It’s been a pretty exciting year. Really, any year that God chooses to give us is an exciting time — filled with memories and laughter and love and service. 2013 was no different. It was a year of wonderful memories, great life-lessons, and remarkable friendships. It was a year of triumph and a year of hurt; a year of relaxation and a year of work.

Maybe you haven’t been following along on the journey with me from the beginning, so to catch you up on some of the more notable 2013 things here at emilyhat.com, here’s a list categorized by month!

January: This was a pretty exciting and life-changing month for the Hatfields, as The Light Network launched. In particular, my first podcast, Navigating the New Testament, kicked off, as did a host of other shows. If you haven’t gotten to be a part of The Light Network family, I’d encourage you to do so. And, there are a few new shows about to be released, so now is a perfect time to get started! Make a resolution to listen to more Christian podcasts this year!

February: This month was nearly equally as exciting for me, because emilyhat.com officially launched! While this meager website may not help anyone but me, it is an outlet for my wrestling with the Holy Scriptures, and a hub for all things emilyhat. Here’s hoping 2014 affords even more opportunities for me and this website, all to the glory of my Gracious and Almighty Father above.

March: My favorite month of the entire year!! This was the month of relaxation and remarkable friendships, as well as SO many lessons learned! March was the month we were beyond blessed by our God to be able to go to Greece and Turkey! For a couple of the lessons learned, you can go here or here. And, be sure to check out the photos from the trip! Let me know if you would like any of the photos (especially from the 7 churches of Asia). Robert and I will gladly develop a package for you to use at your home congregation.

April: This month started something new for me, writing poetry. Well, I take that back. I’ve been writing poetry for years…I just didn’t let anyone read it. Mostly because a lot of it is highly embarrassing. But, in April, I started writing a few poems here and there, and the first was called I See You. I love God’s gift of language, and I love to be able to praise Him with it! It’s probably why I love the psalms so very much.

May: An exciting month for sure, and the start of what I hope will be a fun tradition: MORP! I am so blessed to be able to work with, laugh with, and love on some amazing teenage girls at East Hill, ALL of which are now Christians. This year has been beyond remarkable, and I am so proud of these beautiful, adorable, wonderfully hilarious girls for making the decision to follow Christ no matter what. True inspirations to be sure!

June: While I didn’t expect this article to be popular, Man Crush Monday has become one of the most viewed posts on my website. If you still don’t know what man crush monday is, or if you are looking for a biblical perspective, check the post out–and please continue to be mindful of the influence you are placing before others.

July: Well this is an easy one! July was the month that Robert and I (and a group of 6 others from East Hill) went to El Salvador. You can read all about the trip that stepped on my toes here.

August: Here, I revisited one of my favorite parts about our trip abroad: Santorini. I love descriptive writing, and I love the beauty and majesty of God’s earth that fills my tongue with so many adjectives.

September: Sometimes, when we read through the Old Testament, we think about the mighty men of valor. In this post, we talk about mighty women of valor. Be sure to check it out!

October: October is always evangelism emphasis month at East Hill, and this post falls right in line with that thought. Here we look at why the zombie apocalypse is real.

November: Ah yes, my lovely birth month! Maybe it was the wisdom of turning 26 (ha!), but I opened up a bit on one of my struggles: self-esteem and body image issues. As women of God, we all struggle with this, don’t we? Read more here.

December: Finally, the post you all read a few days ago that I never thought anyone would care to read: the Duck Dynasty controversy. Thanks for encouraging me and helping me to see even more things both right and wrong with all of the chatter. I am so thankful that God is being talked about more openly in this country, even if there is some backlash. *spoiler alert – there will always be backlash (2 Tim. 3:12)*

Thanks for sticking with me for a year. To be sure you never miss an update, subscribe to my emails here, or follow me on twitter @emuhleeeh.

Love you all, and God bless your 2014. And, to quote John, “Even so, come, Lord Jesus!”