2014 ~ thoughts {and lists}

It's 1:30 in the morning and I am sitting halfway on my bed with extremely tangled hair, writing this while simultaneously glancing about my mess of a room. Clothes, dirty and clean are draped a shoved every which way and the reason I'm only halfway on my bed is because it's covered in stuff. Drawing pencils, books, purses, lotion, chocolates, headphones, clothes, and more. My life is anything but 'together'. Recently, as New Years crept closer, along with my 17th birthday in January, I began to question the year I've had. I'm behind in school, almost 17 and can't drive, no job, a closet full of clothes I don't wear, and a burn in my carpet from a receipt I'd accidentally dropped in a candle a few weeks ago.

Just an hour or so ago, as the unfamiliar news-people started counting down and the camera zoomed in on all the smiling, rosy, kissing faces, I realized I was only looking at the negatives of my life. Well, I didn't do this, and I didn't do that, so I guess I accomplished nothing. Not true. Sure, I didn't do those things...or keep on top of my schoolwork...or get my life in routine...or stick to playing the mandolin for more than two weeks. I messed up, life happened, and some things got dragged behind.

But you know what? It's a NEW YEAR. Time to brush off my hands, take a deep breath, and reign in all the things I lost control of this past year - all the while learning new things; making new memories; drinking more coffee; reading more books; writing more stories; painting more life; singing silly show tunes; dancing constantly without rhythm; embracing new friends; and growing closer to my family and God.

With this in mind, I can look back at 2014 with new eyes. Eyes that are keenly tuned to the little moments, the crazy excitements, the lessons learned, the friends acquired, and my only year I'll ever have of being "Sweet Sixteen".

My year in retrospect:

JANUARY 2014

• I turned 16
• I was blessed with another sister
• I wore makeup for the first time
• I realized that I could make new friends that truly care for me
• Had a Disney Sleepover/Birthday party #noshame

FEBRUARY 2014

• Valentine's Day with my single gals
• Still obsessed with Frozen
• My Blog's one-year-anniversary 

MARCH 2014

• A sibling's birthday, along with an awesome Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs theme.
• Began to plan My ballroom dance class' Spring Ball
• Dressed in full Candor attire for the Divergent movie
• Modeled my friend Hannah's fabulous skirts
• Went to a 50s diner (in appropriate clothing for the decade, of course)

APRIL 2014

• MEGA THREE-DAY SLEEPOVER. 18 1/2 hours of TV. So much junk food
• Cut my bangs so short I cringe at the pictures. Lesson - learned.
• Mean Girls 10th Anniversary!

MAY 2014

• Spring Ball, vintage carnival style.
• My childhood friend Katie came to visit from good ol' Colorado
• I attended a Masquerade Ball
• I missed curfew
• Learned my lesson

JUNE 2014

• Did the ice water challenge
• Enjoyed a memorable trail walk with the whole fam

JULY 2014

• Scared a bunch of people on Face Book
• Went to Busch Gardens for the Fourth of July
• Cow Appreciation Day at Chick-fil-A!
• Ate cupcakes in Carytown
• Gramma came to visit!
• First time at a hibachi grill
• Lots of pool days

AUGUST 2014

• My first concert
• A visit with old friends
• A friend's birthday full of sub sandwiches, cookie dough Oreos, and giggles.
• Doctor Who Season 8 PREMIERE 
• Hanging out at the marina, getting told to get off the banana boats, and long bike rides.

SEPTEMBER 2014

• Successfully decorated an "Exploding TARDIS" cake for my brother's birthday.
• Fun at Golden Corral, and, like, six cotton candies.
• Chile and fire-roasted hot dogs, silly stories, and campfire songs.
• SKYPE WITH MARISSA MEYER
• My first Selfie gone Profile Pic

OCTOBER 2014

• Family visits, a trip to D.C., and goofy cousins.
• Apple picking in the mountains.
• Storybuilding and preparation for my first NaNoWriMo

NOVEMBER 2014

• NANOWRIMO
• Went to YALLfest in Charleston, SC. - AKA my first trip without my parents.
• Met James Dashner, Veronica Roth, Gayle Foreman, Rainbow Rowell, Pseudonymous Bosch, and tons more.
• Thanksgiving with friends (and sneaking away from the loud children to squeeze in some writing)
• Hosted my first {capitol} party
• Mockingjay Part 1 Premiere

DECEMBER 2014

• Christmas parties full of good food and happy voices.
• Late nights crafting presents.
• A trip to Nashville, TN for Christmas!
• Wifi-less for a week
• So. Much. Coffee.
• Listening to my Mimi talk of her past, late into Christmas night as the TV shines light onto our faces and the Grinch steals Christmas.
• Teary goodbyes and more than one "last hug".
• Little towns off the highway with adorable coffee shops.
• Mountains, snow flurries, and cloudy-gray skies.
• The joy of sleeping in your own bed again.
• New Years Eve costume party as a full-out gypsy.
• Watching the clock cont down.
• Looking back on the year with a different approach.

If you actually got through that list, bravo to you. 

This was my year, or what I could remember of it at least. 

Thanks for reading, even if it bore you to bits.

If so, I apologize.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

(It is now 3:37)