To my future partner, husband.

Photo provided.

You may never read this and that is fine. I'll write it down in a letter and give it to you the night before we say our vows. That's if I am to ever get married.

But anyways..

I am going to change. I am not going to be the same person as I am writing this. On the day we get married I am not going to be the same person I was when we first met. I say this with the most positive intentions. I hope all these changes are due to you entering my life.

Let me explain. During my high school years, after my parents split, my dad and I were driving back to me mom's place. We came across the uncomfortable topic of if they were ever going to get back together. It was clear to me that they weren't and it broke my heart. But during that car ride he told me something I will always carry with me. He said to me "When you meet/marry a guy, make sure he can better your life."

Now, I don't agree with a lot of what my dad says but I do agree with what he said during that ride.

Expanding upon this, I need for you to change me. I need you to better my life. To help me grow and mature.

Take me on adventures to lands that I have never been to. Force me to eat an exotic dish. Let me squeeze your hand while I get a tattoo or piercing. Read to me out loud from your favorite book. Show me how to change my oil. Teach me proper money management skills. Get me to run a 10k with you. Swim with sharks. Throw out my makeup and force me to appreciate my natural beauty. Let's build a dining room table and chairs. Open our own business. Push my buttons and get me to really live.

By the time we accomplish all these things, or things of the sort, I will have surely changed. Changed for the better.

Here's the thing, while you are changing and bettering my life I hope to do the same for you.

I will teach you how to do a cartwheel. A proper forearm pass in volleyball. I will show you how to back for a weekend trip to New York City in one backpack. I will tell you the corniest jokes, and you will probably laugh just to please me. I will expose you to music artist you probably wouldn't listen to on your own. Go to Iceland and attempt to tame a wild Icelandic pony. I will hold your hand when someone you love passes away and show you time will still go on and you will become stronger. I will do everything in my power to make sure you get the most out of life.

I hope I can change and help morph you into a better person. I will try to better your life just as much as you better mine.

18 Rules I've learned about "the college years."

Midway through my junior year of college and I've come to realize there are rules that I have learned to live by when dealing with multiple layers of the college atmospheres. There are many situation one comes across while attempting to make it through the four (or more) years that separate high school and the "real world" and they range from awkward social settings to the almighty paper that is worth 50% of your grade that is due in two days, oh, and you haven't started yet. So here it goes...

1. These years are all about you. Be selfish and take any opportunity that appeals to you.

2. If you can, get away from home when you choose your college. Get the hell out of your hometown and go see what else is out there. Plus, this way your parents won't pop in without notice.

3. When making your class schedule try to work in one free day during the week. It will give you a break and allow for you to breath.

4. Use rate my professor. Make sure you're getting the best deal for what you're paying. It's like shopping for a car. What you purchase will be with you for the next several years. Better the education you receive the better you will be in the "real world."

5. If you're a female, take advice from Jenna Marbles.

6. If you're a male, take advice from your dad and then consult the advice with your mom.

7. You will hit rock bottom at least 4 times. We all hit hard spots in college and will mentally break down. I do not care who you are or how strong you claim to be, it happens to everyone.

8. This is where friends come in.. The friends you make in college, the real friends you make, will be with you for the rest of your life. I can't explain the feeling but when you create a life long friend you'll know. Keep them close.

9. Stop comparing yourself to others. Leave that mindset in high school. Build yourself on what YOU find appealing. Because at the end of the day you are the only one that matters. 

10. Become tech savvy. It will put you ahead of everyone else in your field and keep you connected socially. The "real world" people look for this to assist with their business. The more you know the more likely you will be chosen.

11. Work out and be physically active. It will make you feel so much better on those tough Mondays. It does not have to be at the gym. Dance in your room. Run around your apartment/dorm building. Do parkour parkour! Anything, just do something.

12. Sleep. Naps are great and can actually help you retain information and enhance your memory. There are going to be late nights and nights with no sleep, but that's good. It means you're living.

13. Whatever services your University or College offers, use them to their full advantage. Resume workshops, computer and printing labs, free lectures, museum trips/exhibits; use them all. You're paying for them whether you realize it or not so get your money's worth.

14. Travel! If you can partake in a study abroad program I highly recommend that you do. If you cannot do so, take trips during breaks from school. The more you travel, the more experience. 

15. Bite your tongue. Save yourself the drama of others and just sit back and observe. Drama should be kept between the people it immediately effects because there is no point in ruining the whole friendship circle because only two of the people have a disagreement. But do learn from it.

16. That boy/girl down the hall or the one you hooked up with at the party is not going to matter unless you let him matter. Do not dwell if the relationship between you two does not turn into what you expected. And if you have sex with them, be aware that sex to them may not have the same meaning as it does to you.

17. Take risks with your style Change your hair, revamp your entire closet or get a new piercing. For me I shaved part of my head. I've gotten so many compliments and kudos for doing so. It allowed for me to express myself and take risks. This is the time do so and fully figure out who you are as a person, both inside and out.

18. Finally, a good think about life, nothing lasts forever. A bad thing about life, nothing lasts forever. So take what come at you and wholly live in the moment because, in the words of Ernest Hemingway, "Try to be alive. You will be dead soon enough."