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Writer's pictureGrace A. Johnson

grace & gratitude | summer 2024



“September came in with golden days and silver nights.”
— J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King

Hi. 👋 It’s been a minute. cough Three months. cough In a last-ditch effort to complete my current work-in-progress, Where the Sky Meets the Sea, in a timely manner, I quietly decided to take a break from blogging and email-sending for July and August. I’d scheduled a few blog posts ahead, so I settled in to work on writing. The goal was to finish my novella by the end of August…well, life happened in a very unexpected way, so I still have a couple chapters left. We’ll see how it turns out.

As for life, I got a “real” job last month. Since I finished school, I’d been running my grandmother’s gift shop whenever she was out sick, on vacation, etc. That amounted to a part-time job itself, but now that I’m Officially Grown, I needed something more consistent so (1) I can actually budget my income and (2) buy my sister’s half of our car and pay for ✨health insurance✨. What fun.

I actually really adore this job. It’s at a cafe (more like a cross between a burger joint and a sandwich shop, really) that just opened up in town, and I work in the kitchen assembling sandwiches and salads, patting out burgers and chopping veggies, and cleaning. (Basically, I get paid to do the same chores I did at home. 🤭) Right now, I’m only working every other weekday, but my off days are still so jam-packed (still got those chores) that I haven’t quite worked out a steady routine or schedule yet. One of these days, I’ll get things figured out and be able to dedicate time to my online work. (Such as finally publicly launching Sky’s the Limit Press.)

Until then, we’re taking things one day at a time! 😊


scripture


The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart

and a good conscience and a sincere faith.

1 Timothy 1:5 ESV


gratitude


a new year of life

my new job + my lovely coworkers

my typewriter (best birthday present ever, perhaps?)

homemade shrimp scampi

French cuisine (including homemade eclairs)

fresh flowers wrapped in foil

driving on my own at long last

coffee dates with my sister

that one cool morning we had

strawberry matcha

rose lemonade tea (the drink of the summer)


grace


Even though August was mostly work, I still got in a decent amount of writing! Nowhere near my 2019-2020 standard of 12k-14k a month (how???), but so much better than the last couple years.

Between July and August (I didn’t write at all in June 😭), I wrote a grand total of 11,368 words exactly in Where the Sky Meets the Sea. 🥳

I also…

  • finished one editing project

  • read a manuscript for the press

  • was interviewed by Shira J. Rodriguez, host of Her Reading Life podcast

  • wrote/published six blog posts (remember those days when I’d post six in one week?)

  • finished all the legal and financial stuff for STLP

  • had lunch with some friends (first!)

  • got a real job (another first!)

  • went to see Twisters with the fam

  • celebrated my birthday (+ three of my siblings’ birthdays)


goals


The obvious: finish Where the Sky Meets the Sea and publicly launch STLP + open for submissions.

Otherwise: finish my read-through of Don’t Let Me Go (one of the novel’s on the press’ lineup) and get back into the swing of posting and whatnot. I should also have a project to critique sometime this month.

And that’s about it, really. 🤷‍♀️


summer playlist + autumn bucket list


Even though I’m wrapping up three months, this post is pretty short. So I thought I’d share a little playlist I put together that captured a bit of summer!



And, to herald the coming of fall, a mini autumn bucket list to inspire you to enjoy every moment in this new season!

  • Make a fall playlist

  • Make a non-pumpkin spice latte (try apple cinnamon, ginger, chai, cinnamon roll, pecan pie, or another classic flavor to break up the nonstop flow of PSL)

  • Undertake a fall-themed arts and crafts project (like a wreath or table arrangement)

  • Read a fall book (either something with autumn vibes like Lord of the Rings or something set in fall like Jane Eyre)

  • Make a simmer pot (use the juices for cider when you’re done!)

  • Buy/wear a new sweater (unless it’s 90 degrees for you too)

  • Pick apples, pumpkins, or another autumn crop

  • Roast fall veggies (sweet potatoes + cayenne & cinnamon, carrots + cumin, pumpkin + ginger)

  • Brew tea out of a seasonal herb, flower, or spice

  • Make a fall-themed charcuterie board to share

  • Watch an autumn movie with family or friends (e.g., Remember the Titans, You’ve Got Mail, It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, etc.)


I hope y’all had a lovely summer! I’d love to know what the highlight of the season was! Let me know down below!









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8 Comments


Saraina Whitney
Sep 26

I'm late to this but I LOVE this post, girl!!! Congratulations on your new job!! At my job I'm the baker so I'm in the kitchen half the time too 😆 It's fun knowing we're doing similar things :P Also you got a TYPEWRITER for your birthday?!!! How cool!!! 😍 That's forever been on my one-day wishlist 🤣


That's a delightful bucket list! 💕 (Lol I think it's becoming a tradition that every fall, I get inspired to read Jane Eyre and manage to read like 4-5 chapters, then get busy and forget until next fall. Maybe I'll finish it this year though XDD)


Have a beautiful autumn, Grace! <3

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Stephanie Chittle
Sep 05

Happy belated birthday and congrats on the job! Do you get a discount on the food? (Number one question when working in foody places lol)

I'm definitely rereading LOTR this fall. (It'll annoy my family and friends 'cause I'll be reading nonstop. Mwahahahah!) Jane Eyre sounds good too. I can't believe I haven't read it yet.

As for summer highlights: I went to a Steubenville Youth Conference, and that was absolutely amazing. I got my Bronze Medallion, spent some time at my grandparents' farm, went for a retreat with a bunch of other highschool-age kids who share my faith, and competed in an Irish dance feis. (I'm moving up levels!) Really busy summer for me, which kind of put a…

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Grace A. Johnson
Grace A. Johnson
Sep 09
Replying to

Thank you!! Hehe, I eat free!! 🥳

YES!!

Ooh, your summer sounds jam-packed with fun!! An Irish dance competition?? That is SO cool!! Haha, I get that! I always seem to have the most motivation when I have the least amount of time!

Aww, thanks, girl!!

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Malana
Sep 04

Happy September, Grace!

Wow, congrats on getting your first 'proper' job! Cafe work-- sounds awesome! ('getting paid for the stuff you do at home anyways' XD ) Best wishes on sorting out a new balance and schedule with your new work days! Sounds like a very fun and productive summer-- bravo on all you got accomplished! Wow, four sibling birthdays in two months :D

Summer highlights... wild rock climbing, having long-distance friends over (who are like siblings, really) and spending hours on the beach and in massive rock pools, learning to drive (still in progress actually...) and seaside town meet ups with friends and milkshakes :D

Love the fall bucket list! So looking forward to autumn :D

Have a brilliant…

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Malana
Sep 11
Replying to

Aw, fun and full of birthdays! Our longest gap without a birthday in our family is two months :D

It was epic :D :D Thank you! Looking forward to getting the hang of it! Awesome :D

Hehe, theres been some pretty special times this summer. 😊

Thank you! <3 <3

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Jessica Brown
Sep 03

Ahh, happy birthday, Grace!! I hope you and your siblings had wonderful birthdays 🥳 Congratulations on getting a job, and good luck on figuring out that work/life balance - it's a struggle sometimes 😅

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Grace A. Johnson
Grace A. Johnson
Sep 05
Replying to

Thank you, girly!! Haha, I appreciate it!

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