Today is July 1^st, which means 2020 is officially halfway over which is completely incomprehensible. As we have spent most of 2020 locked indoors and socially distancing from others, it seems to feel as though we have not accomplished much. Since the middle of March, we have been finishing school online, working from home, and only leaving the house when it was absolutely necessary. It is crazy to think about, but March was four months ago. So, I think now would be a good time to reflect on all the things I have accomplished in not just those four months at home, but the past six months as a whole.

In January, I moved back into my sorority house and started my second semester of my sophomore year of college. I celebrated my big’s 21^st birthday and got to hang out with both of my littles. I interviewed for a really good internship program and got asked to be my best friend’s little sister’s confirmation sponsor. And I got paired up with the funniest group of guys to spend the whole semester with during one of my classes. Overall, January was a good month, I grew from broken relationships, successfully started my second semester of sophomore year, and progressed in my networking for future jobs.

In February, I made it to the second stage of the interview process for my internship. I had a snow day photoshoot with my friends on the roof of our house, had a spa night with my roomie, and ate bagels with my littles. My sorority won Greek Sing (which is a huge accomplishment)!! I celebrated my mom’s birthday with my family, and I received the call that I was accepted into my internship program! I raised money for RMHC by selling flowers on Valentine’s Day and saw Luke Combs in concert that night. I attended our “Big Fat Greek Wedding” date party accompanied by my best friends, and I spent numerous nights in my favorite coffee shop with Grace. February was jammed packed with social events, school, nighttime walks, lot of pictures, celebrations, and personal growth. Life was going pretty well, then March hits.

When March hit, everything changed. I went from plans of spring break spent at the beach to spending the week at home. From date parties and planned formals to online school in a makeshift home office. I said goodbye to my best friends two months early and moved out of my sweet sorority house. The majority of March was spent at a desk on zoom, going on walks with the dog, and growing more in my faith.

April, literally could not even tell you if anything eventful happened. I feel like that whole months I was grinding out papers, projects, and everything in between trying to finish up my semester. At the end I left the house for the first time and went to the park with my sister and we baked a lot. I also went to a socially distanced birthday party for one of my best friends. My internship got cancelled in April, and I was really upset because I had worked so hard to get it and my plans for summer were completely foiled. And that about sums up April.

May was the slow beginning of getting life a little bit back on track. I successfully completed my sophomore year of college, while half of the second semester ended up being online. My family got a new dog who I am thoroughly obsessed with. I started going out into the world a little more and started to feel like a person again. I got a summer job and began interacting with people on a daily basis. I started a virtual bible study and met a really cool girl named Hayley through it. I had pool days with my best friend and many attempts at playing pool frisbee. I also had the opportunity to be on the developmental team for a virtual philanthropy event to raise money for the Ronald McDonald House Charities.

And finally, June, month six. I ran a marathon (over a course of 3 weeks) and raised over $100 for RMHC. I celebrated my sister’s 23^rd birthday. I’ve had many dinner dates with friends and started working full time. I got freaking baptized!!! I’ve spent many weekends at the lake and had impromptu photoshoots. Let me just say, life is for sure starting to feel a little more normal every day.

So, to the girl whose 2020 is halfway over, can you believe it? We have successfully made it through half of this crazy year already. Trust me not every day is as glamorous as the ones I mentioned above, I have had my fair share of tears, stress, and wishing things were different. When I was thinking of the past six months, I couldn’t honestly think of more than maybe 3 things that were successful. But, then I really sat down, went through my journal and my photos app (thank goodness for technology) and I saw how much I truly have accomplished throughout the past six months. It is all about perspective because we all know that 2020 is nothing that we imagined it to be, but when we focus on the positive we are able to see how 2020 has blessed us with the little things. So, here’s to the first six months of 2020 and let’s stay open to what the next six could bring.