A Year in Review

One year.

12 months.

365 days.

8766 hours.

525949 minutes.

When I was little, one year seemed incredibly long. In fact, the day before Christmas or my birthday felt like eternity yet that was just one day.  Now that I am older, one year goes by in the blink of an eye and each December, I am unfailingly in disbelief of how quick the year has gone. This year is no different. Isn't it crazy how out of the 365 days and those thousands of hours that make up one year, only a minuscule portion of it is left for 2013?

It is currently December 22, 2013, and that means there are only nine days left of 2013. Nine days to get started on your new year's resolution that you have been putting off each day or forgot about after the first week or so of the year. Nine days left to mend relationships and tie up loose ends. Nine days to do all of those things you said you wanted or planned to do this year. Nine days to find a way to end 2013 on a high note in order to set the bar for next year. Just nine days. Nine days left of an immeasurable year, at least an immeasurable year for me.

On January 1, 2013, I had no idea just how much would happen in the days to come and could not have foreseen the crazy, challenging, yet amazing year I would have. In January, I was still a naive seventeen year old who just got her first job and was struggling to juggle both work and finishing out her last semester of high school. Although, before I knew it, a couple months went by and it was finally Spring Break, one of the best weeks of the year.

As many of you know, the summer before my senior year, I moved from Southern California, leaving my sister and best friends behind.  I had missed them like crazy but I saved up enough money from working to buy a plane ticket to fly back out there for a week. I wanted to surprise my best friends, my coaches, and everyone back at my school and with the help of my sister and my best friends' parents, my trip was possible and successfully kept a secret.  It took a lot of planning and effort not to tell anyone I was coming but soon enough, I was back in the familiar land of palm trees and endless summer.  I spent the first few days of my trip with my sister and brother-in-law hiking in San Diego, enjoying the So Cal scenery that I missed so much, going to the gun range for the first time, and just spending quality time together.  However, the next leg of my trip was to drive up to my old stomping ground to surprise my best friends. I arrived at their doorstep and their reactions were priceless. It was the most gratifying thing ever and such a blast. The following day, I went to school with my friends (their spring break was the week after mine). I walked onto campus and surprised my coaches, many of my friends and old teammates. Again, the reactions were completely priceless. It was an incredible day.

If you ever get a chance to surprise someone, do it.  I think everyone should experience that joyous feeling you get from surprising those you care about at least once in their life. It was a wonderful week but ended too quickly.

A month after I returned from my week in Cali, my family and I went on our first cruise to the Grand Cayman and Cozumel, Mexico. It was incredibly relaxing and allowed us to go a week without the annoyance of technology.  It was also our first time out of the country so it was a pretty eye-opening and amazing experience.  Traveling different parts of the world was so fulfilling and definitely a much needed break mid-semester. Going on snorkeling, catamaran and jeep excursions, trying new foods and learning about various cultures on our trip brought my family so much closer too.  Unfortunately, every vacation has an end and again, that one ended too soon.

Summer rolled on through and as our second semester of high school in Texas came to an end, so did our high school career. June was one of the best yet hardest months of my life, let alone this year.

Graduation day arrived and with nothing but overwhelming large smiles due to the roaring audience cheering us on, my brother and I crossed the very stage we dreamed about from the time we were young and grasped the object that signified all of our hard work, our high school diploma. It was a defining moment in our lives. We made it through high school and could finally call ourselves graduates. Just about two weeks later, we marked another milestone off our list. We both became adults by turning the big one eight.

In the eyes of the government, you are supposed to be and feel like an adult on your eighteenth birthday but it wasn't until the day after my birthday that I truly felt like one. Someone dear to my heart, someone who believed in me every day, someone who made my outlook on life so much brighter, someone who was my coach and mentor, had passed away. I had to cope with this loss a thousand miles away without my friends and volleyball community. It was a difficult time for me and as challenging as it was, I knew I had to change my perspective by thinking positively about this situation. I learned to be appreciative of the time I spent with that person, be thankful for the memories I made and be grateful for all that she taught me both on and off the court. In that troublesome time, I truly became an adult because I learned how to handle an inevitable situation that I would have to face again some point later on in my life. I realized that how you react to an uncontrollable event defines you so it is better to accept the fact that things don't always go the way you want them to.  Acting graciously and leading a life with a positive and appreciative outlook when things are tough will make your world a little brighter as well. A month later, I endured another storm and was tested again when my other coach, another inspiriting and incredible soul who again, was dear to my heart, passed away. It was tough on me again but the lessons I learned and strength I gained from this summer got me through it.  June was definitely a huge mark of growth for me this year and it is pretty cool that I can see that several months later. However, with any low point or hardship in life comes an equal period of joy (if you read my previous post about fairness in life, you will understand my thoughts on this) and the months that followed the summer have been just that.

Summer flew by and before I knew it, it was time for me to venture out of "the nest".  In August, not only had I moved onto my college's campus and began living on my own, but I started my first semester of college courses all while working two jobs for a while (And I thought I had it rough in highschool?). I also got involved on campus in a leadership organization and began meeting all kinds of people. I have created friendships with so many amazing souls that have challenged me intellectually, pushed me to do good in the world, have helped me break my barriers, test my limits and who have allowed me discover who I am, who I want to be and what I want from life. They say that college is the best four years of your life and I can completely see why. I have grown and experienced so much in just one semester so I cannot wait to see what will happen in the next seven.

It truly is insane how much can change and how much a person can grow from month to month. I am so blessed for all that I have experienced this year. 2013 has been one crazy and amazing rollercoaster ride for me and I know I am not alone in saying that. However, it has definitely ended on a wonderful note and I know for a fact that I am going to make the best of these last nine days.

As far as the new year goes, I am looking forward to the challenges I will face, the people I will meet, the memories I will create and the lessons I will learn. I want to make it the best year yet. I hope you do too.

I wish you all a Happy Holiday and a wonderful New Year. A huge thank you for all of your support and for taking time out of your day to read my posts. It means the world to me.

Hope you had a memorable 2013. <3

Believe. Breathe. Battle.