What Worked and What Didn't in 2025

Well. What a year.

Published a children’s book.

Committed robbery from a popular retailer.

Checked Yellowstone and Charleston off the bucket list.

Turned 40.

Rode my bike 50 miles in the hills and lived to tell.

Broke in half over disability.

Got put back together by my people.

Finished three (yes, three!) book manuscripts.

And surprising no one more than me, I met a really, really good man.

There’s really no proper summary for a year like this, except to say that, as ever, the thread that persists in the thick of the tangle is God’s grace and kindness. So without further ado…

*Girlfriends. [Cue my tears]. Where would I be without my girls, my own personal board of directors? Our Voxer thread has hours upon hours upon hours of conversations, and that was just from last week. If we added it all up, whole days and weeks of our lives were spent talking to each other in four different corners of the country. We cry, we swear a little, we ask for prayer, we celebrate, we set goals, we ask hard questions, and we tell each other, “I don’t even know what to say, I’m just sorry, and I see you” in the hardest moments. The amount of angst and sadness this group has absorbed for me so that I can go back into my real life as a better, healthier, version of myself is unreal—if I’m doing anything well it’s because they have helped me live through what’s hard, first. They are my first line of defense, my best hype girls, my accountability. My prayer for every woman I know is an Ashlee Gadd, Sonya Spillmann, and Sarah J. Hauser in their lives. Girlfriends were one of God’s very best ideas.

*Saying yes (to good things) too much. Bottom line: I’ve got to rein in what I say yes to. Things I don’t want to do are easy. It’s the things I do want to do that I’m struggling with. There are so many good things I don’t want to miss. But life and work and responsibilities right in my own home are busier than ever, and 95% of the time it is the people closest to me who pay the price for my overcommitments.

*Trying to sort through the past few years on my own. I thought I was doing just fine since my divorce, and in many ways, I was fine. I felt strong, healthy, like we were all flourishing. Until there was a reason to be vulnerable again. So I’m (somewhat reluctantly) back in counseling, not because I am not obsessed with my counselor, I am! But because feelings are hard, revisiting painful memories is really difficult, and digging deep to do even more of a postmortem on my old marriage is really exhausting. But you know what I don’t want to live with? Fear. Especially fear that doesn’t belong in a new story. And that’s worth the work.

Being the prolific reader I want to be. Goodreads sent me an email yesterday with my yearly reading recap (that I did not ask for), and they made a whole bunch of graphics that I could share on social media that said some version of “18/20 books read!” and basically all I saw was a reminder that you did not meet your goal, Katie. I really admire the people who can read 30, 40, 50 books a year. You all are amazing. That’s who I want to be. But I keep falling asleep after a few pages. In 2026, I think I’ll set a lower goal and hope Goodreads sends me a trophy.

Social-freaking-media. I just…don’t even know. I really don’t love it, you guys. For much of the last few months I’ve only been logging in on Fridays and that’s felt very balanced—though over the winter break I’ve been on much more and my soul feels that. So it’s back to Fridays only in 2026, and that’s 90% for the reels Benj or Ashlee send me.

In Jewish traditions, there is a prayer called “Dayenu.” It means, “It would have been enough.”

It would have been enough, God, that you gave me mercy today, but you also gave us this sunset. Dayenu.

It would have been enough that we have food at the table, but we also have ginger cookies and homemade pizzas and butternut squash soup and sourdough bread. Dayenu.

Thank you, God, for doing more than I could have imagined. It would have been enough to be held by you through another year, but look at all you’ve done?

Dayenu.

a sneak peak for let me tell you subscribers. I still can’t believe this little book made it, and I am so humbled to share it with you next year 🥹

You can read Ashlee’s “What Worked” post here. She’s the coolest. And she also took all of these pictures of me and the kids. (It’s really a nice hookup when your best friend is as talented as mine.) We also did a podcast episode over on Coffee + Crumbs going through our lists with some stories, too, so jump over there to listen.

A note for paid subscribers,

I am still undone that you are here, not only supporting my family through this work, but praying for us relentlessly in a story we didn’t ask for, but by God’s grace, have found our way through. We’re still finding that way, certainly. Isn’t everyone? But it is so important to me that this space serves you in meaningful ways. If you have 2 minutes to fill out this form, I’d be so grateful. It will help me make 2026 content with as much intention as possible.

**You’ll see a little space to “Ask Me Anything” and I mean it, you can ask anything. You already know I’m pretty much an open book here. I even told Benj Quinn he needs to get ready to answer so if you have questions for him, he said he’s game (he might regret it, we will see 😂)

Love y’all.