Ladies and gents, June has come to a close, which is beyond wild. I thought it was just the beginning of 2026 but apparently we’re halfway there?!

Let’s jump into what we’ve done this month.

What did I do?

This month we started off strong with completing my year as a founding member of the Young Writer’s Honor’s Academy! It was such a joyful experience and I learned more in this past year than I had in any other writing classes. If you have the chance to join the YWHA, I cannot recommend it highly enough! And if you have any questions about it, then please feel free to ask, I’d be happy to answer them.

Then I got to go to a Sam Barber concert—touring with him was Waylon Wyatt and a band trio called Wild Horses and they were all fantastic! Unfortunately we left a few songs after Sam Barber started because that’s what happens when the three guys beside you are all drunk and keep bumping into you, but I got to hear my favorite songs which worked out well!

A couple weeks after the beginning of June, we finally got to go swimming at Lake Hickory—something we’d all been waiting for for months. A few days later we drove up to Swannanoa North Carolina to see Jess Ray perform. Ironically, she was performing in the same church that I visited one Sunday when I was in North Carolina for the mission trip! It was cool yet also very strange to see everything that I’d seen a little over a year ago, this time as a resident in North Carolina.

And we closed off the month with celebrating Huck’s (my younger brother) t-ball league for kids with special needs called Walk n’ Roll. They played at our town’s minor league baseball stadium and had a whole awards ceremony and everything, and it was so sweet and wholesome!

And here are the pictures from this month:

What did I read?

I started a book called That’s Not How It Happened by Craig Thomas and it’s really enjoyable—I am loving the humor and also seriousness. He handles the various topics (living with a child who has special needs) really well, and I’m excited to finish it!

We also read a Kasie West book called Sunkissed which is mildly okay (read Adalynn’s phenomenal review about it here) but I was annotating it for a friend which has been the best part of it!

What did I listen to?

This month we listened to a good smattering (I love that word) of music from Michael Jackson to Gracie Binion to Chris Stapleton. So what were my top ten?

1. Get On The Floor by Michael Jackson
2. Build You A House by Gracie Binion & Jonathan Stamper
3. Babylon by Kyndal
4. A Song To Sing by Miranda Lambert & Chris Stapleton
5. First Born Daughter by Max McNown
6. FATHER’S HOUSE by Elevation Rhythm
7. What Are You Listening To? by Chris Stapleton
8. Sioux Falls by Wild Horses
9. Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I’m Yours) by Stevie Wonder
10. Champion by Maverick City Music

It’s been a pretty good month of music, I’d say.

What did I write?

This month I am writing the third section of my devotional! I’m really excited to see how well it’s coming along and I’ve reached about 17,000 words so far!

I unfortunately have had a hard time coming up with good blog post inspiration—hence the random, sporadic posting. I appreciate your guys’ patience with me as I figure out my new summer schedule!

And also—I am apparently a three-time published author?! Read more here… 👀

What happens next?

Well, starting this month strong we have Fourth of July!

Do you have any plans? As far as I know, I’ll just be working and then later that night, going to watch fireworks with my family.

Then, a couple weeks later I will be at my church’s summer camp (during which I will not be posting) and then on the 28th, I’m visiting my best friend in Massachusetts! It’s going to be our last ‘hoorah’ before she goes off to college and starts something called Adulting. And then, in the first week of August, I will be off at the Young Writers Workshop Retreat! I am unbelievably excited to meet all the people I’ve been learning and writing with for the past two years. You will for sure be receiving a “YWW Retreat Recap” post with not only everything I learned, but all the fun stories and anecdotes.

How was your June? Did you do any fun things, and do you have any plans for the Fourth?

Thanks for reading, have a great day!
~Willow