Goodbye Jordan Year, Hello Kobe Year!

Disclaimer: I actually know nothing about basketball.

As I say goodbye to being 23 and transition into officially being in my mid-20's I find myself quite disappointed. As happy as I am about the great things that have happened this past year, I could have done more. 23 was a big year for me with more ups than there were downs, but I definitely hoped to accomplish a lot more. I'm thankful for all of the memories I've made and what I've accomplished so far, don't get me wrong, but let's just say I haven't used this past year to it's full potential and didn't reach my full potential either. 

23 has taught me a lot. I began to break out of my shell, do more things to make me happy and to better myself, got engaged, and I was reminded of the value of genuine people in my life. 24 will be a life changing year for me. It's the year that I start a new chapter in this book that I call life. 24 will be the year of change, the year of more happiness and the year of hopefully more personal growth and success.

These past few birthdays have been bittersweet. It's still tough to be happy and celebrate without my dad. Every year he would set up balloons cards and breakfast for me the morning of my birthday and my past few birthdays have felt incomplete without that and without him. I used to think in order to have a great birthday I would need to be surrounded by tons of "friends" and have a huge celebration, but I've come to realize that turning up for my birthday just doesn't make me as happy as spending time with those closest to me. Every year I wondered if those friends were really there to celebrate with me, or if they were just using my birthday as an excuse to have some fun. For me, a good birthday is knowing that those close to me value me as a part of their lives and to be reassured that I'll be surrounded by positive vibes for years to come. 

Overall I'm thankful for all of the experiences I've had this past year, good or bad. I've grown from them. Now, I can't wait to see what 24 has in store for me! Time to enjoy my last birthday on the East Coast!