What a year 2016 has been!
I think in the future I will remember this year as the year that I really transitioned into the next phase of my life. My life now is pretty different from how it was at the beginning of the year, so it’s been an exciting year!
We started off the spring by vacationing for a week in Colorado. We visited Rocky Mountain National Park, as well as Denver, and Colorado Springs. We had a blast and it’s definitely one of my favorite places that I’ve been to. The mountains were absolutely breathtaking and I’d love to go back again sometime in the future!
I finished my up my internship in downtown Kansas City. This was such a great learning experience for me and it was a lot of fun being able to work downtown. It was the first time that I worked for a large company, so it was great to be able to experience how a larger organization runs. I pushed myself out of my comfort zone with this job and felt that I did myself proud. It was a great opportunity for me and I really made the most of it. It was a bit bittersweet to leave, but bigger and better things awaited me in the year.
I graduated college with my Bachelor of Business Administration with an emphasis in Finance from the University of Missouri – Kansas City. I graduated summa cum laude with a 3.9 GPA, which I am extremely proud of. It might just be an extra medal that I get to wear and an extra thing they announced with my name, but I’m immensely proud of how hard I worked in school.
I got to watch Andrew graduate with two degrees: his Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and his Bachelor of Nursing. He later passed his nursing boards and is now a certified Registered Nurse (RN). I was so proud to watch him walk to the stage – not once, but twice! – and to see all of his hard work come to fruition. Super proud wife right here!
We moved from Kansas City to St. Louis . This was a really bittersweet time for us. It truly signified us closing the chapter on our college days and coming on home. Sometimes I wonder if we made the right decision in moving back to St. Louis. There are a lot of things I miss about Kansas City and I shared my sentiments on what home really means. Kansas City will always hold a dear place in my heart and we visit friends often!
We spent a lot of time making the house in St. Louis our home . We were given a wonderful opportunity from Andrew’s mother to live in their childhood home for very little rent. We are using this time to pay off our loans and to save up some money for a future home.
This summer was a tough one for me. While I planned to take a couple months off before looking for a job, I really suffered with depression. I was trying to find my identity and worth in other things, such as my employment, when really my identity is rooted in Christ. I learned a lot and I grew a lot, but it wasn’t easy. You may have noticed I wasn’t very active on the blog during this time.
In late July, I had to put my nine-year-old dog to sleep. I’d had Tabor since he was a little pup at ten weeks old. He was my Christmas present in the 8th grade and my best friend. He had just moved into the house with us when we moved back to St. Louis. While I still miss him dearly, I have a lot of great memories with him and he was the best dog!
After losing Tabor, Andrew and I adopted a female puppy from Stray Rescue and named her Chloe. She is a black lab terrier mix that we love to pieces. She is very energetic, and though she’s not so small anymore, she is very smart and loves to cuddle.
I ran my first 5K in September for a girl named Kali. It was a hard run but I ran through the pain and took every step for victims that have suffered from sex trafficking. The race was organized by The Covering House, an organization that provides physical and emotional relief from sexual abuse and exploitation. I couldn’t have been happier to spend my first 5K running for such a great cause.
Also in September, I was offered a contract position through a staffing agency and I jumped at the opportunity. I ended up really liking the people that I work with and the position, so when they offered me the full-time position at the end of November, I accepted .
Things seem to have settled down near the end of the year as I put my head down and got to work at my new job. I’ve really enjoyed making friends with my new coworkers and learning new things. And it’s good to see how God has answered my prayers throughout the year. I had a lot of anxiety and fears – about moving home, about finding a job, about all of these big life changes and God provided throughout all of them.
I’m just incredibly thankful to see how far I’ve come in just one year and to see how far He has brought me, and it makes me even more excited for all that 2017 will hold!
Cheers, 2016! You were a great one!
Yay! I love posts like these!
I feel the same way about 2016. Kind of obvious though since we both graduated at the same time. If you go back to Colorado, I would recommend going to Aspen! My family went there every summer when I was little so it has a special place in my heart. 
This year had very similar highlights for me too!! And also similar downsides. My grandfather actually passed away this past summer. That’s the only downside of this year, which I’m grateful for! I’m just excited for 2017 to start my job!
You’ve had an amazing year, Becca! While there have been some downsides, I’m so happy that for the most part 2016 has been a good year for you. I’m so glad that I got to follow your journey for the past year and I can’t wait for the things that 2017 has in store for you. Here’s to a wonderful year ahead of you!
[Just a pass-by – I found your blog on Bloglist.me]
I love this run down of how you summarized your year. I think I might do something similar in my blog before tomorrow.
You had a pretty amazing year from the looks of things. Lots of new and exciting life changes to form you into the person you are today. Congratulations on your degree and new job. Glad to hear you made it through the ugly stages of Depression, too.
Well, thanks for writing. I may add you to my blog listing so I can come back and read more! It’s incredibly difficult to find blogs that actually update on a regular basis.
— Nikkole from Eternal Amour
Hi Nikkole, thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment!
I like doing a big review of the year because it can be such a great reminder of how much I’ve done in one year and how far I’ve come. Plus, I tend to forget that some things even happened, so it’s just good to be able to look back and reflect on everything that happened – good or bad.
That’d be great! I will have to add you to my feed reader. It is definitely disappointing when bloggers seem to go MIA. Happy new year!
Wow, sounds like a lot happened in 2016 for you! Congratulations of graduating this year! Such a fantastic achievement for both you and Andrew!
I remember reading your posts about moving back home, and honestly couldn’t imagine what that would be like after living somewhere for years. I never moved for university so I’ve never had to experience that.
I’m glad that you ended the year on a high. It’s so great that you’ve started a new job. Hope it leads to the career you really want – you deserve it!
Happy New Year!
Reading through your 2016 highlights bring me back to those blog posts that you’ve made :’). You’ve been rocking pretty hard this year! Congratulations to you and Andrew for becoming young professionals who are ready to conquer the world ;). It’s awesome that you get to live with Andrew at a really low rent (+ points for it being Andrew’s childhood home). I’m happy to see that this has been a great year for you. Hope 2017 will be a better one! (future CPA)
So glad to hear that you had a good year. Even if there were a few things that were a bit hard, I am glad that there were positives to balance it out. It’s been great to read your blog throughout the year and look forward to much more.
Have an awesome 2017!
Ahhh! I remember all of these significant events this year! Your trip to Colorado, your graduation, your internship, your beloved Tabor (I’M STILL SNIFFLING OVER THAT), meeting Chloe, your offer for a position . . . this has been a pretty hopping year for you in terms of adulting. You went through a lot!
With that said, I wish you, Andrew, and Chloe all the best in 2017. Keep it up with everything, Becca, and keep on blogging all your happenings ^_^
Last year was challenging in both good and bad ways, but you pulled through.
I was very upset to hear about Tabor, that was definitely a huge low. I did notice a little pocket of quiet but in the grand scheme of things, it wasn’t a terribly long time that you were feeling a little under the weather. 
I’m proud of both you and Andrew! I am thrilled to hear that you’ve both graduated and are now in what we call the “big bad world”. I can understand the move back to St Louis was tough, but at the same time, having the opportunity to pay less rent is also great. ? It’s good that you still keep in touch with friends, too!
I hope 2017 brings you joy and is better than 2016! ?
What a year you’ve had! I think many people undergo a huge identity/quarter life crisis after college graduation. It’s a major life milestone but it can leave you wondering and doubting what is next to come. I’m glad that you’ve found a strong source of guidance. And great job on graduating with summa cum laude, getting a full time job, and doing your first 5k!
Thank you Thao! It has been quite a crazy year but I’m really proud of how far I’ve come!