“Stop waiting for Friday,

for summer, for someone to fall in love with you, for life. Happiness is achieved when you stop waiting for it and make the most of the moment you are in now.”

As I scrolled through Pinterest this morning, the quote above really struck me. In 2021, I had a distinct moment of surrender where I stopped waiting. Not only did I stop waiting, but I stopped searching. It was then that I was able to experience my “year of the phoenix.” As the year 2022 approaches, these reflections and realizations seem fitting. Last New Years, I chose “phoenix” as my word of year, inspired by the legend of the phoenix that burns up and is reborn from its own ashes. My life in 2021 was turned upside down as I’m sure many of yours were too. Between the ongoing pandemic, my first full year of high school (as a junior!), and the beginning of the college search, things were a changin’ and the word, phoenix, perfectly represents all of it. I chose the phrase “take a leap” as inspiration for 2022 after listening to Tara Mohr’s book, Playing Big, Practical Wisdom for Women who want to Speak Up, Create, and Lead. She talks about taking on leaps instead of just focusing on a big project itself. Taking a leap is particularly important to me in this year because I will be applying to colleges. I may or may not know where I will be attending college in 2022, but it is the year that I will complete my applications, essays, music portfolios, and auditions. I will need to take many leaps to play bigger and live outside of the comfort zone.

Below, I created a Pinterest board of inspirational quotes for your new year. :)

“Let’s create a more sane and compassionate world through
women’s leadership, creativity, and contributions.”

— Tara Mohr

My Favorite…

Podcast: Up First - NPR

Up First is the perfect start to my morning every day. It keeps me informed and puts me in a productive mood. I usually try to multi-task by listening and doing my makeup.

YouTube Channel: Pursuit of Wonder

This YouTube channel posts the most thought-provoking videos, and I even purchased their new book called All the Ways Things Could Go: An Immersive Guided Journal Experience. It’s full of fascinating writing prompts help get the creativity flowing!

Subscription Service: Nuuly (See my other post, “Eco-Friendly Fashion 🌎,” for more details) The pants and jacket that I am wearing in this post are rented from Nuuly!

Most popular blog post written in 2021: How to Find Your Aesthetic: Romantic Academia Thank you to everyone who checked out this post!

All of the photos above were taken at Family Tree Nursery.

Many meaningful things happened this past year. To commemorate 2021, I decided to share some unseen highlights below.

Sophie & Alex’s Wedding

June 26th 2021 was not only my 17th birthday, but my sister, Sophie’s wedding day. I was so honored when she asked me to sing at her and Alex’s wedding, and I knew just the song. Yellow is Sophie’s favorite color, and the lyrics capture their relationship beautifully. Here are a few photos from this special day!

Interlochen Arts Camp

Interlochen is an arts camp in Michigan that I had been looking forward to going to for several years. I was supposed to summer of 2020, but Covid hit and in-person camp was cancelled that year. I had a life-changing experience at Interlochen. Not only did I learn so much, but I met countless incredible people. I was a songwriting major, and my main teachers were Shane Adamns, Ally Lubera, and Andrew Dost who are pictured with me above (left to right).

Chicago

My first flight alone was totally worth it to visit my friend, Ana. Seeing her in Chicago was quite different than living together at Interlochen in cabin 230. We walked the magnificent mile, shopping bags in hand, and took pictures by anything and everything. This was definitely a highlight of 2021, and maybe there will be more photoshoots in Kansas in 2022!