Dear 16 year-old me,

Just as a note, I completely forgot about Thursday, so I'm messing up our order and updating today. It's been a hectic week. Anyway, onto the note.

Well, hey there. We're nineteen now. Wow, we. We had our entire life all planned out up until this point, but just take it from me, nothing ever goes to plan. And you know, it's a good thing. Life would be boring if you knew the future, so I'll refrain from telling you too much about our future.

First off, apply to every school you can in Florida. FSU, USF, UCF, even FIU and FAU. Try UF, too, but make sure you keep your grades up and study. They're harder to get into than you think. If you haven't already, you'll probably look at Auburn and Rutgers. While they're amazing schools, they're just out of our reach right now. You'll only be disappointed if you go there, so please, stay in Florida. Ashley goes to South Florida, you'll be happy there. Or try Central Florida. Not many people go there, but you'll be seeing familiar faces soon enough.

Also, be wary of the boys you meet. You're going to meet a familiar face from February in October, but be careful around him. He's going to be the best and worst thing to ever happen to you, but just be careful. Don't lose yourself. That's all I can say about him, because I don't want to give too much away. Just don't get too lost in those brilliant blue eyes of his and forget what matters: YOU.

You're about to start junior year, and you know, keep your hair that shade of reddish brown it is around picture day. Don't try to go redder, it only turns out disastrous. And Mr. Parales will get mad and you'll only kill your hair trying to go back to blonde. You look beautiful as a brunette. You don't need to be blonde to feel good about yourself.

Try to get more involved in student government and other clubs. You might just beat Sulye to become class president if you only try. And the more involved you are, the better your university chances are. Take the CPT this year when it's offered to you, and take College Algebra over the summer. You won't want to take calculus in college (or bio 1 or chem 1), so try to get them done with when you can do so FOR FREE. You won't lose anything by doing it.

Just, be happy, Steph. Don't overstress yourself, but don't be lazy, either. Enjoy your junior and senior year, because everything changes after high school ends. Don't try to save friendships that are already in danger of falling apart. You'll soon learn who your true friends are, including that girl you met on the TFBC forum, Katie. You'll learn to love her more than anyone else in your life.

I love you. I love us. We're a great person, and we're amazing. Just know that life may seem hard at times, but it always gets better. You'll find that out soon enough.

Say hello to Fatty for me!

Love, Steph.

PS. When it rains, and you're running in from band, do be careful around the curbs. Marching on a sprained ankle is not fun.