I had some downtime at work this week and decided to do some goal setting. Oftentimes for the new year, or a new month, I think about what all I would like to work towards this next year. Usually I break it up into categories (faith, health, social, personal, professional, etc) and choose a few key points of my life that I want to work on.

Oftentimes it consists of reading daily devotionals, doing bible studies, finding a small group and going consistently, planning friend hangouts at least once a month, and making time to schedule movement into my life.

Sometimes it’s bigger dreams like saving more money, moving, finding a job that I can be passionate about.

As I looked forward to 2020, I think I set some pretty audacious goals along with some that fit me perfectly, like getting to surf at least once this next year.

I realized as I was sitting down setting out goals for 2020 after I had looked over what I wanted to achieve in 2019 that I had yet to make time to look back on the past decade. Sure in 2010, I wasn’t really about goals, I was about resolutions. You know the kind, getting an amazing SAT score, starting to look at colleges, get healthier, and stop having migraines, go to school consistently and not be home sick. But most of those resolutions were out of my control.

So, I wanted to take some time to look back on my past decade. It’s been a whirlwind, full of incredible moments that I never, not in a million years, would have believed would happen and yet, by the Grace of God, they did.

2010

I was 16, in high school, and dreadfully sick with migraines daily. I started going to a chiropractor, the same one I go to now, and found out I have scoliosis in my neck. I started getting botox shots for my migraines and slowly, slowly, I was able to go back to school more regularly thanks to medication and chiropractic care.

2011

Senior Photos from Caitlin Tyner Photography

I made it to junior year of high school! I took the SATs, bombed both times, and yet (spoiler alert!) still made it into college! This was the year I started my senior year of high school and my brother got married! I started getting stronger, and healthier, and I was able to attend school more and more often! I also, became obsessed, even more so than before, with being outdoors as much as I possibly could.

2012

Senior Year! The year the world was going to end. The year that I applied for colleges, graduated high school, my first niece was born, and started college! Wow, this was an amazing year! I still catch myself sometimes, thinking about high school, and how back then, no one, not even my doctors thought that I would one day graduate and be able to go to college. And yet, that’s exactly what I got to do.

2013

I survived my first concussion and my first year at UIndy! I even got to start my second year of college in DC! This was an amazing year. My second niece was born too! I loved learning in college, it was so different than high school. Sure, I had to really learn how to study and take tests, but my professors were incredible in helping me understand the material. I met some amazing humans my first year at UIndy and got blessed with even more wonderful opportunities.

2014

I came back to UIndy after living in DC for a semester. My heart was ablaze for missions and living overseas and I couldn’t wait to be done with college to pursue this call. Little did I know what was about to happen. Over the summer, I took a handful of summer classes and even stayed on campus in an effort to graduate early. I learned about an incredible worship mission down in Georgia that a friend and I visited before the start of school. My now best friend Rachel asked me to be her roommate and it was the best semester anyone could ever ask for! I got called to go on The World Race, raised hundreds of dollars, made it to training camp, and decided to take a year off to do mission work around the world.

Saying goodbye to the bestest roommates ever!

2015

I took my first trip outside of the United States and kept traveling the entire year! I got to meet some of the most beautiful souls around the world. I learned that we all just want to be loved, felt known, and be heard. I learned that the power of a hug is more than we can imagine, and the power of a smile and laughter is equally as strong as words. Being away for so long was hard, plain and simple; it was also an incredible year of growth and learning more about myself and about God. Coming home was one of the hardest transitions I have ever made. I went from living with anywhere between 5-50 people to being in a room by myself. It was one of the most amazing years of my life, and I am so grateful to have been given the opportunity to serve alongside so many wonderful humans.

2016

I decided to go back to school! While I started back at UIndy in January of 2016, I also graduated from Uindy in December of 2016!! My final year of school was a bit of a whirlwind in taking courses, writing papers, commuting back and forth and of course interspersed with some fun adventures! I got connected with some incredible humans that had similar passions and were able to help me learn more. I go to travel back to DC to see a dear friend and explore a city that I could still call home. I got stand up with my best friend Rachel as she married her perfect other half! I was blessed enough to travel to England, a country that I called home even though I have never been. I started working in coffee once more and met even more amazing humans. And I even got to go to Nashville with my best friend and see some of my best friends too! God really did call me home once more.

2017

During my final semesters at UIndy I got connected with an amazing organization called Thirst Project and started my year interning for them. This lead to Los Angeles, a city that my mom called home while she a kid, and a city that stole my heart. My teammate Emily and I go to travel all across the United States speaking to students about the global water crisis and how they could become involved. It was a dream! I loved that semester and my teammates. We were a crazy bunch of kids, and had so much together! I back home after my semester with them, a little uneasy, and a little unsure of what was next. My third niece blessed us with arriving, I went back to DC to visit Stacy, explore, and made some incredible connections. I started taking my health more seriously and even got to see some beloved friends from the World Race too! This was a year scattered with heartbreak and loss and the urge to write more.

2018

The Year I started writing. I wrote articles for online magazines, blogged more regularly, and even starting writing my book. Wow! I got to travel to New York City and meet up with a friend from across the pond, see the New York Times building, and dream about work there! I got to meet up with friends in the city too. My best friend Kierstin got engaged and we got to celebrate her out the wazoo! I got to explore Detroit and enjoy copious amounts of caffeine, experience God in a new way, and witness the rebirth of parts of Detroit. I got to ring in 25 years, sign a publishing contract, see my books cover, hold my book in my hands and even plan a trip to Europe with Cheyenne. 2018, took me by wind.

Planning a trip to Europe with Cheyenne!

2019

A year that started out busy and eventually caught up with me. I learned to save money, I traveled to new lands, got to see some beautiful, historic places in this world, met new friends who became life-long friends, shared my book with the world, traveled to new parts of Indiana, celebrated the summer sunshine, got sick and got better, broke a bone that will forever be healing, said goodbye to my childhood best friend and welcomed a new furry friend too. I went back to the beach after hearing the call of the waves, made more time for my family, and started chasing my dreams once more.

Here’s to a decade of growth and God’s goodness. Here’s to a year where I learned more about myself and who I am meant to be. Here’s to a year of learning, growing, loving, hurting, changing, and becoming. Here’s to 2020, where I hope and pray that I can take some of what I’ve learned and put it into action. Here’s to learning to be myself more and sharing who that is without filters. Here’s to you, here’s to me, here’s to us, here’s to the beautiful New Year, filled to the brim with possibilities, opportunities, experiences, and so much more than we could ever imagine!

Cheers to a Decade