If someone were to ask me to define my year of service in one phrase, I would have to say this has been a year full of “Never Thought I Woulds.”

I think I am not alone when I say I had a plan. A plan about how I thought my life should be. A plan that I thought would make me successful, happy, and fulfilled. Yet, I have found that life does not just give you lemons. Life gives you juicy apples and beautiful oranges and bright red strawberries that are so far from your plan but make you happier than you ever thought possible! Below are just a few of the many examples of the bouquet of fruits that life has handed me this year:

I never thought I would see the world’s largest hot air balloon festival!

I never thought I would be in a band called Three Beards and a Blonde, and I never thought I would be a bus driver.

I never thought I would buy twenty pounds of rice and have it be the highlight of my Saturday night, and I never thought I would own a 24 pound turkey… Happy Thanksgiving!

I never thought I would be in 4 places at once (Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico).

I never thought I would be able to sled in real snow in the “desert” of Arizona.

In all the ‘nevers’ that became reality here in Navajo Nation, I never thought that I could love my community as much as I do. This year would not have been the same without these four wonderful women and I am so blessed to have them in my life!

Cat Cole: St. Michaels Navajo Reservation, Arizona