blackbird singing in the dead of night.

a year in review.

2011 started off with a bang when i spent it with my entire family, including my newfound sister rachel. we were reunited last new years. as the new year began, my entire family prepped for my dad to leave to afghanistan. the entire month of january was filled with nerves as we all anxiously awaited his departure. as the beginning of february rolled around, my dad left. our family was ripped apart, as i had just began to form an incredibly close relationship with my dad. to deal with the hardships, we took a trip to disney world (considering my mom is an insane disney freak). to make it even better, we invited rachel, my sister. as we prepared to go to disney a new side of rachel i had never seen came out. she treated me horribly and wanted nothing to do with me, only my mom. the trip ended up being a disaster for both myself, and my mom. the relationship between rachel and myself was very distant afterwards. after we moved on from that, we went on with the next few months trying to get by without my dad. my mom then found a house she really liked. from april until june we tried and tried to get the house. finally in the middle of the summer we bought the house. it took forever to move out, and into the new house but it was definitely worth it. in the end of july, i got accepted to an invisible children convention. it brought together some of the countries world changers to find a way to end the war in central africa. i was blown away that i had even been accepted into it. in the beginning of august i went to the conference and it was life changing. i met some of the greatest people and some of my now best friends. they live across the country but we keep in contact. school then started and i met new people. including my bestfriend rachel, and boyfriend keither. in september, my sister rachel came back. this visit was even more of a disaster than the last. the entire family broke apart and all ties were cut off between certain people. it really tested our family. in october, my dad finally came home. it was a great reunion and our family finally felt complete again. in november, i was presented with the opportunity to take a mission trip to south africa. on november 20th, i embarked on the journey of a lifetime. my world was forever changed after that trip. there were many things that happened during my trip that changed my in ways i could never imagine. during the trip we fed children in soup clubs, and orphanages. i was also baptized in the indian ocean. my heart was touched by specific individuals i met on my journey. i love you JR. south africa changed my world forever and i can’t wait to go back. when i returned it was the start of december and by then everyone was gearing up for christmas. it was an incredibly hard adjustment but after i was okay, everything was good. it now leads up to today, december 31st. this year has changed me in ways i could have never imagined. i experienced things i never thought was possible. but if there’s one thing i’ve learned most, it’s to love. love is the most important thing in this world. love your family, love your friends, love your life, love everyone. after being around people with no family, showing a little love made them so incredibly happy. there are things that may get you down in life, but if you’ve got love that’s all you need. i learned who my true friends and family were this year, and i’m grateful for them. my mom is an incredible person who deserves all the love in the world. i hope everyone takes a minute to realize how grateful they are for everything they have in their life. this year has had its ups and down, i’ve never been so betrayed by a family member, but i’ve also never experienced so much love. sometimes i think it takes a bad situation to bring a family closer, and that’s exactly what happened to us. i never expected to be where i am now. my family and friends are all i truly need. i have opened my eyes to a whole new world, and i honestly can’t wait to see what next year has to offer. i love you all.

ps. teresa is the baddest motherfucker ever.