Dear 27 Year Old Allison

Dear 27 Year Old Allison,

As I write this blog post, I am 17 years old, and I can't even begin to imagine how much life has changed in 10 years. I can't even imagine myself being 27 years old, but then again I guess when I was 7 it was hard to imagine myself being 17. Time passes by so quickly, and I know that I will be 27 before I even know it.

As this point in your life, you've graduated college (hopefully - ha!). I hope and pray that you have a job that you love going to every day. And if you don't have a job you love, it's never too late to change that. Find something you like because life's too short not to enjoy yourself.

I hope you've done a lot of traveling, and I'm praying that you've been to Paris by now :) And if you have, say a prayer of thanksgiving, because right now, that's one of your biggest dreams!

I'm sure you still love to bake, and I hope you do it often - even if it's just for family and friends. I also hope you've come up with a lot of cute new cake pop designs over the years.....

I can't help but add that I'm crossing my fingers that you've visited some more Rita's! I know times change, but I don't see how my obsession with Rita's ever could :)

Of course, I can't help but wonder if you're married by now and maybe even have kids. It's weird to think that in 10 years, that's a definite possibility. I pray that even if you haven't met the "one" for you yet, you haven't given up hope that he's out there somewhere!

Another thing I'm praying hard for is that you've found a close group of friends. At 17, I feel as though I don't have a group of friends who do everything together, and I hope you've found that by now.

I hope that you're not afraid to live life despite the hardships. I can't even begin to imagine all the hard times you've faced in the last 10 years, but at the same time I can't take a wild guess at all the successes and fun times you've had too. Make sure you make the good times count for more than all of the bad times!

I hope that you've never stopped thanking God for all the blessings in your life. I know at 17 that's something I always try to do, but I'm counting on the face that you've gotten better at it!

I hope that you remember the past, but you don't live in the past. The only time you have is the present!

I hope that you're still blogging, and even if you're not, I hope you still look back at this blog every now and then to see how far you've come (and to read this letter!).

It makes me sad to think about the fact that there are people in my life right now who are probably not in your life anymore. But then again, you've probably met SO many more people to make up for it. I can't understand why God only brings certain people into our lives for a season, and I know you haven't figured that out either because I don't think that's something that can be understood. You just have to trust that everything works out for the best.

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And just to remember what it was like to be 17, here's some current things......

I'm actually writing this letter on August 5, 2012 at 11:08 PM, although I'm not going to publish it for a little while. I'm writing it while laying on my bed with Coco curled up next to me. (Actually, she's laying here licking).

I start my Senior of year of high school in a few weeks (August 22).

I'm currently wearing a black maxi dress, and I can't help but wonder if those will be in style in another 10 years.

The current president is Barack Obama, although he's up for reelection in a few months.

Michael Phelps recently won his 22th Olympic medal, making him the most dressed Olympian of all time, in the 2012 London Olympics.

My favorite TV shows right now are What Not To Wear and Say Yes to the Dress.

I have an iPhone 4S right now. It's probably the best phone on the market right now, but I'm sure it will seem lame and outdated when you're 27.

I've had my license for over a year now, and so far the only thing I've hit is the garage door. I hope you haven't hit anything else or been hit, but I know that's probably unlikely - ha! I guess everyone makes mistakes.

I'm driving my green 2001 Chevy Prizm now. Although this car works fine for me now, I hope you have better and nicer one now! I'm sure you do since I don't think the Prizm will make it another 10 years :)

My favorite social media sites right now are Twitter and Pinterest. Again, I wonder if those sites are still big - probably not!

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I wanted to write this post/letter to give you something to look back on. A piece of your teenage years to revisit in your twenties. I know you've experienced so many different life changes, but I know that you're a much stronger and better person than I am today. Everyday you get a little bit stronger.

Again, I can't even guess what you're life is like right now. Maybe you have a nice job and live by yourself. Or maybe you're married and have taken the opportunity to travel a lot. Maybe you're even a stay-at-home mom. I don't know if you drive a BMW or a mini van. I don't know if you have your own dog or not.

But despite all these uncertainties, I trust that God has some kind of plan behind it all, even if life doesn't turn out the way I imagine it in my head right now. Even though you're still 10 years away, I'm going to start praying for the 27 year old Allison. And just for the future in general.

So, remember me but don't dwell on me. But no matter what, always remember that:

"We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us."

Love,
17 Year Old Allison