Books I Read in 2025

I’ve seen a number of other bloggers writing year-end book reviews and commentary on what they read (shoutout specifically to Manu, SuperBetsy, and Jeremy Keith), and I decided to join the fun!

Weekly Notes 2025.51

Week in Review

• It’s the last full week of the year! (Yes, I know, next week is 50/50… I will probably start my week numbering over for 2026 next week though.)
• Sunday afternoon, after posting my weekly update, I headed home to visit family for the holidays.
• Sunday evening I gave my sister one of her gifts: a cold brew coffee maker, which we promptly had to try. Spoiler alert: she loved it. 🎉

2025 Christmas Hymn: From Heaven Above to Earth I Come

Following my pattern from yesterday, for Christmas this year, I thought I’d take the opportunity to post the lyrics of one of my favorite Christmas hymns:

From Heaven Above to Earth I Come (LSB 358)

1 “From heav’n above to earth I come
to bear good news to ev’ry home:
Glad tidings of great joy I bring,
Whereof I now will say and sing:

2 “To you this night is born a child
Of Mary chosen virgin mild;
This little child of lowly birth
Shall be the joy of all the earth.

2025 Christmas Eve Hymn: What Hope! An Eden Prophesied

For Christmas Eve this year, I thought I’d take the opportunity to post the lyrics of one of my favorite Advent hymns:

What Hope! An Eden Prophesied (LSB 342)

1 What hope! An Eden prophesied
Where tame live with the wild;
The lamb and lion side by side,
Led by a little child!

2 A shoot will sprout from Jesse’s stem,
A branch from David’s line,
A Prince of Peace in Bethlehem:
The fruit of God’s design.

Weekly Notes 2025.50

Week in Review

• It’s the last week before Christmas!
• I was in-office every day this week, though my schedule became more focused on wrapping up small projects, cleaning, and preparing for the new year than usual.

Weekly Notes 2025.49

Week in Review

• Monday and Tuesday were pretty normal, with meetings scattered throughout the day. As I did last week, I worked remote Monday morning, then drove to the office for some in-person work in the afternoon.
• Tuesday evening was our R&D Christmas party at a local establishment. For the… fourth year in a row, I was on the planning committee, so I arrived slightly early to set up, and stayed afterwards to assist with some minor cleaning. The food and festivities were fantastic, and I think everyone had a good time! 🎄