Year In Review: 2019 !
I say this every year but I can't believe we are here once again. The end of the year! 2019 was an interesting year to say the least. Not only are we reaching the end of the year, we are nearing the end of another decade! How is it that 2020 is upon us already?! When we started the decade I was 16 almost 17 years old. Now being 26 turning 27 in about 3 months, makes me think back on the last 10 years and remember the good, the bad and even the ugly. A lot happened this year so lets get to it shall we?!
January will always be a hard month for me. As you all know my friend Justin died nearly 3 years ago. As we draw closer and closer to the 3 year mark, I've thought a lot about how far I've come from that day 3 years ago. I feel like I'm in a better place emotionally and spiritually. I still have my bad days which is normal. I know that he's still here with us all. When it first happened or even a year after his passing, I didn't think that I would get through it because this was the first time I had dealt with death of someone that I truly cared about. But now 3 years later, I have learnt that life is so short and that every moment counts because you never know when time is up. I still have to say goodbye to everyone before I leave, make sure I say I love you and give the people I love a hug because I'm still scared that I'll lose someone and didn't say goodbye to them. Harry Styles came out with his sophomore album Fine Line this year and one song called "Fine Line"(the name of the album) reminded me soo much of him. I said to his sister that I feel like this has his name all over it. Just the melody, the beat and the lyrics fit him so well. I love that even 3 years later, that pieces of him are still here. I miss you my "Saturday Night kind of Pink"so much but I know you are here. As I have mentioned in a blogpost last year, on the 15th of January last year, 2 days after Justin's year anniversary, I lost my friend Heather P. in a car accident. Like I have mentioned before as well, when I found out it was so sudden. We were at FHE when we found out and were shocked, upset and angry that we have lost our sweet Heather. I was pissed off that night and even swore in church. Partly because she was gone , and partly because I had just lost Justin a year and 2 days prior. Now we are coming up on 2 years since her passing and I will say that losing both of them nearly a year apart has had its bad days. But it has also taught me that I am so unbelievably strong and that I also have to be strong for others who need me. The main thing that I have learned since both Justin and Heather's passing is: LOVE. They both had this big heart and a great capacity for love and loved everyone no matter what. I know that they are both watching over me and will continue to watch over me forever. I hope that they know that I love them both so much and that I hope they are proud of me.
In February my friend Emily threw a Mocktail Party for her Birthday this year and it was so much fun. Getting all dressed up and dancing and having Mocktails was so much fun. I felt so fancy. Much like when the Vortex had the Gatsby NYE party last year.
Also in February, my friend Ben hosted a concert at his house with Some awesome musicians. My friend's band Brother played a set and they were amazing as always. The band's lead singer has always had long hair. He decided at the house party to cut it all off and I believe he donated it to charity. (don't quote me) I had so much fun as I always do at their shows.
Look who else I ran into!!!! I haven't seen Eliza since I have graduated from High School and she was 12 years old!!! It was nice to have a little piece of Buffalo in Utah.
The Vortex always throws great parties. And this year was no exception. They decided to kick off the year by having a Valentine's Day Luau. It was so much fun.(As many parties at their house are) But I will say that wearing shorts and a T-shirt was absolutely freezing. But it was still a Hell of a lot of fun.
My good friend Haylee Tate hosted her 1st Open Mic night at The Vortex and it was a major success. There were many artists' there and we were blessed with great music!! Ben Day, Haylee, Tanner Tate, Danielle Dearinger, Lance Kotter and his friend Gabriel performed. They were all amazing!! When Lance and Gabriel played their set, I got a feeling that I haven't had in a very long time. It was the same feeling that I got when I fell in love with music. Their music made me fall in love with music all over again. Gabriel's voice is amazing. His voice sounds a lot like Vampire Diaries' Michael Malarkey.
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| Song at Justin's grave 01/13/2019 |
In February my friend Emily threw a Mocktail Party for her Birthday this year and it was so much fun. Getting all dressed up and dancing and having Mocktails was so much fun. I felt so fancy. Much like when the Vortex had the Gatsby NYE party last year.
Also in February, my friend Ben hosted a concert at his house with Some awesome musicians. My friend's band Brother played a set and they were amazing as always. The band's lead singer has always had long hair. He decided at the house party to cut it all off and I believe he donated it to charity. (don't quote me) I had so much fun as I always do at their shows.
Look who else I ran into!!!! I haven't seen Eliza since I have graduated from High School and she was 12 years old!!! It was nice to have a little piece of Buffalo in Utah.
My good friend Haylee Tate hosted her 1st Open Mic night at The Vortex and it was a major success. There were many artists' there and we were blessed with great music!! Ben Day, Haylee, Tanner Tate, Danielle Dearinger, Lance Kotter and his friend Gabriel performed. They were all amazing!! When Lance and Gabriel played their set, I got a feeling that I haven't had in a very long time. It was the same feeling that I got when I fell in love with music. Their music made me fall in love with music all over again. Gabriel's voice is amazing. His voice sounds a lot like Vampire Diaries' Michael Malarkey.
Photography by: Allison Foster
Photography by: Mariah Lee Owens
March is always my favourite month and I think we all know what that reason is. Yes it's my BIRTHDAY MONTH!! I turned 26 this year and the beginning of March started off great! As I have been doing photo shoots for the last couple years, I have been starting to get more and more comfortable in front of the camera. I'm also starting to love photo shoots. 1. because it's a lot of fun. 2. It's a great way to get amazing profile pictures for social media. and 3 because I love helping out my photographer friends. So for my Birthday this year I wanted take some pictures to celebrate. My two friends Mariah and Allison went with me to City Creek in Salt Lake and Downtown Provo to take some pictures. They are amazing photographers. Here are some of my favourite pics.
My 26th Birthday was one of the best Birthdays I have ever had. I was surrounded by friends and we had so much fun. We danced the night away and ate a crap ton of sugar. I'm glad that I have these people in my life and that they are there for me and want to celebrate my Birthday. Once again, thanks again to the people that helped me welcome in 26. It's been a good and trying year. In 3 short months, I will be 27 and I will be officially be in my late 20's. 30 is now in sight. HELP!! Haha
Photography by: Jillie Films
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In April I went and saw Andy Black, Kulick and The Faim at The Depot in Salt Lake City. I had so much fun. In the many concerts I have been to in Utah, I had never been to The Depot. It's now probably one of my favourite venues I've been to besides The Complex. I have seen Andy Black 3 times now and it still amazes me each time. He played his old stuff but he had released an album( The Ghost of Ohio) just a week prior and so he played his new stuff as well. Two of the songs that he played off his new album were The Ghost of Ohio and Westwood Road. Before that night I had never heard of the band Kulick. But after that night, I have got to say I am a HUGE fan of them. I love their music. It's so up my street. Scatterbrain, which is one of the songs that they played is probably my favourite.Their lead singer Jacob, has an amazing voice and is very talented. I was fortunate enough to them and get a picture with them after the show. I also saw The Faim and they were amazing as well. I met the lead singer as well but I can't find the picture from the show. (sad face) All in all it was a awesome show and I would love to relive that night.
Velour in Provo
     
In May, two of my friends got married to the people they love.
It was great to be there to celebrate their marriages.
For some reason I cannot find a picture from The 1975 concert but I had so much fun. It was kind of a bitter sweet show because this was the first time The 1975 brought out an album since Justin's passing. I so wish that he could have been there because he would have loved the album. I was hoping that they would play Robbers because they didn't play it when I saw them in SLC in 2016. The music started up and I knew from the first note that they were going to play itand I almost cried because that was one of his favourite songs by them. During the entire show , I could feel Justin in the room. Even though he couldn't be there physically, I knew without a doubt that he was there in spirit. 
On May 16th was my 9 year Anniversary since I was baptised into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I wrote a post about this in May and this is what i said "I was 17 when I was baptised and now Im 26. Its crazy. Dakota and Rob have been there from the early days. From Girls camp to Super Saturdays and more. To tents that barely fit 1 of us let alone 2. Thanks you thank you thank you for so many good memories. Robert Stoddard I still remember the day of my baptism when you spoke and your talk gave me a feeling I haven't forgotten in all these years. Still honestly one of the best feelings ever! In the last nine years I have obviously been through a lot of things. Through two deaths in a year, depression and anxiety at its peak. From Falling in Love & heartbreak. From moving seven times in the last seven years to losing my sense of hope. I've gone through it all. I have had amazing, wonderful people around me to get through it all. ( You Know Who You Are) I say this every year but I don't think that I would be the person I am without these people. Whether it was good or bad. Whether or not they screwed me over. It was all supposed to happen. It sucks but it's true. And the last almost three years, I was hit with some of the worst things that I could think of. Sometimes really thought i wasn't going to make it. It was right after Justin passed away that i thought of giving up. But with the help of prayer and realising that people need me here it helped me get stronger. Also , coming back to church as I've said many times before, it has truly shape and paved these last almost 2 years Ive been back. The people who who i've met along the way has made me have a deeper appreciation for family and love and who my true friends are. Of course I've made bad decisions and mistakes along the way. But I've become a better person because of it. My almost 2 years being back in the church I have learned that I am strong. No matter what life throws at me I can handle it because I have heavenly father and friends who love me by my side. Heavenly father has always been there for me through all of my bad good and ugly days and I can't thank him enough for all the love he has for me. Also that he will never give up on me. Even when I want to give up. It has been a rough year so far but with his support and love along with the love for my friends, I have managed to get through it. I even got my recommend back! I also want to say thank you to my crew. My friends who are always there for me. I love you guys so freaking much it's unreal. This Ward is my family and I wouldn't have it any other way. Also Dakota we need to have a new picture because this one is nearly 10 years old. Hahahahaha I love this gospel and I know it's true with all my heart it's where I need to be. It's where I belong. To my friends, let's make more memories! This gospel has gotten me through so in the hardest moments in my life even before I knew what it was. I love you guys so so much you don't even know. I'm a proud member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints! Kisses!"
                                                                       
Im June I got invited to Love Loud 2019 in Salt Lake City by my friend Rob. Love Loud is a music festitval held in SLC in support of LGBTQ+ community. had never been before but he had an extra ticket and I decided to go. It was so much fun. I saw Ke$ha, met Kahlen from Ellen and saw Dan Renyolds.
                                                                                            This past August I went to NYC for the first time and I fell in love instantly. I went to Visit my sister in Brooklyn and see the city. I have always wanted to got to NYC . I was so excited but completely nervous because I had never flown by myself before and also because I haven't flown since I was 19. While I was in New York I went to Central park (which is beautiful), I saw Times Square, the 9/11 Memorial which was very solemn and I could feel the terror and panic that everyone was feeling that horrific morning 18 years ago. It was a weird feeling but I was glad that I could see it person. I went to The Palace Hotel, where they filmed Gossip Girl. I was a huge fan of the show so I HAD to o there. I also got check off a big thing on my Bucket List which was to go and visit The FRIENDS apartment. I even got a picture in front of it. I nearly cried. I also went to the Lego store, shopped in Times Squre, went to the Hershey's store and ate at The Shake Shack. Besides the Friends apartment, one of my favourite places that I went to is The MET. When I was there they did an exhibit all dedicated to music. Which was super cool. I even got guitar picks as a souvenir. When it came to my last day there, I didn't want to go home. I was having so much fun seeing the city and visiting with my sister and her friends that I felt like I didn't want it to end. I'm in love with New York which is why in October of 2020, I'm going to go back and see the things that I didn't get to see. xoxo               Halloween @ The Vortex  Friendsgiving 2019                             People who passed away in 2019: -Cameron Boyce (Disney Channel) -Rudi Boesch( Survivor) -Mary Duggar( 19 Kids & Counting) -Doris Day(Singer) -Luke Perry ( Beverly Hills 90210) Movies that came out in 2019: -Frozen 2 -After -IT Chapter 2 -Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker -Toy Story 4 -Spider-man: Far from Home -Lion King Live Action -Avengers: Endgame -Spies in Disguise Music 2019: -Harry Styles came out with his Sophomore album Fine Line -Machine Gun Kelly came out with Hotel Diablo -Niall Horan came out with two new singles, Nice to Meet ya & Put a Little Love on Me -Andy Black released his 2nd solo album called The Ghost of Ohio (Apr. 12th) Misc: -Got a new job at Vivint in September -Moved back into my old house -Rob bought a new house in Lehi -Very Cavallari Season 2 premiered -Disney + was released (Nov. 12th) As I bring this post to a close and the year ends, I think about everything that has gone on this year and even for the last 10 years. I have had the best/worst year ever. I have had my good times and bad. I even started to go to a therapist. I think that this year like other years, has been a growing one for me . I have learned that it is okay to not always be okay. I have also learned that your mental health is SUPER important. Love is everything and material things dont mean as much as family and friends do. I have learned also that I will leave certain things/people in this decade and bring others into the new one. I am ready for what 2020 has to offer and really the only goal I have for next year is to be Happy, fall back in love with myself and travel. I do hope that 2020 is kind to me and my friends. As I close another chapter of my book and write a new one, lets have fun and LET GOD Cheers, Tasha Siera Goodbye 2019.......Hello 2020!!! |
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