2024 Rewind...

Looking over this year, it was one of the most eventful, growing, and adventure-filled years I’ve had in a long time! I feel as if it has been three years in one. Over the past few years, I have written stories of mental health situations that I have walked through or have seen others experience. And with each new year, I watch myself grow so much. This year was not only a mental hill that I have continued to climb but a physical one. This year was full of goodbyes, hellos, my name is, it’s ok to cry, and thank you Amazon delivery people! But, why talk about the year in metaphors when I can just break it down for you? It’s a bit of a long one, but I’ll do my best! Let’s get to it...

January-March 

I walked into 2024 with a couple of friends in sparkles and party dresses. That was when I knew this year had potential. The days that followed were painted in sunsets, crashing waves, laughter, tears, and a calm before a whole lot of change. The ocean encompassed my days. From watching my brother and brother-in-law surfing to sunset swims. Chasing my nephew around while talking with my sister with sand coating everything and the waves acting as background music. Spending unexpected evenings watching the sun demand attention by claiming the whole sky in orange and pink on the West side of Kauai. Taking days off work to play North Shore in crystal clear waters with my sister and nephew. I was reminded of the beauty that was bestowed upon the island that I called home for so many years. I tried to learn balance in my fitness. Loving the challenge that came with it and the feeling of strength that I gained both physically and mentally, but also continuing to work on loving the body that God has given me and being proud that I am like no one else. Continued to dance in the studio that I had known for 20 years. Sharing laughter and movie nights with friends. Soaking up every minute together. And in these three months, The Allie-Way celebrated the amazing milestone of its second anniversary! These months finished with a trip to Spokane for a friend's wedding. That was where the tears really started for me this year. I had already known I was going to move at the beginning of the year, but that trip was the first time stepping foot on the place that would in a few short months be called home. And one thing this year helped me with was my hatred of change. And that was the beginning of a whole lot of it. 

April-Jun

Now this is where things started to get exciting. In the beginning, days were filled with farmers market trips with my sister, playing baseball with my brother, watching my nephew continue to grow, having surf be my sister and my evening entertainment while my nephew relinquished a teaspoon of his exuberant amount of energy. Using paint as my anti-anxiety medication. Showing visiting friends my island, that in a few short months I would be waving goodbye to or spending time with visiting friends who had already said their goodbyes. Throwing baby showers for expecting friends and dressing up for more friends' weddings. Between the lines of the days spent napping on my couch and soaking in the sun on sandy beaches were anxiety, prayers, and many many tears. I was looking for a place to live in a city I had been to once, where I only knew a handful of connections. Dealing with family medical situations, finding a place to live, selling all of my furniture in my apartment, preparing my childhood home to be sold, and saying goodbye to my church that I had grown deeply rooted in. Singing my last Sunday worship set, and saying goodbye to kids that I had watched grow to be even more amazing kids. I shared my last weekly girls' night with my friends, had my last day up North, my final evening surf, danced my last class with my teacher who sparked my love for dance, and hiked my final hike in Koke’e with my brother. These three months held so many emotions. If it wasn’t for my parents selling our home and preparing to move, my brother looking for a new place to live, my pregnant sister and her family selling everything and preparing to move, walking the same road that I was trying my hardest to navigate alongside me, I would have needed much more therapy and would have had many more anxiety attacks. Change is never easy, but by the grace of the Lord, I was able to lean into Him and step past the emotions that if I let consume me would have overtaken me. We don’t even need to get into me trying to pack my whole life into only a couple of suitcases. 

July-September

July 3, was a whirlwind of a day. I said goodbye to my home that held so many years of memories in its walls. I packed up my cat in his carrier. Said goodbye to my brother who I had become so accustomed to having as my next-door neighbor.  And said a hui hou to the island that raised me. My sister and her family boarded the plane followed by Gus and I as we embarked on our new journey. And let me say that the first month of being here was a rollercoaster of emotions. I bought my first car, but not without a few headaches along the way. Gus and I moved into our new home with our two new housemates that I hadn’t officially met until I had lived in the house for two days. It was a crazy time. My mattress lived on the floor, my desk was constructed of an Amazon box, and Gus refused to leave the corner of my closet not even to eat. But, with time I finally allowed myself to cry for what I left behind and for the change that I was now knee-deep in. With each day it began to feel more like home. My housemates became friends and the neighborhoods began to feel familiar. I saw my sister and nephew every single day. And I began to explore. We found a new beach at a lake in Idaho, paddle boarded with my housemates on various lakes, discovered that bats like to dive bomb, explored a different lake in Idaho where we went boating and tubing, embarked on hikes, foraged for huckleberries deep on a mountain, and road tripped to Montana with one of my housemates where we explored lakes, went on hikes, paddle boarded, and camped among the trees and stars. In these months I also flew across the country to visit old friends in North Carolina. I went to my first concert, and spent many hours soloing around Wilmington, while they worked, reading and drinking far too much coffee. It was a week of new experiences, fun friends, and a lot of walking in very intense humidity. September wrapped up with my parents finding a home by my sister and her family's new house, moving down to replace the months spent on Kauai with now months spent here in Washington. Days became easier and the goodbyes became scars. And the leaves began to turn a brilliant shade of yellow.

October-December

Ah, Autumn. I had been waiting for this season since I had decided to move. And to break in the season we went apple picking. My nephew was in apple heaven. I celebrated my birthday with family then spent my weekend camping with friends in Idaho, trying not to die as we hiked up a 180-degree incline after spending hours by yet another lake. Pumpkins were painted, a new housemate moved in, and a trip to Oregon was driven. I spent a weekend there with my friend laughing, singing, and dancing to Taylor Swift at full volume, line dancing, and walking through her town as orange leaves crunched under our feet. I then learned that my oldest brother in Colorado had officially become a dad to my new nephew. Days became colder and the leaves became more vibrant as my sister and I watched my nephew experience fall for the first time. I found a love in running in the cold, and rekindled my joy of shopping at Goodwill. Christmas decorations broke free from their boxes and lit up my house. Nights were filled with Harry Potter at my sister's house. And next thing we knew we had our first snow the same night that my sister had her second, making me an auntie to now three little boys. My dad and I went to a hockey game. And my friend from Oregon drove up to spend a weekend in my stomping grounds. It was an eventful weekend, spent with dancers painting the stage with the characters of the Nutcracker, and spending nights at bougie hotels with sparkling Christmas trees. Walking downtown while snow graced us with its presents. Later in the month, Gus explored snow for the first time, handling it like a champ. He grew so much over the months of moving. He went from not leaving my closet to thinking the whole house was his and his alone, demanding attention from anyone who walked through the door, and being loved and loving my housemate more than I could have imagined. The year ended with a cozy Christmas at my sister's house which I had spent almost every dinner at since moving. I was able to experience Christmas through the eyes of my nephew and remember the joys of a chilly December day. The final hours of the year were spent among new friends all shouting, “HAPPY NEW YEAR!”. And what a year it had been. 

The year wrapped 

This was an emotional year and one full of many milestones. This was the first year that I had not been depressed. I felt deeply but was able to recognize the growth and answered prayer that had been said every night for as long as I can remember. I had pushed myself to step beyond my comfort zone and said yes to things that were outside of my typical routine. It was a year of diving in head first and learning to let go. Most of this year life felt like a new pair of shoes. I knew the change was needed and each day felt like a new blister, but over time life began to feel more comfortable and broken in. But for one thing, God’s hand had been so clearly navigating each step of 2024; so let’s see what is waiting behind door number 25! 

I hope last year was one of learning and growth like mine! I’m excited for us to walk through this new year together! I’m looking forward to new topics, friendships, growing, and learning here! This was a long one so thank you for making it through! As always follow along on Instagram, subscribe, share The Allie-Way with someone, and let me know what you think in the comments! Thanks for reading Allie-Cats! 

• Dru Allie