I'll never forget coming home after a long day in my second grade and turning on the TV to watch Lizzie McGuire. Despite her klutzy nature and embarrassing moments, Lizzie had a heart of gold and was a role model to little seven-year-old me. To this day, Lizzie McGuire holds a special place in my heart and I'll still take advantage of any opportunity to quote the movie that brought the show to a close. I still have a lot of love for that quirky eighth grader who survived middle school with her best friends, Gordo and Miranda, and I still aspire to be like her in more ways than I thought.
1. She had a hilarious cartoon alter ego that told it like it was.
Confession: I still wish I had one like her too.
2. She mastered the art of hair crimping.
Seriously, Lizzie, can we get a YouTube tutorial of how to do that?
3. She had the coolest superpower ever: making red bouncy balls fall from the sky.
4. She had great style.
And taught me to not be afraid to try new styles.
5. She loved her family and always put them first.
And if they weren't already cool enough, they had their own bean bag chair collection.
6. She taught me that it's okay to still be discovering who you are.
Remember that time she even changed her name to Frizz and gave her parents a heart attack with the fake nose ring? She was finding herself and I learned that it's okay to do the same.
7. She knew that sometimes, friends only come into your life for a season.
But she appreciated her true friends that much more.
8. Her friendship with Gordo and Miranda was incredible.
9. She was so unconditionally loyal to them.
And I always wanted to be a friend like her.
10. She knew the importance of communication.
I'm still devastated that I didn't have her to teach me about three-way calling.
11. She was willing to admit her flaws.
So relatable, wow.
12. She was passionate.
Seriously, how is she so wise for being in eighth grade?
13. She was open and honest, even in some scary moments.
#NeverForget the beloved bra episode.
14. She picked the right boy who treated her like a queen in the end.
15. But before that, she got to kiss Aaron Carter.
And apparently, she wasn't too bad of a kisser either. Turns out, Aaron Carter is still in love with Hilary Duff in real life.
16. She stood up for herself.
She encouraged me to speak my mind and be brave.
17. She learned how to be confident.
Even after middle school knocked her down a few times.
18. She became a pop star.
19. She and Isabella successfully pulled off the ultimate revenge in Rome.
20. She had the most iconic music performance ever.
This moment was too good to be captured by just one picture, so I included the whole song from The Lizzie McGuire Movie. You can also find the most iconic fashion moment here.
21. She grew up and got to kiss Lucas Scott before his OTH days. SO lucky.
Okay, so maybe that was Hilary Duff and not Lizzie herself, but that's still pretty darn awesome.
Thank you, Lizzie McGuire, for inspiring me daily and helping me set so many goals for myself as a little kiddo growing up in the early 2000's. And tell Aaron I said "hey".
Photo by 
