Closing the Year

So in a week 2010 will be ending & 2011 will be starting. Crazy right. The past year has been long, interesting, & slightly eventful.

It literally started with an adventure. Getting lost in a strange city & showing up literally 5 minutes before midnight is a way to start 2010. Haha. That might have been a sign to how this year would be.

I headed back to school & started semester 2. That semester gave me a taste of real college. Hard classes. Too many all nighters to think about. My first real paper. Choosing to hang out with friends instead of doing homework. Meeting lots & lots of new people. Perfecting the art of bad decisions. Understanding that my friends are there no matter what.

The winter came, killed my spirit, & left. Imagine this: me curling up in a Snuggie, saying I want to live in the heater because I don't remember how it feels to be warm. It redefined how much I hate snow & the cold. College sucks for that fact.

When spring break showed up it was finally warm. I distinctly remember getting my grande non-fat no whip iced mocha with Katie because it was so warm. Spring break of last year defined a whole bunch of things. I am truly blessed to know my girls have my back no matter what. Love you!

'Study' parties outside by the sand volleyball court are what I think of when I think of the second have of semester 2. Haha, goodness good time basking in the sun like a cat. So many fond memories of not doing our homework.

My 19th birthday was this past year, in April. Yes, that was a fun time. A bit of a mess & slightly not ok, but dancing & having Tay ask Katie out made the night worth it. Haha :]

When summer came I don't think I could've been happier to chill at home, make some money, & hang out with friends. Yes, that didn't happen the way I planned it too. No job doesn't do well for doing too much & it kinda killed me not having stuff to do. Throughout the summer I lost some friends. Such a sad part of growing up. I miss them, but such is life I guess. While some friendships fell apart, I spent a majority of my summer with Stacey Lynn. Goodness, the kiddie pool, our various adventures, & all that baking made the summer fun :]

Stace & I also spent countless nights at our good friends, the Knoll's. Lots of baby time, laughs, & baseball games. Good times with them.

Family vacay also happened in gorgeous July. A Place at the Beach, Atlantic Beach, NC aka extremely small town, middle of no where, NC. I mean it was fun, yes, but not where I wanted to go. I got my tan on, ate a bit too much for being in a swimsuit all week, & spent quality time with the fam. Win? Yes.

School finally started when I moved in a week early with my BSU girls for opening committee. That was a whole lot of freaking work to welcome the freshies to good ol' Shwoody. No complaints, really. It was lots of fun...until a voicemail message & a phone call changed a lot of things.

Stace called to tell me a friend had died in a car accident on her way to school in Tennessee. She just graduated from her undergrad program & was on her way to start her graduate program. It made me realize how much our lives can be taken for granted. Again, I am so thankful & blessed to have my friends & family in my life.

Well, class for semester 3 started & right away it was a doozy. It was a tough one. More all nighters & average bedtimes of 3 or 4 in the morning then I care to remember. So many papers, projects, group meetings, quizzes, & tests. A few bad grades killed my spirit more than the dang cold could, but I made it through alive.

Things changed last semester too. No idea how, when exactly, or why, but they did. I love change, when I can control it. Friend dynamics changed. A good friend started Army basic training. Rach started her senior year. Hann started her freshman year. Meeting new friends. Discovering new strengths. A lot of good & bad things happened, & at times it seemed as though I could never catch a break. I made it through stronger, still together, & with friends I can count on.

Next semester, next year, things will change more. I'm still going to have a bunch of stuff to do for classes. 18 credit hours for major & content area classes are killer. Working takes a bit of time. Hall Council & volunteering at the Boys & Girls club takes up some more. Seeing my friends every once in a hot minute also takes time. Next semester will more smoothly because I've already done it all. Things will change more because I'm planning on rushing. Yes, a whole lot more time & energy & everything, but I'm so excited for something new & to meet new people & get more involved.

2011 is bound to have its up's & down's but on this Christmas night, I know that its going to be a good one.

Peace, love, laughs, smile, & music.
Sincerely, Abigial.