Verla

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.” —Philippians 4:4

This year has been rough for some, but for me this year has been exciting! Not only did Ruth get married, but she’s also pregnant! Sarah’s engaged, and I’ve made some new friends at Wisdom Builders. I’m friends with everybody there. I also developed a better relationship with Katie. Fun Fact: She’s Ruth’s sister-in-law! We went to Camp Crosley together and had an amazing trip! Also I went to the Grand Canyon this year!! It was jaw-dropping, and I was scared I would fall off. I didn’t though, so that’s good! My whole family came along with Josh and Zach. It was my first time (and John’s too) ever being on a plane! It was the most fun experience ever.

Last winter we went to Georgia and visited my oldest sister, Elizabeth. There were deer in the backyard of where we stayed and best of all, ELIZABETH! We only see her once or twice a year, so I love our time together. Elizabeth is practically my twin. I look a lot like she looked when she was my age, and we enjoy the same types of things (like kids).

But with each year there is a sadness. I haven’t seen Grandma Dianne for almost two years now. I miss her a lot. I hope she gets better soon, and I thought I’d write it here so you can pray for her. She’d really appreciate that. Also, my love bug, aka Hershey Buffalo Burger, died in April. It was heartbreaking for me. He lived 3 years and was my best friend for a long time. RIP, baby (just so you know, he was a gerbil, not a human).

This year we switched churches. That gives me mixed emotions. I knew the people at my other church for 11 years. It’s been really hard for me, and I miss them a lot. On the bright side, my best friend goes to Christ the King (that’s the name of the church). And my pregnant sister (Ruth) goes there, so that’s also a benefit.

I was in three plays. One was Choose Your Own Oz, where I played a munchkin and an owl. I also played Chip in Beauty and the Beast. Last Christmas I played Chestnut, one of the narrators in A Christmas Carol. I worked with other fun girls for that play, and I enjoyed myself.

I’ve written a lot this past year. I’m working on a movie called Kidz, and I’m writing a book called Two Searching Souls. I’ve not been as active on my blog that I started last year. I also started a kid-friendly social media platform, Toodle-dee-doo. I enjoy putting together videos for my YouTube Channel.

I also picked up a skill and interest in photography. Dad asked me to take photos of Hannah and Ben at their last cross-country meet. I agreed. Later I uploaded 214 photos! I had taken a photo of almost every single person on the team, high school and middle school. I loved making the team happy when I told them they had photos, too.

Another skill I picked up this year is piano. I educated myself using a chord chart and then went on from there. It brings me so much joy to play and sing. I think it brings joy to the listeners, too, so it makes me even happier. I’ve played every single song in the music book Mariah put together 😂. So as I look back at the year and reflect, I am grateful for the various events that I’ve had the chance to experience this year. Happy Thanksgiving!!!