Once upon a time, I was trying to download music off of some sketchy site on the Internet, when I accidentally clicked on the wrong song and was redirected to a music video showing five boys singing on a beach with colorful outfits and bright smiles — sorry, did I say boys? I meant *babes. Anyway, this day is one that will live on in infamy as it was the day I was first introduced to Harry, Niall, Liam, Louis and Zayn — more formally known as One Direction, and my first thank you goes out to fate for this weird mistaken discovery (also fate, I’m still waiting for that boyfriend by the way).

I guess you could say it was love at first sight but, before you judge me, I had only just turned 16 years old. I was at the prime age to fall for pretty boys with soothing voices, catchy tunes and heavenly accents to sweep me off my feet, and boy, did they ever. I spent hours, days, months just listening to their songs and rewatching everything I could find on YouTube about their "X Factor" days, since they were virtually non-existent in America at the time. I could tell you that Louis mentioned liking carrots and was showered with carrot gifts, Liam has an inexplicable fear of spoons, Zayn hated to dance at first, Niall cried when he thought he was eliminated, and, well — he was just Harry and people swooned. I showed their videos and music to my best friend, Nyla, and it became the soundtrack of our summer. It’s cliché but it brightened my worst days, and gave me some solid jams for my solo dance parties, and for that, I am forever thankful.

So, as the boys break for a bit to recover from the insanity of the past five years and gather their thoughts once and for all, I want to thank them for all that they have done to impact my life…

Thanks for keeping your calm in situations when you have every reason to lose control. Thanks for coming to Albany with Big Time Rush before your fame had really hit and taking the time to meet three silly, infatuated girls who shook for hours afterward and accepting the I heart NY t-shirts we bought you (literally still feels surreal, though I searched for months afterwards and never saw pictures of you wearing them *sad face*). Thanks for being so lively and entertaining at all your concerts, and for making every song the best song ever.

Thanks for being patient when the people around you are anything but. For putting tiny places like Mullingar on the map. For proving that Simon Cowell isn’t actually the most heartless person ever (plot twist). For sharing all the tiny details of your life, your hobbies, your quirks, your dislikes, your awkward photos, and the list goes on and on.

Thanks for the smile your goofy videos brought to my face, and thanks for the corny lyrics that gave me unfairly high expectations of boys (too good to be true, ladies). Thanks for sticking with the game as long as you have and promising to continue on after this hiatus, despite the lack of privacy and normality in your own lives. The sacrifices you boys made are unlike anything us mere mortals could even begin to imagine.

But mostly, thank you for bringing joy to the lives of all those you’ve touched, for showing that we’re all human and we all make mistakes, and for being a living example that dreams really do come true. And for all this, you have my never-ending support, no matter what may come.