Since everyone seems to be looking back on the year they’ve had, I figured I would do the same. This isn’t going to be a humorous post, nor does it have a “What Are This?” moment, but this is my look back on my year. Let’s see…

I began 2013 with the hopes it would go by slowly due to what it would hold for me, but it has not done so. I rang in the new year with my family, enjoyed a couple more days off, and began my last semester of high school. January and February are usually the months that drag on for everyone, but it seemed that they too flew by. A basketball game here. A literature book there. But still, they went by too quickly.

In March, I saw the King of Country music on his last tour. It was an outstanding concert, and Mr. George Strait never sounded better. I also made a life decision that month. I had been struggling on the seesaw that was my college choice, but I finally decided where to go next in my life. I haven’t regretted it yet.

April was gone in the blink of an eye.

Before I knew it, I faced my last month of high school. I had the time of my life at my Senior Prom. It was “Rock of Ages” themed and I definitely rocked out with the best of them. After that, for my friends and I, we came upon a series of “lasts.” The last time we took a high school test. The last time we ate school lunch. The last time we walked in the school that we owned as seniors. They say no matter how much you want to leave high school, there’ll come a time before graduation that you’ll change your mind. For me, that moment came with about a week of school left. It was one of the worst weeks of my life. Nevertheless, I marched out with my best friends that night in front of the whole county. I walked across that stage as third in my class. I tossed my cap up in the air, and with it, my senior year left me.

Summer was hot and busy. I worked a lot at my Pizza Hut job and saved up for the rest of the year because I quit two weeks before my departure date.

August came and I was ready for a new chapter in my life. I loaded up with everything you could possibly need for a dorm, plus more. When my mom and dad helped me make the transition on move-in day, I was a little nervous but I was mostly excited. I said goodbye to them for a little while (my home is only forty-five minutes away from my college) and began my journey. I got past the awkward first meetings and generic introductions to make countless knew friends. Some of them, now my best friends, were like I’d known them for years, although we’d just met. Classes began and I became engulfed into the semester.

September and October was a transitioning period for me. I learned a lot about myself. I also learned how to be a good college student, because you can take all of the AP and dual credit classes you want in high school, but they’re not the same as college classes. I attended two more concerts: Andy Grammer and Justin Moore. I also experienced my first college homecoming. Oh yeah… I started a blog too!

November was great; it started to get a little cooler and I adjusted even more to college. My birthday was the best and my well-needed Thanksgiving break was spent in the company of my family in the Smoky Mountains.

When I came back from break though, I was in the mood to do nothing, which made the last two weeks of school agonizing. I endured my first college finals week unscathed and welcomed winter break. I absolutely loved being at college but I was ready for a little time off. Christmas was, well, Christmas (wonderful) and I’ve caught up on my sleep by a long shot.

Now, here we are. It’s the last night of my year. MY year. This was the year my life changed. I closed one book and opened another. Tonight, I’ll spend these last few hours playing games, pigging out, and spending time with my whole family. When those last seconds fade and the year ends, I’ll remember all of the incredible things that have happened to me over the past year. That, and I’ll look forward to what lies ahead in 2014.

Happy New Year from “What Are This?”