The final celebration of the year is almost upon us, my friends!
Before we plan out our New Year’s resolutions (or, if you’re like me, your word for the new year), we need to take a step back and reflect on all God has done in our lives this year.
Before I sat down to write this blog post, I don’t think I fully understood the magnitude of what God did this year in my life. As I started to piece together 2022’s memories, I realized how crazy of a year it actually was. I mean, I started a blog, got married, and moved into an RV full-time, for Pete’s sake! And that doesn’t even include half of what’s happened.
While I will be talking about all the highlights from the year below, it’s important to remember that not everything is rainbows and unicorns.
This year was challenging.
Life changes can look good on the ‘gram, but nine times out of ten, you’re not going to see all the hard work and obstacles that go into it.
I try to be as honest as possible with y’all on social media, but at the same time, my struggles are my struggles, and sometimes, I like to keep them between me and close loved ones.
So while, yes, this year was the best year of my life, it was also the most challenging. But instead of focusing on the negatives, I want to focus on all the good!
Let’s recap ↓
J A N U A R Y
• close to creation’s birth •
The first post I ever made on Instagram was on January 5, 2022. Back then, I didn’t know what I was going to post, but I knew God had put it on my heart to start Close to Creation. The pictures above are actually photos I took specifically to have content to post. Do you recognize any of them?
F E B R U A R Y
• wedding planning galore •
Trying to build a website while planning a wedding was NO JOKE! Of course, everything picked up with wedding planning, and I had no idea what I was doing when it came to building Close to Creation, so it was a hectic month. One of the best parts, though, was my bridal shower 🥰.
M A R C H
• ya girl got married!! •
Our wedding truly was the bestest day of our lives! We laughed, cried, and danced our butts off with a hundred of our closest family and friends. But most importantly, I got to marry the love of my life. It was such a special day 🤍
• honeymoon heaven •
Our honeymoon in Utah was a dream I never wanted to end. Not only did I get to explore one of the most beautiful places here on earth, but I got to do it with my HUSBAND 🥰. Turning our phones on airplane mode and spending all the time together as newlyweds was a little slice of heaven here on earth. Check out all our St. George favs here.
A P R I L
• official rv owners •
I still remember the day we bought our RV like it was yesterday. We were both scared and excited all at the same time! Until then, we had only planned to travel around the country in an RV, but this purchase made it more real. Did you miss the big announcement back in April? Check it out here.
• welcome home, big jo •
Our second big purchase was our sweet, big Josephine (Jo for short). Chris and I had never driven, let alone owned a big truck before, so this process was just as scary as buying the rv. We had been looking at trucks for months, but most were either too old or out of our price range. Chris finally found Jo, and we immediately went to look at it one weekend. A couple of hours later, the keys were in our hands, and we were headed home. And this gal drove her off the lot; thank you very much!
• closetocreation.com launch •
On April 22 (aka Earth Day), I officially launched closetocreation.com! After it went live, I couldn’t help but blast worship music and dance around my living room. Check out my first-ever blog post here.
M A Y
• ✌🏻 out teaching •
The last day of school was a bittersweet moment. I had only been teaching for two years, but I had made countless memories with my students. Leaving was scary at first because of all the unknowns, but I knew that if God placed this dream on my heart, He would provide for me. Since I left, I have felt His provision and guidance more than ever. What a blessing!
• rv renovation begins •
I was excited to bring the RV home so I could start renovating. All the Pinterest boards were set in place, and I was ready to work. I was prepared to work my little butt off to finish all the renovations before we moved in, but between my two trips in June and a July 1 deadline, that didn’t happen. Funny enough, we’re still trying to finish the dang renovations we started back in May.
J U N E
• summer travels •
It probably wasn’t the best idea to schedule two different weeks of travel in the middle of transitioning to full-time rv living, but I’m so glad I did. North Carolina and Montana were the perfect trips to celebrate the end of one chapter and the beginning of another. Remember when a grizzly bear was 20 yards away from me, and I didn’t even know it? I do 😅. If you haven’t read that blog post, read it here. And if you haven’t seen my fav places from my North Carolina trip, check that post out here.
J U L Y
• finally, full-timers •
On July 1, we moved out of our 900 sq ft. house in Clermont, FL, into our RV. That day was legit madness! Long story short, Chris and I didn’t eat dinner until 10:15 that night – thank the Lord Pizza Hut was open. We ended up staying in Wauchula (the middle of nowhere) for three weeks and then staying on the east coast for a couple of weeks.
A U G U S T
• time to hit the road •
When August rolled around, it was time for us to finally leave Florida and head to our first destination: Alabama. After getting up at 3:30, losing a sway bar, and traveling for 10 hours, we finally reached our campground. This was when our new lifestyle started to feel real! One of our favorite places in Alabama was the natural bridge. Check out my blog post about it here.
• lo sister conference •
One of the reasons I was most excited to start rv life was because I would be able to go to the Live Original Conference in West Monroe, Louisiana. If you’ve never heard of it, it’s a conference Sadie Robertson Huff and her team host. I had the most amazing time meeting new friends and being spiritually replenished. I 1000% recommend going! I don’t know if I’ll be able to make the one in 2023, but I’m trying to figure something out. Maybe I’ll see you there!
S E P T E M B E R
• seeing family in missouri •
Chris and I agree that staying in Missouri was one of the best parts of our first round of RV travels. We stayed in my step-brother’s side yard (he, so kindly, put a 50 amp plug in his garage so we could stay with them) for three weeks. We rarely see that side of my family, so three weeks with them was a treat. Check out all my favorites from that trip here!
• started a youtube channel •
After leaving Missouri, we traveled to Indiana. While in Indiana, I felt God nudging me to start a YouTube channel. Just like building my website, I had no idea what I was doing, but all I knew was that I wanted to document our travels. Since then, I’ve posted 11 videos and have over 600 views on my channel. So cool!
O C T O B E R
• 4 states 1 month •
October was a busy one! We started the month in Pennsylvania, then moved to Virginia, then I flew home to Florida for my sister’s bachelorette party, ending the month in South Carolina. Whew! It was a great final month on the road, though. I crossed off two national parks from my list (Shenandoah NP & Congaree NP) and visited a city I’ve always wanted to go to (Greenville). Check out my Greenville favs here.
N O V E M B E R
• time to go home •
The beginning of November marked the end of our 2022 RV travels. I was sad to see it end, but I was also excited to get back and see my family. We made it back to Florida just before a hurricane blew through the week of my sister’s wedding. Thank the Lord it wasn’t worse than it was! After my sister’s wedding, we headed south to put the rv in storage and stay with my dad in West Palm. From sunrises to paddleboarding to golfing to trivia to cornhole to exploring Everglades National Park to hanging out with family we barely see, we had the best time!
D E C E M B E R
• my new favorite place •
While staying with Chris’ mom, I found my new favorite place: Circle B Bar Reserve. The nature reserve is home to some of the coolest hiking trails I’ve ever been on, and it’s free! What makes this place so great? Because you get to interact with wildlife like never before. It’s a GREAT place to take pictures! I plan to include it in a new travel guide soon, so stay tuned for more information!
• holidays with family •
I didn’t get any pictures of us with our family this holiday season, but I did get a few with Chris, so here you go. Honestly, I’m glad I don’t have any pictures with family because that means I was too busy enjoying their company and being present with them.
• my new christmas present •
While traveling a couple of months ago, I lost the battery door cover to my camera. Long story short, I haven’t found a replacement piece, so I figured it was time to upgrade my gear finally. I cannot WAIT to use this bad boy on our 2023 travels. Keep an eye out for my stories because I’ll be posting about it as soon as I get it!
As you can tell, this year was a busy one! What was your favorite part of 2022? Let me know in the comments below 😊
