In honor of the new year, I decided to recap some of my favorite moments of 2016!
January
I started the year by watching TCU win against Oregon in the Alamo Bowl. The rest of the month was filled with saying goodbyes to family and friends all while trying to pack my life into a suitcase!
February
At the beginning this month, I traveled to my new home Florence, Italy! I quickly fell in love with each new sight, smell and taste this city had to offer me. I also ran around the Duomo looking for blue gelato to celebrate the news that Baby Salazar was going to be a boy!
March
On of my favorites of March, was having my little "Lizzie McGuire" moment in Rome. This month was also full of many other travels and exciting moments... like see the Eiffel tower! Florence also started to feel like my "home" and not just a vacation.
April
April was a whirlwind! Tobi came and visited me at the beginning of the month, giving me a little taste of home that I missed. I made trips to Springfest in Germany and adventured in London. I ended the month riding a Vespa around Chianti with an Italian boy! (#jokes)
May
May came as quickly as it passed! I soaked up the little time I had left in Europe. I never thought saying goodbye to Florence and new friends would be so hard! But with goodbyes, also come some overdue hellos. With the help of family friends, I was able to pull off coming home early to surprise the family! I will never be able to forget those faces they made when they saw me. I ended the month celebrating turning twenty and being back in the great state of Texas.
June
I think the picture speaks for itself, but Baby Richard made his debut! I think all of our hearts grew a little bit bigger that day! I also moved into my first house! I'm grateful for my roomies- Toes, Brooke, and Megan- and all the laughter we have had at The Box.
July
July was full of dreaming that summer never had to come to an end!
August
My appreciation for being an Alpha Chi grew as I got to spend two weeks with my sisters during recruitment. I also started my Junior year at TCU. I may or may not of had a mental break down on the first day thinking I wasn't smart enough for TCU after being abroad for a semester.
September
September was full of friends and football! I quickly managed to get back into my "school" routine but also had some serious Florence FOMO.
October
In October, I visited Kenny at A&M, went on a field trip to the zoo, watched some more football and visited the State Fair of Texas! I also got to meet James Taylor, one of my favorite contestants from Jojo's season of the Bachelorette.
November
November was full of being thankful for all that I have in my life.... including Big Richard. I asked him to adopt me during our family pictures! In case you were wondering, he said yes! ;)
I also wrote a blog post about this and it reached over 1500 views, significantly more than any of my abroad posts. So thank you if you are reading this! :)
December
In the beginning of December, I completed my first semester of Junior year. Despite my worries about being not smart enough for TCU, I ended the semester with a 4.0. Which might not be saying a lot since I am an Education major but it was something I hadn't accomplishment yet! I ended the year celebrating the holidays with the ones I love the most!
While these were some of the "highlights" of the year there were also the "lows" that come with life. I think with social media, it's easy for those "lows" to seem no existent in people's lives. There were also so many more memories and stories made this year and I hope the new year will bring even more! In 2017, I am looking forward to finishing my Junior year, taking another short trip abroad with the education department at TCU, turning 21 (Ironically, while I am in Europe), starting my Senior year of college and hopefully more new adventures!!
Wishing you a Happy New Year!
Hugs,
KayLeigh
