100

Posted on by Callie

My first post on this blog was (checks notes) on March 10, 2017. It’s about a tape dispenser. No, really. A lot has happened in the last 3 and a half years. And all of that has brought me here: to my 100th post. 

It’s wild that I’ve published my ramblings 100 times. It’s a reminder of God’s grace: 100 times He’s taught me something and I’ve been given the words to share it. 

To commemorate, I’m sharing a totally-not-exhaustive list of 100 things I’m thankful for from the past 3 and a half years. In no particular order, except that of my stream of consciousness.

Photo by Ian Stauffer on Unsplash
  1. God’s compassionate faithfulness
  2. A husband who takes good care of me and thinks I’m funny
  3. A puppy that shows consistent affection — especially when I’m crying
  4. A wider family that deeply loves, supports, and takes care of me
  5. Exercising with Emely 3 times a week over Zoom
  6. Sushi bowls with homemade kimchi
  7. Friendly people on our daily walk with Everest
  8. TRX and weighted jumpropes
  9. Getting a better response than I was expecting
  10. Falling in love with programming
  11. Getting paid more a month than I dared to pray for through part-time work
  12. Friday night Bible studies with Brody
  13. Bullet journalling
  14. Emails from former students
  15. Growth. Progress. Learning.
  16. When my boss likes the work I did, a lot
  17. 1 Samuel
  18. Evan’s chappati
  19. Having wonderful in-laws who live close by
  20. And a wonderful mother-in-law who periodically drops off a bag of avocados that are bigger than mangoes
  21. Being able to write for programming publications
  22. Getting to speak at GYC
  23. Potatoes + air fryers
  24. Check-in conversations with my brothers
  25. Loving Nairobi
  26. Getting married to my best friend. Twice!
  27. An absolutely perfect honeymoon. That was the chillest thing ever.
  28. Theological conversations with Ben
  29. Getting a job in Richmond Academy. So quickly. So answer-to-prayer.
  30. Having the best bunch of students ever. Whom I miss deeply still.
  31. Teaching high schoolers to write and think through ideas
  32. Having fantastic colleagues at RA
  33. Falling in love with exercise
  34. Having Russell as my personal trainer, and him facilitating that falling in love
  35. Learning to take care of and fuel my body
  36. Understanding the gospel more and more
  37. Working on my book and learning during the process
  38. Filming Inverse with some of my favorite people in the world
  39. Starting a podcast with David
  40. When people message me on IG saying how they enjoy the podcast
  41. David working from home since March
  42. Teaching high schoolers different approaches to ethics
  43. Teaching a communication class
  44. Watching students grow as public speakers
  45. Apartment hunting with Emely
  46. My mom helping me move into my RVA apartment
  47. Spontaneous phone calls with my mama
  48. Billy goat trail hikes
  49. Singing special music with Tracey
  50. Triadelphia church family
  51. FWESDA church family
  52. Learning to say no and not feel bad about it
  53. Office conversations with Valerie & Gracie
  54. Brody proofreading my emails before sending
  55. Voicenotes from Brad
  56. Theron asking to Zoom with me
  57. Friends who message me even though I’m bad at responding
  58. Friends getting married
  59. So much quality relationship advice from friends and mentors
  60. Long voice notes from Davina
  61. Talking about programming with Norman
  62. Nice guards who work in our apartment compound
  63. Our first married trip — and to Capetown
  64. Studying programming with Rodney
  65. Advice from my dad that led to me getting my RVA job
  66. Talking to my dad on his way to work
  67. Helping people figure out tech problems
  68. My pocket-sized hymnal (thank you, Tracey!)
  69. Kevin telling me what kind of tech to buy for my set up
  70. My own office space with a view
  71. Spiritual conversations with classmates, prompted by them
  72. Getting better at code reviews
  73. Talking to new students at Launch School
  74. Having such fantastic colleagues at my last three jobs
  75. Future plans
  76. Learning to pray
  77. Routines
  78. Being able to talk to my husband about anything
  79. Book advice from Mark
  80. That long walk Theron and I went on a few months before I got married
  81. When people believe in you
  82. The Gatlinburg Gaither weekend with my ma. Exhausting but amazing.
  83. Meeting all of my favorite Gaither people (swoon)
  84. Being more comfortable with being myself
  85. Getting older and not stressing about it
  86. California visits with Michel
  87. The smell of fresh rain
  88. Cooking a new dish and it coming out well
  89. Visiting Kisii
  90. Feeling so accepted and loved in my husband’s (and now mine, too!) family
  91. When students would ask, “Ms. Williams, can I talk to you at lunch today?”
  92. Looking forward to a cold Christmas
  93. Standing & pomodoro timers
  94. How many people came through for us in such meaningful and helpful ways for both of our weddings. Still moves me.
  95. David convincing me to get a dog
  96. No longer biting my nails (this one took a long time)
  97. Epilating
  98. Diminishing anxiety and depression
  99. Dannette @ Talkspace, and Ms. Janice at CCC
  100. The peace that comes from God