As I look back on the past decade, the events that occurred in that time frame had a dramatic change on my life and how I would perceive the world going forward.

In 2010, my family and I had just moved from Wichita Falls to Cheyenne, Wyoming (a little over 736 miles) for my dad’s transfer in the Air Force.

At the time I was about halfway through my first grade year, and switching from the Texas teaching to Wyoming teaching was a little rough to say the least. The teachers were very strict, but that’s just the way that the district taught. It was to instill a higher sense of self control for when I got older.

Fast forward four years to fifth grade, it was to the point where we could enter orchestra. I took up the violin as opposed to the other stringed instruments. My good friend Wyatt chose the cello and out of our sections we rocked the orchestra.

Life, however, always moves on and that is where I decided to go from the orchestra to the band playing the saxophone. I continue that to this day but more on that in a second.

Right after my sixth grade year my mom and I left to move back to Texas while my dad stayed in Wyoming to finish out to his retirement.

The six months that we were away from my dad was a little rough on all of us. Previously, I had never really been away from him for a long period of time so that was a bit of a struggle.

During this time, I had started my seventh grade year and boy was it a change. Being the new kid back in Texas felt strange especially in the different environment.

Luckily, I was able to meet a bunch of new people who accepted me as a friend and made me feel welcome. To this day, I am still very close friends with those people and I hope to keep that friendship.

Jump two years ahead, freshman year…HIGH SCHOOL. I wish that I had knowledge then that I have now. I was super stressed through most of the year because of classes but soon enough it was all over and I had made it without a scratch.

Skipping over my sophomore year and to my present day junior year, it’s going pretty well all things considered.

To elaborate, classes are not all too hard but they have their moments. I can’t think of any one I’d rather go into the new decade with that the people that I have surrounded myself with and the close friends that I consider family.