Looking back on this past year, I get tired just thinking about everything that has kept me busy, but it’s a satisfying kind of tired that you get when you know you’ve accomplished something great. 2014 was a jam-packed year full of many milestones, adventures, and memories. I completed my first year of PSEO, had an awesome summer, and started my senior year of highschool and last year of PSEO. When looking forward to 2015, I realize a lot of adventures are ending but that this is truly just the beginning of many more to come.

I wanted to recap some of my favorite memories from the past year, everything from the little memories to big highlights. So here is a walk down memory lane!

PSEO at the University of Northwestern & My Senior Year 

I am proud to share that I have survived my first year of PSEO college classes at UNW. It has been challenging but I am proud of the hard work I have accomplished and how much I have grown and learned through taking the college classes at UNW. I have learned so much about myself and this crazy beautiful life God has given me.

I’m currently finishing up my senior year of high school and second year of PSEO. When I first started PSEO during my junior year of high school, I had no idea what to expect and was not sure how I would do. I was busy fitting in work and school and trying to get it all accomplished in a structured way that also allowed for some free time. But school overtook my schedule and I was busy during the week and most weekends keeping on top of it all. I really learned to appreciate the time I had off from school, especially at home with my family because this experience and glimpse into the full-time college life has caused me to realize how limited my time is at home with the people I love as high school graduation nears and so does the full-time move on campus to college. It’s crazy to think about how fast this last year of high school and PSEO will go by.

I have come to love my PSEO journey at UNW, the professors and students have been great and I have finished almost all of the generals required for my college career. Through the classes I’ve taken I’ve come to love writing and have gotten a lot of great feedback from my professors about my writing. This has definitely impacted and influenced my decision to pursue Writing & English as my college major.

I’m very excited to share that I have been accepted to the University of Northwestern for full time college after high school graduation. UNW is one of my top school choices and my brother Austin has also been accepted. We have been so blessed with the opportunity to take PSEO through UNW and will both be considered college sophomores during what would be our freshman year of college because of all the college credits we have gained through PSEO.

Concerts

2014 was definitely one of my favorite years because I got to see so many of my favorite artists perform live in concert. I’m addicted to music so when my favorite artists and bands go on tour I definitely make an effort to see them perform in concert, even if it takes me on an adventure out of town and to a city I’ve never been to before to see them.

A few of my favorite concerts from this past year in Minnesota were Dan + Shay, R5, Emblem3 & MKTO, and Imagine Dragons. But my absolute favorite was seeing both One Direction & 5SOS on the Where We Are Tour in Chicago. After four long years of waiting to see One Direction in concert, I finally got the chance to see them with last minute tickets that I found to their show in Chicago. It was quite the experience and I still can’t believe I was in the same room as them. Most people get a whole year to mentally and emotionally prepare for these kind of things but I only had a few days so I’m still trying to wrap my mind around the fact that I finally got to see them. It was my first time seeing 5SOS too and it was a spontaneous trip that I will always remember. You can read more about it here!

Sports

2014 was a fun, active year. We ran our first 5k together as a family when we participated in the Run or Dye 5k event. It was an awesome time and we all loved running through rainbows. We were literally covered from head to toe in color and it was the craziest thing ever!

My Dad and I also went to the Manchester City v. Olympiacos soccer game at the TCF Bank Stadium this past summer.

 It was a hot summer day and we enjoyed seeing some great soccer! It was my first game at the TCF Stadium and we stayed to see MN United FC play a match afterwards. It was a fun day full of soccer and I loved getting to spend time with just my dad.

Summer Adventures

I’ve always been close with my cousins, but this past summer we became the best of friends. We took on many adventures together, we went to valley fair, the state fair and had fun soaking up the summer sun at the beach and in the pool. We had a lot of fun together staying up late hanging out by the bonfire, listening to music, watching movies and talking about our favorite bands.

KK Beach Party in Florida

This past summer I entered a writing contest that if I won, I would be able to attend Karen Kingsbury’s Beach Party in a tropical paradise. Karen Kingsbury is my all time favorite author and I really wanted to get the chance to go and meet her. Karen  is a christian author who writes fiction that is both life changing and inspiring . She was hosting her beach party in St. Petersburg Florida, right on the beach with the perfect line up of events set for her guests. My mom and I really wanted to go so I entered the contest telling Karen why I should be at her beach party. I wrote to Karen telling her how it would be an amazing getaway and girls trip for my mom and I to experience together and I told her how her fiction has impacted my life for many years.  I ended up winning a prize package and my mom and I were headed off to Florida for the trip of a lifetime!

We had such a great time in Florida, we got to stay right on the ocean and we were blessed with such good weather. We walked up and down the sandy shores of the ocean and soaked up the sun for endless hours. It was my first time staying right on the ocean and it was so fun to wake up every morning and be greeted by the warm sun and calming waters.

Karen put on an awesome event, it was so fun to meet her and talk with her. It was also kind of crazy though because I felt like I already knew her since I’ve been reading all about her and her life through her books for the past few years. It was definitely surreal to be able to meet her. It was also fun to run into her on the beach and see her family and how they all interacted with each other. They are such a neat family. It was an incredible trip that I will cherish for many years to come. I had such a great time and I couldn’t have imagined spending it with anyone else than my mom.♥

Christmas

This year’s Christmas is one I will always remember. It was a great time full of family, love, and laughter and I truly appreciated the gift of giving rather than receiving. This year I gave my sister a pretty creative and heartfelt gift that I know she loved because it was evident by her tears of joy. You can read more about that here…

My siblings all took the time this Christmas season to find the perfect gifts for each other. I had a fun time taking them out and doing some last minute Christmas shopping for our parents. It was also fun to shop with my siblings and have to creatively figure out how to purchase gifts for them without them knowing it was for them. It was so cute to see them thoughtfully consider what they wanted to gift to each other and how they wanted to pick out the best gifts.

I also was gifted with one of the best gifts I have ever received from my parents. My dad gave me a budget and took me to the store to help me pick out a brand new camera. I’ve been wanting a good quality camera for so long and picked out a Nikon camera that will allow me to pursue more of my photography aspirations.

2014 was definitely a year to remember, it went by fast but was a great year full of family, friends, love, and laughter.  There’s a quote by Karen Kingsbury that says, “To live a full life it’s important to love well, laugh often, and to find your life in Christ.” This past year I made an effort to live out this statement and am so thankful God has blessed my life with lots of great people and many adventures. I know He has awesome plans for my future and I can’t wait to see what 2015 has in store!