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| View from the lodge of Teton Cabins Moran, WY |
As I sit down to reflect on 2025, my heart feels full — not because the year was easy, but because it was rich. Rich with healing. Rich with faith. Rich with moments that reminded me just how good life can be when we choose to live it fully and surrendered.
This year marked something sacred for us. It wasn’t just another year on the calendar — it was a year of becoming.
🚐 Choosing the Road (and Trusting God With It)
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| Bear Lake Idaho |
In early 2025, Keith and I officially stepped into full-time RV life and workamping. What began as a quiet nudge in 2024 turned into a bold yes — and that yes changed everything.
Living on the road gave us more than beautiful scenery. It gave us space. Space to breathe. Space to heal. Space to listen to God without the noise of hurry and expectation. Each mile reminded me that healing isn’t just about the body — it’s about learning how to live again.
🌟 Milestones That Matter
Summer brought reflection. July marked two years since the day everything shifted — the diagnosis that once felt like an ending but became the beginning of a deeper story. Looking back, I could finally see how God carried us through fear and uncertainty and into peace. (read two year blog post here Two years later )
Not because the road was smooth — but because He was faithful.
That realization settled deep in my soul this year: healing doesn’t erase the past, but it redeems it.
🏔️ Wyoming, Workamping & Wild Places
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| Lawn maintenance at our workamp site |
Our first workamping season in Wyoming became one of the most meaningful chapters of our lives. Six months beneath the Tetons brought friendships we didn’t expect, hikes that healed something deep inside me, and moments that felt like holy ground.
There is something about living simply, waking with the sun, and ending the day under wide open skies that reset your spirit. That season reminded me that God often does His most tender work in the quiet places — and that’s why we’re so excited to be returning (in April 2026) to this same job and reuniting with friends—who have become family—for another incredible summer.
🥾 A New Love for the Trail
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| Hiking the Summit of Jackson Hole |
Somewhere along the way, Keith and I discovered a shared love for hiking.
What began as gentle walks turned into intentional miles — trails that challenged us physically, quieted us mentally, and gave us space to talk, pray, and simply be together. Step by step, we fell in love not just with the views, but with the rhythm of the trail itself.
Hiking became more than movement; it became a form of healing. Each climb reminded me of how far my body has come. Each overlook felt like a celebration. And every trail was a reminder that God meets us not just at the destination, but in every step along the way.
🍁 Transition, Remission & Gratitude on the Road
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| Rainbow Falls Trail - Great Smoky Mountains |
Fall came with movement — literal and emotional. We celebrated continued remission (a word I will never take lightly), navigated long travel days, doctor visits, church stops, and the bittersweet feeling of leaving a place that felt like home.
The road reminded me again: life is made up of arrivals and goodbyes — and God is present in both.
🕊️What 2025 Taught Me
This year wasn’t about doing more.
It was about living truer.
2025 taught me:
💫 Healing is ongoing, layered, and deeply personal
💫 Faith grows strongest when it’s practiced daily, not just spoken
💫 Joy is found in presence, not perfection
💫 Life after cancer can be fuller, freer, and more beautiful than before
Most of all, it reminded me that surrender isn’t loss — it’s freedom.
And woven right into all of this was something I never saw coming.
📖 Following a Nudge I Never Expected
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| My heart on paper 🙏🏼🩷 |
One of the most unexpected gifts of 2025 was becoming an author.
Writing a book was never in my wheelhouse. I didn’t grow up dreaming of publishing anything, and I certainly didn’t feel qualified to tell a story like this. But somewhere along the way, God placed a quiet, persistent nudge on my heart: write it down.
Not for perfection.
Not for recognition.
But for obedience.
There were many moments I doubted myself — wondering who would want to read it, whether I was doing it “right,” and if I was even capable. But I kept showing up, one chapter at a time, trusting that if God asked me to write it, He would carry it the rest of the way.
And He did.
In 2025, that obedience became reality with the publication of my book, Faith in Wild Places: A Holistic Story of Healing, Faith, and Life After Cancer. Seeing it in print was humbling, surreal, and deeply sacred. It wasn’t about becoming an author — it was about honoring the journey, giving voice to healing, and offering hope to anyone walking a road they never expected to be on.
If you’re curious or feel led to read it, you can find the book here:
This book exists because God asked… and I finally said yes ✝️🙏🏼
🔮 Looking Ahead
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| Eagle sighting on our Hermitage Point hike |
As we close out this year, I do so with gratitude — for every mile traveled, every lesson learned, and every reader who has walked this road with me. Whether you’ve been here since the beginning or found this space somewhere along your own journey, thank you.
Thank you for letting my story be a light!
Thank you for sharing your stories with me!
And thank you for believing—with me, that healing and hope are still possible!
Here’s to continuing forward — one mile, one prayer, one grace-filled moment at a time.
✨ Closing the Year in Faith
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| Gatlinburg TN |
As we step out of 2025 and into whatever God has prepared next, I’m holding tightly this verse that got me through my darkest days-a promise from Him:
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.”
— Proverbs 3:5–6 (NKJV)
May this verse carry all of us forward — into new miles, deeper healing, and continued trust in the God who has been faithful every step of the way.
Here’s to walking into the new year with open hands, steady faith, and hearts ready for whatever comes next.
Keith and I wish you a happy and healthy 2026, and we pray that God meets you with hope, healing, and grace in the year ahead.
With love and gratitude,
Ali 🩷
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