a love letter to 2017.

I was going to write this gorgeously poetic, award winning piece of ART about living life to the fullest & all of the most invigorating moments of my 2017, but let's be real::

I did a lot of dumb stuff this year.

Surprisingly, though, it was the absolute craziest, wonderful, sincere, HeArtBreAkiNg, euphoric, lecture inducing, & magical year of my life.

I will tell my children these stories one day. ((Most of them will be prefaced with 'Learn from my mistakes, honey' or 'DON'T BE LIKE YOUR MOM' but STILL.))

Anyway, back to my thesis: I, Skylar Presley, did many dumb things this year.

an *abridged* list of dumb things I did in 2017:

1. I hit a trash can with my car because I was aggressively dancing to a BOP (I believe it was Burnin Up by the Jonas Brothers) & just didn't see it in the CENTER OF THE ROAD.

2. I stayed up for 27 hours straight with my friends (it was camp; we were high on ring pop fluids; Katrina brought her speakers; you must understand.) Oh, and we almost gotten eaten alive by a coyote. True story. (s/o to cara, sara, katrina, & maddie.)

3. I TPed the adult cabin with like 20 other girls at camp. It was a MASTERPIECE.

4. I got kicked out of Walmart for racing Katrina on those motorized wheelchair things. (why do all of these events include Katrina?!?)

5. I climbed onto a roof at the beach to get a sunset pic & ALMOST FELL AND DIED. But, I'd do anything for ART. The sunset pic got a few republishes on VSCO so I call it an immense success.

6. ANOTHER CAR RELATED DUMB THING: I backed into this tube thing at the gas station in an attempt to escape from my Resident Gas Station Stalker (classic).

7. I broke my No Boys Until College Pact. I mean, I did last from July-October, SOMEBODY GIVE ME A FREAKING ACADEMY AWARD ALREADY???

8. I went to this haunted zombie maze thing & was almost hospitalized due to my HEART EXPLODING BECAUSE IT WAS SO EFFING SCARY. I was clinging onto my friends the whole time. I think I cut their circulation off a l(o)ittle. I screamed and scared this random couple who was on their honeymoon.

9. The Entire July Beach Trip of Summer 2017 was an endless series of questionable decisions. If you know you know.

10. I ranted ENDLESSLY & exposed many people on my finsta, which was very dumb because ((obviously)) it all got back around due to snakes.

11. I jumped into a pool fully clothed at the Pesci's house for no apparent reason.

12. I fell much too in love with people, places, things & just nouns in general I guess.

EVEN THOUGH all of these items are certifiably stupid, they were also some of the highlights & greatest moments I've ever experienced.

If there's one thing I've learned with the entirety of my soul, it's that :::

you never get the same moment twice.

That might sound sad, but it's also wonderful in its own way. It has pushed me to live every second as if it is my last. It has forced me to get out of my comfort zone . It's made me book that plane ticket, smile at the stranger, turn off my phone, climb on that rooftop, & BLAST THAT T SWIFT. (literally just get out if you don't LIVE for Reputation, aka the greatest album to grace 2017.)

I am so irrevocably grateful for this year. My heart has been forever changed by the new people I've met & the people who have always been a part of my story since page 1. This year has been a catastrophic kind of amazing, and though that seems positively paradoxical, when you experience it, you'll know what I mean.

Don't forget to live every moment as if it is your last :)

I loved you, 2017. Thank you for bringing out the love in me.

xoOXOXxoXOxxoOOXO, Skylar McKellar

favorite music from this past year ::: SPOTIFY PLAYLIST ((Click the underlined portion))