What I learned in 2013

PARTY ON DUDES! AND BE EXCELLENT TO EACH OTHER!

Fitting for tonight's festivities? I hope so. Have fun, but be safe and nice. Okay?

2013 was an interesting year. I learned a lot.

*I started the year off with a bang...bringing in the new year recovering from a miscarriage and D&C. It was awful. It launched me into a deep depression. I couldn't really grasp what was happening to me in my heart and my soul, but I felt like a different person. It was really hard. I learned that depression is real and even if you feel it happening, it is almost impossible to dig yourself out of it.

*In March, cancer took the life of a remarkable woman. My best friend's mother. For sake of privacy, I won't say much except that her kindness will never be forgotten as it is constantly there in the lives of her children. They are some of the best people I've ever encountered. I've learned how much one person can influence many lives, including mine...for forever.

*While dealing with life, I decided I needed a huge change. I decided to start college. I started at UVU for summer semester. I really have no idea what in the world I was thinking. But guess what, it might be a cliché, but, I can do hard things. 2 semesters and a 4.0 later, I know I was meant to go to college as a mature (hehe) adult, not a right out of high school chica without a grasp on my life. I know it is different for everyone, but I really have been amazed at what I've been able to do. My house has suffered...and my family has picked up the slack. They rock. Guess what? I learned that hard work, really hard work with sleepless nights and deadlines, can be so rewarding.

*I was asked to be on the Lehi Arts Council this year. I music directed several shows in Utah County and was able to be in You Can't Take It With You. I am so grateful for these opportunities. I learned (well, reaffirmed) that the arts are healing and a necessity in my life.

*I am pregnant and due the end of May. It's been exciting, scary, and tiring. I was taking 22 credits since it happened, so luckily, I didn't have much time to dwell on it, or else I would have been a wreck. We find out Friday if it is a little dude or dudette. 34 and pregnant? Tiring. Maybe if I had a personal trainer, chef, and maid, I could pull it off like the famous people do. I'm so happy, though. I wouldn't trade it for anything. I've learned that life doesn't ever go as planned, and that is what makes it exciting.

*My brother got married to someone just perfect for him. She is amazing. I went to Disneyland and southern California with my 2 year old and with my parents and my sister and her family. My oldest graduated from the 6th grade and started Jr. High and is now a teenager. A fantastic teenager. Friendships have grown closer. My primary calling in music is the BEST. I have a new niece and new nephews. I went to some amazing concerts, hung out with the bestest of friends, and overall, I learned that I have a lot to be grateful for.

I'm looking forward to another year of the unknown. That is what makes it exciting...the unknown. I've always feared the unknown, but this year, I learned to embrace it. To live it.

Bring it, 2014.