2024

Well, it's already the end of 2024. Another year has come and gone. In one way, it seems like this year has gone by way too fast, as does every year. On the other hand, I don't know about you, but so much has happened in my life this year, it feels like it's kind of been a long one. In a way, January feels like a lifetime ago. I feel as if I'm a totally different person than I was then. I don't know how your year was, but this is certainly the case for my year. I do love New Year's though. It's like a fresh new start, a blank slate. What's past is past, and it's time to step forward.

In my last blog, I talked about change and how hard it is but also how wonderful it can be. Change is definitely something I did this year. Studying abroad played a big part in that. I tell this to all my friends and family, but studying abroad truly changed me as a person. It changed my perspective on life and what I want my future to look like. It made me more confident and knowledgeable about the world around me. I could go on and on about studying abroad. And you can ask anyone who has also partaken in this wonderful experience, and they will probably tell you the same thing. It's life-changing.

Jesus and I kind of went on an adventure together too. We had some ups and downs, but through it all, He remained a constant presence in my life. Even when I wasn't spending time with Him consistently every single day, He was always there. Now, Jesus definitely told me to do some things this year that I absolutely did not want to do, let me tell you. There were a couple of times I would even ask Him for signs before I did anything just to make sure it was Him. Did He give me the signs? Yes, I can confirm He did. And that somehow didn't make it easier, but I did it anyway. I obeyed Him, even when it was hard. And now, months later, I'm starting to see why He had me do the things He called me to do. It's funny how He works like that.

Let's see. I made some new friends, started a relationship, ended a relationship, traveled all over Europe and parts of the US, started a new job, quit an old job, grew closer to some friends and distant from others, suffered a horrific football season (still a Nole though), wrote some new songs, started this blog, grew closer to the Lord, made some memories I will remember for the rest of my life, smiled a lot, loved a lot, cried a lot, and that pretty much sums it all up. So yes, I had a long and eventful year. I call it the best year of my life and also the hardest year of my life. Now, let's take a look at what happened in our world this year as we step forward to 2025 (these are just the main things, not everything).

January: Israel-Hamas War, Russian invasion of Ukraine, Perry High School shooting, Gypsy Rose rise to fame, airplane door falls off on Alaska Airlines flight

February: Chiefs won the Super Bowl, King Charles cancer diagnosis, Toby Keith dies at age 62,

March: Baltimore Key Bridge collapsed, Princess Kate announces her cancer diagnosis

April: Prince Harry becomes a US resident, Taylor Swift releases her 11th album, Mandisa dies at age 47, the US sends billions of dollars of aid to Ukraine, total solar eclipse in parts of the US Mexico & Canada

May: emergence of red-eye cicadas, truth begins to unfold about Diddy, Matthew Perry death in 2023 is further investigated, Caitlin Clark becomes all-time leading scorer in NCAA Basketball, Donald Trump is convicted of falsifying business records

June: SpaceX's Starship rocket returned to Earth in one piece, survivors of the Sandy Hook shooting in 2012 graduate high school, first presidential debate of the 2024 election, astronauts are "stuck in space"

July: Olympics begin in Paris, airport tech failure canceling flights across the world, Shelley Duvall dies at age 75, Trump's assassination attempt, Shannon Doherty dies at age 53, Trump accepts GOP presidential nomination, Biden ends his re-election bid

August: Hamas leader Deif is killed, Olympics conclude with many records beat, Kamala Harris becomes Democratic nominee of the presidential election, monkeypox becomes a global health emergency,

September: death of Maggie Smith, Hurricane Helene

October: death of Liam Payne, Hurricane Milton, comet seen that comes every 80,000 years, outbreak of e coli via McDonalds

November: Trump wins presidential election, Wicked movie is released, Quincy Jones dies at age 91, Spirit Airlines files for bankruptcy

December: Taylor Swift's Era's Tour ends, Jimmy Carter passes away at age 100

Now, let's discuss what is in and out for 2025. In: being confident, kind, healthy physically and mentally, spending time in the Word daily, good eating habits, exercise, allow yourself to have fun, pursue new goals and dreams, read more books, take your vitamins, drink more water, take more pictures, don't spend too much money. Out: letting people walk all over you, unhealthy eating habits, being lazy, watching too much TV, increasing your caffeine addiction, not letting yourself have fun.

I think we should all pursue a healthy balance of life for the new year. We should travel more and have fun experiences (if that's something you enjoy). We should pursue our friendships more and make some fun memories with them, or even make some new friends! We should not let ourselves get lazy, but be productive. Pursue a healthy balance of diet and exercise. Pursue your faith more. I encourage you all to allow yourself to have fun next year! Live in the moment and enjoy every second of it. We all know how fast these years go. They go faster the older we get. It'll be December 2025 before we know it. So, let's make every moment count. Let's make so many memories and have the best year yet!

Thanks for reading, and I'll see ya next year! Happy New Year to all!