It's like, how much more black could this be? and the answer is none. None more black. - Spinal Tap

Well, I spent my weekend in sunny Charleston and I am offically back in "Missing Charleston" mode!! Don't give me that look - there's just too many good things about it! Stephen and I went to Mellow Mushroom on a date Friday night which was nice because it forced us to walk around downtown, and it was a gorgeous night. Probably no one really cares what we did on Saturday (let's just say it involved a lot of thrift stores and used book stores) but that night we went to a party in honor of stephen for him leaving Charleston for good. His supervisor presented him with an extremely nice Study Bible for his going away present. We had about 20 of our friends show up, and we had a BLAST. We went to Wild Wings where they have the best wings and martinis. Stephen and I got a platter of 25 wings to share - Italian, Garlic, and Honey Mustard, and I'm tellin' you, mmmm, I'm starting to drool just thinking about it again. Moving on.

Jenn just wrote a post about a letter she'd write to her 17-year-old self. Well, wouldn't that be just peachy if we could do that? I think I could have saved myself a lot of trouble and wasted time. But alas, that is what learning is all about. But my point of this is, you CAN write to your FUTURE self. FutureMe is a website where you can write yourself and send the letter whenever you want to. Right now you can send it to tomorrow, or up to 30 years from now. I prefer smaller timeframes, like one year. If you can't think of anything cool to say, you can at least check out the letters other people write. Well, I thought it would be kind of cool to post a letter I once wrote myself using this system. I wrote the letter on September 26, 2004, and received it on August 15, 2005. Yes, I had totally forgotten about it at that point. This is what it said:

Dear Future and hopefully Improved Amanda,

Well, by the time you read this you will be getting ready for your wedding! *shriek!* I know you are super excited. Don't stress out, everything will be awesome.

Right now I am 21. I am working harder in school than ever. I am doing daily devotions which has made my life the best it could possibly be. I want to be a counselor someday. I have the best sister ever, Jenn. I hope you are still close to her. If not, KICK YOURSELF RIGHT NOW and then call her.

This summer I came to realize which people care the most about me. Don't treat mom and dad like they're worthless. They were your best friends over the summer, and you have attempted to treat them like a king and queen ever since. If you aren't still doing that, tell them every day how wonderful they are.

Go right now and call Mary and Keely and tell them that you love them. If you are lucky enough to be near them, give them a hug. They have kept you sane these past 4 years. Let them know how lucky you are to have found them.

Are you still doing your devotions? I hope you are getting closer and closer to the Lord. He has blessed you so much lately and helped you when no one else was around.

Do you still splash in puddles? If not, do it the next time it rains! Don't be afraid to grow up, but you'll go crazy if you don't act your shoe size every once in a while. I love you so much. I know that you are trying to be your best. With the help of God, and your close friends, and strength from yourself, you can do it. You are talented, pretty, smart, and funny, just remember that. Love, The Old Amanda

Well, it's funny looking at this now, 3 years later, how relevant so much of it still is. I still want to be a counselor, but that Master's degree is just sort of roaming around in the back of my head at this point. I'm closer to Jenn now than 3 years ago, especially physically! I spend more time with mom and dad than I have probably since I moved to Boone. Keely knows how much I love her, and we are still in close contact. Mary and I talk less, but I'm sure she knows the effect she had on my life (I played pool over the weekend, and visions of Murphy's ran through my head...) I don't go to bed without doing a daily devotion, and I'm definitely constantly trying to get closer to God. I don't really splash in puddles anymore, mainly because I hate being cold, but I have a feeling that's okay. I still act immature in plenty of other ways. My favorite part in reading this letter again is that I complimented myself and told myself that I loved me. I know the situation I was in when I wrote this letter, and it's amazing to me that I was in a place where I could say that to myself. Anyway, I highly recommend this website, and it will be well worth it to take a few minutes to write something to FutureYou.

Kudos to anyone who read this whole post.