SENIOR YEAR RECAP (PART ONE)

I GRADUATED!!

That feels absolutely so insane and so surreal to write, but I did! I'm a combination of excited and terrified for this next season of life, but I'm trying to cling to my Heavenly Father and rely on Him for everything I need. He has proven faithful time and time again throughout not only my senior year but my whole life, and I can honestly say I don't think I'd be here without Him. Throughout this post, I'm going to recap a whole lot of highs, but I also want to keep it real with you and be honest about some of the struggles that I've faced. Yet the goal in all of this is to give God the glory and highlight His goodness in both the highs and the lows.

To kick off the year - senior sunrise! Although I missed my alarm and was running EXTREMELY late this morning, it was such a fun event and a really special way to kickoff the year by reconnecting with friends!

The cross country season began right as school started, and while this season looked different, it was such a sweet season. Don't get me wrong - it came with its challenges. I was on a completely different training schedule than my teammates, so I missed out on a lot of the team bonding that comes with the day to day workouts, and I felt like a bit of an outsider on my own team. But God was so kind to me in that season and met me right where I was on my bike workouts. It became a space where I could meet with God and release everything I was carrying, and I felt like He helped me to become lighter, more myself. I began to listen to the Christ with Coffee on Ice podcast, and looked forward to those bike rides, because it became such a healing, prayerful space. I rediscovered my love for running, and hey, I made it through the whole season without being injured!

Saturdays were for cross country, but Fridays were for football! I never thought I would attend so many football games, yet I went to one nearly every week, and they became such a highlight. (Of course, I must mention - my boyfriend made it all worth it.) I got to watch the games with Kayla, one of my closest friends now, and rain or shine, we made it so fun and memorable!

Then we had HOMECOMING! Koa and I had such a fun night taking pictures, eating Mexican food, and dancing our little hearts out! These dances are honestly the best date nights, because they are such a great way to get intentional with each other, do something different, and look forward to it for weeks. Koa and I have been together for a little over a year now, so we're far from experts, but those intentional date nights keep a relationship exciting and fun! (If you want more details from this night, then check out this post!)

This year I got the incredible opportunity to join AmeriCorps, a program at my school where I spend half my day at an elementary school. It is truly the highlight of every day, and I've made some amazing relationships with kids and teachers alike. Kids are such a blessing, and although some days are more tiring than others, they always fill my cup and I know what I'm doing is so rewarding. It also is even more special that I'm going back to the elementary school I went to, and that is just so cool.

Of course, the holidays were so fun. It's always a blessing to be able to have time off, spend time with loved ones, and meditate on the true reason for the season. I was really grateful for this time of year and season of my faith. God felt really close, and my spiritual life truly just felt so revived. I feel like God always brings these really strong seasons right when you need them, and we have to soak them up as an encouragement, because our lives won't always feel like a mountain top. We must continue to be faithful, in every season, and I think God has really reminded me of that this senior year.

And then we had Snowball! This was really fun for Koa and I because at last year's Snowball, we were the junior prince and princess, and that's actually how we met! We got kicked out of our original photo spot, enjoyed some Panda Express, and then danced the night away!

Something I'm really grateful for that the Lord has blessed me with is Christian community. My circle is small but it is SUCH an answered prayer and is so holy. I have a friend that I do Bible studies with, friends to reach out to for prayers and be vulnerable with. I know that God hears our desire for Christ-centered relationships and He desires that for us too. I don't know why His timing sometimes seems slow, but it never is, and He always works our friendships together for good. I'm believing that my God has even more blessing in the area of my community, and I'm so excited to see how He moves.

To be vulnerable for a moment - my community is something that I've struggled a lot with throughout my life. I've experienced a lot of hurt and rejection, and I've had a hard time finding my people. I've felt insecure by the fact that my circle doesn't look like someone else's, that I feel like I don't have many friends. I've walked through loneliness, but God keeps reminding me that my community doesn't have to be big, and it doesn't have to have plans every weekend. My life doesn't have to look like everyone else's, and that's how God intended it.

Now that I've gotten off that soap box - throughout my senior year, I made the decision to attend Emporia State University for college! I'm planning on majoring in Elementary Education, and I am so excited. I met my roommate very quickly, and she honestly felt like a gift from God. We clicked immediately and have so much in common, and I'm very grateful for that. I'm also so excited to become a teacher and be able to pour into young kids! Emporia has a lot of opportunities for me, and I can't wait to see what God has in store for me there.

In the spring, track season became a major part of my schedule. I managed again this year, and it was a lot of fun to be able to cheer on my friends and Koa as they competed. This season felt like a closing to the year, and while that was bittersweet, I enjoyed the time with my people, memories, and warm weather.

Clearly, this is not where my senior year ended! There's a lot of big events still to cover: prom, my party, graduation. Stay tuned for next week's post, for the part two of the recap!