Here it comes. I suppose my close friends and family have been waiting for an article like this to surface. Who would have thought that it would take a full four plus months for me to actually getting around to write on this topic.

For those of you who are confused, my loyal Facebook friends spend all of the year 2016 being bombarded with daily blog posts from http://www.magsyearinpics.wordpress.com, aka my daily "photo" blog. What started as a simple picture blog, aimed to present one picture from each day with a mini description, morphed into a daily journal entry, with a picture attached. Most days, since I am forgetful, included a picture of my dark room with a long winded description of my day. Feel free to take a quick gander at some of my crazy posts to get a feel of my crazy, crazy life.

When I started my 2016 Year in Pictures blog, I honestly did not think I could do it. While I am a woman of my word, if my goals don't involve grades or my future career, they usually don't get accomplished. If there is no sense of accountability or "winning," I don't get fully invested. This is why I not only socially announced the blog but also continued to share it on Facebook and Twitter. I wanted to stick with it. 366 blog entries was maybe 250 too many, but I did it. I documented my entire year on a simple blog, and I am truly a better person because of it and here is why:

1. As mentioned above, I set a goal for myself and stuck with it. While it may have been a goal that took maybe 30 minutes tops out of my day, it was a daily activity that had to be done.

2. It helped me search for the good in my life. There were some days that the last thing I wanted to do was sit down and write my blog entry. I either didn't have the energy or I didn't feel there was anything to actually document. But it didn't matter. I did it anyway.

3. I had to stop, if just for a few seconds, and take a picture. This may not seem like a big deal, but I hate pictures. Mostly of myself, but that's besides the point. I try to live in the moment and not stop to realize that through all of life, I am making memories.

4. Old friends and family got to live my life with me. My mom and grandparents repeatedly told me how lucky they were to be able to read about my daily college life, when many close family members barely get a phone call every month to catch up. Close family friends and old acquaintances also randomly would mention how much they enjoyed following my journey.

5. I got a chance to reflect. While I did used to journal occasionally, mostly about my high school friend problems, I never was much for diaries or introspection. These daily blog entries forced me to reflect upon my day, whether I actually wanted to or not.

While I am sure that I learned much more than this, I do believe this is the majority of what I received from my blogging experience. After four months of not blogging, I actually miss it. I miss it so much that I have decided to start a mini blog following my study abroad trip. This time I am focused more on the pictures, so I am using Tumblr, so I can interspace photos, videos, text and any other media I choose to include. If you so dare, here is my Tumblr page for my D.C. and London, England excursion: https://appstatetolondon2017.tumblr.com/ I really hope to capture the inevitably amazing moments on here.