To my parents

Mother Dearest, you probably know this, but I would be lost without you. Although I could probably find ways to survive the world alone, it would not be pretty. Thank you for your home-cooked meals, sense of fashion, and motivation (even if I do not want to listen).  Thank you for your passion for Jesus, which you have formed in me. Thank you for the Hallmark movies and the house renovation TV shows. Thank you for teaching me to bake, to be independent, and how to tell whether or not I can still eat food that has been in the fridge for just a bit too long. Thank you for trusting me, for loving me, and for always believing in me. I love you more than words can say, so thank you.

Father, I can’t even begin to describe how much you matter to me. I can’t wait to sit and watch our many shows or to try to get you to follow the main quest in Zelda and stop getting distracted. Thank you for trusting me, even when my mistakes are great, and they cause problems. Thank you for the help with my college search and for telling me what colleges you know I won’t like so I don’t waste my time. Thank you for the fast trips to the lake, for the random ice creams, for the handyman jobs for school projects, and for your sense of humor. Thank you for everything you do and everything you will do.

To my brother – Jakob

Although you truly piss me off sometimes, thank you for not letting me feel like an only child. Although I complain, thank you for your quirks and your need for aux in the car. Thank you for teaching me how to play Fortnite oh-so long ago. I can’t wait for you to drive; you’re gonna be a menace, and I can’t wait to watch.

To Gracie Abrams and The Secret of Us: Deluxe

Thank you, Gracie, for having an ex-boyfriend and making these masterpieces. Thanks to you, summer was full of screaming these songs in the car with the windows down and zooming down Buttrick. Thanks to you, the fall adventures were combined with a hint of teenage dreams and feminine rage. Thanks to you, we could sit in the car an extra four minutes to get to the bridge of “That’s so True” just because we knew we could scream it. Thank you for the songs, the screams, and the singing that built the beginning of this junior year.

To my best friends

Lilah

Although I don’t get to see you all day except lunch, we have stayed so close, which is when you know the friendship will last. Thank you for pushing me to be great in sports just to try and keep up with you. Thank you for your off-time singing; it always makes me laugh. Thank you for your mild road rage that was so unexpected, yet made so much sense. You always have something iconic to say, even if you don’t always think it’s that iconic. Thank you for the constant updates on season six of Love Island when it was airing, and thank you for waiting to talk to me about it until after I binged through it. Thank you for your “Hotel Transylvania” legs and your amazing TikTok drafts. Thank you for the lakehouse weekends and your crazy jet ski driving skills. Thank you for not letting me drift away even when we never see each other in school, and thank you for always being up for adventure, even when I am not.

Fiona

Not seeing you all day except for lunch makes my schedule seem much worse, but we continue to be close friends regardless. Thank you for always informing me on the happenings around the school when I am not always there to see them. Thank you for the fun double dates and the elite Instagram stalking abilities. Thank you for being willing to drive me when I don’t want to, which is all the time. Thank you for sitting down and binging a reality TV show with me and rotting on the couch. Thank you for the ginger in you, your fashion, and the lakehouse weekends.

To the best soccer team

You all will never understand how much you changed my life. I could’ve gone to a team that would have torn me down, killed my self-esteem, and never played me. But instead, I came to you, and now I am better. Thank you to Coach Tim for always making me laugh and being a knowledgeable hype coach. Thank you for letting me onto the team and keeping me. Thank you, Coach Brian, for making me better in agility, my vision, and my confidence. Without you, I would have never been able to be where I am today. Thank you, Maggie, Piper, Reagan, Lilah, and Ella, for always having a nice thing to say or a funny joke. Thank you for always being happy, always ready to play, and always being positive no matter the circumstance. Thank you, Ava, Lauren, Ainsley, and Addi, for always being committed to the team and putting 1000 percent into everything. Thank you for always having an interesting story from school to share, and thank you for keeping the game interesting. Thank you, Elsa, Ellery, Beckett, Lulu, Delilah, Norah, and Olivia, for being a constant figure on the field, never faltering and never failing. Thank you for always having my back when I fall and being able to take up your space when I need a break. Thank you to every single one of you for making soccer fun again. Without you, my love for this sport would have never stayed constant. 

To my boyfriend – Lucas

As we pass the seven-month mark of our relationship, I can not help but think what an amazing constant you have been. You are always there for me, whether in school or out, and you could not be a better person. Thank you for always being there in my highs and lows, in my sport and my schooling, in groups and alone, you are always my favorite person. Thank you for loving music with your heart and soul. Thank you for being competitive, always, and never giving up. Thank you for always having me over to hang out with you, your family, and Cinder. Thank you for your romantic gestures, even if they don’t always work out. These have been my favorite seven months, and I can not wait for more.

To the newest additions to the friend group – OG Pickle

This has been the first friend group that I have had with both girls and guys, and there is always something interesting happening. I am so thankful I was able to expand my inner circle to more people I am close to than ever before. Thank you, Fiona, Lilah, and Gianna, for keeping the girliness constant. Thank you for laughing at the guys with me when they are somehow losing to us in pickleball. Thank you for always being willing to hang out after football games, every day over the summer, and at the lakehouse. Thank you, Lucas, Sam, Henry, and Jack, for always bringing the competition. Thank you for one of you always hosting a “function” and for always being easy to laugh with. Thank you for the best summer and for starting junior year. Next summer will be even better than the last.