Through the Rearview Mirror {2013}

As I sit here sipping on my Welch's Sparkling Grape Juice (if you know me then you know this is one of my favorite things), I can't help but think about how 2014 is a mere 3 days away. It's funny how we always say how fast time flies; before we even realize it another year has come and gone. We have seen the snow melt, the flowers bloom, the leaves fall, and the holidays pass yet again. I wouldn't argue against the idea that time flies, but as I sit here and reflect on the past 362 days I am also amazed by the degree in which things have changed and the amount of things that have happened since this day last year.
As I really got to thinking, I decided maybe I should do my own recap of year 2013 and take the time to reflect on all that has occurred in these short (yet long) twelve months.

January-
What better place to ring in the new year than in sunny California? I got to watch the clock strike midnight with some of my favorite West Coasters-- it really was a great way to start off 2013. We started the night at a small house party in San Pedro and soon after midnight we moved to a huge house party about a block away. We didn't know anyone at the party we crashed or even who the house belonged to but there was people of all ages covering both the backyard and the entire first floor of the house. Looking back on it, it kind of reminds me of something you'd see in a movie or music video.
For the next two weeks I got to take in so many sites around Southern California.

Terranea Beach. 

Where we hiked alongside the ocean and took in the most gorgeous views. 

Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA).

Las Vegas, Nevada. 

Yes, I even got to take a roadtrip to Vegas for a weekend with these gorgeous girls! 

Manhattan Beach, California. 

This became one of my favorite beaches in SoCal. I am so glad that one of my best friends decided to take me here to show me around. The town is all on a hill right of the ocean, such a cute place, and the ocean is absolutely beautiful- per usual. We went on such a gorgeous day that it was impossible to not fall in love with this place. We walked to the end of the pier were a group of surfers were surfing very close by. It was amazing to be able to see them so close! Of course I took plenty of videos and pictures. 

There were so many other places I got to experience for the first time, such as downtown Long Beach, the light and water show in San Pedro, John's Incredible Pizza, etc. This California trip was one of my favorite and best vacations yet! But, of course with the company I had how could it not be?!

Shortly after my return from LA I started my Spring semester.

February-

 At the beginning of the semester I thought that I had 2 more semesters to go, with an expected graduation date of December '13. Much to my surprise, after a visit to my advisor and some research done on my part I found out that with a little hard work and some summer classes I could finish up my credits and graduate in August! I was ecstatic about this because I really did not want to have to return to Bloomington-Normal in the fall. For the next few months I tried figuring out whether I would take summer classes at ISU or if I could take classes at the local community college. I eventually went with taking them at the community college which saved me a lot of money and probably quite a few headaches. Anyway, back to February... in order to be able to graduate in August I would first need to successfully complete my Senior Experience class, which in short was a research course that involved a lot of research (imagine that), writing, stress, fear, and a few tears. At the beginning of the course I was terrified that I wasn't going to pass and that I would, in fact, have to return in the fall in order to retake this course to complete my degree. 

March & April-

Consisted of me continuing to worry about passing all of my required classes, although as time moved forward I became less concerned when I saw the lack of effort that the majority of my classmates were putting into their final projects. As the end of April approached I was certain that I was going to pass all of my classes-with decent grades at that. 

May-

All of my classes had wrapped up by the 8th and I was scheduled to walk across the stage and receive my fake diploma on the 10th (I wasn't officially going to be graduated until August but was still walking in the graduation ceremony). In my head I had this big idea of what graduation was supposed to be- you know, some life changing event. Maybe as you walk across the stage you transform into a new being, much like how a caterpillar turns into a butterfly. Unfortunately, there was no glitter falling from the sky or wings growing from under my gown. I was the same person walking back to my seat as I was climbing up the stairs to shake the University President's hand. Maybe it was because it was a rainy, dreary day, unfit for outdoor pictures, or maybe it was the fact that the car was packed with all my belongings ready for me and my parents to hit the road right after. I guess I was just expecting something inside of me to click, to go off, some new feeling to take over my body and when it didn't I wasn't sure how to feel. 

I came home that Friday night, and found out Saturday morning that my Grandpa had been diagnosed with Stage 4 liver cancer earlier that week. 

Then, I started my internship on Monday at Big Brothers Big Sisters. --which would end up being such an eye opening experience for me! 

My grandparents made the cross country trip from Arizona to spend two weeks back in the Midwest. I am so glad that they decided to go through with their travel plans after finding out that my grandpa was sick because those two weeks were filled with family, love, and both new and old memories. 

I also attending my first Chicago Cubs game in May! Cross that one of the bucket list! (I had attend a Chicago Cubs, Bulls, and Bears game on my BL)

June, July, & August-

As June began so did my two online classes. The courses were easy and quick, so nothing to complain about there. :) June also was the month that my brother got to receive a diploma as well! & my parents threw him his high school graduation party a couple weeks later. Family from all over the country came in for it (Seattle, California, Minnesota), so again I had a lot of fun with family! 

In July I got to go to my second Chicago Cubs game with my Uncle and two siblings. This time we were treated to a suite! I felt like a celebrity or something... it was amazing! 

In early/mid August I wrapped up my online classes and internship. My internship taught me that I definitely wanted my career to focus on helping people and being in constant communication with others. After the classes and internship ended I went to working 5 days a week at Chicago Title as the receptionist while I waited to see what I would do next.. 

September, October, November, December- 

I actually still work at Chicago Title... it was supposed to be a temporary summer job, and still kind of is, it just lasted longer than I had originally thought it would. I am so glad and very grateful that they still are able to give me hours, because the money definitely helps! 

On Veterans Day (Nov. 11th) I went to my very first Chicago Bulls game! (Check that off too!!!) I was so excited, and it lived up to everything I had imagined! I am in love with the United Center and hope that I can make it back one day soon. :) 

This year the holidays (that are now coming to an end) were some of my favorites yet! 

Looking  back on this last year I have been able to scratch off multiple bucket list items and experience things I never would have thought. It gives me so much hope for the next year and all that it has to offer. I cannot wait to see what I will do, where I will go, and who I will become over the next 365 days. 

Happy New Year to you and yours, 

xo-kaila

New Year, New You?

I know I am not the only one that is amazed at the fact that yet another year is wrapping itself up in a few weeks. I would say that I just can't believe it, but in reality I know that time is precious and it passes by quickly whether we want it to or not.
People always use idea of the new year as a 'fresh start'. Whether their goals are to go the gym more frequently, study harder, be nicer, limit spending, or one of the other many other options--they all share the commonality that they will somehow better themselves/their lives in one way or another.
Some people have the motivation and dedication that allows them to stick to their New Year Plan, while some people go strong for a few weeks, and others never make it past the drawing board.
A few days ago I was reading through a questionnaire and I came across the question:

'If you could be anyone, who would you be?'
After thinking about it the answer I came up with was 'A better version of myself.'

Of course we could say that we want to be Bill Gates or Rihanna, but when you really think about it why would you want to be something/someone that you're not. Although I absolutely love Rihanna, I am not her and she is not me, and it's that way for a reason. So as long as I have to be Kaila, I want to be the best version of Kaila that I can be.
Obviously, this is much easier said than done. I can say that I am going to try to use a more cheerful tone of voice when answering  the phone, or that I am going to be more positive about what is going on in my life. But as we all know it is really hard to break habits, and our personalities are made up of habits.
For instance, loud talkers are so used to talking loud that they often don't even realize that they are talking at such a high volume. Talking loud is second nature to them (yes, I have been told I am a loud talker...). When you have been living with your habits for so long it is hard to break them or create new ones, which is often why people don't stick to their new years resolutions. It is just so easy to go back to the old way of doing things, and many times people slip back into the old way of doing things before they even realize it.
Regardless, I think setting goals is a great idea. Remember last year when I used to set monthly goals and blog about them and then reflect on them at the end of the month? Those were fun.. I should get back to that. Especially since I know there is so much to improve on. There is always room for improvement! That's one of the many great things about life. No matter what there is always something to work towards or to become better at.

So I guess I will set some goals for myself for this new year, new chapter, 'fresh start'...

My first goal is to become more involved in community service. Right now I am a volunteer at PADS..which I wrote about in my last blog 'Involve Yourself'. Since graduatin with a degree in Sociology and interning at a non-profit organization I have realized how important it is to give back to your community. I know that I have the time to give back to those in need, I just need to find a couple more organizations that I want to invest my time and heart into (& trust me..there are plenty of organizations to choose from!).

My second goal is to build stronger bonds with people I see regularly. Right now I work as a receptionist at a title company. Often times, the same attorneys and clients come in and out of the office each week. The ones that I see most frequently I converse with without a problem. But, there are others that I also see pretty regularly yet we don't seem to approach each other on a first name basis...when really we should. Of course sometimes there isn't time to sit and chat but I think it is important to connect with people on a deeper level than just the 'Good Morning' & 'Have a nice day' basis, especially when you see them so often. So whether it be the joyful mailman, the tired UPS guy, or a stressed out attorney--I am going to try my best to learn a little bit more about them and perhaps become a more familiar smile when they walk through the door.

My third (& last one--for now) goal is to count my blessings. It's easy for us to forget how blessed we are when we are angry at the slow driver in front of us or we are stressed out about finances. My plan for this new year is to remind myself of the good. When something is going wrong or I am sad or upset about something for longer than necessary, I am going to try to remind myself that I have so many things to be happy about. In order to do this I am going to start writing down the things I am thankful for (you know--kind of like when your newsfeed gets flooded with 'Im thankful for...' during the month of November?! No worries, I will keep it off of your timeline and in my journal--with maybe a few appearances in my blog, haha).

I am going to try my best to transform these three goals into habits during 2014. I can't promise that I will succeed, but I am going to try. These are only a few small goals, & there is of course much more that I hope to accomplish in 2014...but I am going to save that for a future blog post.

Take some time to think about your own goals and what you want to change about your habits.

Here's to hoping I make it past the drawing board,
xoxox- Kaila