2013: A Year in Review

Who would have thought that 2014 would arrive so quickly!? My last year at home flew by at an alarming pace, thanks to the many adventures that kept me busy. 2013 was a beautiful year filled with blessings and grace. Here, my wonderful year is presented to you in 13 photos (joining Dwija et al. for 2013 in 13 photos link-up).

January was delicious. Perfect weather, long days at the beach. I met, for the very first time, Anne of Green Gables and fell promptly in love. I ploughed through the whole series and emerged on the other side with a brighter attitude about life. January saw me memorise the whole script of The Sound of Music as I anticipated with alacrity the upcoming rehearsals.  Just after the New Year, I attended the lovely wedding of my friend's sister in beautiful Taupo. Later in the month, I headed to Rimbrook for a refugee service project. Between times, I worked a few days a week at my summer job - mainly office work and menial jobs - at a small factory. I savoured the last few days of freedom, knowing that the year to come would be long and hard. I wrote about finding God in the little moments and spent ample time contemplating the beauty of nature.

In February my three best friends and I dressed up in period costume, drank tea and had a picnic on the front lawn of the grocery store for all the world to see and stare. School started again, kicking off with a student executive camp and year 13 retreat day. I learned some lessons in humility and realised the challenges of working with others in leadership positions. Show rehearsals began - five times a week right from the start for me! We said goodbye to our lovely bunny Ben, and launched into the season of Lent. Getting up a half hour earlier every morning to say the rosary was a wonderful way to grow in holiness and tiredness! 

At the end of March, I turned seventeen. It was my last birthday at home, celebrated quietly (it was, after all, Holy Saturday) with a breakfast date with my parents and a surprise visit from my two dear friends. The highlight of the day was undoubtedly the Easter Vigil, in which I bawled like a baby (no surprises there). March was a busy month in the lead-up to The Sound of Music; and juggling schoolwork, Special Character Committee duties and show prep was exhausting and exhilarating. We farewelled darling Pope Benedict and waited anxiously for the white smoke that announced the election of Papa Francis. March ended with the joy of Easter Sunday and the anticipation of many blessings to come.

In April, months of hard work finally came to fruition as The Sound of Music opened to full audiences and stunning reviews. I absolutely relished playing my dearly-coveted role of Maria, and was heartbroken when the wonderful experience was finally over. The first school term ended, and I spent the two-week holiday frantically trying to catch up on all the schoolwork I had missed during the show. The blog was, understandably, quite quiet that month. I spent a few days at Rimbrook for World Youth Day prep and a (sometimes) silent retreat. The school holidays finished with a blissful retreat at Tyburn with the ever-lovely Karen, my best friend Niamh and a few other beautiful girls. 

May was a fairly quiet, studious month as I got back into the swing of school. We had our senior school ball at the local winery, and delighted in "becoming beautiful" for a night. Later in the month, I enjoyed an all-expenses paid trip to Christchurch for the University of Canterbury Explorer programme, which reminded me how wonderful learning can be - but also reassured me that Christchurch is a tad too chilly for my liking. I celebrated, with enthusiasm, the birthdays of my darling sisters Danielle and Niamh, as well as my own dear Papa. 

In June I poured my energies into the Special Character Committee, organizing the Sacred Heart Day appeal to fundraise for Caritas and let everybody know that Jesus loves them! I drowned in school projects but re-surfaced victorious. I tutored maths. I prepared - emotionally, physically and spiritually, for World Youth Day. By the time July hit, life had officially become insane! The first few days of the month were spent at a music workshop in Rotorua before putting the final touches on my packing and flying to.....

South America!!! Our plane left Auckland on July 6th and we returned home on the 30th. The three-and-a-half weeks in the middle were some of the most wonderful, grace-filled and life-changing of my seventeen years. In our two weeks in Chile, we were blessed to have daily Mass and personal prayer time to spiritually prepare for WYD. Our mornings were spent in a variety of different service-based activities, including working in schools, a medical clinic and a rest home. In the afternoons, we experienced Chile - visiting markets, hiking in the Andes and touring the sights of Santiago. I learned more about the wonderful people and past of Opus Dei, and made some incredible friendships among my twenty "sisters". We flew on to Rio de Janeiro for an incredible week. Unseasonable rain did little to dampen our spirits, and we joined with the millions of voices who sang, cheered and prayed to our God on Copacabana Beach. 

Coming back home from a whirlwind adventure was difficult, but a busy second half of the year ensured that I couldn't stay sad for long! Just a few days after I returned from South America, I had my interview for NET Ministries (one of the most nerve-wracking experiences of my life!). Unfortunately, being the first of my batch of interviews, I had to wait several weeks to hear ... that I got in!!! And so the next adventure began. Before I could leave to go be a missionary, however, there were still many months of school to sit through. Our geography class took a field trip to Waitomo Caves to go Black Water Rafting. I wrote lots of articles extolling the virtues of World Youth Day as the various parish and school audiences demanded.

I woke up on September 1st in many layers of merino and fleece, on the ground, surrounded by cardboard boxes. Our Special Character Committee camped out for homelessness awareness as part of Social Justice Week, an experience that was both eye-opening and neck-destroying. The rest of the month must have, I suppose, passed in some fashion or other, but neither my memory nor my social media bears much testimony to it. Mock examinations dragged my nose to the grindstone, as they would be the decider of Dux - and alas, I emerged just a point behind my chief rival! I discovered audiobooks, and spent my days on long, lovely walks in the sunshine with a story in my ears. 

The beginning of October was school holidays, and I headed once more to Rimbrook for study camp. I brought darling Niamh along with me, and we had a wonderful time learning, revising, and deciding the names of each of our future children. Coming home, I soaked up more sunshine and began sewing my first garment, a kimono (rather a feat, amateur that I am). Another of my friends (middle in photo above) turned 18, and it became less easy to deny that adulthood was indeed almost upon us. 

Until the 22nd of November (the day of my final exam) arrived, the month passed in a blur of textbooks and highlighters. Our final day of school (affectionately known to  year 13s as "prank day") was somewhat funny, somewhat tearful, but mostly just rainy. The next few weeks of study leave found our dining room in its messiest state to date. I had nine exams (five subject exams, four scholarship exams) which, praise God, all went very well (apart from Geography. But we do not speak of the G- subject any more.) After exams finished, my Uncle Bart arrived from the States and we spent ten days with him touring our beautiful country. I discovered the Lord of the Rings and fell irrevocably in love with Tolkien. November also kicked off my NET fundraising, and I hopped from parish to parish in the attempt to raise $7,000. I started a new blog Net of Hope to chronicle my adventures as a missionary for Christ in 2014.

December, the inevitable conclusion of a wonderful, busy year, finally arrived. It witnessed a lot of "lasts". Our graduating class had a beautiful Leavers' Mass and Leavers' Dinner. We received Bibles, Candles and a Solemn Blessing for our journey into the future. We reminisced upon the wonderful seven years we spent together at Aquinas College. We (yes, that'd be me) cried a little bit. The next day was Final Prizegiving, which officially drew to an end my high school career. I was blessed to be awarded Proxime Accessit (academic runner-up), as well as the Bishop's Cup for Special Character, the Board of Trustees grant for contribution to the school and subject trophies for English and Geography. A Hobbit movie fundraiser concluded my NET fundraising as we surpassed the goal of $7,000. After this busy period was over, I began to focus on preparing for our Lord. A beautiful day at Tyburn and a wholly imperfect Advent brought me to the manger-side to adore our King. 

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Now, the New Year is upon us! Already, 2014 has begun with the promise of many great things. I fly to Australia in less than a week to begin NET training. My room is in a chaotic state of packing mess, but my soul, I feel, is becoming less messy by the day. I cannot wait to see all the blessings He has in store for me this year. 

AMDG

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God Bless You!

Kate

xxx

Linking up with the real bloggers again for 2013 in 13 photos, hosted by Dwijia at House Unseen.