hello, may!

(Finally.)

HELLO, FABULOUS DRAGON-FRIEND! I am back from hiatus with a BRAND NEW SHINY POST FOR YOU!!!!

january, february, & march highlights, ft. a tiny vlog || getting my driver's license, turning 18, + ALSO starting college???

Hello, 2019 & HELLO, DARLING DRAGONS! 😘

I'M FINALLY WRITING THIS POST.

Something that started as a belated May highlights, then morphed into May/June, and eventually made it all the way to some "May/June/July/August/September/October/November/December Highlights BASICALLY I FAILED AT BLOGGING LAST YEAR" hybrid. So, yeah.

I've been gone for a while, and, to be honest, there are a lot of reasons why (you can read my full post on that here). 2018 was rough. Jam-packed of wonderful new people + amazing experiences + SO MUCH FUN, but rough nonetheless.

My goal and prayer is for 2019 to be better.

Today, I'm going to take a look back at just a few of the blessings 2018 had to offer,* and some dreams + plans I have for this year. 😉

*Fair warning: all the photos might make this post look a little wackadoodle on some phones/tablets/feeds. 😅 I did my best!

Without further ado, let's dive in!

J A N U A R Y

• Returned from my first ever New Year's Meeting
• Stayed up late with my mom on Sunday nights to watch Victoria (PBS) 😊
• Finished my fifth semester of high school + started my sixth

F E B R U A R Y

• Returned to Universal Studios / the Wizarding World of Harry Potter 😍😍😍
• Had my wisdom teeth removed (WHILE AWAKE???)
• Probably did something else significant but it's been almost a year since then so I honestly can't remember rn?? 😅

M A R C H

• Took the SAT for the first time
• Finished my editing job
• Grandparents came to visit 🙂
• Spent spring break hiking + visiting coffee shops / museums / beaches with da bestie and our families 💚

>> January/February/March Highlights <<

A P R I L

• Attended Placerville's Youth Meeting
• Took the SAT for the second (& LAST!) time
• Went to tea with Tasha @ curlycovering
• Realized my smol love for edible floral arrangements 😂😂😂
• Co-hosted a giveaway with Victoria Lynn @ Ruffles & Grace

>> April Highlights <<

M A Y

• Joined Instagram (my handle is @livkfisher, btw 😉)
• Went on a jeep caravan to Borrego Springs
• Traveled to Sacramento for a friend's graduation 😭💞
• Took my first ever AP exam 😏
• Launched The Language of Worlds linkup
• Da bestie came to visit! 😁

J U N E

• Volunteered as a poll clerk on Election Day
• Finished my junior year
• Discovered I was quoted on Introvert Dear, thanks to the lovely Lisa Pickle!
• Attended SoCalCWC (& met THE Nadine Brandes and Hailey Rose! 😱😻😻) (click here to see Hailey's vlog on it!)
• Got my driver's permit 😃

J U L Y

• Passed out flags for a realtor
• Watched fireworks from the driver's seat 😍
• Launched my readers' group (!!!!)
• Spent a day at SeaWorld + watched fireworks from the sky trolley 😍😍
• Camped for a weekend in Julian
• Found a TARDIS-styled little free library

A U G U S T

• Da bestie came to visit again 😊
• Attended my church's twelfth annual Youth Meeting (ft. sermons by Jonathan @ Pure & Simple Bible)
• Went on a two-week road trip with my family & went on SO MANY ADVENTURES 😍😍😍 camping, exploring, etc... the whole trip felt very lovely + bohemian! 😍😍😍
• Decided to go full-blown vegan 😬 (food-wise, at least 😉)
• Started my senior year
• Attended Livermore's Labor Day Meeting

S E P T E M B E R

• Registered at community college 😱😱😱

O C T O B E R

• Outlined Ignis (formerly titled The Scent of the Stars)
• Had a fun, pizza-filled Halloween with a school friend 🙂

N O V E M B E R

• Started writing Ignis
• Saw The Crimes of Grindelwald (totally noteworthy & honestly probably my new most favorite movie EVER 😍😍😍)
• Had my senior pictures done by the lovely Gina Lee Photography
• Attended Oakdale's Youth Meeting
• Grandparents came to visit for Thanksgiving 🌝

D E C E M B E R

• CHRISTMAS!
• Attended Oklahoma City's New Year's Meeting

chasing shadows by ashley townsend // where trains collide by amber stokes // the moon master's ball by clara diane thompson // an enchantment of ravens by margaret rogerson // scarlet by marissa meyer // fawkes by nadine brandes // waltz into the waves by sarah holman // common by laurie lucking

books: 53/53

writing: started ignis

travel: hollywood, ca // placerville, ca // borrego springs, ca // sacramento, ca // la miranda, ca // seaworld, ca // julian, ca // lost coast, ca // livermore, ca // oakdale, ca // oklahoma city, ok

work: finished editing job // volunteered at polls // delivered realtor flags

education: finished junior year // started senior year // registered for college

books: read 30 // join netgalley // re-read the harry potter series

writing: finish + revise ignis (draft 1) // write fey novella // write two books in medieval fantasy quadrilogy

travel: fullerton, ca // julian, ca

work: complete socalcwc registration job // find + start part-time job

education: finish senior year // graduate high school // start college

soul: spend one hour+ with God every day

health: stay vegan // eat more greens // do 15 min. yoga every morning // walk dogs three times each day // do stretches every evening

art: start + keep + add to bullet journal

HAPPY 2019, DRAGONS!!!! 😘💕 I hope you had an amazing 2018 + your 2019 is completely FANTASTIC & everything and more than you hoped for!

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for all the love and support you've given me -- this past year especially. I'm so thankful for each and every one of you, and I pray your new year is absolutely wonderful. 💖

Now...

LET'S CHAT!

How was your 2018? What are your goals for this year?

❤,

"Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall." ~Isaiah 40:30

What's up, sweet Dragons?

I'VE BEEN GONE FOREVER. And for that, I'm sorry.

To be honest, the past year has been very... odd? Different? Strange? Confusing? But seemingly without sufficient reason??

There have been so many wonderful memories, from my first writers' conference last July to SoCalCWC this June (which I'll plan to tell you ALL ABOUT soon!) to soul-talks with da besties. I've grown stronger as a writer, more willing as a student, more confident as a person. But for some reason, growing has been hard... and there've been times I've felt entirely alone.

Then, this post from Julia @ The Barefoot Gal popped into my inbox. And you guys, I'm pretty sure it was a God moment. 💕

Busyness with school and learning how to drive and college prep and gearing up for job-hunting has just made me feel so tired, so drained. There's the constant fear of the unknown. As Julia put it: "Looking at yourself in the mirror and wondering who you are becoming is the hardest of all."

And sometimes, it feels like it's not my right to be so tired, to feel so empty. When I look at a college student with classes they adore, or a intern who's risen in the ranks, or a stay-at-home mom with a new baby, I remember that I'm young. That my adventure's just beginning. That I shouldn't be afraid, because I have no right to be.

Easier said then done.

And 100%. Not. True.

I was looking up a verse for Bible study the other day, when I stumbled upon Isaiah 40:30. It reads:

Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall.

And I paused. Then I read the full passage. In verses 28-31, Isaiah writes:

Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and His understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.

Then Julia's words rang even truer:

"The pressure to succeed is intense. The pressure to be the only you is intense. The pressure to follow your passion or not because that's just emotion that will change... So if you're walking around feeling rather lost and broken, that isn't insanity or something. You just need to thrust yourself into company with people who honestly care about you and are willing to help you refocus... less on yourself and more on God."

On a stormy evening in October, I cracked open Nadine Brandes's latest novel, Fawkes. Last night, I finished it.

Fawkes is a story of truth and healing -- and in so many ways, it felt like God closing the lid on my draining fear. Like a rising whisper in a heavy silence, opening shades in a darkened room, an unspoken question: why have you been afraid?

Now, it's getting easier. I'm learning to trade fear for trust. Trust that God will provide, God will sustain, God will breathe life. Trust that God is the master of the universe and all creation; that all things are under His graceful hand.

Now, I think I'm ready to try this blogging thing again.

I so enjoy connecting with you all, and I can't wait to see what the last two months (TWO MONTHS??!!) of 2018 will bring. Yahweh willing, there'll be many more beyond. 💖

❤,

*All scripture quoted above from the NIV Bible.

April Highlights (SUMMER'S ALMOST HERE!!!!)

📷 cred: Anastasia

WELL, HELLO THERE, MAY. *waggles eyebrows* You're my favorite month bc you mean that SUMMER IS ALMOST HERE!!!! Which means strawberries🍓 and watermelons🍉, picnics🥧 and tents⛺️, art📚 and adventures🌼... I'M JUST SO EXCITED fdgtrb ewbrbfelbr;sdlkvfb

{Source.}

LIFE HAPPENINGS

• Me: *applies for position as poll clerk morning before deadline* // Human: *calls that night to say that I GOT THE JOB* // Me: WOWZA THAT WAS FAST
• Mom: Let's stop by the dmv and get you that driver's handbook. // Me: OH DEAR
• I went to Sac the weekend before last and got SUPER SICK but lol I'm going back again this weekend for my bestie's graduation so 😎
• Bestie: *driving* // Me: Have you ever listened to the Lumineers? // Bestie: OMW YES *blasts the Lumineers all the way home*
• *end of SAT* // Kid next to me: Well I AM SO TAKING THAT AGAIN // Me: lol I remember those days
• MY FIRST AP EXAM IS A WEEK FROM TODAY AND I. AM. FREAKING. OUT.
• I finally figured out how to Instagram and not be just a stalker anymore??!! (My Instagram handle is @oliviakimwrites, btw 😉)
• Lionsgate is making a Robin Hood movie and IT LOOKS SO EPIC, YOU GUYS (trailer below)

• My friend Anastasia (who has just recently started #hairstagram-ing and YOU SHOULD TOTALLY GO GIVE HER A FOLLOW) and I went out to tea (pics above) after I took the SAT for the last time & it was such a wonderful, peaceful, relaxing decision 💖
• Me: Are you going to eat your garnish flower? // Anastasia: No, go ahead // Me: *slowly eats it* // Me: That was really sweet... and then REALLY GROSS // Anastasia: Now the waitress is going to return and be like, "Oh no, what happened to the garnish flowers?!" And I'll let her know that the vegan ate them. // 😂😂😂
• Me: *should be doing homework* // Also me: *compiles a list of 100 titles she wants to read this summer, but probably won't*
• I discovered the joy that is the Oh Hellos' album Notos
• THE FROZEN ON BROADWAY SOUNDTRACK RELEASES IN JUUUUUUUNE
• I FINALLY saw The Greatest Showman and it was SO BEAUTIFUL but THEY TOTALLY BUTCHERED THE LEGACY OF JENNY LIND, THOUGH
• Fan: *goes kaput* // Mom: *buys a new fan that is basically an oscillating rectangle of Antarctica* // Me: *is way too excited*
• Yesterday Stephanie Garber announced that Caraval is getting ANOTHER sequel and I AM ALL KINDS OF HAPPY, RN
• Current mood bc SUMMER IS SO CLOSE:

{Source.}

• Also, here's a summer countdown because qwoifre gebgb b gbfrb I CAN'T WAIT ⮛⮛⮛

READING CORNER

1. Sinking by Sarah Armstrong-Garner [4/5]. Mermaids, Ireland, pirates, unwanted suitors... um, YESH. I was a little slow getting into it, but the more the heroine's character developed, the more I enjoyed her story!

2. Where Trains Collide (ARC) by Amber Stokes [5/5]. I LOVED IT; IT WAS PHENOMENAL. Let's start there. Keep an eye out for my full review as a part of the blog tour, coming June 8th!

3. How a Star Falls by Amber Stokes [3/5]. Not nearly as lovely as Where Trains Collide, but still a fun little read! I so enjoyed seeing little snapshots of Humboldt County (I didn't realize there were so many places I didn't know existed!).

4. Word & Deed by Rachel Rossano [4/5]. A very different sort of story, but interesting. I was quite pleased with who-got-who, in the end! 🙂

5. The Moon Master's Ball by Clara Diane Thompson [5,000,000,000,000/5]. I ADORED IT. And yah see that five-trillion out of five? That means that THIS IS BASICALLY RIGHT UP THERE WITH HARRY POTTER. It was THAT GOOD. 💕

6. The Spinner & the Slipper by Camryn Lockhart [4/5]. It took me an insane amount of time to get into this, but I'm pretty sure that was all me. And as soon as I met the green-eyed man, I knew it was love! 😍😉

7. The Prince & the Dressmaker by Jen Wang [1/5]. No. Just no. It takes me waaaay to long to explain why, but you're welcome to read my Goodreads review with my reasons. 🙃

8. An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson [4.5/5]. I AM STILL ON A HIGH FROM THIS BOOK!!!! The romance, the worldbuilding, THE CHARACTERS... Oh my word, I adored it! 💖

WRITING DESK

You know how I said I'd be doing Camp NaNoWriMo?

Hahahahaha-- UM. Anywhozens.

The Scent of the Stars didn't get written. I... got a little distracted. Because, shortly into Camp, I learned about Spring Song Press's new writing contest and MY BRAIN FELL IN LOVE. Thus, my WIP for the next month-and-a-half is called Fjord Phantom, and it's a Nordic, gender-swapped retelling of Orpheus and Eurydice. Here's the Pinterest board:

APRIL BLOG ROLL

ELSEWHERE IN THE BLOGOSPHERE

• Cait @ Paper Fury and Sky @ Further Up & Further In released the last Beautiful People challenge 😭😭😭
• Spring Song Press is hosting a writing contest! 🌟
• Savannah @ Inspiring Writes (formerly known as Scattered Scribblings) and Madeline @ Short & Snappy redesigned their blogs!
• Abbiee @ Abbiee and Sarah @ The Introverted Extrovert returned from hiatus!
• Ivie @ Ivie Writes reveals the cover for her debut novel (Uprising) on May 19th!
• Rebekah @ Rebekah's Remarks releases her poetry book on Sunday! (And she's offering some pretty neat swag to anyone who joins her in celebrating the release, this weekend! 😉)

What's new with you, me'Dragons? Any fun plans for May? Are you excited for summer?

❤,

January/February/March Highlights + I'M DOING CAMP NANO, GUYS

"OMW LIV YOU'RE ALIVE!!!! i thought you were dead + this person posting on ur blog was a ghost or something"

YES MY DRAGONS YOUR SUPREME FROZEN YOGURT QUEEN IS  B A C K. Forgive my lack of Liv-has-a-life-beyond-obsessing-over-books-all-the-time posts. The end of first semester / beginning of second semester BASICALLY ATE MY LIFE. #rude

But, I WAS able to pop in a few times with the occasional interview, blog tour, and cover reveal. Speaking of which, Victoria Lynn (of Ruffles & Grace fame) and I are hosting a giveaway! You can enter to win a paperback copy of London in the Dark (Victoria's debut novel)... HOW AWESOME IS THAT?! This giveaway ends soon, so be sure to enter asap!

TO LEARN MORE + ENTER OUR GIVEAWAY, CLICK HERE

LIFE HAPPENINGS

• I finished my fifth semester + started my sixth which means I only have two semesters of high school to go after this #WHAAAA
• Stuttering (idk why??) while studying for my Physics test in January PROBABLY BECAUSE THE STRESS I MEAN 20% OF THE ENTIRE SEMESTER GRADE YO
• Staying up late with my mom on Sunday nights because VICTORIA'S BACK ON (but not anymore because apparently season two decided it need to end at some point??? I WANT IT BACK NOW THO)
• The two of us sobbing at 10PM last Sunday because the end of Victoria, season two, episode two, part one = TEARSSSS
• Alfred + Wilhemina = ALL THE HEARTS 💗💗💗
• VISITING UNIVERSAL STUDIOS WITH MY PARENTS AGAIN AND RETURNING TO THE WIZARDING WORLD OF HARRY POTTER 💛🖤💛🖤 (pics below)
• Going to the Jurassic Park lot and getting a picture with a robotic raptor who had a personality the size of Russia
• Doing the Studio Tour and especially loving it because THE TOUR GUIDE LOOKED/TALKED JUST LIKE LORD MELBOURNE
• Crying on the Harry Potter & the Forbidden Journey ride because I LOVE IT SO MUCH YOU GUYS *sobs some more*
• Also screaming on the Fobbiden Journey because SPIDERS AND DEMENTORS IN REAL LIFE ARE BASICALLY THE SCARIEST THING EVER
• And screaming even more on the lower lot Mummy ride because (1) MUMMIES ARE CREEPY, (2) there was one part where it felt like there were bugs climbing all over you, and (3) IT WENT BACKWARDS AND DOWNWARDS REALLY FAST YOU GUYS
• Drinking butterbeer outta a souvenir cup (I'VE NEVER BOUGHT A SOUVENIR CUP BEFORE)
• Trying pumpkin juice for the first time (it was good BUT THERE WAS A LOT OF CINNAMON)
• Meeting the Hogwarts Express conductor and ALMOST PROPOSING ON THE SPOT BECAUSE AAAAH HE HAD A BRITISH ACCENT, LOVED CLOCKS, AND I GOT TO TAKE A PICTURE WITH HIM WITH OUR ARMS LINKED TOGETHER (even though my hair was a beast and I'll probably never show that picture to another living soul STILL THE MEMORYYYY)
• Wandering Hogsmeade at twilight
• Eating pizza at City Walk in Universal Studios
• Realizing that a five-ounce chocolate frog right before bed = definitely not my best idea
• GETTING MY WISDOM TEETH OUT, but honestly the worst part was not being able to eat tacos for a week-and-a-half + getting my stitches out (apparently I'm a "superhuman healer like Wolverine" (to quote my dentist) which meant that MY GUMS ATE MY STITCHES AND GETTING THEM OUT INVOLVED KNIVES AND CANNONS AND SWORDS AND MACHETES AND STUFF (basically?))
• The rest of February / the beginning of March was all JUST KINDA A BIG BLUR?? (I SURVIVED THO)
• I FINISHED MY EDITING JOB!!!!
• I learned that taking the SAT with the intention of being the happiest soul in the room is (1) pretty easy and (2) makes the SAT so much easier and way more fun
• Serving as a student representative at a WASC meeting made my emotions a bag of mixed vegetables (it was both fascinating and intimidating at the exact same time, I guess?)
• MY GRANDPARENTS CAME TO TOWN
• The MEA Theatre Company performed A Midsummer Night's Dream (original text and everything) and OH. MY. WORD. IT WAS SO AMAZING!!!!
• March (the part before spring break) just about killed me (as mentioned above), but I SURVIVED THO (also mentioned above)
• SPRING BREAK!!!!
• One of my besties came to town and thus SPRING BREAK WAS A MAGICAL COMBINATION OF BEACHES, HIKES, COFFEE SHOPS, AND MUSEUMS 💕
• I TURNED SEVENTEEN 🎊 😳 🎊
• I met up with my AMAZING friend Ashley! As always, if you haven't read her Rising Shadows trilogy, YOU NEED TO. IT'S AMAZING!!!! 😍😍😍 You can check it out on Goodreads here!
• I attended the Five Poisoned Apples FB party and IT WAS ABSOLUTELY FANTABULOUS 😍😍😍 (if you missed the winners announcement, you can check out my post on it here)
• ONLY 58 DAYS UNTIL SUMMER
• I'M DOING CAMP NANOWRIMO! My project is The Scent of the Stars (yup, that sci-fi novella I mentioned in my sleep-deprived October Highlights). My current goal is 25k... but we'll see how it turns out. 😉

PHOTO DUMP

Disney's got nothing compared to this place. 😘

From under the roof of the Three Broomsticks.

I stood on my tiptoes to get this picture. #beproud 😜

HOGWARTS. 😻😻😻

A different view of Hogsmeade.

Wandering Hogsmeade at twilight = basically THE MOST MAGICAL THING EVER.

Goodness, I love this place...

BUTTERBEER.

I WANT TO GO BACK ft. me drinking butterbeer. (📷 cred: mi madre)

Spring break adventures kicked off with a mission visit and a hike at Torrey Pines!

That view, though.

📷 cred: da bestie

The IMAX theatre at the Rueben H. Fleet Science Center. Opinion: all IMAX movies should be played on the ceiling.

Artist Village, Balboa Park. (📷 cred: da bestie)

Locked and loaded for the Five Poisoned Apples party. 😉

BOOK HAUL

1. The Kingdom Keepers by Ridley Pearson. A church friend recommended this to me, describing it as "Rick Riordan meets Disney Parks." Um, YES!
2. Wisdom's Kiss by Catherine Gilbert Murdock. Medieval fantasy is always a must.
3. Jackaby by William Ritter. I started this last Tuesday, and idk how I feel about it yet? It's fun in an odd sort of way, but the writing's a little too classical for my taste. 🤷
4. Defying Shadows by Ashley Townsend. This is the LAST book in the the Rising Shadows trilogy, and ofpewwrb fgblgg,. THE FEELSSSS
5. Sinking by Sarah Armstrong-Garner. I've been wanting to read this one for months now, so I finally bought it to review for the Drifting blog tour! Keep an eye out for my post, coming April 29th. 😉

READING CORNER

1. Chasing Shadows by Ashley Townsend [5/5]. THIS BOOK, YOU GUYS! 💗 IT WAS SO GOOOOOOOD 😍😍😍

2. Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones [dnf]. I think this is the farthest I've ever read with a book I didn't finish. It just wasn't my gig. I know a lot of people love it though, so I'd still recommend giving it a try!

3. The Midsummer Captives by Lea Doué [4.5/5]. This was even better than The Firethorn Crown. Next up, The Red Dragon Girl! 😍

4. Sentinel by Jamie Foley [4/5]. I read this guy for the Sage blog tour, and WOW. I'm not really into Christian thrillers, but this was great! You can read my full review here.

5. Love Needs No Words by Faith L. Potts [4/5]. This was adorable! Full review forthcoming. 🙂

WRITING DESK

The past few months have been CRAZY. Like, INSANE. So not much writing has been done, but I fully intend to tackle Camp NaNoWriMo and (hopefully) finish The Scent of the Stars this April!

April Goal: Finish draft one.

Current/Overall Goal: Start edits and hunt down betas in May/June.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY/MARCH BLOG ROLL

I'm skipping this part. There are just too many posts. 😆 But, you can scroll through my monthly posts at any of the links below.

• January
• February
• March

ELSEWHERE IN THE BLOGOSPHERE

• Jill Stengl (JM Stengl) launched a new website and book series (Faraway Castle)!
• Rooglewood Press announced the winning authors, finalists, and honorable mentions of Five Poisoned Apples!
• Sarah Addison-Fox released a book trailer for Disowned! (IT'S SO EPIC YOU GUYS)

What's up with you, Dragons? I feel as if we haven't talked in ages! How has your year been? Have you had spring break, yet?

❤,

P.S. Lord willing, my post schedule will change to Wednesday mornings with blog tours / cover reveals on the weekend! This'll allow me way more time to dole out posts. 😉 Have a marvelous week, my loves! 💕