Dear Kalyn,

Dear teenage Kalyn,

You are 16. This does not mean you are an adult. This does not mean you are capable of making grown up, rational decisions on your own. I don't even know why I'm telling you this, by now you're rolling your eyes and slamming the door in my face (you better watch out, you'll be missing that door one day).

(sorry for the terrible photo quality)

First I want to talk to you about the guy you meet at church camp. We'll call him "S." S is a really super cool guy and he introduces you to fun new music and tells you that you're pretty. Which is all really sweet, but this does not mean you are "in love" with him. Seriously. Don't cry all the way home from church camp, people will make fun of you. Don't spend hours and hours on the phone with him, it will just run your cell phone bill into the $300's. Which is a lot of money to you. After that I'm not sure what happens. You start your sophomore year of high school. Get a crush on this other guy but he blows you off and you get over it. Very chic of you do not pine over him like you did S.

My BFFL to this day

Even though you make pretty poor decisions when it comes to dating boys and the way you talk to your parents, you do pretty good in the friend department. You'll keep this one around for a while. Also, I should tell you now, the side bangs don't really ever work out for you like they do for this chick. And you keep that necklace (as one of your only accessories) until your 22.

Seriously, what is up with that cheesy smile?

While we're on the subject of fashion. Don't  do that thing where you wear a tank/spaghetti strap shirt over a regular shirt. Its only cool for about a month and when you are 23 and going through old pictures for a blog post (yes, you have a blog) you are going to wonder what the hell you were thinking. Also, don't cut your hair off while you have a perm. Actually, just don't get the perm. Your hair is already curly.

During a pep rally. Spot the tomboy! 

Even though you hate your life right now and "no one understands you" you are going to grow out of that get over it. Your senior year ends up being a blast, and then you go off to college (no its not the one you're planning on now), make some bad decisions and learn from most of them. You make some great friends, and some not so great ones. You start to realize that maybe your parents aren't so clueless after all.

After winning "best actress" for the lead role in my senior play.

In conclusion, remember that your life right now is not a terrible one. There is no need for yelling at teachers or trying to run away from home (you'll regret that later). High school is only for two more years, and you end up surviving (and coming out on top, I might add). You've still got some rough patches ahead of you, but as long as you keep your head on straight, you'll end up being okay.

Sincerely,

23 year old Kalyn