When I moved home to my hometown for the summer a couple of months ago I had a conversation with my mom talking about how I needed to "keep my eyes on the prize." I had just recently found out I would be going to law school early, which, rightfully so, stressed me out to the max. I told my mom I was not going to date until I got well into law school.

My best friend and I had a plan that I would hook her up with a lawyer while I was in law school and she would hook me up with a doctor while she was in nursing school. I had a very specific 5-year plan for myself, which most definitely did not include a boyfriend.

I had finally come to terms with being the single friend, when a guy I had graduated high school with asked me on a date for "celebratory ice cream" (since I was graduating early) the very next day after I had that conversation with my mom, and any plan I had made for myself that did not include a boyfriend went right out the window.

Obviously, the first date went well. Like, really well. Way better than I had anticipated. He took me to get ice cream, he paid for me (which was a shock, I'm not used to dates, or nice guys), and he even gave me a drink of his milkshake. We went to watch the sunset at the gorge, and we stayed out pretty late even though I had to wake up at 6 to go to work.

There was just something about him. We talked non stop all night long, and he took the long way back to my house so we could get a couple extra minutes together. We've been inseparable ever since.

I didn't know very much about Gary, even though we had gone to school together for six years at this point. In high school, we never had any classes together, and we never once had a conversation, even though we had a lot of mutual friends, we just never ended up at the same place at the same time.

Even though, my sister was his senior spirit girl for football, (which means I have a sweatshirt with his last name and football number on it), we got voted the same senior personality, (most likely to be on a reality TV show, I think we would make a great addition to Jersey Shore) and we sat right beside each other in our big senior class picture, and we didn't even realize it.

What are the odds that out of 200 people, we randomly sat together without even realizing it... obviously we're meant to be.

I'm not saying Gary took my eyes off the prize by any means. In fact, he makes me better. Just yesterday I was taking a nap at his house (when I was supposed to be studying for the LSAT, my law school entrance exam) when he brought me home Chinese food for lunch but wouldn't let me eat it until I finished at least one practice test.

Not only does he push me to chase my dreams, but he also has changed my entire outlook on life. He has turned me into this kind, loving, girl who loves love, and who cries when I watch videos of dogs on Facebook. Before him, I had this sort of "I don't care" persona, and I didn't like to show emotion because I thought it made me seem weak.

Gary is a complete and total blessing, who came into my life when I least expected it, but when I needed him most. Before him, I had never been told how beautiful I was every single day. No one had ever picked me a bouquet of flowers. No one had ever brought me little presents "just because." No one had ever driven 45 minutes to come and take care of me because I was sick.

The relationship I have with him is like something out of a movie. I always hear girls talking about how "movies give us too high of expectations for guys," and "all guys suck," but in reality, they just haven't found their Gary yet.

So Gary, thank you.

Thank you for not only being my boyfriend but my best friend. Thank you for picking up your phone every time I call you because you're the first person I want to tell when anything great happens, and the first person I want to cry to when something bad happens. Thank you for listening to me complain about my problems that don't really matter. And most of all thank you for showing me how to truly love, and what it feels like to truly be loved.

We may not have been together long, but the love you have shown me so far could last a lifetime.

I love you.