In honor of the hectic, action filled year of 2018 coming to a close as we leave for christmas break, we wanted to reflect back on all that has happened. So without further adieu, as we tie a bow around this year, please enjoy Sienna and Emma’s most memorable moments of the year.

Kilauea Eruption

The Kilauea volcano began erupting on Hawaii’s Big Island on May 3rd and continued through late August. The volcano destroyed at least two communities thus far and reshaped the Hawaiian coast. The leakage from fissure eight caused the temporary closure Hawaii Volcanoes national Park, which was detrimental to the island’s tourism-dependant economy.

Tide Pods

In January of this year the so called “Tide Pod Challenge” was circling the internet. Teenagers across the nation recorded themselves eating Tide Pods and uploaded the videos to youtube to gain views and subscribers. It is uncertain whether the challenge was successful in doing so, however 14 teens were hospitalized in Utah alone. Although reportedly only 86 teen intentionally poisoned themselves, news of is quickly fascinated and concerned the nation, and it  became the popular meme of early 2018.

The Death of Toys-R-Us

The iconic store filed for bankruptcy in September of 2017, crushing the child inside of all of us. Although it was clear the store was headed for the ground due to increased competition from online retailers, they continued to operate as normal for as long as they could. Although the company will continue in countries like Canada, on June 29th Toys “R” Us closed all remaining stores in the U.S. after 70 years of operation. All hope is not lost though, after investors discussed a possible revival of the company in October.

Parkland Shootings

On February 14th, 2018 a former student of  Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida brought a semi automatic AR-15 assault rifle to the campus, killing 17 people. This shooting sparked immense backlash for the state of gun-control in our country and resulted in numerous nationwide marches, most famously, March for our Lives. Students like Emma Gonzales that survived the disastrous shooting have since made incredible strides to make themselves heard and push for reform. In the aftermath of the shooting congress has banned bump stocks and passed stricter gun laws in Florida. Though the horrendous massacre that occurred almost a year ago was a gut wrenching moment for our country, but finally real changes are coming to fruition.

Infinity War (Spoiler Alert)

The long awaited third installment of the Avengers movies finally hit theaters on April 27, 2018. Super(hero) fans swarmed theaters opening day grossing over $250 million dollars. The movie was immeasurably successful, despite leaving viewers broken hearted after seeing many of their favorite character snapped away into oblivion. Avengers End Game, released its first teaser trailer early last week leaving fans eager to see the final installment. Set to release on April 26, 2019, End Game is the fourth and final chapter for the series, and fans worldwide anxiously await the long anticipated finale.

Winter 2018 Olympics

Located in Pyeongchang, South Korea, was one of the most groundbreaking Olympic Games in history. Pyeongchang sits just 50 miles from the North Korean border, known for the stunning Taebaek Mountains. What made the 2018 Winter Games so important was the unification of the North and South Korean teams during the march to commence the 16 days of winter sports. The outcome of the joint teams was so positive that the countries have agreed to host the 2032 games together.

Royal Wedding

The wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle took the world by storm, grew up in Los Angeles, California, and grew up in the acting world with no royal experience. The extravagant  wedding at St George’s Chapel set many standards for weddings to come, as the wedding featured everything from horse drawn carriages tp Markle’s Givenchy wedding gown.

California Wildfires

The 2018 wildfire season in California was by far the deadliest and destructive yet, with over eight thousand fires, destroying almost two million acres and displacing over fifty thousand. This life altering devastation, also known as the Camp Fire, made headlines around the globe as funding for the rebuilding of many cities surrounding Los Angeles poured in. Although the fire was contained, many experts suspect the fires to come back, and sadly, even more devastating than the last.

Hurricane Florence

This category four hurricane pounded the Carolinas this September, leaving almost three feet of water in millions of resident’s homes and jobs. The hurricane displaced thousands of people in the states and forced them to practically rebuild their homes, and took the lives of fifty three people. The damage to the states costed almost eighteen billion dollars, and will take years to repair.