Recently I turned 19 and little did I know that being 18 was the most pivotal time of my life. I no longer adapted to what society conformed me to believe I should be and instead I sought out the real side of me and decided to change for the better. Change is a good thing sometimes, it happens all the time and often for me. I find things I like and dislike. Things I want to pursue and want to hold back on. But sometimes it truly shifts your whole life by one slight change in attitude. I've always seen myself as a very mature kid/teenager and it's hard to believe but the last 2 months before my 19th birthday matured me even more. I look at life drastically different now. I always thought that life is meant to be full of experiences, good and bad. This hasn't changed for me but what I also believe now is that life is too short to view from behind a screen watching someone else live the life you want while saying "I want to do that someday." (Hell I was doing that all the way up until 6 months ago until I decided i was gonna take a gap year to travel the world.) I'm seeking out the adventures in life I've always wanted to do and actually doing them. I'm taking everyday to learn something new about myself and discovering who I am in this world and what I want to do.

Here's my highlights I did all while I was 18.

Publicly came out as gay
Traveled to 9 countries (traveled to 5 of them alone)
Graduated from high school
Broadened my photography capabilities
Got 5 tattoos
Making new friends from all over the world

So far in just seven days of being 19 I've been in three different countries and met five new lifelong friends from Norway. My goals to reach before I hit 20 *shudders* are...

Travel to at least 20 countries
To have visited 25/50 states (currently at 15)
Become near fluent in Spanish and Norwegian
Pick a university/college to attend
Start an official blog