Happy November, everyone! I am sorry I didn’t post a book review last week; I had a few big assignments due, and then I got sick, so I wasn’t able to get around to it. Hopefully I will have one for you next week! First, though, I am going to be sharing my October wrap-up!

Life Updates

• I had a busy month with school with some big assignments due, so that took up a lot of my time! It looks like classes will be settling down a little bit this next month, though!
• I went on a weekend retreat with a Christian group from my college, which was a lot of fun! I had fun hanging out by the lake, meeting new people, and hearing some good messages and worship.
• I discovered a nearby cat cafe, so I had fun visiting there a few times and working on homework while sipping on pumpkin chai lattes (so good!) and playing with the cats.
• I have been working more on learning American Sign Language and have been going to some classes to learn more about ASL interpreting, Deaf culture, and Deaf ministry. It has been very interesting!
• The gates opened for November’s King’s Daughters Writing Camp at the end of the month! I went back and forth a bit on whether to participate since I will have a busy month with ASL training and school, but I had edits to get done for “A Shelter in the Storm,” so I figured camp would be a good push to work on that! I always love participating in KDWC.

Writing Updates

With school, I didn’t have a ton of time for writing this month, but I was able to make some progress! I worked on some edits for “A Shelter in the Storm,” and I also started brainstorming ideas (and wrote a possible beginning) for another short story, also set during WWII but from the perspective of a soldier. We’ll see if anything comes of it, but it has been fun to brainstorm about!

Words written: 461

Pages edited: 13

Etsy Updates

I listed four new items in October, including a Washington State Parks Checklist and Journal and a few New Year’s templates. I especially like the 2027 Word of the Year Worksheet and 2027 New Year’s Goals templates!

Books I Read

I finished 5 books in October! Here is the list:

• Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew by Ellen Notbohm (audiobook; 4 stars)
• Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper (3.75 stars)
• The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame (3.5 stars)
• Ten Things Your Student with Autism Wishes You Knew by Ellen Notbohm (audiobook; 4 stars)
• October, October by Katya Balen (3.75 stars)

Favorites This Month

Book: My favorite book I finished this month was an audiobook I listened to, Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew. While I didn’t agree with all of the author’s perspectives, as someone who works with autistic children, I found there to be a lot of good insight in this book. It was written by a mother with a son with autism, so I appreciated hearing a parent’s perspective.

Blog Post: I haven’t done a great job keeping up with blog posts this month, but one I did enjoy reading was Kate at Once Upon an Ordinary’s post, “How Does a Book Become a Favorite,” as I have a similar process for determining favorite books, and it features one of my personal favorites, Beautiful Blue World by Suzanne LeFluer!

Bible Verse/Passage: One passage I have enjoyed reflecting on lately is Matthew 11:28-30:

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Blog Post Round-Up

If you missed any of my blog posts from October, you can find them here!

How was your October? Let me know in the comments below! Next week, I will hopefully be back with a book review for you all!