24 IN REVIEW

What a year 24 has been. It has been one of the hardest years of my life and has brought upon a lot of changes. Fortunately with these changes has brought upon a lot of personal growth.

I spent my 24th birthday in tears. I was alone in a new town, missing my friends and family, knowing deep down that something had to give. Through the next couple months I kept going through the motions praying for a change. In December I went home for my Dad's 60th birthday and being around my family proved to me what I had already believed. I needed to come home and start over. I needed to put myself first and chase my dreams, whatever those may be. As 2017 began, I started to make plans to come home. I reconnected with a career I loved and began to take the steps to transition back into it. On February 1st I came home and made the leap to fall back in love with myself and find my personal happiness. As the months went on I began to get my joy back. Some days were difficult, but through Christian fellowship, supportive family, and a lot of journaling, I added more and more into my plan, including completing my teaching credential. I began to peel back the layers as I rebuilt my life, which meant removing people I truly cared for. One day I looked back on it all and realized I was falling in love with myself. By the grace of God I regained my independence, my self worth, and began unlocking my dreams.

24 was a hard year, but I would not change a thing. I can't wait to see what 25 is going to look like. Something tells me that the trials of 24 set me up for success and joy in the coming year.