You guys know I couldn’t just do a best nine pictures from instagram and not write words about them each. I just had to say some things. And I wanted one from each month, so that’s not even nine. That’s twelve.

What I’m saying is I’m annoying and I don’t wanna play by the rules here on the last day of 2017. I hope that’s okay with you.

Good thing I have a blog wherein I can break some of the end of year recap rules. In fact, there were many years when I would do such a beautiful job of reviewing the year we had together. Here you can scroll through the posts and see all the yearly recaps, starting in 2007. You know, back when I used to be decent at blogging. (eyeroll. I’m the worst blogger there ever was these days.)

But yesterday my cousin Josh asked me if I was going to recap this year and suddenly, I really really wanted to. I felt every emotion scrolling through 2017’s instagram posts. I picked my twelve favorite photos, but there is so so much more. Like your life, there were 365 days for me this year, and thousands more moments. There is one picture I don’t have that I really wish I could share, there are a few moments of deep deep sadness that I don’t know how to post about, a few moments of the purest joy that I keep so close to my heart, and some of the best meals of my life.

So while this doesn’t encompass my whole year, it sure reminds me of a few things I don’t ever want to forget.

. . . . .

January 2017

God showed up for me this January morning at the beach in a way I’d never experienced. I don’t ever want to forget this day because in the middle of a bunch of brand new and a chunk of fear and the mustering of faith, God reminded me that He loves to hang out with me.

. . . . .

February 2017

Two of my dear friends got married in New Orleans, so we all loaded up and headed down and had one of the most fun weekends, including this dance with my very handsome date. I don’t ever want to forget this weekend because the best memories are made when you wear sparkles and show up on the dance floor.

. . . . .

March 2017

I gave up makeup for Lent. It was very hard. It never got easier. I wrote about it here. I don’t ever want to forget this season because to this very day, I don’t totally know what it was about and I want to remember that sometimes obeying God plants seeds that don’t bloom for a long long time.

. . . . .

April 2017

I spent a few days with some of my favorite friends in New York City. I almost move there all the time in my heart, but never in my real life. Visiting for a week or so every six months does my heart so so good. I don’t ever want to forget this moment because when I get quiet and still, I can be there again and feel the art rising up in me.

. . . . .

May 2017

I got majorly disappointed in May, in a heartbreaking kind of way, but my people loved me hard through it. And on Mother’s Day, I got a gift and note and it was the sweetest. I don’t ever want to forget this moment because I learned when you let people catch the pieces, a broken heart can heal and mend.

. . . . .

June 2017

You have not seen a thing until you watch Nashville rally as a city. And the Nashville Predators hockey team gave us just that chance last spring when they played all the way to the Stanley Cup finals. I don’t ever want to forget this because it was JUST SO FUN, in a hard personal and writing season, to have these guys to cheer for. They were a gift to me in ways I don’t totally know how to explain, but I know was true.

. . . . .

July 2017

My favorite birthday celebration- my #miniBFFs, all barefoot and summertime and only sitting for the picture because the cookie cake was promised next. Beyond grateful. I preached a little about it at CrossPoint. I don’t ever want to forget this because God always answers prayers, even if it looks different than I think it will.

. . . . .

August 2017

To be fair, this was the last day of July (not *technically* August), but I take August off so all things go quiet then. But this was the dream team, after a crazy work weekend, spending the day at the waterpark. I don’t ever want to forget this day because these girls are a part of my job I didn’t know to dream up or even ask God for. They are just purely a gift.

. . . . .

September 2017

The only Georgia game I attended this year was the start of the season against Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana. The game was incredible, but the rest of the trip, the people I already knew and the ones I met for the first time, were even better. I don’t ever want to forget those few days because it was the best weekend of the year. Maybe the best weekend ever. (Ask me in a few more decades… feels early to decide for sure.)

. . . . .

October 2017

A real special bucket list moment for me. Seeing Lady Antebellum play in Scotland. The whole week over there in Scotland, God just kept reminding me that He specializes in ME. He speaks all my languages. And He might not always meet my expectations but He will surely meet with me. I don’t ever want to forget this because I love my friends and I love them in concert and I love them most in concert in a place I love. And God knew. Amen.

. . . . .

November 2017

Y’all have been the absolute kindest about 100 Days To Brave. Thank you for loving it and sharing it and making it a part of your lives. I don’t ever want to forget when this little book released because I feel so honored to do this work.

. . . . .

December 2017

I love when my friends are friends with my friends. And in a lot of ways, that was the central theme for my year. My friends becoming friends. My friends introducing me to their friends. I feel more grateful for my people than ever before. I don’t ever want to forget this dinner because my friends mean the world to me.

. . . . .

I just don’t want to forget. It’s why I journal, it’s why I instagram, it’s why I tell stories- in books, on stages, on the podcast. I don’t want to forget who God really is- to me, to you, to us.

Cheers to all the ways 2017 let us down and lifted us up.

Cheers to all the ways 2018 will do it too.

Cheers to all the things we will choose to remember. In a world where it is easy to forget, we will not. We will remember each other, we will remember the moments that shape us, we will remember the trips and the meals.

And we will remember God. 

. . . . .

Friends, if you wanna, and if your profile is public, share the link to your favorite instagram post of 2017! I’d love love love to see it! Happy 2018. I’ll see you there. 🙂 

. . . . .