On the last day of 2016 I posted on Instagram that 2016 had been my year of reassurance, the year that my confidence was built and that I knew that I had a future in journalism.

I also said that 2017 was going to be my year of big changes and it sure was. I said it as a long shot, I was really considering moving to New York but I wasn't completely confident that it would actually happen, spoiler it did.

The beginning of 2017 was rough, I had a lot of anxiety. That led me to be vulnerable and that led me to getting my heart broken, but it helped me grow.

April comes around and that is when it all hits me, I am about to be a college graduate. I knew that once I walked across that stage that would be the moment there was no turning back and I had to decide what I was going to do with the rest of my life…. Okay a bit of an exaggeration, but I had to figure out what I was going to do once everyone else was going back to school.

I decided to take a graduation trip to New York in June, as a present to myself for graduating and also to check out the city and see if I actually would live there. I fell in love with New York and after I went back to Las Vegas I started taking my move more serious.

2017 was tough, so moving to New York was the best thing to happen to me at that point in my life. I was so excited to move, nothing could wipe the smile off my face. All my friends would be crying around me and I did not shed a tear.

August comes around and I am on a plane with a one way ticket to New York. It was such an exciting time because I actually made it happen, I was achieving my dream. A couple weeks in, it started getting tough and that’s when the emotional roller coaster began.

Work was tough, and that really took a toll on me. I transferred the job I had back in Las Vegas to New York, same position, same company. Going into it, I thought it would be the same as in Las Vegas, but it was not. The dynamic of the store was different and it was taking me a while to adjust. It wasn’t the same, and that is when I started missing Las Vegas.

It hit me the hardest on the day of the Las Vegas shooting in October. Guilt consumed me. Waking up to that news wasn’t just scary but it just made me feel so guilty, so guilty for being so far away. For a couple of weeks I couldn’t get the thought out of my head that I had moved so far away from everyone for my own selfish needs, my friends needed me. They had so much going on in their lives and I was just off in a new city, with new friends, living a new life.

I went back to Las Vegas in the middle of November for my brothers birthday and to see my family for the holidays since I work retail and wouldn’t be able to get any of those days off. I got to spend time with my family, friends and coworkers. I didn’t realize saying goodbye for the second time would be tougher than the first.

December was good to me. My birthday weekend was great and helped me realize that I found my place and my people in New York, I finally felt like I belonged. I had to take a quick trip to Las Vegas for a family situation but it was great to see my family and friends. Then my best friend came to spend the holidays with me, so we got to take on the city and enjoy its holiday magic together.

So, 2017 was definitely a year for me. A lot of ups and a lot of downs, but through it all I learned so much, about life and about myself.

It’s only been 19 days since the new year and so far it’s been good to me. I’m staying hopeful that this sets the tone for the rest of the year. Every year I say that it’s going to be my year, but this one feels a little different.