With the end of another school year slowly approaching, I have been doing a lot of reflecting. What I have realized amidst my introspections is that, in no means did this year pan out to even close as I had expected. However, nothing really ever does. It is so easy to build up a million expectations through the long four months of summer before school, but you can never truly account or predict all the twists and turns that will transpire.

Overall though, I am so grateful to have had the year I did. There were definitely some experiences I could have done without, some questionable decisions, some less-questionable-very-obviously-bad decisions. However, even if I was treated poorly or made a few mistakes, I am thankful for them all. But this does not mean that if I could do it all over I would do it all the same or choose to have everything that happened, happen again, because I most definitely would not. Nonetheless, without all of the bad choices and experiences we will all inevitably make and have, we would never be granted the opportunity to learn and grow from said mistakes so that the next time, we can do it differently. So that the next time, we can do it better.

In some ways this year has presented hurtles far worse than anticipated, but it has also been a year filled with so many unforgettable experiences far better than I could have ever predicted. I have made friends that at times I genuinely wonder how I ever managed to live without. But I have also lost friendships that, at times, truly make me wish things could have worked out differently. I got the chance to live in a house with 70 other girls, an experience that was actually not nearly as awful as it sounds and which ended up being immeasurably more special than I could have possibly imagined.

From spur of them moment decisions to drive to McDonalds at 2 a.m., to getting yelled at by a** holes that don't deserve your time. From skipping class on friday and working off a hangover whilst roaming Target and getting breakfast at Denny's, to spring break, going to the pool alone at 4 a.m. to find your friend drunk journaling while you have a mental breakdown. It has been a year filled with an abundance of memories. Whether they be good, bad, awful, or incredible I am thankful for them all because they are what have made my Sophomore year so special-even if it was not in the way that I had initially planned. So although this year has taken many unexpected turns, that is what I have loved about it most of all. I have learned that nothing is ever going to play out the way you expect it to. It may be better or worse, but regardless it is going to be different. It is because of this unpredictability of the future that each passing moment is so exceptional.