First of all, we have a new image for the recap posts! I figured since it’s 2026 now (WHAT?!) I wanted to make it easier to tell which year is which since soon we’ll be having recap posts for months that we did in 2025.

Second of all—happy two year anniversary!! I got a notification from WordPress yesterday that The Faithful Wanderer has been registered for two years now! I’m so happy to see how far I’ve come and how many amazing people have come to enjoy my writing, so thank you guys for your support!! You’re the best.

Aaaaaanyways, that’s enough blubbering.

I’d say this month has been the best month of 2026 so far! I wasn’t loving the whole ‘dreary winter with icy snow so I can’t go anywhere” thing, but there were a lot of good things that happened!

Now let’s dive right in:

What did I do?

I started off the year pretty strong with…a craft.

Yes ladies and gentlemen, that is right! Your non-crafty, craft-disliking girl did a craft. (That’s what happens when you’re on Pinterest too much, kids.)

Anywhosies. Onto the other things.

I didn’t do much (weather has not been fun this month) but I did watch Zootopia 2 with one of my brothers. We drove to Target, bought a couple snacks that we hid in our hoodies, and then went into the movie with deceitful hearts and full pockets. Willow, you may ask, did you get caught with said snacks?!

I also started going to the youth group at my church and a Bible study called Overflow that one of the girls invited me to and it feels so amazing to have a faith-centered community again. While I for sure still get ‘blah’ because of the weather, my mind is truly joyful because of those people.

There’s not much to update y’all on for what I did because I mostly did nothing, so here are the photos before we move on to the next topic!

What did I read?

This month I did a good bit of reading towards the end of January—my mom, brother, and I went to Barnes & Noble and oh my word, I had to refrain myself from buying the hardcover special edition of Sunrise on The Reaping by Suzanne Collins because it’s GORGEOUS. (Also it’s only $20 on Amazon?! I’d totally buy it if I didn’t already have the paperback…)

A couple nights ago I reread Annie F. Down’s book Looking for Lovely and I forgot how much I loved it! I am also about to read Shark Heart by Emily Habeck—I haven’t started it yet, so we’ll see if I actually like it or not.

At Barnes & Noble I did buy a book called When God Winks At You by Squire Rushnell and it’s about ‘how God speaks directly to you through the power of coincidence.’ My selling point for buying this book (it was on the $5 shelf haha) was the back that read it had stories about Billy Graham and Don Knotts (and other people) and I knew immediately I had to buy it. I mean, Billy Graham and Barney Fife in a faith book?! Come on, I couldn’t resist.

Try Softer by Aundi Kolber was another book I read and it was so fascinating! She’s a counselor and writes about what happens to a traumatized mind but from a Christian pov and how to combat those fears, mental health struggles, and such. Very very good.

And finally, probably what will be the book of the year—God Has A Name by the amazing John Mark Comer. I’ve heard a couple of his teachings, including one at Gather25 and oh my word this man is a freaking genius. I was in chapter one of God Has A Name and suddenly I feel like I’m smarter—but also somehow more confused.

Yeah, me too.

All that is to say is that you need to read that book! I’m so excited to read his other books too.

What did I listen to?

Okay, so there’s been two EPs/albums that have been on repeat lately:

The album Restless Mind by Sam Barber and NF’s EP FEAR.

I’m curious to see where they will be placed on my Spotify wrapped next year…but I have to wait. Oh well.

My top ten songs of January 2026?

1. SO BE IT by Elevation Worship
2. Who Else by Elevation Worship
3. Sam Barber (all of his music deserves a chef’s kiss)
4. FEAR by NF
5. SORRY by NF
6. Creep by Radiohead (I think this is one of my top ten songs. Ever.)
7. Sweet Child O’ Mine by Guns N’ Roses (Not sure why, it just is so good. A classic)
8. No Middleman by Connor Price and Nic D (it’s a vibe, guys)
9. Love Made A Way by Maverick City Music
10. This Side of Heaven by Max McNown (I’m so unbelievably excited for his concert in two months!)

I haven’t listened to a lot of new music this month, but sometimes you just need all your classic go-to tunes, right?

What did I write?

I’ve been doing less writing than I hoped, but I’ve been plotting out a year-long project and I finished my plotting stage a few days ago! So I’m really excited that I’m ready to start writing this.

You don’t get to know. Only a few peoples know and that’s because if I back out….then there’s only ten people who will be able to rub my advantageous dreams in my face.

I also have been mentoring a girl named Mary and GUYS she just launched her newsletter!!!!

You guys should totally subscribe because I know there’s going to be great content and I would love to see her platform grow!

Mary’s Rose Garden Newsletter

I’m also slowly chugging along in my WIP, When I Said Goodbye (which you can read if you subscribe to my newsletter, The Faithful Wanderer Newsletter) and it’s…fine. I’m not loving it but not hating it, haha, but I’m trying to make it enjoyable for readers! (Enjoyable meaning, they enjoy reading it, but it’s hopefully still a sad book.)

What happens next?

Next…aside from school and work, I don’t have many for-sure plans. On February 13th, my mom and I will be volunteering at Night to Shine again which I’m so excited for! I got this really pretty blue dress and my church is actually hosting it, so maybe I’ll have some friends there but if not, that’s okay because I know it’s going to be a blast.

I’m also hoping to submit to a post for a blog called Living By Design—do I know what I”m going to write? Nope, but we shall see.

That’s all I’ve got—and I’d love to hear in the comments how your month of January has been! Good, bad? Any fun things?

Thanks for reading, hope you guys have a great weekend!
~Willow