Letter to Me @ 16

It’s me. Well, it’s you at 22. I have learned so much about you in these six years. Right now, you may not feel comfortable about the person you are. I am still getting to know you and appreciating even more the person you are at 16. I realize that self-discovery is a life long journey. Not knowing the future can be scary and stressful, yet you have no idea of this at your tender naïve age. If you knew then what I know now, life would still be unpredictable. When you are reading this you have no clue of how amazing this world is. All you think you know in your inexperienced 16 year-old mind is a second in time compared to what you realize this life is about. Life is about the people and the relationships you develop. You will struggle with keeping in touch with friends. You tend to be out of sight, out of mind. Remember the wonderful feeling of a friend calling you on an ordinary day just to check in and say they are thinking of you. As I write this, I am reminded of a list of people to call.

You have a blissful absentmindedness about negativity in this world. You don’t like drama and therefore your life is simple and enjoyable. The stress comes in your head and sometimes you can be your own worst enemy. You have so many wonderful qualities that you haven’t learned to be thankful for yet. Your smile is inviting. You love to laugh and have mom’s sarcasm. It can be jaw dropping how similar you two become. She is your best friend. You are sweet. You are interested in what people have to say and think that every word is important. You would like to believe the words that people say are honest. However, you sometimes doubt compliments and think people are feeding you a spoonful of horseshit. Accept them as truths; you deserve these kind words. Give them back. I challenge you to be the first to give someone the gift of a compliment. You love for others to be happy and feel beautiful because you want that for yourself.

You are beautiful. Don’t sell yourself short on your beauty; embrace it with humility. Part of your appeal and what attracts other people to you is that you are comfortable in your skin. This wasn’t the case at 16. You always compared yourself to other girls. You convinced yourself that they were more gorgeous. You were self-conscious about your stomach and the imaginary rolls that appeared over your jeans when you sat. You didn’t have them then, but you have them now. And you feel strangely comfortable in your non-perfect body.

Warning, don’t let yourself go and think that eating while watching tv all day will somehow keep your muscles toned. I tried it and this is not the case. On a side note, stop watching television. There is too much life to be lived by you. You waste the chance as you sit on your lazy ars. Like everything in life you have to work at it. You have an adventurous spirit that you are beginning to tap into. You love the outdoors, but you rarely took the opportunities to do fun, out of the ordinary things. You have to make the plans, include friends and introduce them to the excitement of life.

So a few lessons you will learn...
1. People come into your life for a reason. Enjoy their presence and learn from their absence.
2. Life is sweeter than you can ever imagine. God has a greater plan for you and most we haven't lived yet.
3. Your family is the back bone to who you are. Everyone of us will have our moments of hard times, and we will rally next to each other and love one another more.
4. You will truly believe that God loves you and it is the most rewarding Love. Accepting that you deserve love, allows you to drop the weight of expectations off your shoulders.


Joey, thanks for the idea. Here are some memorable quotes from the beautiful women who wrote letters to their 16 year-old selves...

JOEY: "But what's always true in life is that all the grace and the wisdom we need to get through something, we don't have until it's over. And the reason we don't have it until afterward is because it's the process itself that grows us up into it."

ALISHA: "Don't let your life and your actions ever be in reaction to something else. Don't be afraid of being "normal" because you crave the attention of being exceptional. I'm not saying don't be exceptional, I'm saying don't crave needing to be recognized for it."

BRIDGET: "Stop stressing about the future because no matter what you envision as your future it will not turn out how you imagined, but more than you could ever ask for."

18 year-old BLOGGER: "When the time comes to meet the man of your dreams, it will happen in the most random place. You have way more to give than you realize. But you can’t meet him until you love yourself. Take your time doing this."

Summer Travels

The summer started off slowly and with a break-up and a failed test. My solution to avoid depression is surrounding myself with family, friends, and beautiful places. I've been fortunate to travel to visit the people I love. I went back to the Pittsburgh region for two of my dear friends' weddings. These two events were my first "friend" weddings and they were so much fun. Gia's was a combination of Italian and Cuban traditions with lots of salsa dancing! You'd never believe that stereotypes an Italian family as portrayed in the movies could be true until you are in a room full of them and you're Irish. Megan's was sponsored and decorated by Vera Bradley. It was elegant and long fun hours of dancing that carried over to the hotel's bar. Both brides looked gorgeous and beaming with happiness.
After all this excitement from weddings, finally it was Ryan's turn. He and Kirby were to tie the knot in Montana, where they now live and where they first met. This is very special to me because 1. Ryan is my big brother and I look up to him in every sense of the word 2. I was living with Ryan and Kirby when he bought the ring and proposed 3. Kirby has become a best friend. She is a laugh, a hug, listens to me vent, offers great advice, and has as much trouble with word find as me 4. I get to be a bridesmaid and have the best view to watch the couple commit their lives to each other.

My favorite part of the ceremony was watching my brother say his vows to his wife. As he held her hands and looked into her eyes, he spoke calmly and sincerely. He believed every word he was saying with tearful eyes as if he was looking into her soul and pouring all of his love into it. He may not have been crying, but I was at that moment and throughout the entire ceremony. It was so personal and unique to Ryan and Kirby, that I felt an extreme amount of humbleness to be a witness to their love and commitment to each other. Another elegant touch was when Kirby walked down the staircase to meet her father. It was a wonderful night in a fun atmosphere, with great people, live music, and delicious food.

This weekend is my cousin Drew's wedding in Vancouver, Canada. It will be a first for me to need my passport to attend a wedding. Then, I will be back in DC for my cousin Kerry's wedding, in which I am a bridesmaid.

The best part of traveling is enjoying the unexpected, cherishing the little things, and making the most of the destination. Instead of flying home from Montana, my parents, Hunter, and I drove back. Our road trip took us through Yellow Stone park, the Grand Tetons, Steamboat Springs, CO and Iowa. I stayed for a few days in Iowa with the Covills. I didn't make the most of my time with Bridget and unfortunately, I left on a sour note. My Aunt Molly got me a buddy pass to fly home earlier than I planned. On my second flight, I got bumped up to business class. The perks: pre-flight drink, personal tv, reclining chair, snacks, endless flow of white wine, and a personal bottle to take with me. I have to say it was a pleasantly unexpected way to fly home.

Yellow Stone Park
Choco waiting for Old Faithful
Grand Tetons
Waterfall at the Tetons