To start where I left off in my last post, my word of the year is "temperance." I'm striving to be more temperate. I got the inspiration from Elder Soares' Conference talk, "Adorned With the Virtue of Temperance." And what is temperance exactly, you might ask? I had to ask the same thing. 😆
I love everything about this!
Yes! This is how I want to consistently be, along with everything above. 
My phone finally kicked the bucket, and I got a nice new one in December, an iPhone 17 Pro. I only got the Pro because the regular ones weren't in stock at the Verizon store that day, and I just wanted to be done with it. It's a nice phone, and it takes way better pictures than my old phone.
I also invested in a new mattress in December. I got a Casper Snow because middle-aged me now gets too warm at night (so different from how I'd always been!). It's very comfortable, and I'm happy with it. (David is, too!)
A list I found that I'd started back in 2014 when the boys were 9 and 5. We did many of these things. Sweet memories!
The shoes I wear for my temple shifts. I took the picture to send to my mom because she was a new temple worker and wanted to get the same pair.
Hola!
Pretty flowers from David, I think for the two-month mark of our marriage. 💖
Pretty pictures of a cardinal in the woods outside our apartment, taken by David.
Book club was so fun in December! We did a "blind date with a book" game in the style of a Yankee gift swap. This was the one I brought, and I got a good book in return.
Speaking of books, I saw this one at the library and would like to read it at some point, so I snapped a picture to remind me.
I had to read The Economist magazine for one of my international relations classes at Penn. I liked it and hadn't read it in a while (because yeah, college was a pretty long time ago 😱). I was intrigued by a recent issue when I saw it at the library, so I checked it out and read it.
I'm glad I'm not in a relationship recession anymore!
Cute 2026 merch at Target
David and I went axe-throwing for the first time. It was so fun! I wasn't very good at it most of the time, but I'd definitely like to do it again. We went to House of Hatchets on the Cape.
David told me a funny story about this hymn as we sang it in sacrament meeting at the Cape Cod Branch. (I don't feel like typing it out, so if you're curious, ask me!)
As you can see, we spent a nice few days at the Cape after Christmas, then went home for a day because I had work, and then returned for a few more days at New Year's.
I love using the fireplace. David is good at splitting wood and building fires.
I made fireplace s'mores. 😋
David took these flattering pictures of me devouring the s'mores. 😄
I did my first endcap display at the library. I was excited to do it! The theme I chose was "Cozy Up With a Book Set in Winter." I researched books set in winter, pulled them from the shelves, changed their status, made the poster for it in Canva, and then set it all up.
I'm happy to report that the display did well, and people checked out lots of books from it, which I then replaced with other books set in winter.
With my increased hours, I get to do a new endcap display every month. I love it. This is one of the fun things about working in a library!
