Letters To Me

Ok, I was reading my friend Tiffany's blog and loved what she did that I wanted to do the same!

Dear 10 year old Casey:
You have enjoyed going to gymnastics and competing on your Mom and Dad's trampoline team. However, your competing days are coming to an end. When you are attempting to learn how to do a backdrop pullover, you will get the wind knocked out of you. This will scare you to the point where you stop practicing that night. Then you stop practicing all together. When you are in your teens and start working at a gymnastics facility, you will wonder if you made the right decision at the time. You will think you missed out at first, but then realize all the wonderful things you were able to experience since then. So don't worry, just enjoy the time you have now because you have no idea what's in store for you.

Dear 11 year old Casey:
When it's close to your twelfth birthday, you are going to get some life-altering news. Your days living in Grandview will be coming to an end. You are not going to be happy with this decision because everything you love in life (family, friends, social activities) are pretty much in the same town. Don't be upset with your parents. Moving to Lees Summit will be one of the best things that will ever happen to you. You are going to make some really awesome friends, get involved in so many new activities, and discover your ultimate goals and dreams. As for your Grandview friends, you will lose touch with them, but when you are in your mid-twenties, you will be able to reconnect with them through the Internet on a website that allows plenty of social interaction and networking.

Dear 14 year old Casey:
Your love for the Backstreet Boys is in full force now. Hearing their music is going to make you wish you had a boyfriend. Don't worry... that wish will come true this year. His name is Ben and your first date will be the 8th grade spring dance. It will take you guys about six months before you have your first kiss, but you make up for lost time pretty quickly. He will break up with you twice (first time for less than 24 hours, then for good a year later). It takes you a very long time to get over him... for one, you and him never stopped hanging out, and two... he cheated on his next girlfriend with you. When you finally get over him, your relationship turns into a lifelong friendship. You even attend his wedding when you are in your twenties. So when you feel heartbroken at 16, just know that everything turns out fine in the end.

Dear 17 year old Casey:
You are going to make some weird and stupid decisions between junior and senior year. You have a blast spending time with your friends, especially Katrina. You and her will have so much fun that summer. Your curiosity about sex will reach new heights and before you know it, you are set up with a guy and you lose your virginity. You will get mixed feelings about what you did. You will be happy that you had sex but you will also feel guilty that this was a no-strings attached approach to getting what you wanted. Don't sweat it... you've got a bright future ahead and will be busy finishing high school and starting college before you know it!

Dear 19 year old Casey:
Wow... the wild, fun side of you explodes! You are spending a lot of time with your friends, dancing at bars/clubs, and meeting a lot of new guys through the Internet (two of those guys will still be friends with you years later). You also are feeling rebellious against your parents and are seeking out to be more independent, away from them. You will meet a guy named Brian who will get you away from your family. He will be very sweet, take you to really nice restaurants, and will want to spend every free moment with you (in a borderline obsessive way). I wish I could say that this "honeymoon" type of relationship with Brian lasts... but you have no idea what's in store for you in the next 4 1/2 years.

Dear 20 year old Casey:
You've found out some really deep skeletons in Brian's closet, but being who you are, you will be willing to overlook those things since he has convinced you he is a changed person. You will also have financial struggles, which leads to a decision where you stop using birth control... and immediately become pregnant. You are elated to find out that you will become a mom. You and Brian both want to have a boy, and get your wish. When picking out Truman's name, neither of you can decide between which Grandfather's middle name to use, so you compromise and do both. You will give birth via c-section a couple weeks before your 21st birthday. It will take you a while (and random fits of vomiting) to get used to changing his poopy diapers, but you instantly fall in love with taking care of your little boy.

Dear 23 year old Casey:
Remember that warning I gave you in that letter when you were 19??? Yea... the one that you didn't want to believe until after you went through so much bullshit? Now don't you wish you had listened (not only to me but to your family and close friends)??? Don't worry about it too much. Right after Truman's 3rd birthday you seize the opportunity to leave Brian. You were just going to stay at your parents for a couple days so you both could cool off, but then a phone conversation with Brian completely changes that. This is one of the best decisions you will ever make in your life. It's going to be emotionally hard for you for the first couple months, but once 2008 rolls around, the dark and depressed you that emerged when with Brian will disappear and be replaced with an even happier, more optimistic personality.

Dear 26 year old Casey:
It's been close to three years since you left Brian, and look at how much you've done since then. You have done an amazing job raising Truman on your own (with help from your parents and sister). You have reconnected with so many people that you thought you had lost, also turning a lot of acquaintances into new found friendships. You have done a lot of self discovery and soul searching and can say that you definitely know who you are and what you truly want in life and in love. You have broken out of your own comfort zone and experienced a lot of new things. You finally started writing again... and actually surprised yourself by opening a Pandora's Box of creativity. You are at an awesome place in life right now, where you have no idea what is in store for the future, but you have endless possibilities and a HUGE smile on your face!!!