Yes, I did quote Hilary Duff

Personally I've had an absolutely wonderful year. Now wait...let me explain.

Was the work hard? Yes. Did I have a couple of mental breakdowns? Yes. Was I more stressed than I have been in my entire life? Yes. Somehow, though, it all turned out well. Let's hit a few aspects.

Work- I finally learned how to work this year. And while I find that my tendency to copy homework increased, I also listened in class for the first time in my entire life. I also started reading the textbooks...I was surprised to find that they were actually pretty interesting. I mean sometimes I would laugh out loud when I read my Physics textbook. Seriously. This year I decided to learn the real way, actually storing things in my brain instead of briefly memorizing (except history, I refused to force useless dates into my head). Thus I have learned so very much! It's exciting really.

Friends- Here's what I've learned about friends this year. One, there's a good chance that the majority of the friends we have now won't be our friends in ten years. And when a friend doesn't put effort into a friendship, you should let it be and move on. Two, we shouldn't limit our friendships to the people who we feel safe around. Because there are so many great and wonderful people out there. And sometimes we just have to break through those first impressions to find out who they really are.

Opportunities- I think my good friend Hilary Duff put it best when she sang, "Why not take a crazy chance? Why not do a crazy dance? If you lose the moment, then you may lose a lot. So, why not?"

This year was great overall. I'll make sure next year is great too. I think in the end we get to choose how great our year is. It's all about the attitude...and whistling...it just makes the day brighter.

-Brianna