When one of my favorite blogger friends, Kristin of Taz + Belly, started this little letter linkup, I knew I would be all in every month! She's hosting this linkup the second Friday of every month if you want to share your little letters, too-- we would love to have you!

Dear snow, thanks for making this beloved city of mine seem even more magical last weekend and early this week. I've had Christmas songs stuck in my head all week, but I just can't help it when over the ground, there really was a blanket of white, and it really was a winter wonderland!

Dear Hulu, seriously, where have you been all my life? And also, Dear O.C., you're a really fantastic show that's perfect for binging with my roommate on these winter nights!

Dear PowerSheets, I can't stop bragging about ya. (Read all about it here.) I'm just really that obsessed. Thanks for coming back for a round 2 this year-- I know a lot of people who are really excited to hop on those preorders while they still can! (I'm one of them, since I have the six-month workbook and will need a second one for the second half of 2017!)

Dear Rising team, I love each and every one of you. Have I told you that lately? I'm really excited for 2017, and for the fact that all of you responded to my "Are you in?" email with a resounding "YES!" I couldn't ask for more talented, brave, incredible people to be in this endeavor with. You make it fun, and it's an honor and a joy to share your words with the world.

Dear FitBit, thanks for encouraging me to meet my goals of steps per day, quality sleep, water intake (100 ounces a day isn't for the faint of heart), flights of stairs climbed (you get a lot when your office is on the 5th floor), and more. You're helping me stay focused and active this year, and it's pretty great.

Dear Lilo, (that's my car, my trusty 2005 Ford Focus) -- I know you're getting to be an old lady, but I really hope you live forever. I'm taking you to get a little work done tomorrow (they promised me it would only be about $100) and I'm just hoping and praying everything else is good to go, because I love you, but I do not have extra dollars to be spending on you right now (or ever). Kindly keep working, will ya? Like, for the rest of time. That would be great.

Dear Twitter followers, 73 of you responded to my little poll about your feelings on women as pastors and ministry leaders. I was encouraged to see that 73% of you were "ALL ABOUT IT" and definitely understood that 22% of you were "Unsure / Mixed Feelings." I'm curious about the 4% of you that said "HECK no" and baffled by the 1% who have "Never thought about it." I have a lot of thoughts about this. I'm trying to think of the best way to dive into this more -- I'm thinking I'll ask another survey here soon and then write about it on The Rising after I have more coherent thoughts together!

Dear #createlounge, your new website is beautiful. Your community is crazy awesome. Having my words on your pages is an honor. And your creator, Kayla? Well she's just a rockstar and a powerhouse of a creative. Anything she touches turns to gold.

Dear heart, I'm proud of you. You made a really big, really hard decision this week, and it's already been affirmed a million times over. You listened to the whispers you've been feeling for a while, and you trusted your friend, the gut, and even though it wasn't easy, you did the right thing. Stay soft, stay open, stay brave.