Lessons Learned

Well first off I have found that I am great at starting blogs and typing up half of them, but am awful at sitting down and just finishing it. I should really work on that. Speaking of working on things, what better way to finish out the year than to talk about the new year and everything in it. I will, without a doubt, say this has been the craziest year of my life. With finishing one chapter in my life and moving on to the next chapter I have realized several things. One including the fact that, though cliche, I am not the same person I was a year ago. A year ago I was in the middle of my senior year in this feud with a girl that honestly has no impact in my life today. I was in so much pointless high school drama it makes me sad to look back on. I look back and see a girl who was a magnet for drama and I don't mean the theatre kind. I was bold and not afraid to say what was on my mind. If someone gave me a hard time, I no longer took it. That may seem like a good thing, someone who can stick up for themselves, but with where I'd taken it, it no longer was. I had stopped letting things go and everything that someone said to me, that was meant to hurt, I immediately retaliated. Not physically but with words. I had a back bone alright and it was a little too solid. Near the end of high school I got a little better. I learned to let go a little more and that not everything was worth the fight. In my opinion this started when I was accepted into the school of my dreams. As I am going back and seeing the change, I know that I finally came to the realization that there was no point. In less than a year I was going to be at school with new people and never have to look back. I still struggled, after all losing your best friend as a friend and being in a feud with someone was not fun. I eventually got through and couldn't be more happy to walk the stage at graduation. The week of graduation is probably one of the best weeks I had senior year. Yes, I enjoyed prom and homecoming and other events but nothing beat when I saw all that I had gone through and work towards, pay off. I'll get more into the actual graduation day in a bit. I guess this includes the week before graduation as well. There were four key things that made everything worth it. First, my final choir concert.

Choir had and is my entire life. I am even making it my career. Music was the constant I had throughout all of high school. I knew, regardless of what was going on around me, I would always have my music. I was not the most favored in choir. Most people actually didn't enjoy being around me. I can fully admit that. Even though others may have a different view than I did, I did not receive every solo I wanted, I did not get to go on all the trips, I was not the favorite and honestly sometimes I felt as though I should give up choir all together because the class part of it was awful. That night I received an award that I was 100 percent sure would go to someone else. I was sitting next to my best friend and just waiting for the other name to be called and when mine was called I instantly had to hold back tears. I smiled bigger than I had in a long time. Seeing everything I went through and the work I had put in, finally be seen and pay off, was a dream come true. Definitely my third favorite moment of senior year. A key moment that also changed my outlook I things. I had started to think that no matter what we do and what we go through, sometimes it just didn't matter. We were going to be screwed and that was that. That moment gave me hope again. My fourth top moment was my birthday. (Yes I am aware that I am going out of order) My 18th birthday was not some big party or night out with friends. In fact up until a few weeks ago I found it to be one of the most boring birthdays I had had up to date. I spent the evening at a scholarship banquet. At the end of the banquet I had earned about 8,000 dollars towards college. That was combining the scholarship I received from BYU-H and local scholarships. I had filled out about 20 scholarships towards that night and expected to received one. (You were receiving at least one to be invited). I walked away with four. One for music, two for education and one based off of academics. All the hard work I had put in during high school had paid off. I started off my freshman year receiving a 3.714 GPA and getting my first ever C on a report card. Through out high school I worked my tail off to be able to finish out with a 3.901 GPA. I was one spot away from ACES, which is the top 5 percent of my class. It was hard and I had many nights where I didn't want to try any more but in the end it was worth it. I had earned more than I ever thought I would in scholarships. Seeing my hard work pay off was incredible. Now my top moment of the year was the night I found out about getting into BYU-H. I won't get into too much detail about that one, this time. Now my solid number two day of senior year was graduation day. Walking across that stage and knowing that every bully I had dealt with, every bad grade and every awful moment I had gone through was done and I was free. Everything I thought would never end was finally over. I crossed that stage with the biggest smile on my face, threw the shaka sign and said goodbye to everything. I was free. I graduated with 'High Honors' and knew exactly what I was doing with my future.

From that day I did nothing but look forward. I knew that it was all in the past. I would always have select memories that I could and still sometimes do look back on with a smile, but regardless it is all in the past.

Now I look at where I am now and see someone who is much better at just letting things people say go. Yes, people still say things that bother me, but I am better and still continuing to get better at just letting it go. I am someone who is living 5,000 miles away from home and doing pretty well. There will always be hard days but in the end I find a way to make it through. I can't take all the credit for that though, my friends and family have definitely helped me there. I am someone who has learned responsibility. I have learned time management. I have learned to make choices. I could go on, but I don't want this whole post to just focus on this.

I want to take a moment, just to catch everyone up on what I have been up to. I started this post the week of Christmas and now it is January 20th. I guess I'm not the best at getting these done. I am past the half way point in my second semester of college and to me that just seems crazy. Come this Spring I will be at Sophomore status. Some of the more fun things I have gotten to do is go to the beach, go to Ted's Bakery, go to the beach and learn a few new games with my friends. Classes are going much better this semester, at least stress wise. I am kind of enjoying Music Theory and for me that is strange. I am loving Concert Choir. Oh about Concert Choir. Are you ready? Really ready? I made the cut and am in the BYU Hawaii Concert Choir that will be going on tour to Japan this summer! You could say I am excited. Guess it's time for me to get that passport. I will definitely keep you all updated on that. Another awesome choir experience was the incredible opportunity I had to sing with the choir at the CES YSA Fireside with President Nelson.

It was truly an incredible experience.

It is now January 28th and I am determined to finish this post tonight, I am loving this semester and all that comes with it. At this point I have about five weeks left, maybe even less than that. Then I will be a sophomore. I find that so crazy to think about. Okay, I will add a few pictures and then that will be it for this post. I will try to write a more focused one soon. Thanks for being so patient with me.