best birthday ever blog tag

created by julia @ lit aflame (go sign up for her email list! she sends awesome birthday emails!)

my birthday was very recent. if you know the date, yay for you! if you don’t, don’t ask. i won’t tell.

1 || describe your birthday day!

i was camping with my mom, sister, and littlest brother. it was very cold and wet. we had to sleep squished together since the ends of our camper that open up for beds were all wet. and the rain was loud. so that was… interesting.

then i woke up, had breakfast, and typed this. then did math. i’ll be back to talk about what i did later after i do it. 😉

okay, so we went to a coffee shop and did school, then had lunch at a place called audie’s (i had a burger), then went to a motel and watched hallmark movies and took showers. (because our campsite didn’t have any. we, um, didn’t know this until we got there.)

2 || how old are you turning?

i’m an adult now! so i can vote and stuff!

3 || in your opinion, what’s one thing in all the world that makes everything better? (obviously the correct answer here is ice cream XD)

haha no, it’s cozy beautiful books like the forgotten beasts of eld and the fowl twins deny all charges and coffee and dark chocolate and blankets.

(all of which i brought on this trip.)

actually, it’s… *drumroll* Jesus.

4 || what’s one thing (don’t take this literally) that you couldn’t live without?

um, okay, not taking this literally… the friends i’ve made through the bookish/writing/blogging community. (aka you! and all my email/pen pals! and… you guys, i don’t know who i’d be today without my online friends.)

5 || what’s your life motto?

have courage and be kind || cinderella

fear no evil, and may evil fear you || outlaws of time [ n.d. wilson ]

facts don’t care about your feelings || ben shapiro

live the life that unfolds before you. love goodness more than you fear evil. || wilderking trilogy [ jonathan rogers ]

what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? || micah 6:8

virtus tentamine gaudet || hillsdale college

saint are you burdened? remember each day what’s already been done || sarah sparks

i’ve never been good at picking just one (of anything).

cinderella tells me to be brave but also think of others. n.d. wilson reminds me that i should be terrifying to the devil. ben shapiro centers me when i go crazy with emotions. jonathan rogers assures me that to live a good life, all that is really needed is to life the life that i’ve been given. micah, similarly, helps me remember what really matters. hillsdale (my dream college, btw — and I’M APPLYING RIGHT NOW. NO I’M NOT FREAKING OUT WHY WOULD YOU THINK THAT) has this motto that means “strength rejoices in the challenge,” and i am trying to take joy in my challenges. finally, sarah sparks’ lyric is a treasure that i return to whenever i’m worried. jesus already saved me, y’all. now i’ve got life to live.

(i’ve never actually used y’all before. feeling kinda nervous about it. XD)

oh, and:

the stories are true || andrew peterson

no explanation needed 😉

6 || tell about a time in your life when you failed at something, but kept on trying.

i auditioned for a musical in 2018 and didn’t get in, but i spent the year practicing and was cast in the 2019/2020 show! (which was then canceled due to covid… but, y’know. i got in.)

7 || if you could GIVE any gift — regardless of price or impossibility — to any one person, what would you give and who would you give it to?

i’d give salvation to my uncle who’s not a christian. (and to all of you heathens — *cough* i mean beautiful, beloved children of God who haven’t seen the truth yet. i love you 3000 and i want you to know that God does too.)

8 || cake, ice cream, pie, or candy?

uh… none?

9.|| do you prefer surprises or knowing everything for your bday?

ooh, that’s hard. i like a mix of both. for example, this year i knew i was getting some etsy gifts and a camping trip, but a lot of other things were a total surprise. (like getting a card from lin-manuel miranda… but that’s a story for next post. ;))

10 || where do you see yourself in a year?

at college, studying hard, probably dying of stress (but when am i not), and learning every day to love God and others more.

11. looking into the far (FAR) future… what would you like to/do you plan to be doing? (career wise, etc.)

i’d like to be a homeschooling mom, published author, and homemaker! other dreams include tiny house living, Bible translation, teaching Latin or literature, editing, and being a librarian.

12. set one goal that you have to accomplish before your next birthday!

FINISH REMNANT.

it has to happen sometime. why not this year?

that’s it for today! i’ll be back soon(ish) to talk about my birthday trip, my senior pictures, and my birthday gifts (because i just want to scream about some cool letters from famous people, okay?).

until next time,

• have courage and be kind
• fear no evil (and may evil fear you)
• recall that truth is not influenced by emotion
• live the life that unfolds before you
• love goodness more than you fear evil (and, y’know, don’t fear evil. see above.)
• do justice, love kindness, walk humbly
• rejoice in your challenges
• remember each day what’s already been done

the stories are true, folks.

and i’m an adult now.

(ahhhhhhhhhh)

// maya joelle

–