2016. It’s been a pretty tumultuous year for not only me but the world as a whole; I left a job with the best colleagues a gal could find, I graduated, I ran, climbed, holidayed and celebrated with the loves of my life.

2016 was also the year where music fans lost their loved ones. Suddenly, with no warning, came the deaths of two musicians whose careers had in many ways defined their era; Bowie and Prince.

If you felt like the earth moved more in 2016 than ever before, you’re right: last year we set a record for 32,828 quakes recorded.

New Zealand’s quote of the year came from the mouth of Green MP Denise Roche who said “Sex just can’t be the good” in response to the wholesome Brian Tamaki’s statements that homosexuality causes earthquakes. Sigh.

On screen we lost some big names too: Rickman, Reyonalds, Fisher, Wilder.

Countless terrorist attacks and hate crimes spread like wildfire across the world.

New Zealand had it’s best summer Olympics medal tally to date.

Don’t lie, we all had a go at the running man and mannequin challenges.

And let’s not pretend we simply forgot who America elected to run their country for the next term. Everybody’s favourite and all round great guy Mr Donald Trump.

Speaking of running a country we said goodbye to our Prime Minister last month which will lead to an exciting election for 2017 in true unique New Zealand fashion.

What can I say, it was a year of epic proportions.

Here are my top 5 moments of 2016

1. Climbing Mount Doom 

I kick started 2016 with possibly the hardest and most rewarding challenge of my life. Mount Doom (Mt Ngauruhoe) lived up to its name. We set off early into the foggy abyss and climbed the Devil’s Staircase (again, living up to it’s name). The base of the mountain looked daunting as hell and as we started our ascent it sunk in just how much of a struggle this was going to be. One step forward three steps back for 2287 m. After many drink breaks and rough hands from the crawling on all fours technique later I had done it. It took me 3 and half hours to climb it and half an hour to come down. (Ever skied down a mountain of rocks and gravel before?)

2. Graduating with a cap and everything!

As previously mentioned in my Graduation Blog I finished my studies in 2016 with a cap on my head and a $30,000 certificate. It was the most emotional day for all involved but one I would relive in a heartbeat. That feeling made the last four years of study, stress, late nights and solidarity all worth it.

3. Skiing for the first time 

That’s right! The surf was up in Whakapapa last winter, so I thought why not tick skiing off the bucket list. I found the coolest teachers and tackled some pretty steep slopes (well I thought they were). Once I managed to stay upright on the beginners slope it was a promotion to the chair lift full steam ahead. My god skiing is bloody hard. I had to bail and collapse in every safe zone just to catch a breath and keep my thighs attached to my body. PIZZA (you might not get it, just a skiing term us skiers use). After many expletives and some serious concentration I could quite happily tick that adventure off the list.

4. Spring Break Fiji

Absolute paradise in the pacific. Springbreak Fiji is the adventure every twenty something year old should experience for themselves at least once. Jumping into a deep ball of blue everyday, sharing a cocktail and dancing the days away made for quite a memorable 2016. The temperature was absolute perfection not to mention the company.

5. Changing jobs 

It wasn’t any easy decision to make, but it was certainly the right one. Sometimes when it comes to our careers we overthink too much and worry about others. I learnt that there comes a time where you just have to be selfish and take the right chances that will benefit you. After 3 months in I can safely say a step up the career ladder was by far the best move I ever made. Growing and learning every day is all you can ask out of a job really. And when you don’t wake up to an alarm every morning dreading going into work, you know you’ve made that right call.

And here we are… 2017!

I’m not big on the traditional resolutions and projecting them over anyone who will listen only to come December realising I’m in the exact same spot as I was last year… Don’t hide if that’s you. Instead I’m all about jotting down a list of achievable personal and professional goals at the start of each year to motivate myself to make the most of it. They’re random and they’re meaningful and they’re goals that will make 2017 better than the year before that and the year before that. 2016 was the year of prioritising a memorable work/life balance and I want to continue that momentum into a new year while challenging myself to explore my own backyard, go overseas, invest time in my favourite people and smile.