I never made it out of Wisconsin, but I saw some new places anyway
7137 miles driven in my Volkswagen Beetle, plus unidentified miles in the other four cars I drove
I saw Lake Michigan in at least three cities
thirteen cemeteries visited
my first traffic violation (oh hey, Milwaukee County parking ticket)
dessert for lunch at SAP at least once
I hung out with other people’s dogs and cats and small children
439 pieces of happy mail sent
1 new tattoo
first experienced the joy that is grocery shopping at Aldi
a second library card
103 books read (YA, true crime, poetry, fiction, and non-fiction), plus four and a half audiobooks and innumerable picture books
my cookbooks now live in my kitchen
I listened to every episode of the greatest podcast (My Favorite Murder) at least once
sunsets, sunrises, but never a mile swam
8557 photographs taken
so many hugs
dishes and laundry washed, pots of coffee brewed
phone calls, questions, and text messages answered
four new plants, three of which are still alive
sixty-seven migraines
my first check for photography work
and never enough sleep.
here’s to hoping that we all find what we’re looking for in 2019.

1. Emma in Buttonland by Ulrike Rylance, illustrated by Silke Leffler; 1.1
2. The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket; 1.2*
​3. Finding Betty Crocker: The Secret Life of America’s First Lady of Food by Susan Marks; 1.2-1.6*
4. The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America’s Shining Women by Kate Moore; 1.7-1.10

5. The Reptile Room by Lemony Snicket; 1.10-1.11*
6. The Wide Window by Lemony Snicket; 1.11-1.12*
7. The Miserable Mill by Lemony Snicket; 1.12-1.13*
8. The Austere Academy by Lemony Snicket; 1.13-1.14*

9. The Ersatz Elevator by Lemony Snicket; 1.14-1.16*
10. The Vile Village by Lemony Snicket; 1.16-1.18*
11. The Hostile Hospital by Lemony Snicket; 1.18-1.19*
12. the sun and her flowers by rupi kaur; 1.18-1.22

13. The Carnivorous Carnival by Lemony Snicket; 1.19-1.21*
14. The Slippery Slope by Lemony Snicket; 1.21-1.23*
15. The Grim Grotto by Lemony Snicket; 1.23-1.24*
16. Vivian Maier: Out of the Shadows by Richard Cahan, Michael Williams, Vivian Maier; 1.24-1.25
17. The Penultimate Peril by Lemony Snicket; 1.24-1.26*
18. The End by Lemony Snicket; 1.26-1.28*
19. Before I Let Go by Marieke Nijkamp; 1.28-2.1

20. Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative by Austin Kleon; 1.29-1.30
21. Paper Towns by John Green; 2.2-2.5
22. The City Baker’s Guide to Country Living by Louise Miller; 2.6-2.9
23. Everything Is Awful: And Other Observations by Matt Bellassai; 2.9-2.11
24. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green; 2.11-2.15

25. Vivian Maier: A Photographer’s Life and Afterlife by Pamela Bannos; 2.12-2.20

26. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas; 2.19-2.25
27. Turtles All the Way Down by John Green; 2.25-2.27
28. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald; 2.27-3.2
29. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton; 3.3-3.4*

30. Lazaretto by Diane McKinney-Whetstone; 3.5-3.7

31. What I Was Doing While You Were Breeding by Kristin Newman; 3.7-3.10
32. Surprise Me by Sophie Kinsella; 3.10-3.13
33. Dear Data by Giorgia Lupi and Stefanie Posavec; 3.10-3.16
34. The Last to Let Go by Amber Smith; 3.14-3.17

35. People Like Us by Dana Mele; 3.17-3.20
36. The Polygamist’s Daughter by Anna LeBaron; 3.21-3.23
37. Nice Try, Jane Sinner by Lianne Oelke; 3.24-3.28
38. Scarlett Epstein Hates It Here by Anna Breslaw; 3.28-4.1
39. How It Feels to Fly by Kathryn Holmes; 4.2-4.3
40. The Perfect Nanny by Leila Slimani; 4.4-4.7

41. Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng; 4.7-4.11
42. The Two-Family House by Lynda Cohen Loigman; 4.11-4.15
43. Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things by Jenny Lawson; 4.16-4.20

44. Depression & Other Magic Tricks by Sabrina Benaim; 4.18-4.20
45. Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit by Jaye Robin Brown; 4.20-4.24
46. Tell Me Three Things by Julie Buxbaum; 4.24-4.27
47. The Loose Ends List by Carrie Firestone; 4.27-5.1
48. So Close to Being the Sh*t, Y’all Don’t Even Know by Retta; 5.1-5.6​

49. One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus; 5.7-5.9
50. Emergency Contact by Mary H. K. Choi; 5.9-5.13
51. Puddin' by Julie Murphy; 5.13-5.17
52. Love & Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch; 5.17-5.21

53. In Sight of Stars by Gae Polisner; 5.21-5.24
54. Stay Sweet by Siobhan Vivian; 5.24-5.27
55. The Odds of Lightning by Jocelyn Davies; 5.28-5.30
56. Words in Deep Blue by Cath Crowley; 5.30-6.2
57. The Stranger Beside Me: Ted Bundy: The Classic Case of Serial Murder by Ann Rule; 6.2-6.11

58. Going Geek by Charlotte Huang; 6.12-6.17
59. Love & Luck by Jenna Evans Welch; 6.18-6.23
60. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver; 6.23-6.29
61. Something in Between by Melissa de la Cruz; 6.29-7.4
62. Lunch in Paris: A Love Story, with Recipes by Elizabeth Bard; 7.5-7.9
63. The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis; 7.10-7.13

64. Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell; 7.14-7.17
65. I’ll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman’s Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara; 7.18-7.24

66. The Little Book of Hygge: Danish Secrets to Happy Living by Meik Wiking; 7.24-7.27
67. Wonder by R.J. Palacio; 7.25-7.28
68. Genuine Fraud by E. Lockhart; 7.29-8.1

69. For Every One by Jason Reynolds; 8.1-8.3

70. The Last Suppers by Mandy Mikulencak; 8.1-8.6
71. The Summer of Broken Things by Margaret Peterson Haddix; 8.6-8.12

72. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman; 8.13-8.18
73. Come Matter Here: Your Invitation to BE HERE in a GETTING THERE World by Hannah Brencher; 8.18-8.22
74. The Cheerleaders by Kara Thomas; 8.23-8.28

75. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling; 8.23- [for Harry Potter and the Sacred Text]*

76. If I Stay by Gayle Forman; 8.28-8.31
77. Our House by Louise Candlish; 9.1-9.5
78. We Are Still Tornadoes by Michael Kun & Susan Mullen; 9.5-9.7
79. Fika: The Art of the Swedish Coffee Break with Recipes for Pastries, Breads, and Other Treats by Anna Brones & Johanna Kindvall; 9.8-9.9
80. Refinery29 Money Diaries: Everything You’ve Ever Wanted to Know About Your Finances… and Everyone Else’s by Lindsey Stanberry; 9.10-9.13
81. Girl Made of Stars by Ashley Herring Blake; 9.14-9.17
82. Girl in Pieces by Kathleen Glasgow; 9.17-9.23

83. Where She Went by Gayle Forman; 9.24-9.28
84. This Adventure Ends by Emma Mills; 9.29-10.3
85. Ghosted by Rosie Walsh; 10.4-10.9
86. The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom; 10.10
87. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs; 10.11-10.16

88. Hollow City by Ransom Riggs; 10.17-10.23
89. Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs; 10.23-10.28
90. A Map of Days by Ransom Riggs; 10.28-11.3
91. The BFG by Roald Dahl; 11.4-11.6*
92. Oliver Jeffers: The Working Mind & Drawing Hand by Oliver Jeffers; 11.6-11.8
93. Looking for Alaska by John Green; 11.7-11.12*

94. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky; 11.13-11.15*
95. Broken Things by Lauren Oliver; 11.16-11.19
96. Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty; 11.19-11.27
97. The Help by Kathryn Stockett; 11.28-12.5*
98. The Next Person You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom; 12.6-12.8
99. If You Feel Too Much by Jamie Tworkowski; 12.9-12.13

100. Sturgeon Bay (Images of America: Wisconsin) by Ann Jinkins and Maggie Weir for the Door County Historical Museum; 12.14-12.15
101. The Memory of Light by Francisco X. Stork; 12.15-12.24
102. the princess saves herself in this one by Amanda Lovelace; 12.18-12.25

103. Fans of the Impossible Life by Kate Scelsa; 12.25-12.31
104. The Deal of a Lifetime by Fredrik Backman; 12.31

* denotes reread

1/365 :: Tuesday 1 January 2019
starting the year off right with two new books.

2/365 :: Wednesday 2 January 2019
maybe we should just call this series of daily photos "the view from Teresa's windows." (I don't even remember why I took this one.)

3/365 :: Thursday 3 January 2019
I fixed it. but friendly reminder to not touch things that don't belong to you.

4/365 :: Friday 4 January 2019
I have been wearing these for more than three years now. I treat my car and my shoes the same - just keep using them until they literally fall apart.

5/365 :: Saturday 5 January 2019
​feather clouds. because the sky is blue and the sun was out for a few days in a row!

6/365 :: Sunday 6 January 2019
one of my favorite places.

7/365 :: Monday 7 January 2019
winter in Door County. snow and rain because who cares about seasons anymore?

358/365 :: Monday 24 December 2018
Christmas Eve sunrise and a dusting of snow.

359/365 :: Tuesday 25 December 2018
​Christmas on Sand Bay.

360/365 :: Wednesday 26 December 2018
I just love watching the sky, and I love that I have this nice viewpoint.

361/365 :: Thursday 27 December 2018
collaged Swedish matches. so adorable.

362/365 :: Friday 28 December 2018
the weather has been weird, and I liked these extra sparkle raindrops on the trees, but apparently my lens didn't want to focus on anything that day.

363/365 :: Saturday 29 December 2018
the twenty-ninth is for dressing up and dressing up usually includes Frye boots.

364/365 :: Sunday 30 December 2018
three years in my happy home.

365/365 :: Monday 31 December 2018
finally, the first real snowfall of the winter. it was late like this three years ago when I moved downtown.

please be my hurricane.

I try to say that I let the wind blow me wherever I should be, but I’ve let my roots grow too deep in a cul de sac. my branches miss your salty breeze.

351/365 :: Monday 17 December 2018
I don't like making decisions, but you can often count me in on bad choices.

352/365 :: Tuesday 18 December 2018
IKEA trip nearly successful.

353/365 :: Wednesday 19 December 2018
found at the lake.

354/365 :: Thursday 20 December 2018
​new rug in my favorite place.

355/365 :: Friday 21 December 2018
new rug is still acclimating. waiting again for the sun to come back.

356/365 :: Saturday 22 December 2018
IKEA trip also made it possible to get a cute frame to finally hang another Luna on my walls!

357/365 :: Sunday 23 December 2018
I can't tell if it has stopped growing or not.

344/365 :: Monday 10 December 2018
I bet you didn't guess that this was taken at a cemetery.

345/365 :: Tuesday 11 December 2018
I am an annoyingly sentimental person. I've had these gloves for five years and they are literally falling apart at the seams. I finally bought a replacement pair, but they are boring heather grey and nowhere near as warm, so sometimes I just wear two pairs of gloves. why, winter?

346/365 :: Wednesday 12 December 2018
Sankta Lucia prep was reading Swedish children's books with a chai latte and then baking!

347/365 :: Thursday 13 December 2018
I finished this book today and definitely underlined many quotes. (yes, my coat was hanging on the living room wall for a few days.)

348/365 :: Friday 14 December 2018
when someone randomly sends you a bunch of used vintage stamps.

349/365 :: Saturday 15 December 2018
I wasn't impressed with A Unicorn Named Sparkle's First Christmas, but The Little Reindeer is beautiful.

350/365 :: Sunday 16 December 2018
seeing those sunrise colors again brings me so much joy.

337/365 :: Monday 3 December 2018
​it's always a good day when a TWLOHA order arrives.

338/365 :: Tuesday 4 December 2018
the sun came out on Tuesday.

339/365 :: Wednesday 5 December 2018
I love the Little Owl books and their beautiful illustrations, and I was so excited to get to read the sequel to The Five People You Meet in Heaven so soon after finally reading the first one. (the first one is better.)

340/365 :: Thursday 6 December 2018
a few of my favorite vintage Door County postcards.

341/365 :: Friday 7 December 2018
sending more love letters. I had to get these cute notecards from Target!

342/365 :: Saturday 8 December 2018
it's been a while since I've gotten to see the sunrise colors. it has been so cloudy in the mornings lately!

343/365 :: Sunday 9 December 2018
no more black pumpkin, and now some Christmas cheer! (I am forever creeping on the rest of Third Avenue.)

330/365 :: Monday 26 November 2018
​it just keeps growing and growing... I've had this one for over a year and am still surprised that I haven't managed to kill it yet.

331/365 :: Tuesday 27 November 2018
I like sparkle. and new-with-tags dresses from second-hand stores.

332/365 :: Wednesday 28 November 2018
​Wednesdays are for reading the next chapter.

333/365 :: Thursday 29 November 2018
I stole this hat from my dad years ago, and I wear it when it rains or snows because I don't really care for carrying an umbrella or getting water on my glasses.

334/365 :: Friday 30 November 2018
​it's the little things that make a home.

335/365 :: Saturday 1 December 2018
​one day the sun will return.

336/365 :: Sunday 2 December 2018
the clouds couldn't decide if it should rain or if it should snow, and so we got some slush and a little snow.

the sun came out on Tuesday morning. it felt like it had been weeks since the sky was last blue and bright. it's been grey for too long, and I didn't even notice or believe it at first. the sunbeams stretch across my hardwood floors and the rainbows dance on the walls again.

I knew I needed to walk around the corner to the post office anyway to drop off the mail that I had written in the past nineteen hours. there were ten postcards for Postcrossing (eight international - Netherlands, Germany, China, Belgium, Finland, and Taiwan; two domestic - Kansas and Massachusetts), one postcard to New York, and two notes for More Love Letters.

the sun was shining, and after I put on my coat and scarf and sunglasses, I popped in my earbuds so I could continue listening to the TWLOHA podcast. this week it's an interview with Hannah Brencher, the founder of More Love Letters. I've read both of her books, so I knew a lot of the story that she shared, but it was even more incredible to get to hear her speaking the story instead of letting my eyes just read the words from a page.

I often find it hard to speak my mind and tell people how much they mean to me, but there is something so healing about sending handwritten words of hope. some days they're words that I need to hear myself. most days, I add some of my favorite quotes from a journal full of sparklets and I share other people's words too. we have a hope for the future, and a hope for each other. it feels so much better to write them down rather than to just send a text. it's so much more personal. you can hold it in your hands and know that someone took a little extra effort to connect with you.

last year during TWLOHA's suicide prevention campaign, they partnered with More Love Letters one day and you could write a letter to yourself that they would mail back to you a year later. when I received my letter in the mail this September, I cried before I even opened it because I remembered the Teresa from a year ago and her pain, but her hope for future Teresa. "you deserve all the best, but you need to be the one to give it to yourself."

and who knows, maybe if I have your address, you might someday be surprised to find some handwritten hope from me in your mailbox. or maybe you already have.

"you're both the fire and the water that extinguishes it. you're the narrator, the protagonist, and the sidekick. you're the storyteller and the story told. you are somebody's something, but you're also your you." - Turtles All the Way Down by John Green

"so many of the things you think and want to say to a person never spill out in real life. they stay locked in secret rooms inside of you. they live for tiny lifetimes inside the hearts of people who don't have the courage to say what they meant the whole time. some people leave, and go, and die, and change, without you ever getting to tell them how you truly feel about them." - If You Find This Letter by Hannah Brencher