This School Year In Review

So this school year was pretty good. No major complaints.

My classes went alright. I managed to survive history, which is a complete miracle. If I do well on the final I can even end the year with an A! I also made it through AP Bio with a B, and through AP Lit with...well I don't know what I had in Lit...I'm just relieved to be done with it finally! So this year, academically speaking? Success.

I'm coming out of this year with some new friends and leaving some behind. I've gotten INCREDIBLY close to a few people I never thought I would. I guess I have theatre to thank for that, but that's its own category. I went through some rough patches with some really close friends, which tore me up, but we're as good as new now, if not better. I've realized how truly strong some of my friendships are, no matter WHAT they go through. I've also managed to pull the "Oh, I'm going to get REALLY close to these people in a matter of a week or two and then be miserable when I don't see them anymore" trick again. Thank you theatre, again. I'm also wondering about some of my friendships. I wonder if they're what I think they are, more, or less.

Theatre. Completely epic. I can't imagine life without it anymore. All three of the shows I was in this year were successes and I was so proud of them and everyone involved. Drama strengthened so many of my relationships, as well as helped me to form new ones. I'm also much more confident thanks to it. I recently auditioned for a local production of "Into the Woods." I didn't get in, but this time two years ago, I would NEVER have imagined myself doing things like this. I hated singing in front of people, but now it's all I want to do. 24/7. Ask my friends, they'll tell you! And now everything is acting to me. I'm myself, but I'm also whoever I want to be. I kept my own personality and collected about a million masks to put on and characters to play when I'm bored or looking for a good time.

Sports? What sports? I played sports? Really?

So that's basically it. This year has been incredibly crazy. However, there are tons of things that I learned, experienced, and witnessed that I wouldn't trade for anything. I've learned about who I am, who others are, and how to live my life so that I am completely 100% happy and myself. I've experienced things that have awoken new emotions and feelings in me, and now I feel emotionally stronger, like these emotions and responses have been added to my arsenal of feelings and experiences. It's hard to say what I mean, but I feel like I can take on a lot more knowing what I know now. On top of this, I've witnessed incredible things. I've witnessed, as well as experienced, love. Not some mushy, stupid, teenager lovey couple thing. I mean the real thing. That thing where you care about people to the point that just the thought of losing them scares you. The thought of them being hurt brings you to tears. You just want them to be there all the time because you know that no matter how bad something is, they can make you happy again. You just want to tell them everything. I've witnessed real courage. I've witnessed confidence. I've witnessed hellos and goodbyes. I've witnessed tears and laughter. I've witnessed miracles and disasters. I've witnessed a group of people pull together and succeed beyond their wildest dreams in the face of failure. I've witnessed them beat the odds. I've witnessed them earn every bit of respect that I have for them, and every bit of love that I give them. Most importantly, I've witnessed the life I've always wanted. Where I am now is exactly where I want to be. I've learned to live in the moment and love every second of it.

Dear friends,
Thank you and much love. Always.