Hey Cats!
I’m sure we’ve all seen the “Year in Review” videos all over our Facebook timelines for the past few weeks. You can’t miss them, literally EVERYONE has one. I watched my own, but decided not to share, mostly because I had a total of maybe five pictures from this year, and also because I only post to Facebook when it’s a life or death situation, like pictures every month or so to prove I have friends, only a few of my blog posts, or when I need people to do something for my organization. You know, the important stuff. Because of my social media habits, I feel like Facebook does not even begin to know the extent of my life, so the quality of any “review” they could give me would be comparable to the test scores of that kid you only see on test days in your Media Audiences class (you know who you are). So I decided to make a little review of my own. Nothing too fancy, just a glimpse at the highlights of a great year. Enjoy!
My sister got married in February, so that was obviously a big day for our family. I was Maid of Honor, which was a lot of fun, even though I forgot to give a speech during the reception because I was too busy dancing. I also caught/ripped the bouquet out of the hands of a small child (I needed it more than she did), but the promised fate has yet to take effect. I loved getting to help my sister get ready for this special day, and I am still so happy for her! Plus now I have a cool brother-in-law to hang out and eat ice cream with, so everybody wins!
In April, I received my Aggie Ring, which made April 11 possibly the best day of 2014. Actually, it definitely was. The ring is one of my favorite traditions at Texas A&M, and in my family, and to finally have one of my own was a huge accomplishment. Now, every time I look down at my right hand, I am reminded of all my hard work and how it was so very worth all 90 hours of reading, writing, and sometimes tears. I’m still not over flashing it around everywhere I go, and probably never will be. Not sorry.
In May, I started my first longer-than-summer job. So far, I have really enjoyed it, but at first it took a lot of adjusting to get used to that type of responsibility. During the summer, I worked Monday-Thursday, and had plenty of free time in the evenings. However, once school started I had to figure out how to balance both work and school, and it was actually really hard. But, it taught me how to use my time wisely, and how to be a responsible adult and go to work even when I was exhausted from my crazy busy schedule. I also really enjoy working, especially in a field I’m interested in. It’s given me a little more insight on what I want to do after I graduate, which is always helpful! Also, I chose this picture of Hilary Duff because I love her and she looks 9-5ish here, and I don’t have photos of myself in my office just lying around. You understand.
This summer was definitely different from any other. I stayed in College Station to work, which had its ups and downs. I liked being independent, but I really missed my family and being in Tyler. But I made some new friends, got a Political Science class out of the way (best decision ever), and made a few trips to Houston to see my bestie Ashley, one of which included a last-minute Backstreet Boys concert. I kind of enjoyed pretending I was an adult this summer, and spending extra time in my favorite place wasn’t bad either.
In August, I turned 22. I was actually really happy, I felt like I had definitely outgrown being 21. Everyone expects you to be crazy when you’re 21, and that’s just not me, so I was glad to have a little of that pressure off my shoulders. Plus, I get to say that I’m “Feelin’ 22”, which I love. I was able to celebrate my birthday with both my family and my friends all on the same weekend, something I usually don’t get to do!
Throughout the semester, I decided to invest a lot of time and energy into my sorority, since it’s my last year. It was hard at first, because there aren’t many seniors left, and I felt like I didn’t know anyone at meetings. But once I got my prayer group, the lovely ladies you see above, I knew that staying in Phi Lamb for my senior year was the right choice. I may be the oldest one, but all of these girls do such a wonderful job of encouraging me and just being my friends, and I love them all! They have really helped me during one of my most challenging semesters, and I’m looking forward to finishing my senior year with them!
This fall, I participated in Songfest with my sorority for the last time. Songfest is a philanthropy event hosted by Chi Omega at Texas A&M, and sororities and other organizations pair up and prepare a seven-minute dance routine to compete for money for their philanthropies. And bragging rights for a whole year. I did Songfest my freshman year and loved it, but didn’t have time my sophomore or junior years, so I was determined to do it this year if it killed me. Dancing and performing has been such a big part of my life since I was three years old, and I knew this would probably be my last chance to participate in any type of performance, so I did it even though I literally did not have time. It was so much fun, I made so many new friends, and I got to re-live my cheerleading days with a backflip circle, so #worthit.
Another group I’ve really loved hanging out with this year is my Bible study group from church. We’ve had the same group since the beginning of my junior year, but we really started to become good friends in the spring, and especially this fall. I always look forward to Thursday nights, because we’re like a huge, loud, crazy family. They’ve taught me that it’s okay to not be perfect, that I’m not always right, and that Christian community is so important and can be so much fun. I’ve definitely found some forever friends within this group of girls and guys.
Last but not least, my mom got my sister and I the most fabulous leopard onesies for Christmas, and I kind of just need you all to know about them. That’s really the only reason I added this picture. Also, they have tails and glitter claws- bye.
I think the biggest lesson I learned this year was that life happens so fast. I feel like I just got to college, and now I only have one semester left! I learned to take advantage of the opportunities in front of me, enjoy the people around me, and let go of the things and people behind me. God has blessed me so much in 2014, and I can’t wait to see what the next year has in store!
I hope you all had a great year as well, and best wishes for 2015 (A-WHOOP!)
That’s all for meow!
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Sweet Cats! 