To my younger sister as she graduates:

First of all, I am so incredibly proud of you. I've watched you grow into the incredible young woman that you are and I'm blessed to have had the opportunity to be by your side.

I'm not going to lie, watching you grow up and become more independent hasn't always been easy for me. Even though you're not that much younger than I am, you've grown significantly over the past couple years. With your personal growth and my personal growth changes have happened between the two of us and there have been times where we have been more distant. Those more distant times have led to us becoming even closer in the end.

As you graduate from high school this week, I hope you enjoy every moment with your friends and family. This is an exciting time where you're closing a huge chapter in your life but at the same time and even bigger chapter is starting. While it makes me sad that you won't be five minutes away in just a few months, you're going to have the time of your life in college, and I'm so excited for you.

I hope that even though you're far away, you'll always remember how much I love you. I hope you know that I'll always be there for you, even if it's at 3 a.m. you can always call me. I hope that you continue to grow and voice your strong, intelligent opinions. I hope that if you meet a boy and he breaks your heart, you'll call me to come beat someone up (okay...maybe not beat him up but we can eat ice cream and go shopping). No matter what it is, please always call me because I'm here for you and I want to know how things are going in your life.

My advice to you at this point in your life is to enjoy your summer. Take in every moment that you can with the friends you can call siblings. There's not enough time before you go off to college to waste a single minute spending time with friends who aren't really your friends. As you start college you'll find a lot of people who you think are your friends will really not be. Let go of those "friends" and focus on the individuals who make an effort to spend time with you and those who truly care about how you are doing.

Say yes to any opportunity you're given. Experience new things, new people, nature (just do it, it won't kill you), and most importantly let these new experiences keep challenging you and allowing you to grow as a person. If there's one thing that you take away from all of this and remember when you're away from me at college, remember, don't take shit from anyone. Be yourself and stand up for what you believe in. Don't pay too much attention to what others think of you, it's not important in the long run. Treat people with kindness like usual, but don't go out of your way to help someone that wouldn't do the same for you.

I'm going to miss you next year more than you know. As you graduate from high school this week, just know that I'm so proud of you and I can't wait to see the things that you're going to accomplish. Remember to always call me to check in and enjoy the next four years of your college life. If you ever need anything I'm just a phone call away. I love you little nugget. Congratulations on graduating!