Dear 2015,

I didn't know what to expect from you in the beginning. I thought you were just another year that was going to pass me by. But never in a million years would I have guessed that you would teach me so much about myself and the person I want to be.

Thank you for teaching me how to love. You taught me that I am capable of loving someone that sees pass all of my flaws and will stand by my side no matter what. I know I have spent years ignoring you and giving my heart to boys that don't care, but this year I heard you loud and clear. I'm sorry that I was stubborn before, but thank you for never giving up on me. I appreciate the lesson in romantics.

Thank you for pushing me to try new things. You know that I am the type of person that will be happy with the same monotonous schedule everyday. But you pushed me out of my comfort zone and opened up my eyes to so many different experiences. I used to turn and walk away whenever an opportunity arose, but now I say yes to every chance I am given. I am so thankful for this new attitude towards life and I owe it all to you.

Thank you for teaching me how to communicate. Bottling things up has always been my way of dealing with things. You taught me how to speak my mind and say what I am feeling in the moment. I say what I want instead of assuming everyone around me just knows. Sometimes it's hard, but in the end it has brought me closed with the people around me.

Thank you for teaching me how to budget. I have made more money than I have ever made in my life this year. And without you, I probably would have blown it all on pointless junk. (Remember the Silly Bandz incident of 2010?) I feel comfortable with where I am in life compared to last year. I'm not worried everyday about whether or not I am going to be able to afford gas to make it to school or if I am going to have to skip eating for a week because I can't even afford Ramen. Of course I still have a long way to go to be able to afford the things I really want, but it's a start.

Thank you for showing me not to take everything so seriously. Things happen. You showed me not to stress out and that things will work always work out no matter how bad they are. I am so much more relaxed and focused now that I have stopped worrying about everything.

Thank you for helping me find myself. This year I've done a lot of soul searching. At the beginning of 2015, I felt like I had no purpose; I was just living day to day. I found my purpose in life and I know where I want to end up. You helped me find passion that was always inside of me and stand up for what I believe in. I am proud of the person I have become this year.

Thank you for teaching me that it's okay to lose people. People have always been in and out of my life. People just lose touch; that's something I have always known. But this year I learned to finally let go and stop caring what everyone was up to in their own lives. It's okay to give up on people that consistently let me down. They aren't worth my time. However, that doesn't mean I have to let go of the memories I have with them.

Thank you for showing me that time is valuable. As I have gotten older, I have found that I have less and less time available for the things that matter to me. I just have to get better at time management, that's all. If something really matters to me, I will find the time to do it. With that, you also taught me to cherish the time I do have. I am not the only one growing up. My parents are getting older, my sister is in high school now and even the dogs that have been around since I was in second grade are starting to show their age. Nothing will last forever so I need to appreciate everything while it's still here.

Thank you for teaching me that through all of these changes, I can still be happy. This year has been such a change from 2014. I have been through a lot but at the end of the day, I still have something to smile about. I am so fortunate to be able to look back and know that everything that happened to me was for the better. I am surrounded by people who love me and I get to follow my dreams. There isn't much else a girl could ever need, except maybe chicken nuggets. A girl could always use some chicken nuggets.

If 2016 treats me half as well as you did, I am going to be fine. I will miss you a lot, but we will always have the memories that we created this year. Thank you for everything you have done for me. And as we finish out December, if you want to finish the job strong I wouldn't mind coming into a large sum of money. I'm not telling you how to do your job or anything, but it would be nice.