I got my big ol' heart broken and it has helped shape me the woman I am today.

The summer going into my senior year was the last time I was in a true relationship. My first love changed me and my heart in so many ways. I am living proof that you can also be so much better off once your first love is a thing of the past.

The minute I stopped relying on a boy to show me my worth and validation, I met a good one- no, a great one. I met a boy who showed me love, respect, Jesus, and Vines. Falling in love was so fun. But looking back I was SO young! Who lets kids fall in love like that?

Truth is, I probably couldn't have stopped it if I tried. No one could. This was spitfire, stubborn love. Being in love for the first time was a whirlwind. I learned so much about what expectations I hold in a relationship, and 'non-negotiables' for the next relationship I enter.

And as the story goes, my heart was broken as fast as I got tiny heart eyes for that big-eared, blue-eyed boy.

Now I would be lying to you if I said that immediately after this I sprung up into this incredible woman who laughs in the face of fear and heartache. Honestly, I did the exact opposite. I was a sad girl who also had to get her wisdom teeth out.

But I can tell you this, I grew. I matured, I understood, and I kept on living! Being alone for the first time in a long while was a hard but welcomed challenge and change.

Learning to be my own damn woman was amazing.

Discovering what I am passionate about while surrounding myself with the greatest friends ever has encouraged me to grow in ways I could have never imagined.

Don't get me wrong, being the single friend has its downfalls, but I would never trade my couple friends for any boy ever! Girls rule.

I always thought that I would meet someone right away and we would be together forever just like the movies. Obviously, that hasn't been working out for me just yet, and I wholeheartedly believe it is for the better. Navigating the college world and dating scene is crazy. Coming to college and loving myself, finding my passions and my future bridesmaids have been the greatest part of university and my adult life thus far.

I wouldn't trade these days for anything.

Someday, the man of your ~dreams~ will come and it will be incredible. You do not need to be defined by what you lack, rather defined by exactly who you are with no other presence. Be thankful for your first love and ready for what comes next. Love yourself first and everything else will fall into place.

You rock.