My 2017 Year in Review

Here it is, the last day of 2017. I feel like this year was personally a rough one for me at the beginning, but it taught me a lot about myself. In this blog post I am going to break it down month by month on what I did and what I learned.

January

January

I started my second semester at National Park College and met so many amazing people. I strengthened some very unexpected relationships with people from high school I'd never thought I'd be friends with. January was a pretty easy month and honestly pretty uneventful.

February

I turned 19 years old and I didn't feel much different. I definitely had a good month, but I was a bit stressed of what I was going to do with the rest of my life. I spent a lot of time with a family who was really important to me. We watched a lot of The Bachelor and Razorback Basketball. The Jersey cow that we had had a calf on my birthday and Ali named her "Cookie." Dairy cattle produce a lot of milk, so one calf couldn't do it all. My family bought some bottle calves and it was so fun to have little babies running around.

February

March

March

In March we bought some more bottle calves to nurse the Jersey cow we had. Eventually we had three calves nursing the Jersey. At the end of March, God told me to make some pretty tough decisions. I had to end a relationship. That was super hard for me, but one of my friends said everything is either a blessin' or a lesson. I think it was both. I learned so much about myself this month.

April

Lindsey really pushed me to get back out there and make the most of everyday. She took me everywhere. The annual 4-H banquet was also this month and it was fun to experience it this time as a part time extension employee. I think the best thing that happened in April was that on the 9th, my mom and dad came home with a puppy! I guess Jason is getting soft as the years go by, because he stopped and saw a dumped puppy on the side of the road and scooped her up and brought her home. I started bawling the minute I saw her and it was over. She was my dog. I found myself doing microbiology homework with a pup in my lap and I know it sounds silly, but my dog helped me heal.

April

May

May

Mark graduated from UCA with a B.S. in Phycology. I still don't exactly know why he loves the brain, but I was proud nonetheless. My cousin graduated high school as well. My uncle had gotten into hiking recently and took us all to Little Missouri Falls. It was so beautiful. This month taught me that family is important. At the end of the day, all you have is God and your family.

June

I got to start working 40 hour weeks at the extension office for the summer and that was so exciting! I was with my best friend literally everyday, and surprisingly, we did not end up killing each other! The Arkansas FFA State Convention was this month and I met so many new FFA members and got to see my favorite "has beens." It was weird being there and not wearing my blue corduroy jacket. I got sent my first flowers at work by a sweet friend and they were so pretty. It was an arrangement of my favorites; lilies, roses, and couple of daisies thrown in. I'll be forever grateful for that special surprise. Lindsey and I got beach wave perms that month and if that's not friendship then I don't know what is! We also took a float trip. June taught me that friendship is so important and that you should surround yourself with people that care about you and vice versa.

June

July

July

July was just a fun continuation of June. Lindsey and I were having fun and working hard at the extension office. Mark and I were making flying trips to Fayetteville and getting ready for the next chapter of our lives. At the end of July Mark, Jay, Bryce, and I went to an escape room in Bentonville. We killed it. 

August

I feel like I got stronger in my faith this month due to a friend that encouraged me to go church with him. I met such an amazing group of people at Pleasant Hill Baptist Church. I also moved to Fayetteville this month with my brother. I transferred to the University of Arkansas and Mark started on his second undergrad. Thanks to my friend Willis, I gained some new friends. The AECT department was so welcoming and some of my best friends now come from that department. Woo Pig!

August

September

September

I attended my first football game and tailgate this month. I got close with the best person ever, Kenley, after Willis forced us to be friends. Mark and I made a trip to Northeast Arkansas to see both sets of our grandparents. (I drove the whole way there and back totaling 10 hours.) Class was going good and my social life was thriving. I feel like in college you are faced with so much temptation, but I always remembered how my parents raised me and stayed true to myself.

October

This month flew by as school was picking up. Mark turned 22 and I was hanging out with my cousin Jay more and more often. State Fair was this month and I was there the entirety of fall break. Jay drug Mark and I to a corn maze and pumpkin patch and then they decided it was a good idea to go to a haunted house in Cave Springs. Y'all.... I will never go to another haunted house again. 

October

November

November

November absolutely flew by with school, tests, and club meetings. The main part of November was full of food and family. Thanksgiving was fun as usual. Jay also adopted his kitten, Lizzie. 

December

Now here we are on the last day of December. Looking back on my year, I've realized how quick it has gone by. This month was pretty stressful due to finals, but I ended this semester with a 3.8 GPA, a good group of friends, and an understanding of what life is all about. I am going into 2018 being the best Carol Ann I can possibly be. I'm not going to make any crazy resolutions or unobtainable goals. I am going to work on improving myself and showing God's love through my actions. Do not bring what was toxic in 2017 into 2018. Repeating the same thing over and over again expecting a different result is called insanity. Here's to a great 2018! Stay safe tonight and God bless. 

December