooked. The next day, I bought a big bag because Lars is a sucker for sour citrus candy. Made with lemon oil from Italy’s Amalfi Coast, these hard candies are packed with citric acid centers to make your mouth pucker. They taste oh-so-lemony, like the perfect glass of lemonade on a hot summer’s day.
9. Where the Light Fell by Philip Yancey
I originally started listening to this on the Libby app (another thing I’ve loved this past year but doesn’t feature on this list!) as an audiobook, but I loved it so much that I had to finish it in physical form. I found the last copy at Indigo and promptly took it home, read through the entire thing, cried a bit, and passed it on to my mum. Any Christian should read this book. It challenges a lot of ingrained traditionalism that hurts rather than helps, and highlights the incomprehensible gift of grace. I love Philip Yancey as an author, and it’s really neat to hear why his books are so authentic and touching.
Oh, and the quote behind the title? Before he met Christ, Augustine was ravished by a love of art, food, romance, and philosophy. He said concerning those years, “I had my back toward the Light, and my face toward the things on which the light falls.”
10. Reading While We Wait
While waiting for our food to be delivered at restaurants, Lars and I have started reading together. We’ll sit back, sipping our cups of bitter green tea, exchanging smiles over the edges of whatever book we’re currently reading. Sometimes we’ll write each other notes during this time, too. It’s a nice moment of quiet to enjoy a good book and even better company without the distraction of our phones.
11. A Perfect Record Can Be Unhelpful
My phone has a digital wellbeing report where I can set my screen time goal. Usually, this is 1 hour and 30 minutes. I’ve been trying to whittle this time down. However, when we were in Australia, I was getting so stressed because my screentime was TERRIBLE. I was using Google Maps to navigate the unfamiliar terrain which caused a huge spike in my usage.
Sometimes a perfect record comes at a heavy cost. When we aim for perfection, we become encumbered with loads we weren’t necessarily meant to carry. In fact, I had a Duolingo streak of over 1500 days that I let go because the perfect record was sucking up time I didn’t want to gie any more.
Instead, set a goal to do something more often than not. This will allow for the nuance of every day, the unexpected things that sometimes throw our plans aside.
12. rien ne dure by Louane
Louane is my favorite French pop artist and I love this song. The title translates to ‘nothing lasts,’ and is very bittersweet and melodic.
13. Success Is Not Outcomes—It’s Faithfulness
“We are called to be exceptional in the ordinary things, faithful in the little things, trustworthy when nobody’s looking.” —Elisabeth Elliot
I’ve written about success before and I’ll do it again because it’s something I wrestle with a lot. It’s like fighting against a whirlpool trying not to determine your worth by the things you accomplish. However, I keep coming back to the truth over and over again: Outcomes are not our business, they are God’s. We can show up and do the work, and anything past that point is God’s domain. We succeed when we obey God, period.
14. Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention and How To Think Deeply Again by Johann Hari
My sister is currently borrowing my copy of this book and I never took a picture of it. It shouldn’t matter, though, since we’re not judging books by their covers…
Anyway, another focus for me this past year was dealing with my phone addiction. It’s slow going, as phones and apps are designed to keep us hooked, but baby steps help. This book helps. Johann Hari explores cultural shifts related to phone use through his own journey of unplugging and escaping to the coast. Packed with research, stories, and tangible next steps, this book is so important for anyone hoping to change their relationship with their phone.
15. Lavender Pillow Mist + Sleep Well Essential Oil Blend from Saje
Every Christmas, my boss gifts the staff a gift card to Bower Mall and I usually spend a significant portion of my gift card at Saje. At Christmastime, I picked up a Silent Nights boxed set at Saje as part of my goal to improve my sleep schedule.
My two favourite sleep products from Saje include a lovely lavender mist (literally just water + lavender essential oil in a misting bottle) and a Sleep Well oil blend. I like to mist our pillows with the lavender spray just before we lay down. We apply the oil blend to our pulse points, too. It’s a delightful and fragrant way to relax.
16. Tart Cherry Juice Before Bed
In case you didn’t notice, sleep was a HUGE focus for me this year. I function better when I get more sleep (go figure), but since working a job that starts at 7:30, I’ve struggled with a good sleep routine.
Enter Knudsen’s Tart Cherry Juice.
I honestly have no clue if it actually helps, but it sure tastes good! A medically reviewed article for the Sleep Foundation states that “Sour cherry juice’s positive effect on sleep may be due to tryptophan and melatonin… Tryptophan is an essential amino acid that helps the body produce melatonin.”
Lars and I enjoy a small glass together before bed semi-regularly, and as a routines kinda gal, I love it!
17. Over My Head by CAIN
This song. So often, I feel like I am in over my head. And when I look to myself and my situation and try to sort things on my own, things definitely splatter like sauce on a wall. But when I turn my eyes upon Jesus, I can hope again. It is because of the Lord’s love that we are not consumed. His mercy never ends. Great is His faithfulness. Even when I’m in over my head.
18. Gratitude for Disagreements (= Safety)
I never thought I'd say this, but I've become very grateful for disagreements in marriage. Lars and I have very open communication, but in the early stages of our relationship, he would defer to what I wanted to do without sharing his own opinion. Sometimes, I would do the same. This past year, though, we've continued to learn how to communicate and disagree (!) with each other. Every time Lars disagrees with me or shares his opinion, I feel a twinge of thankfulness that we are safe to talk about it all! Every time I disagree with him, it’s just another connection point to discuss what makes our union special. Any and all opinions and emotions we experience together and process through with each other are surmountable.
19. Pranamat
I’ve had my eye on this one for SO long, but I used my HSA to purchase my Pranamat at the beginning of the year. Friends, I love it. It is a bit pricey, so I did have to save up for several months, but I’m so grateful to have a HSA that reimbursed me in full. Even if you don’t have a HSA, I would say that this is worth it.
It takes a bit of getting used to (the spikes are no joke, I’ve cut my hand with a careless swipe) but as someone who has a hard time relaxing, it’s very helpful. I usually lay on it just before we go to bed, either while watching a show, reading, or writing in my journal and it has reduced my back pain and improved the quality of my sleep!
20. Writing Dates with Emily
This year, writing was hard. How can I even call myself a writer and simply say that writing was hard? Shouldn’t I come up with a better way to describe it? Something that would make you feel the difficulty in your own bones? But that’s all I can think of to describe this tiredness/writer’s block.
Writing dates with Emily were a welcome addition to my writing arsenal. It was built in accountability. It was fun. It was sipping foamy matcha lattes and London fogs and gabbing about political issues. And very soon (!), our writer friend Cydnie is going to join us! It reminds me of the Inklings and their iconic writing group. Writing is a solitary craft, yes, but it doesn’t have to be done alone!
21. Gochujang Butter Noodles
I don’t have any pictures of this recipe, which is generally a good sign. It means we loved it so much we inhaled it and didn’t have a chance to take any photos! Again, add some spinach and grilled pork for a full meal, but definitely try this! Buttery pasta sauce laced with garlic, Korean Gochujang paste, and honey, drizzled over spaghetti noodles. It’s decadent and delicious!
22. Kristin Hannah Books Are Worth the Hype
I read three Kristin Hannah books this year—The Nightingale, The Four Winds, and The Women. I loved them. Kristin Hannah writes artful historical fiction about difficult periods like World War II, The Great Depression, and The Vietnam War. All of her books have made me bawl my eyeballs out. She creates such relatable characters and ties together the facts of the past in a way that makes you grieve as though you’re really there. I know everyone talks about how great her books are, but it’s for good reason. BIG recommend!
23. Who Else by Gateway Worship + Claire Smith
My sister graduated from her third year at Bible college this year. Before the ceremony, I asked her to text me the set list so I could learn the worship songs. This song brought me to tears the first time I heard it, and I’ve had it on a loop ever since.
24. Thrifting As Much As Possible (Circular Economy)
What if, instead of buying things new, you went thrifting for them?
And yes, a firm line should be drawn against thrifting some items—toothbrushes and underwear, to be specific—but for the most part, many things can be purchased used or homemade. Think thrift stores, but beyond that, garage sales, Facebook Marketplace, or farmer’s markets.
Not only does this save a lot of money, but it contributes to a circular economy—reduce, reuse, recycle. There is so much waste in our culture. Being part of a solution against that is just cool. Thrifting is also a fun activity to do with friends, because, let’s face it, it does take a lot longer to find the things you’re looking for.
25. My Relationship with God is ALWAYS More Than A To-Do List
There is no formula for being a good Christian other than relying on the completed work of Jesus Christ. There is no to-do list you can complete that will make you better or more lovable to God. Yes, He is honoured when we delight in His will and follow the instructions He’s laid out for us in the Bible (and we definitely need to be doing these things to grow in relationship with Him!), but He doesn’t ask perfection of us.
I know this is basic Theology 101, but it’s so easy for me to forget. I want formulas. I want measurements. I want a step-by-step checklist of things God wants me to do. But God wants a deeper relationship with all of us than a homework assignment.
Maybe one day I’ll write a full piece about this, but for now, know that our relationships with God are more like ongoing conversations than to-do lists.
Thank you for reading, friend. I’m so thankful that you’re here (and if you made it this far, well done!)
So tell me: what are the things you’ve loved this past year!? I’m so curious. In fact, I’m planning a Show & Tell Party soon so we can all share the things we’re enjoying, so let me know if you want to attend!
