Dear 16 Year Old Me

Dear 16-year-old-me. Write a letter to yourself at age 16. What would you tell yourself? What would you make your younger self aware of?

Hmmm....I already did Dear 18 year old me last time.  If you want to read that one, click here:  http://www.allisonkatemurray.blogspot.com/2011/11/dear-18-year-old-me-30-health-post-in.html

Instead, I'm going to write about BEING 16 year old me.  I got my license on my 16th birthday.  I remember going into the office at school to talk to mom before taking my driving test, she told me not to be sad if I didn't pass.  I told her I would be fine.  It was an overcast day and had rained some, I remember this because my hair in my license picture is a little bit frizzy.  I passed with flying colors!

My parents let me drive the Mazda 323...his name was Jack and he had a sunroof. 

(Picture was taken before I was 16)

I was a sophomore in high school.  This was the first year that Jenn was gone away at school in Hawaii so I had the house to myself basically.  This was the year that I first started as a docent in the Petaluma Wildlife Museum. 

I wanted to go to college at BYU and had the sweatshirts to prove it.

This was a slightly rebelious year in seminary...my teacher didn't like me much.  I don't know why he always had me at a table with Brett, but pretty sure he and I just joked around thole time. 

I think Brett took me on my first real/legal date this year?  I think it was a double date...we went to the movies...he got pulled over and freaked out, it was pretty funny. 

Had a crush on Shea.

I was still growing my orange hair out from using Sun-In.

I got my first real job at TCBY.  It was the best job ever and I was there for a month.  I called one Sunday to get my schedule for the week and they told me the store was closing, I said I just wanted to get my schedule real quick...they said...no, the store is closing for good.  Went and found another job...Corning Revere...loved working there.

Had awesome friends and "The Mooners" was created...

I was a youth leader at girls camp that year.  I absolutley fell in love with the girls of the RP 3rd and 4th wards that Crystal and I were over.  We were the Smurfettes.  Susannah came home from her mission the day that I received my Tree award and gave it to me....her up at the podium was the first time I had seen her in a year and a half.

Lisa announced that she was pregnant...9 months later, we got Kyra :)

I had almost 5 years of diabetes under my belt.  The newness had worn off.  I had a pump.  I was threatened all the time that if I didn't have good blood sugars that the car would be taken away from me.  Two of my best friends couldn't stand the sight of blood.  My friends at school, when I was acting low, would ask if I was ok and I would promptly start to tear up and say that I was fine...they then would tell me to test my sugar and to eat something. 

By 16...we were all pretty used to this diabetic life. 

The Health Activist Writer’s Month Challenge 2012 (#HAWMC)