thebabyperks

Our senior retreat (2016)

6. Savannah, Bri, Peyton. You all left me for college two years ago, but I will forgive you. Okay but in all honesty, thank you all so much for taking me under your wing(s) when I was a sophomore. From homecoming, to jamming to KidzBop, our blog parties and so much more. 

7. Ronnie, Danielle, Claud, Dustin. You guys also all left me for college, but only a year ago. Thank you for all of the amazing times in newspaper, I miss you a lot but I'm glad we've all kept in touch. 



8. High School Triathlon Club. The triathlon club is the one extracurricular activity that I have done throughout all 4 years of high school. The Tri Club has taught me so much about life and myself. Without Dan (my coach) constantly "pestering" me to join freshman year, I would have never gotten involved and connected with the triathlon community.



9. One Direction Concerts. As my last year of high school comes to a close, the One Direction concerts seemed to follow. I have been able to go to 3 One Direction concerts and have had the time of my life. It wouldn't be a high school reflection if I didn't mention One Direction.



10. Swimming. I don't miss swimming exactly, but I do miss the friends I made from swimming during my freshman and sophomore years. If you didn't know, I met Savannah, Bri, and Peyton through swim during my sophomore year. I also got to know a few girls during my junior year and I thank them for all of the laughs, sour gummy worms, and sarcastic comments.

11. Freshman Volleyball. Although I only played volleyball for one year at Timberland, it is what started my involvement in high school. I didn't make freshman cheer (a story for another day), and was upset about it but volleyball got me connected with Timberland and I am forever grateful for my year on the team. I also learned a little bit about having confidence in yourself, which is good, too.


12. Races with Dad. My dad inspires me so much, and in everything he does. From riding (bikes) with me on the Katy Trail to accepting my answer of "I'm tired" every day after school. I appreciate him so much and I would be no where without him.

13. Driving Hunter Everywhere aka jam session time. Even if I complain about it occasionally, I do really enjoy driving you (& Jason) everywhere. Thanks for dealing with the pop music I blast and jamming out with me when I take you home from practice or when we go to church.

I don't have any car selfies of us so a pre-prom photo will have to do

14. My teachers. So many of my teachers have influenced me greatly over the past four years. I've talked about my newspaper advisor, Ms. Hoffmann, and my marketing teacher, Mr. Oliva, before. However, my Spanish teacher, Mrs. Sloan, has also made a huge difference in my life and I love her class so much.

15. My KitchenAid Mixer. So baking is kind of my thing and although it won't stop when I leave high school, it will definitely be slowed when I go to college. I am trusting that the rest of my family will respect the mixer and use it properly while I am away.

You are loved, even if you don't think you deserve it, you do. This past weekend brought a lot of tears and heavy hearts upon our church family (SunRise UMC). A family very dear to many at the church lost their 16 year old daughter to suicide.

I have struggled with depression and anxiety for many, many years. This past year was the first time I actually went to counseling to talk through my problems. I want you to know it gets better. I know saying that right now does not help your current situation, but trust me I know. Keep pushing, keep being yourself-- your true, genuine self. Freshman, sophomore, and junior year were all extremely challenging. I experienced some of my lowest lows during those three years, but for the first time I felt happy with myself during the second semester of this year (my senior year). 

Reach out to someone-- I know it may be uncomfortable or terrifying but do it, I promise it helps. Having someone, hopefully a professional, there to talk with you about what you are feeling and why you feel the way you do, helps immensely. But talk to someone!

People love you, even when you think no one does. You may think you only have a handful of people who care about you, but let me tell you, you have made a large impact on so many people's lives. If you take your own life, people will miss you so much. You cannot even imagine. Last night at youth group was an extremely powerful, heartbreaking night, and we all came together to support each other and Anna's family. What we all need to remember is to take care of each other, support one another, and show love all the time, no matter how different we all are.

It has taken me four years of feeling like I didn't fit in, self-doubt, and loneliness, to finally feel like I am happy. I am so sorry, Anna, that I was never able to meet you, talk to you, or be there for you. 

You deserve so much in life, but you don't deserve anyone's negative comments hurting your confidence. You have so much value and no one should stop you from being happy.

Here are some resources to check out if you ever need them:

Kids Under Twenty One (KUTO)

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

Until next time,

Taylor xx