January felt like forever ago.

In between then and now I got a new puppy, turned 21, finished my junior year, spent my first summer away from home, started my final year of undergrad, applied to graduate schools, had my last football season, and came to terms that I have no idea where I will be after May of 2019.

So my year was a little eventful. From going to the NCAA Wrestling Championships in-person, to playing a game of campus "Survivor," to getting free Taylor Swift tickets, successfully being a club treasurer, and just having euchre nights on Wednesdays, I can't really say I had a dull moment. It sounds corny, but I feel like I just embraced being myself more this year than I have before, and it feels fantastic.

Don't get me wrong, I had my fair share of ups and downs this year. But every downside comes with the perfect opportunity to pick myself up and dust myself off. I learned my true limit of panicking when I was supposed to be signing up for the GRE but instead sat there terrified what would happen if I didn't pass this test I hadn't even paid for yet. I learned I would much rather play "Survivor" with strangers than my best friends. I learned that good things come when you take charge of yourself. I learned that sometimes you can't keep making excuses for other people.

Most of all, I learned that the people who are truly there for you will stick by you no matter what's happening in their lives or yours.

I wouldn't have made it through 2018 without everyone I spent it with. I had my family, my roommates, my fellow club members, and wrestling team in addition to all the new faces that I wish I met years ago just so I could be friends with them longer. I can't deny that all of these people helped shape my year.

So thank you 2018 for everything you brought, and thank you to the people who went through it with me.