Central Park at Midnight

2013 was one of the milestone years in my life. I successfully completed my second year of university meaning I was officially half way towards graduation, I got a chance to work at the marketing office at University, I turned 21, oh and I moved to Oklahoma. It was a real journey, not one without great lows, but also one with amazing highs. I met some incredible people and built friendships that I know will last a lifetime. Not only do I have these beautiful new people in my life but I also realised how strong and resistant the friendships I built at home are, I have never felt closer to my friends than I have being thousands of miles away. I also never thought I would be writing my life like it was some corny book but alas here am I doing exactly that and I couldn't be more grateful.

I would love to say that these are the things I reflected on while standing in Central Park singing Auld Lang Syne and watching the fireworks but being a 21 year old tourist in New York City with a bunch of her friends needless to say the vodka cranberry had dwindled my sentiment and all I could think about was how happy I was at the exact moment, not why or how but simply how happy I was, and how loud the fireworks still were from so far away. I also distinctly remember asking myself why one of my friends was carrying an ironing board around with him and I'm still not quite sure I know the answer.

My New Years Eve didn't begin as exciting as it ended, but more excitingly than any previous New Years Eve has begun. I started my day by going to the top of the Empire State building followed by a visit to the Library, a good few hours of shopping on 5th Avenue, a visit to Grand Central Station and eventually meeting my friends to party on 9th Street. Naturally we all bought something stupid from the street vendors to make ourselves more festive and believe it or not I still have those glasses in one piece! It wasn't until around 11.30pm that we thought it would be a good idea to walk several blocks to Central Park in the freezing cold - but it was so worth it - and I'm pretty sure thats where the ironing board comes in...

After being stuck in Oklahoma for four months where the bars shut around 1.45am we certainly made the most of a 4am closing time that night. I'm not quite sure what time we strolled in all I know is it was a difficult task to get up and into Manhattan before noon for our trip to the top of the Rockefeller Center.

Bringing in 2014 in Central Park is certainly going to be one of my greatest memories for years to come and probably the most retold! Within the days that followed I said goodbye to a lot of dear friends that I couldn't imagine my time here continuing without and it was very hard but like most difficult things you go through you still live to tell the tale. I'm still here and I'm still having the best time of my life never forgetting the friends that have touched my heart who I will see sooner than I know.

The amazing journey I started in 2013 was not over when we were celebrating the end, little did I know then that it had only truly begun.