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2014
"It's been a great year! Thanks for being a part of it."

LOL
If you've frequented your Facebook home page, you'd be familiar with that line. A year in review, brought to you by Facebook, highlighting all your "most liked" posts, assuming they were some of your best moments.

So before this year ends (can you believe we're down to the last day of 2014?!), I thought I'd give my own "Year in Review" and show you my favorite moments and memories for each month of 2014 :)

JANUARY

Getting back to the US and keeping the SAS spirit alive

The SAS Sisterhood of the Traveling Journal + Bracelet: My SAS best friends and I decided to keep in touch through a notebook and a charm bracelet that we would be mailing to each other. The idea was to have each of us add a charm that best represented us (i.e. I added a ballet shoe charm to represent myself) and then write about anything exciting, funny, or memorable that happened to us while we were wearing the bracelet. We would then mail it to the next friend in line (we have a whole rotation set up lol), and they would add their own charm and write on the journal, and then pass it on to the next friend, and so on. We can be very cheesy that way, and we're perfectly fine with that  The friends you make on Semester at Sea are truly some of the best you will ever have. These were the people you saw and experienced the world with. And that, well, that is one strong bond. 

FEBRUARY

Westminster Love

Fall semester of 2013, I was on my Semester at Sea adventure. As awesome as that was, that also meant a whole semester away from the place I've learned to call my home away from home--Westminster College! So upon my return for Spring semester of 2014, I was all sorts of excited to be reunited with my Westmo best friends! And yes, that meant enjoying every weekend out hahaha #seniorstatus

MARCH

Talent Show + Spring Break

March was good to me. It was when two of my dancer friends and I entered Westminster's annual Talent Show, and bagged second place! Wuhoo! Performing for the Westmo community in itself was already fulfilling enough, but to have placed doing what we love (dance) was such a bonus. Hooray!

March was also spring break month! This year, I got to fly out to the East Coast to visit one of my sisters, Kai. She was taking her Masters Degree at the University of Pennsylvania at the time (yes, I shall give you a moment to exalt her and her brilliance), and we thought spring break would be a good opportunity to have a mini reunion and travel the East Coast together. My favorite part was taking a day trip to New York City! Another hooray! 

APRIL

Kapal Mode: ON

In the month of April, I won Best Smile. HAHAHA 

Sorry na, April was kind of a lull, so this is my highlight hehehe 

During our Senior Night at Westmo, we had Senior Superlatives where we were given different categories (i.e. Most Likely to Become Westminster President, Best Laugh, Best Dressed, etc) and seniors nominate and vote who they think best fit the different superlatives. I guess it pays being happy and smile-y all the time. Haha thanks, classmates! 

MAY

Graduation

I did the whole graduating from college thing. Nbd. 

Jk, it is a huge deal! I managed to get out of college alive, with my name on the Dean's List to boot aww yeah! Yabang?? What made it even more special was the fact that my family traveled all the way from Manila to watch me cross the stage and get my diploma! Ate Kai even flew in from Penn to surprise me! <3

JUNE

Scarlet the Carlet

Meet Scarlet! My first car :)

 She was a graduation gift from my parental units, and I lalalaloooove her 

JULY

Chickanda Wedding

(c) Jorem and Sheila Catilo

July 19, 2014 -- Ate Kai married the love of her life. Although it meant one more sister leaving our home (our eldest sister, Ate Teya, left the nest in 2009), it was still a beautiful milestone for our family, and I couldn't be happier for her and my now brother-in-law, Kuya Harvey! 

So thankful I've got two brothers now, and I love them both :)

AUGUST

Dance Comeback

(c) Tes Tirol

August was definitely one of my favorite months this year. I got to return to the dance studio and work my butt off to get back in shape and get back to regular dancing! It was tough. It was back to basics for me, and I had to work extra hard to build my stamina and strength in ballet. I was determined to be part of Acts Manila's company show, so I locked in on that goal. On August 24, I was back on stage, almost ten (!) pounds lighter, enjoying every minute of the show. 

It felt amazing to be back. What an exhilarating feeling. Nothing like it. Thank you, Acts Manila, for making room for me to be part of this year's company show, and getting my dancing feet back to the studio. My heart is happy, soul refreshed.

EDIT-- August was also when this blog was born! Yay, August! 

SEPTEMBER

Excel + Birthday 

My birth month! That automatically makes September the BEST. Lol but really, September this year was a blast. I started work at Excel Center for Educational Leadership, an NGO headed by my sister, Kai, designed to empower public school principals in the Philippines. I have learned and am learning so much from being the Marketing and Development person, and hey, I'm earning my own money wuhoo! 

My birthday was extra special this year because it was the first time I got to celebrate it in Manila after six years! I've missed being surrounded by family on my special day. I've always had wonderful celebrations back in the states, but it's still something else when you get to spend it with the ones you love most. 

OCTOBER

YSEALI + Solaire Sleepover + Victory Group

Became part of the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative and attended one of their networking nights at A-Space Manila, pretty cool. Also celebrated my best friend's birthday bash at Solaire! Keepin' it classy. It was also around October that I finally got to be part of a Victory Small Group! I've always wanted to join a women's bible study group, and finally finding one (thank you, Jhe!!) was a major highlight for this year. Lots of love for these ladies!

NOVEMBER

Cebu with VCS

All three photos by Jikay Laborte

Five of my closest friends from high school and I went on a three-day trip to Cebu this month. It was the perfect mix of adventure and good company! We swam with whale sharks, walked on the outer rim of a building 127 meters high, got soaked under the Tumalog Falls, and ate lots of good, good food. 

DECEMBER

Family

Family roadtrip to Ilocos Sur and Ilocos Norte! 

With my pretty little niece, Sophia, on Christmas Day

"Best support group EVER", ika nga ni Tricia <3

NGO Kingdom Family

I am so incredibly thankful to have been blessed with lovely family, both blood family and work family. I've only been working for three months, but I feel as if I've known my co-workers for a much longer time, excluding Ate Kai whom I have known since I was born LOL. It was this past month when I truly grew closer to a couple of them and I know that I've found friends for life. To realize that is such a blessing.

Of course, my immediate family is always a highlight every month of every year! I honestly cannot thank God enough for putting me in a funny, wonderful, crazy, and God-loving family. I always have the best time with my parents and sisters (and bro-in-laws, and pamangkins) :) Thank God for family!

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Overall, 2014 was definitely a banner year. So many milestones, so much learning. Personally, I believe 2014 was just a warm-up for the breakthrough year that will be 2015. 

BRING IT ON, NEW YEAR!

Love,

Laura