Dear Mini-Me,

Once upon a time, grandma and grandpa loaded me into my car seat and took me to the hospital. To say I was less than thrilled would be an understatement. Dressed in my brand new “Big Sister” t-shirt, I walked into the room and saw mom holding a strange little person that was not me and I was not having it. Grandma asked me what I thought about the new baby, and my response is still legendary- “It’s the ugliest thing I’ve ever seen." Obviously, I was wrong, and less than an hour later I could not have been more enamored with you. Little did I know that this was the beginning of a lifetime of dance recitals, smoothie runs, cheer practices, ginger jokes, car sing-a-longs, and adventures.

Now here we are, fifteen plus years gone in the blink of an eye, and the next big car ride that I will take will be when we say goodbye. In just a few short weeks we will go from spending almost every day together, sharing clothes, and watching Four Weddings, to being 517 miles apart for months at a time. We both know that I usually do not like to get emotional or sentimental, so here are a few things I want to make sure to remind you of before I go.

Never Sell Yourself Short

You are kind, you are beautiful, and you are the smartest person I know. Never let anyone tell you otherwise, especially yourself. Stop apologizing when you do something less than perfect and start owning the fact that you are not only a genius but the owner of a humble, loving heart that you should be proud to possess. When you struggle to remember this or to love yourself, know your abilities and recognize your worth.

Don’t Be Afraid Of New Adventures

Life will throw you a lot of crazy and most of the time you will not see it coming. When big changes and opportunities come, take full advantage of them. If your friends want to take a last minute, random road trip, go. If a college you weren't thinking about offers a scholarship- check it out. If your whole life plan suddenly changes- notice the potential blessing you are about to discover. High school is hard and college is scary, but the unknown is also the most exciting thing that life has to offer.

Learn From My Mistakes

Throughout your life, our family has been through a lot, and you have probably dealt with more than most people your age. I apologize as I have not always handled these situations the best, but I hope that you can learn from my mistakes and avoid making the same ones. If you screw up, apologize. When you are upset, take the time to speak out of love and not anger. Never feel pressured to do anything that causes you to doubt yourself or lower your standards. Believe that you are capable of so much more than what you yourself can see. Keep smiling and never lose hope. Keep believing that the world is a beautiful place because it is.

I Will Always Be Your Biggest Fan

On any given day you drive me absolutely insane, but it has been a joy and a privilege to watch you grow. I often look at you and still see a little girl with a huge bow in her curly, red hair running around the house in tap shoes and it takes me a minute to realize that you are grown up now. I cannot wait to see all of the amazing things that you will accomplish and cannot wait to stand on the sidelines and cheer you on while you change the world.

Thank You

Thank you for the smiles in the hallways that got me and my friends through Monday mornings and AP tests. Thank you for being my third parent and keeping me out of trouble (most of the time). Thank you for making me laugh when I cry and for baking cookies to fix my broken hearts. Thank you for reminding me to put other people before myself and motivating me to strive for better than my best. Thank you for looking up to me and holding me accountable when I lose sight of what is right. I love you lots.

To the moon and back and more than words can say.

Love you long time Peanut,

Your Big Sister