Thank You 2013

I wanted to reflect on all the great things that this year has given me:

Thank you 2013 for being awesome in all the little things, and rewarding in all the hard, big things. You were the year of many small happy moments - and a few big ones. Perhaps it was too difficult to possibly top 2012 with epic-ness, but you found your own unique way to be awesome.

As you rolled around, 2013, it became clear that you would be an especially difficult year seeing as I had to transition from a dependent student to independent functioning adult. And man, you were freaking hard, but I believe it's the hardest things we take with the right approach bring the greatest joy.

So, first, the big things:

• Graduation: Holy. Freaking. Terrifying. One minute you're just starting to figure out how to scrape an A out of your crazy-hard classes, the next minute some imaginary mushroom cloud of doom comes floating over you and tells you that you need to figure out what you're going to do for the rest of your life. 

• Internship-turned-Job: I had no idea what to expect when I applied and accepted an internship at a creative marketing agency. My eager student self believed I was destined for corporate-hood. No doubt in my mind. It didn't take long to fall in love with the crazy, fast-paced, often intense-stressful, glamorous life of working in an agency. I didn't think it was possible to have a better job after my fantastic set-up in college, but it has been. The campaigns I only fantasized about accomplishing in college are being realized each week at Ideas Collide. 

That one time when I got locked in at work.  

• Moving, and moving, then moving again: Provo to Mesa, Mesa to Scottsdale, Scottsdale to Scottsdale/Phoenix borderline. I've discovered that I really hate moving, but I love change. What a conundrum. This next year I will be planted in one place, we will see how that goes. I had a chat with my wandering spirit and told it that we had to try staying in one place, one ward, for a year to see what that felt like. So no more moving for now.

• Goodbye to Old Friends, Hello to New Friends: Gosh, this may have been the harder part of this year. It's not like a total goodbye, but life changed immensely, and those who are in my day-to-day interactions are completely different. If there's anything I really miss about Provo, it's the relationships I had with people there. (and the mountains, and running in said mountains, and the music scene, and walking everywhere) 

And I am grateful for the new people (or people from my distant past ;) )  that entered into my life, even it was just temporarily:

• Concerts: Guys, I got to see two of my most favorite artists of all time: Passion Pit and Mika. With Chelsey and Cori. I also got to see The Lumineers, Matt & Kim, and Dr. Dog. And I barely missed Vampire Weekend, I'll catch you next time dudes. While the music scene is hit-and-miss in Arizona, I was still able to get some quality shows in - including my favorite to this day (Passion Pit with Matt & Kim). So, no complaints there.

(Is it bad that I'm just swooning at above pictures? Top picture accredited to Cori)

I don't know how to close this. Those were the big things. They were small, but big for me. Thank you 2013 for all the new opportunities you gave me. Thank you 2013 for the awkward, unnecessary "DTR's" that I hope will all be funny later. Thank you 2013 for somehow making me gossip-worthy in my new settings, although I never went looking for it. Thank you 2013 for giving me a awesome job in my relevant career, and for multiple recruiter calls to validate I was in the right field. Thank you 2013 for the great friends, the awesome parties, the big milestone in my life.

I only imagined my life up to 2013. The beginning of 2013 I was terrified of the unknown ahead, but now as 2014 begins, I'm excited for it.