Similar to many, whenever I am preparing for school in the morning, pushing the shopping cart down the aisle in the grocery store, or watching/re-watching various episodes of The Bachelor and Bachelorette, there’s just one thought that crosses my mind.

It absolutely blows my mind, that the person that I am destined to spend the rest of my life with, is somewhere in the world right now. Although, I have not yet made it through my second year of college, the thought of someday being married does cross my mind rather often.

I instantly became filled with such joy, when one of my professors assigned the class with the first (of many) homework assignments of the semester. The nerd in me is always eager to accomplish an assignment. However, as it related to this assignment, I was counting down the moments until I could return to my dorm room and get right to work. The point of the assignment was to write down a few qualities that one would search for in a life-long partner.

This particular assignment tied in perfectly with some of my recent thoughts. I am not sure if it is all of the past episodes I have been watching of The Bachelor and Bachelorette, but I have been giving this some thought. After all, I am only a few months shy of my twentieth birthday!

I hope that my life-long partner is someone that is passionate about whatever they do. It brings me great joy to see people doing what they love. A get up and GO personality would also be great. Aside from spending my free-time reading a book or playing tennis, I have discovered that I enjoy an adventure. Being able to go on a hike together or being daring enough to not make a reservation on a Saturday night, at the most popular restaurant in town would really keep things interesting and may also result in me being hangry. (Beware)

Wherever my life-long partner may be in the world, I hope that you are taking each day as a learning experience, until the day that we meet. I am certain that you will play a vital role in my growth and development as we take on life together. But most of all, you are the person that I have spent the better half of my life dreaming about and I cannot wait to grow old with you.