This one's for the girls.

Take a moment.  Run to the nearest mirror in your home.  Don't keep reading, go, go look at yourself.  But First...

While you're there look at your hair, the color.  Is it Chocolate Brown? Golden Blonde?  Rustic Red?  Jet Black?  Whatever the color, it is gorgeous.  Now move down to your eyes.  Look at how they sparkle.  Look deep, deep into your own soul.  Can you see it?  I can.  And it is beautiful.  There is light.  There is happiness even if you have to look deep, it's there.  It's in everyone.

Move down to your lips.  Lipstick or not, they're perfect, in every way.  There is someone in this world that is dying to meet theirs with yours.  Somewhere, someone.

I almost forgot! Move back up to your nose.  Reach up and touch the curves, feel how God made you.  He put so much effort into making that nose for you.  It fits you perfectly.  I bet He spent hours on that nose.

Now look at your hands.  What have you done with those hands?  Look at your nails, and all they've been through so far.  I'm sure they know how you feel.  They are beautiful, natural, durable, strong.  You are strong.  You are beautiful.  Have the courage to use your hands, not just in any way.  Anyone can use their hands for awful, horrible things.  But you can use your hands for good.  It takes more practice and energy, but the feeling you'll receive for using your hands for others, is like no other.

Look at your eyelashes.  Are they coated, covered, hiding?  They need to breath, I promise you.  Let them breath, take all your make up off, and let them breath.  Blink a few times and see how they flutter.  They are beautiful... breath taking.  I've seen them, and I don't think anyone has any like them.

 How could anyone not see how beautiful you are.  You can see it, I know you can.  Because you are beautiful.  You really are.  YOU are.  Not your clothes, or your shoes, or your make up.  Your face and hands are beautiful, and that's all that matters.

This little one has it all figured out.

Freak.

I hate the guy who kidnapped Elizabeth Smart.  I  hate his beard and his lips, and his hair, and his wife, and the hole he kept her in.  I hate how he sang church hymns in court.  Freak.  He is so scary.  Hate it.

I'm scared I'll be swimming in the ocean and a school of jellyfish will find me and go in my swimsuit and sting me over and over.  I won't be able to get them out, they'll be shocking me until they slowly cook my insides and I die as a big piece of cooked meat floating in the salty cold ocean.

I hate throwing up.  I'm scared of throwing up in the middle of the commons on a guy I don't even know.  I tried to get to the garbage can, but I couldn't get there in time.  I splattered all over his jeans, and all up the trash can to the opening.  I'm scared of the feeling I would get when I look up and see everyone staring at me with faces of disgust.  No one says a word.

I'm scared of anyone but my mom see me break down and cry.  I hate the feeling of not being able to control my emotions.  Because I can handle anything without breaking right?  Wrong.

I'm scared of Antarctica and being cold for the rest of my life.  I'm scared of the cold.  I'm scared of being frost bitten and having to chop off my toes because they turn black and purple.

I'm so scared of marrying the wrong person.  I thought I loved him for a long time.  And maybe I really did.  But one day he comes home and is different, and he never goes back to being normal.  I'd be stuck with him forever unless I would want to go through divorce.  Which is such a foreign thing to me.

I'm scared of someday having to move far far far away from my family, to a different country.  I live alone and I somehow break a minor law.  I'm thrown in jail and there they torture me and abuse me and there's nothing I can do about it.  That would probably be the very worst thing.  Ever.  Around people I can't even understand.

I really hope that Indian guy was right in the video Nelson showed us.  If he is, this post is worthless.  I really hope this is worthless.

Please don't leave my thoughts.

Every time I try to do something productive, you won't leave my thoughts.

Get out! Get out! You never leave. I don't even know what I keep thinking about.  I keep dreaming, imagining, pretending, fixing things. But in the morning.  Nothing really has changed. You're still the same and I'm still the same. 

And sometimes I get tired of myself.  I get tired of the way I sing in the shower.  Tired of the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches I make. Please kill me before I have to eat another.  I'm tired of doing my hair every single day for school, and putting on the same exact make-up everyday. I thought I loved schedules and routines and never changing.  But I think I need a change, right about now.  And I think that's why I keep thinking of you.  You're new, exciting, and funny and a little scary I guess.  I love being stupid with you.  It's the funniest thing ever, and I guess that's what I always think about.

For me, I think of you like a fat man thinks of cheeseburgers.  

I think of you like soup thinks it needs a little more salt.  

Like a parade thinks of the finishing touch of confetti.

Like how my grandma is always thinking of anyone but herself.

I think of you like how a dirty carpet thinks of being cleaned by a brand spankin' new vacume.

Like a old, dusty book thinks about being cracked open again.

Like how a young mother thinks of her children at home with that twelve year old babysitter.  I hope they're safe.

I think of you like vanilla ice cream thinks of being too plain. I need chocolate, and sprinkles, and nuts, and bananas and more chocolate. You are my chocolate. And most of the time you are what makes me taste good.  "Everything that don't make sense about me, makes sense when I'm with you." -Hunter Hayes

I think of you with everything.  Somehow everything reminds me of you.  And there I go again thinking of you. Would you please stop giving me things to think about? 

But please for right now, just for this second, don't leave my thoughts.

I love you mama.

I love you mama.  You always know what to tell me when something isn't quite right.  Even if I don't want to hear it, it seems to always help.

I can't really see how you love me sometimes.

 I always mess up and once I think I've climbed to my feet again, I smack myself  back down.  You've seen me at my worst and that's not a very beautiful sight to see.  But still you love me, unconditionally.

Because I bet you think back to when I was little.  Have I changed at all?  I can't really remember if I was any different.  I feel the same, and I think the same, even if I look a little different.

You're still addicted to the little blue container of Savex Chapstick.  The brand you've used since I don't know when.  Aw crap.  Now  I think you've got me addicted too because I have to put it on every night before bed, because it smells like you.

Thanks for always listening to what I have to say.  And you get excited about the little things I get excited about because... because... I don't know why.  I love that about you.

Thanks for saying I look beautiful every morning, even when I'm running way late and I haven't even put make up on yet.

 I love how you've taught me how to work.  I remember cleaning the toilet when I was little and you'd come in and check if I'd done it right.

There was always something I needed to do better, and you always made me go back in and do it again.  I can't tell you how much I hated that.  But now I'm grateful, because now I can clean a toilet... dang well.

Down the road if I get lost and I forget how much I love you, make me read this.  I know sometimes I forget that I love you.  Please forgive me for those times.  I'm sorry my room is always a mess.

 But at least I have a clean toilet.

The Three Of Us.

God made us Best Friends because He knew my parents could never ever handle the three of us as sisters.
 When we get together, which is pretty much every day, it's like a beautiful explosion went off filled with sparkles and glitter and girl stuff and everything we love.
What the heck were we thinking when we weren't all friends before High School.  I can't even imagine not being with you two.
Even though two of us are blonde and one of us is a brunette.  I think we know who has the real blonde head.  Yep, that's an easy one to tell.
When we get together, which is pretty much every day, no one can stop us.  We know what we like, we know what we hate, we know each other inside and out.  We know the struggles, the secret wishes, the crushes, and dreams.  I know you two and I hope you know me because I need you.
Even though each of our families are eternally different from each other, some how the three of us were made the same.  And God made us Best Friends because he knew.  Oh yeah, he definitely knew we needed each other.
When we're grandmothers can we have tea parties?  With tea and crumpets and little finger sandwiches?  Okay, let's do it.  Because I just know, and when all three of us just know, then we know.  Yes, we know very well that it'll happen.
I love our tickle fights, and teary drives when all three of us take turns screaming and yelling and crying and venting about something we've been keeping in far too long.  But most of all I love our tickle fights, because I love your laugh, and I love your laugh too.  My favorite thing is to make the two of you laugh.  And I think I'm really good at it.  Do you?  Of course you do because we're Best Friends and I love you, and I hope you love me too.
What am I saying... I know you love me, because God tells me everyday and He reminds me everyday that I should be very grateful to have you.

Someday I'll Be In Love.

Love is meant to be fallen into.  Love is feeling the flutter of butterfly wings every time we touch hands.  Love is always wanting, but rarely cherishing.  Love is needing to feel your embrace.  Love is more than hearts, and chocolates. Much more. Much, much more.

Love is standing out in the crowd.  Love is a country home in the woods overlooking a valley.  Love is not being able to sleep because of you.  Every night.  Love is grabbing faces and kissing cheeks.  Love is going wedding dress shopping and not being able to concentrate because your always on my mind.  Always.  

Love is crying at old fashion romance musicals.  Love is the sagging of a longing heart.  Love is changing plans, and changing them again, because you keep changing your mind.  Love is sending a soldier to a far away land and knowing you're never going to be able to handle it.

Love is kissing you because your lips just look so good.  Love is you leaving at one in the morning to go get us Chinese take out.  Because you love me that much.  

Love is Taylor Swift trying again and again to write the perfect love song.  Love is a slow dance, with chandeliers, and twinkly lights, and wild flowers.  Love is also a slow dance in the kitchen, me bare foot with my apron on, in the middle of doing the dishes.  Love is chunky baby thighs.  Love is seeing only you and you only seeing me.  Love is getting your hands in the dirt and not caring because your helping something to grow.  

Love is for me.  Love is for you.  Love is for anyone who wants it, because without love there would be no me or you.  And that would be really sad.

Love is waking up on a Saturday mornings and baking blueberry pancakes, because those are your favorite.  

Love is sugar and spice and everything nice, plus, snips and snails and puppy dog tails. 

The perfect combination.

Laugh it out.

When you slip on the ice on your way into school, you've already had a terrible morning, and now, great, your butt's going to hurt all day... laugh it out, and hope everyone saw it, cause it would be worth seeing.

When you're holding a baby and she spits up all over your brand new sunday dress you bought the day before... laugh it out, cause what can you do about that one.

When you're looking through your seventh grade year book and you come across an adolescently awkward looking teeny bopper, and notice that girl was once you... laugh it out, and be grateful you've learned a few lessons since then.

When you're in a public bathroom and you accidentally walk in on a very enthusiastic grandmother... laugh it out, and try to erase the picture.

When you're walking through the hall and you're actually trying to be friendly, but the girl you just waved to, and you kind of know, quickly looks away like she didn't see... laugh it out, and remember she has the problem not you.

When your parents invite the new people down the street over for Thanksgiving dinner, and they're the exact opposite of you and your family... laugh it out, and eat your turkey.

When your on a Mexican cruise and you see five single teachers from Timberline enjoying themselves on your same ship... laugh it out, and realize it'll most likely never happen again.

When you see your younger sophomore brother being cutesy with his brand new girlfriend at lunch, five inches from each other's faces and you almost feel like hurling up your sandwich... laugh it out and keep telling yourself someday he'll learn.

When the exchanged student asks you to Homecoming, and let's just say he has no social skills whatsoever... laugh it out, and accept you'll probably be babysitting that night.

When your dad takes your family to a grease pit asian buffet, and the feeling of everything you touch gives you the willies, and everyone you see there is over three hundred pounds... laugh it out, and be grateful it's your turn to choose the restaurant next time.

When your neighbor brings over a beautiful homemade cake to your family in your backyard, and your maniac dog jumps up and knocks it out of her hands immediately devouring it... I guess just laugh it out, and hope this is one of your neighbor's good days.

Everyday something like this is bound to happen, whether it be small or uncontrollably huge, remember that someday it'll be a memory you'll just be laughing about, so you might as well start laughing now.