2016 has been an interesting year to say the least. I think one of the weirdest parts is that I was still in high school at this time last year. It seems like graduation was years ago, not in May.
I have found that you learn a lot about yourself through reflecting on the past, it's what helps you grow in the future. As another year comes to an end, I thought I would go month by month on some things I did.
January:
Newspaper Competition: Each year our newspaper staff would submit stories and layouts to be judged. This turned into a field trip in January to Webster University where we would go to classes taught by local journalism professionals and (hopefully) receive awards.
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| Newspaper seniors (minus Nick) with our awards. Fun Fact: I'm holding the certificate of a student who had already graduated, but I did in fact get 2 recognitions. |
DECA Districts: Bethany and I placed third in HTDM (Hospitality Services Team Decision Making) at the district level which means we qualified for state. I actually dedicated an entire blog post to it, so definitely go check that out for more information about it!
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| I would like to thank our Advanced Marketing class, constant text messages, and chips and queso for our DECA success. |
LA Senior Trip: Megan and I took a senior trip to LA and it was incredible to say the least. I also vlogged it so, again, check that out. We went to Disneyland for a day, visited Hollywood, and went to the beach.
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| This was my first time eating In-N-Out, it was truly a magical experience |
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| Also my first time at Disneyland |
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| Santa Monica Pier |
March:
DECA State: Bethany and I competed in HTDM at the state level, while we didn't qualify for Internationals, it was still a great time.
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| Throwback to when we thought Bethany's luggage got stolen but we had actually just placed it at the wrong door. |
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| The Lake of the Ozarks, man, what a time |
Cruise: My family and I went on a cruise and it was lit. Our Cruise Director was incredible, his schedule is switching but if you can get on a Royal Carribean 4 day cruise with him, you won't regret it.
April:
Talent Show: *TURN THE MIC OFF, TURN THE MIC OFF* (If you were apart of newspaper you'll understand that reference). But we all survived and that's what matters.
Prom: Prom was Footloose-themed and much better than my junior year. It was weird to think it was my last Timberland High School dance.
Retreat: Since 8th grade I had been going on my church's youth retreat. Senior year they honor and recognize the seniors and their involvement in the youth group. It's always a powerful weekend, but an especially powerful night when you get to speak to the youth group about your experience.
May:
Graduation: Literally nothing else in May matters because on the 21st I graduated from high school.
June:
Mission Trip: I've gone on mission trips with my youth group for the past five years. This year we took 100+ people in 13 12-passenger vans to Kansas City, Missouri. We stayed for 5 days and did a variety of things-- organize an immigrant-based thrift shop, worked with the Boys and Girls Club, and served at a homeless shelter.
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| Photo by Carla Cox |
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| Photo by Carla Cox |
July: For my 18th birthday I went to Orlando for a few days to visit my friend Natira. We spent one of the days at Epcot and another day at the beach.
August: Easily my "biggest" month because this is when everything changed. I moved into school, went through freshman orientation+my first week of college, and joined a sorority. This is what kicked off my love for Drury and the people at school.
September:
1984: Kappa Delta went to the downtown-Springfield arcade, 1984. (Also fam ba bam sneakily taking photos with me before I knew they were my family).
October:
I got my most perfect big (and family): Enough said.
Initiation: I became an official Kappa Delta.
November:
Kappa Delta Informal: It was Disney themed and I got to dress like a dalmatian so overall it was a win.
December:
Late Night Breakfast: We (Darby, Johan, Oliver, and I) casually got to the late night breakfast over an hour early, but I got slightly-above average breakfast food out of it so it's fine. Here is the one photo I got from us waiting in line.
Road Trip: Really it was a one hour drive to Purdy, Missouri (an hour away from Springfield), not an actual road trip, but still.
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| Oliver was not dead, just defeated because of Uno |
Christmas Eve Party: For the past 10 years we have spent Christmas Eve at the Paulus' house. Around three years ago we found a photo of some of us as toddles and each year we recreate it.
This year was full of so many great memories and great people. It's incredible to look back at the beginning of the year and see how much has changed. I hope 2017 can be as good, if not better, than 2016. I hope you all had a great year and are looking forward to 2017.
Until next time,
Taylor xx
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