Dear 2011 Emily,
Hey gurl heeey! I know you’re very excited to start your freshman year of high school, as you should be. Freshman year will be the easiest for you school-wise, so please enjoy that, even when it feels impossible to make it through the piles of homework. I also know that even though you’re excited for the next four years, you’re not really sure what to expect (you’ve also listened to “Fifteen” by Taylor Swift like 25 times in a row, you can’t hide your secrets from me), so I’m just going to give you some advice and a rundown of the your high school experience.
At this moment in time you tend to look in the mirror and not like what you see. That changes! You’re going to figure out how all that make-up stuff works, you’re also going to learn that you look good without it. You stop straightening your hair the summer before junior year. I know that’s very surprising for you to hear and also horrifying, but I promise that it looks good! As a bonus, you get to sleep in an extra 20 minutes everyday. With help from your mom and some great friends you meet, you learn to love your body and dress it to your advantage. Just please have faith that we get hot, because we totes do girl.
The friends that you have now are not necessarily the ones you are going to end high school with. A few drift away, or make decisions that force you to cut them out of your life, but you’ll be okay. You and Josie are going to have some rough spots for various reasons, but today she is still one of the very most important people in your life (13 years and goin’ strong). Cassi also becomes a key player, which I know isn’t something you expect to happen. I can’t really tell you how you become so close, because I have no idea. We just wake up one day and realize that 95 percent of our text messages are with her, and the thought of her not being around makes our chest ache. You also meet a bunch of crazy guys by the names of Nick, Nathanael, and Joe. They’re great, you love them, they change your life.
In the fall we are headed to The University of Nebraska at Omaha to major in History. Wow, that really threw you through a loop didn’t it! You still think we are planning on teaching elementary school. Well girl, let me tell ya, that changes. You have Mr. Kerr to thank for that. You’ll have him sophomore and senior year, and he helps you realize your love of history. You want to be a museum curator, that part you figure out on your own. You also will have to go to graduate school now, which sucks.
Overall, high school is a great time for you. You’re going to figure out who you are and who you want to be. Don’t be afraid to try new things and branch out, try to avoid the word “no”. You meet so many amazing people and have some killer experiences. I know that right now you worry that you are wasting your teenage years, but you spend them well. You learn that the time you spend on your own is restorative, and sometimes it’s a better option than going out. Don’t worry, you also do fun things! This summer we are going to Kansas City to see a Fall Out Boy concert with Cassi and Josie (I know you don’t know who Fall Out Boy is now, but you find them soon and you will never be the same). So rest assured that you don’t turn into a super boring stay-at-homer. You also get really funny (if you couldn’t tell by this hilarious letter), so that’s cool.
My final advice for you is this: have fun, be kind, and don’t take yourself too seriously. When things get too rough just lock the door, shut off the lights, and dance it out. You got this.
Love,
2015 Emily
