Prom 2016

I felt like a bride on her wedding day to be honest. I was totally stressed out, running around, trying to get everything done while not having a definite concrete plan for the day. I had a hair and makeup appointment at 1 and after, I had to pick up a boutonnière and then drop something off at a friend's house on my way to a different friend's house to change into my dress. I actually had a date to prom. This is the first dance where I've ever had a date. I was excited. Prom is built up to be one of the greatest nights you'll ever experience in high school so I was nervous. I didn't want to set u false expectations but I couldn't help but to think of all the possibilities of the night's events. I had those kind of butterflies you only get on really big days. I wasn't hungry and I was so excited for that night, I just wanted it to start, but I  also didn't want it to end too soon. My date and I took photos with some friends and then went to have dinner. The twins we went with volunteered their house for all of us to join in on eating at. They had food catered from a company whom they knew the owners. My prom was in downtown at the top of the new central library. There was a baseball game in progress right across the street so I could keep up with the scores. It was absolutely gorgeous. There were lights stringed across the upper deck platforms and photo booths, and even pretzel bites! (If you know me, you know how much I love photo booths and pretzel bites.) The DJ played a good variety of music ranging from new hits to old songs that everyone in my class knows. Walking through the prom, many people stopped to say hi to me when I would see them and smile. It made me happy to know that my class was this friendly. But it also made me appreciate the connections I developed throughout high school, especially this year. Then again, I was slightly reminded of those who I was friendly with but not super close but I was too caught up in the moment of being at prom to think about that too much. Last year, I was lucky enough to go to my friend's senior prom at a different school. I remember how much I loved that night so being able to be at my own prom as a senior with everyone that I knew, made everything 10x more exciting. Whenever I talk to my old closest friends, it doesn't really feel like I'm super nervous because they've been my friends for a really long time. It seems like overtime we talk, it's like we weren't really ever apart but maybe that's just me. Either way, spending some time with these friends really made prom super memorable since I spent over the past three years with them by my side, it felt right to close the year with them. I'm still in school for a couple weeks so there's still time for me and my friends but I know I'm never going to forget my senior prom. It made out to be one of the best nights of the year.

A lesson I've learned in high school is to always be involved. Whether it's playing a sport, being in a club, or even just going to all the games and events that you possibly can; get involved. You'll make so many connections, you'll meet so many people and you'll create so many memories. You'll only regret those times when you didn't do something and you should've. It's never too late to start this either. I really started participating this year and there's definitely some positive results. High school goes by fast. It can be an extremely rough time but looking back on it, you'll realize it was one of the greatest times of your life. It's never gonna be like this again.

A tweet you should read: https://twitter.com/jillianybarra/status/738541814936797185

Instagram: @jkyinthesky/@jillianybarra

- Jillian